2022 AMD Processor Buying Guide

Written by Sean Mekinda

AMD features many of the best CPUs in the industry thanks to the widespread adoption of the Ryzen 5000 generation. They offer a wide range of processor options for a variety of uses, from top Ryzen gaming CPUs to AMD processors for more budget-conscious builders.

High-end AMD CPUs can conquer just about any challenge with amazing power and elegance. Everything from multitasking to lightning-fast frame rates for gaming, top AMD processor models are more than up to the task. Moreover, AMD’s new 3D V-Cache technology has helped foster a delicate balance between performance and affordability.

The irony of having a lot of CPU options to choose from with AMD can sometimes create a surprising amount of anxiety when deciding which model is best for your purposes and your budget. The good news is that you’ve come to the right place as this article gives you the information you need to make a well-informed decision when it comes to buying your next reliable AMD processor in 2022.

What is a CPU?

The starting point for shopping for AMD processors is being mindful of what CPUs actually do. As a refresher, it’s helpful to recall that CPUs are the veritable engines that handle the processing and executing instructions for your computer. When it comes to CPUs speed and efficiency are the name of the game.

Ideally, you want a CPU that is powerful enough to run your games and tasks with minimal or no lag time. And while it is a good idea to plan for some extra headroom in your CPU search, it is certainly possible to overbuy on CPUs and end up with more processing power than you actually need.

To avoid this, read on to discover which AMD processor is best for you in 2022!

The Best AMD CPUs in 2022

AMD Ryzen 9 5950X – Most Powerful AMD Ryzen CPU

The Ryzen 9 5950X is at the top of the AMD processor class. Offering world-class processing power, it has 16 cores and 32 threads that can boost up to 4.9GHz. Additionally, this CPU boasts an amazing 72MB of combined L2 and L3 cache.

Compared to the Ryzen 9 5900X, the 5950X is far superior when it comes to multithreaded performance. For tasks such as 3D rendering and hardware encryption that use a lot of cores, the 5950X is head and shoulders above the 5900X. On the other hand, for functions that only involve one main core, the 5900X offers fairly comparable performance to the 5950X.

AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D – The Ultimate AMD Gaming CPU

The Ryzen 7 5800X3D is identical to the Ryzen 7 5800X except that the 5800X3D has an extra 64MB of L3 cache. This extra L3 cache tips the scales to solidify the 5800X3D as the ultimate processor for gaming.

What’s even more intriguing is the fact that the Ryzen 7 5800X3D has the advantage of the Ryzen 9 5950X when it comes to gaming power, despite having a significantly lower price tag. For enthusiasts who are looking to build an amazing gaming computer, the Ryzen 7 5800X3D is the way to go.

And be sure to check out our benchmarks for even more info!

AMD Ryzen 5 5600X – Robust Midrange AMD CPU

If you have a strict budget, consider the Ryzen 5 5600X. This robust processor provides six cores and 12 threads, a base clock of 3.7GHz, and a boost clock of 4.6GHz. Additionally, it offers 35MB of combined L2 and L3 cache, which is only 1MB less than the 5800X.

One of the great things about the 5600X is that it benefits from AMD's Zen 3 architecture, which optimizes instructions per clock (IPC) and memory management. The optimized IPC is great for limitedly threaded functions such as gaming. For this reason, the 5600X is a great option for gamers.

AMD Ryzen 7 5700G – Top Ryzen Processor with Integrated Graphics

For builders who don’t have a dedicated graphics card, there’s good news—the 5700G comes with integrated graphics. Moreover, the 5700G is AMD's best desktop Accelerated Processing Unit (APU) boasting AMD Zen 3 architecture with Vega-based graphics.

The 5700G provides 8 cores and 16 threads running at a base frequency of 3.8GHz with a boost frequency of 4.6GHz. The processor is able to maintain a reasonably low thermal design power (TDP) of 65W. When it comes to integrated graphics, the 5700G offers 8 compute units, 512 GCN cores, and clock speeds as high as 2GHz. Additionally, it’s worth noting that the 5700G has 16MB of L3 cache and offers support for DDR4-3200 memory.

AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX – Most Powerful Mobile AMD CPU

One of the most exciting announcements made by AMD to kick off 2022, was the reveal of the Ryzen 6000 series CPUs for notebooks. These notebook processors boast AMD’s Zen 3 architecture which offer RDNA2 integrated graphics and higher clock speeds. These specs make the 6900HX great for both productivity and basic gaming.

The 6900HX provides 8 cores, 16 threads, base clock speeds of 3.3GHz, and boost clock speeds of 4.9GHz. Moreover, the 6900HX is unlocked, which means it can overclock and has a TDP of 45W. With RDNA 2 integrated graphics, the 6900HX offers better graphics performance compared to the Vega series.

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