If you're planning to upgrade your rig, now is the ideal time to look for the best AMD processor for your needs and budget.
With AMD's AM5 motherboard support for the best DDR5 RAM and PCIe 5.0 connectivity, upgrading from AM4 to AM5 or diving into AMD for the first time is a smart move for future-proofing.
For those seeking the ultimate gaming setup, AMD's chips featuring 3D V-Cache, which vertically stacks extra L3 cache, deliver enhanced single-core performance—ideal for gaming. If you’re on a budget, the Ryzen 5 7600X or some older AM4 models like the Ryzen 9 5900X or Ryzen 7 5800X3D also offer excellent performance at lower prices.
To maximize your AMD setup, pair one of the best AMD CPUs with the best graphics card and CPU cooler, and you'll be gaming at your best this holiday season
John Loeffler is the Components Editor here at TechRadar and looks after all coverage for computing hardware including processors. He's had hands-on experience with all AMD CPUs over the last several years, and even holds a Masters in Computer Science, too.
Best AMD processors: The Quick List
The best AMD processor overall
The AMD Ryzen 9 7950X takes the pole position in our buying guide for its powerful performance and energy efficiency. It's far from the cheapest of the line, the opposite in fact, but there's no disputing the prowess on display here.
Best budget AMD processor
The AMD Ryzen 5 7600X is our top pick for the best budget AMD processor for its fantastic performance for the price combined with its native DDR5 RAM and PCIe 5.0 support. It's among the best of its class with its six cores and 12 threads.
Best midrange AMD processor
The AMD Ryzen 7 7700X is incredibly powerful with its eight cores and 16 threads, and likely to be all the horsepower most people need for creativity tasks and gaming all for a price that's hard to argue against.
Best AM4 AMD processor
Despite the AMD Ryzen 9 5900X's age, it still offers incredible performance (and at a far cheaper price) than when it was originally released. Moreover, those who haven't made the jump to socket AM5 yet will really benefit from the 12 cores and 24 threads model here.
Best AMD processor for gaming
The second-generation 3D V-cache found on the AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D boosts the single-core performance making it ideal for those wanting a cost-effective gaming rig.
Best AM4 AMD CPU for gaming
The first-generation AMD 3D V-cache made a powerful impression when it launched, and the Ryzen 7 5800X3D remains a definitive option for those still running AM4.
The best AMD processor of 2024
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The best AMD processor overall
The AMD Ryzen 9 7950X is easily the best processor on the market right now with incredible performance, energy efficiency, and support for the latest DDR5 and PCIe 5.0 technology. There is no area where the processor doesn't either match or surpass competing chips on the market, and coming in at a slightly lower price point than its predecessor, it is the enthusiast processor to own right now.
If there is a single fault with the processor, it's that the new Ryzen 7000 series requires a new AM5 motherboard and doesn't support DDR4 RAM, so you'll need to buy a new expensive RAM kit as well, but given the generational leap here, there's no question that the price is worth it for those who have the means to invest heavily in their system.
- Read More: AMD Ryzen 9 7950X review
The best budget AMD processor
The AMD Ryzen 5 7600X is hands down one of the finest processors we've ever laid our hands on, thanks to its compelling price and performance, something that isn't always easy to find in the components marketplace.
With solid multi-core and phenomenal single-core performance, this chip will be able to cut through almost any productivity task you throw at it, while its gaming chops are fantastic for a chip at this price point. It's creative workload performance is decent enough, but you should really look to a processor with more cores if you're expecting to do much 3D rendering work.
To top it all off, this chip doesn't draw a whole lot of power or generate a lot of heat, making it a great choice for smaller PC builds.
- Read more: AMD Ryzen 5 7600X review
The best midrange AMD processor
The Ryzen 7000 series has definitely impressed us with its massive generational leap over its predecessor – as well as its rival, Intel. Nowehere is that more clear than with the Ryzen 7 7700X, a midrange-ish chip meant for more serious content creation and gaming performance that easily outperforms the best chips of the previous generation while not costing a fortune.
While it's content creation chops are decent enough, it still lags the Intel Core i5-12600K in many content creation tasks, so if content creation is your priority, there are better chips out there. If you're looking for gaming though, this is unquestioningly the best gaming processor we've ever tested, and it's overall productivity scores and general performance is top notch.
- Read More: AMD Ryzen 7 7700X review
The best AM4 AMD processor
The AMD Ryzen 9 5900X brings the biggest gen-on-gen jump in a single performance in years, making it a terrific upgrade. This latest release from AMD is not just a stronger processor across the board, but it's also an incredibly powerful processor for gaming and creative work full stop. If you have an AM4 motherboard, this is the processor for you.
