After taking on the high end of the market with the release of its Ryzen 7 processors last month, AMD has today announced the launch of its more modest lineup of Ryzen 5 chips. And though they might be aimed squarely at mid-range PC builds, AMD's Ryzen 5 chips look to pack plenty of performance for the cost.
All told, the Ryzen 5 lineup includes 4 chips ranging from $169 to $249. Here's a look:
| Processor | Cores | Threads | Clock speed | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R5 1400 | 4 | 8 | 3.2GHz(3.4GHz) | $169 |
| R5 1500X | 4 | 8 | 3.5GHz(3.7GHz) | $189 |
| R5 1600 | 6 | 12 | 3.2GHz(3.6GHz) | $219 |
| R5 1600X | 6 | 12 | 3.6GHz(4.0GHz) | $249 |
While Ryzen 7 is a head-to-head competitor for Intel's Core i7 chips, AMD has the Core i5 range in its sights with Ryen 5. In its own benchmarks, AMD is claiming "up to 87% more performance when comparing the AMD Ryzen 5 1600X to the Intel flagship Core i5 model, the 7600K." That's a bold claim, and we'll have to wait for independent benchmarks to see if AMD's claims hold up. However, if those numbers hold up, Ryzen 5 looks to give Intel a run for its money — especially for gamers.
Ryzen 5 is available now at retailers worldwide, though availability may be limited initially. Hopefully, with two successful CPU launches behind in the rearview mirror, we'll get a look at AMD's plans for its Vega graphics chips soon.