In 2024, the AMD Ryzen 9 5900X is considerably cheaper than it was when it first hit the scene. While originally costing a mammoth $549 (about £420, AU$760), you can now find the high-end AM4 hardware for around the $280 (about £229 / AU$330) mark through retailers such as Amazon. That puts the once-leading chip in a whole new light, whether you're upgrading from an older AM4 CPU or building for the first time. You won't get 12 cores and 24 threads cheaper anywhere else.
Read the full AMD Ryzen 9 5900X review
The best AMD processor for gaming
The AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D stands out as the premier choice for gaming enthusiasts, delivering exceptional performance across virtually all games, courtesy of its innovative 3D V-Cache technology.
However, its capabilities outside of gaming are somewhat less impressive. For those seeking a versatile processor capable of handling a broader range of tasks, the AMD Ryzen 7 7700X emerges as a compelling alternative within this category, unless one prefers the Intel Core i7-14700K mentioned previously.
Though priced on the higher side, it offers a somewhat more affordable option compared to the Ryzen 9 7950X3D. Potential buyers without an AM5 motherboard should note the necessity for significant additional component upgrades to accommodate the latest AMD Ryzen processors.
Read the full AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D review
The best AM4 AMD processor for gaming
The AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D is without question one of the best processors for gaming with an AM4 motherboard on the market. With incredible performance thanks to AMD's new 3D V-Cache technology, the 5800X3D punches way above its weight class and even bests the Core i9-12900K when it comes to gaming.
Since this is essentially an AMD Ryzen 7 5800X with additional cache memory stacked on the CPU die, it keeps the same motherboard socket as earlier chips, making it a much more affordable option for those who want great gaming performance but don't want to spend a lot of money.
This of course assumes that you have an AMD AM4 system in the first place. If not, you'll need to buy a whole new motherboard, and maybe a new cooling solution, in which case you might as well go all in and get the i9-12900K, which offers comparable gaming performance, but comes with a whole lot more extra goodies.
Read the full AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D review
The best AMD processor: FAQs
Which AMD processor is best?
In our testing, we were particularly impressed with the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X. This is a top-tier AMD processor that provides incredible performance across the board and represents an energy-efficient choice, too.
It supports the latest DDR5 and PCle 5.0 technology and is a best-in-class showcase amongst AMD’s roster. Provided you’re prepared to invest in a new AM5 motherboard, as well as a RAM kit that supports DDR4, this one is a clear winner.
What is the current fastest AMD processor?
It’s two for two with the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X. This is the fastest AMD desktop processor available right now if you exclude the Threadripper series, which is aimed at high-end content production and is likely to be surplus to most people’s requirements.
When it comes to consumer AMD processors, which are aimed more squarely at fulfilling everyday productivity, creative, and gaming spaces, the Ryzen 9 7950X is the fastest and most reliable on the market.
How to choose the best AMD processor for you
When it comes to finding the best AMD processor for your needs and budget, the most important thing is knowing what you need your processor to do. There is such a thing as buying too much processor when you're looking to upgrade, and getting the absolute fastest chip on the market isn't always the best way to go about it.
If you only need to do general-use computing like shopping online, streaming movies, and some light productivity work, then a Ryzen 3 or Ryzen 5 processor is more than enough for your needs, and getting a Ryzen 7 or a Ryzen 9 will barely add anything to your user experience while also costing significantly more.
If you are looking to do a lot of PC gaming and content creation, then you'll definitely want to go with a Ryzen 7 or Ryzen 9, since a Ryzen 5 will barely cut it, and you can forget about anything more involved than Candy Crush on a Ryzen 3.
How we test AMD processors
It's impossible to tell the best processors from the worst just by looking at them. All of the core components are hidden away in identical-looking packaging, and even if you were to peel back that packaging, the transistors on the CPU die (the neurons of the CPUs "brain") are literally measured in nanometers. How can you tell a million transistors on a chip from a billion, and how can you measure a processor's clock cycle by looking at the box?
Fortunately, there are tests we can run to see how well a processor performs in the real world, and the best way to do that is to push a processor to its limits by running finely-calibrated benchmarking tools that produce comparable scores based on how well a processor performs a specific task like compressing a video file or performing the very complex math used in 3D gaming.
We use industry-standard tools like Geekbench 5, Cinebench R23, and PCMark 10 to synthetically push processors to the limit using realistic workloads that you're likely to experience in day-to-day use.
We also use modern PC games set to the lowest graphical settings on the best available gaming hardware to isolate CPU performance while gaming, which we measure in frames per second.
Then, with the scores in hand, we look at the price of the processor. The best processors offer either best-in-class performance regardless of price, or compelling value for the customer, since it's just as important to get the best processor you can afford and not just a top-scoring processor that is out of most people's budgets.
Today's deals on the best AMD processors
