Top AMD Ryzen 5 Processors for Powerful Budget Gaming PC

After the launch of AMD Ryzen 7 processors, AMD has now introduced AMD Ryzen 5 Processors. Ryzen 7 processors are the top of the range processors from AMD that are meant for building a high-end gaming PC, and AMD Ryzen 5 Processors are the mid-range processors from AMD that are also powerful, affordable and can be used to build a powerful budget gaming PC. Ryzen 7 processors are 8 core or octa-core processors but Ryzen 5 processors have 6-cores and 4-cores. The top of the line Ryzen 5 processors have 6-cores (Hexa-core) and below them have 4-cores or quad-cores. These Ryzen 5 processors are direct competitors to the Intel Core i5 series Kaby Lake processors.

Must Read: AMD Threadripper Processors for Ultimate Performance in Gaming

AMD Ryzen 5 Processors are perfect for gamers who are on a budget but to want to build a good gaming PC for 1080p or 1440p gaming. At present AMD has introduced four Ryzen 5 processors out of which two are 6-core processors and the other two are 4-core processors. Obviously the top two Ryzen 5 Hexa-core processors offer better performance than the Ryzen 5 quad-core processors which are listed below them. Ryzen 5 processors are also based on AM4 Socket and they need a Socket AM4 motherboard for their working. Here in this post, I am going to provide you the list of all Ryzen 5 processors that you can buy for your gaming PC based on your budget and gaming requirements.

Check out:

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• AMD Ryzen 7 and Ryzen 5 2nd Generation Processors
• Best Cheap X470 Motherboards for Ryzen Processors [AM4 Socket]

AMD Ryzen 5 Processors for Budget Gaming PC

There are mainly four processors in the Ryzen 5 family and they are 1600X, 1600, 1500X and 1400. All these Ryzen 5 CPUs support DDR4 RAM and require AM4 Socket Motherboard for their working. Also, all the below mentioned Ryzen 5 processors come unlocked which means you can overclock them for extra performance using a good aftermarket CPU cooler.

AMD Ryzen 5 1600X

Ryzen 5 1600X is the fastest and top of the line AMD Ryzen 5 processor. It is a 6-core or Hexa-core processor that has clock speed of 3.6 GHz (4.0 GHz Precision Turbo) and comes with 16MB cache. The processor also comes with XFR or Extended Frequency Range feature which increases the processor speed to further up to 100 MHz beyond Turbo / Boost depending on how good the cooling is.

This is a high-end performance processor and is a direct competitor of the Intel Core i5 7600K Kaby Lake processor. Core i5 7600K does lack in specifications to Ryzen 5 1600X and you will certainly see better performance from 1600X in multithreaded applications and high-end games. Both processors are priced almost equally with Ryzen 1600X at around $249 and Core i5 7600K at $242. The processor does not come with any cooler and you have to buy a good CPU cooler for it. I recommend Water / Liquid Cooler for it.

Buy AMD Ryzen 5 1600X Processor

AMD Ryzen 5 1600

Ryzen 5 1600 is the little brother of Ryzen 5 1600X. The processor has got almost the same specifications as Ryzen 5 1600X but has lower frequencies and lower power consumption. Ryzen 5 1600 has clock speed of 3.2 GHz (3.6 GHz Turbo Frequency) and comes with 16MB L3 cache. This is also a hexacore processor that has got 6 physical cores and 12 threads which makes it a definite choice for multithreaded applications. It comes with XFR up to 100 MHz and has a power consumption of only 65 Watt.

Ryzen 5 1600 is a direct competitor to the Intel Core i5 7600 Kaby Lake processor with Ryzen 5 1600 priced at around $219 and Core i5 7600 at $230. Ryzen 5 1600 does lead in specifications compared to Core i5 7600. The processor comes with AMD Wraith Spire Cooler but you can buy a good aftermarket cooler if you want to overclock it to higher levels.

Buy AMD Ryzen 5 1600 Processor

AMD Ryzen 5 1500X

Ryzen 5 1500X is the fastest Quad-core processor in the AMD Ryzen 5 family. This processor has clock speed of 3.5 GHz and 3.7 GHz turbo or boost frequency. The processor comes with 16MB cache and has 4-cores but can process 8 threads at once. This processor has got the maximum XFR range in the Ryzen 5 family which is up to 200 MHz.

Ryzen 5 1500X is a competitor to the Intel Core i5 7500 kaby lake processor. Ryzen 5 1500X is priced at around $189 and you can find core i5 7500k at $182. But the performance of Ryzen 5 1500X is going to be higher because of better specifications, more threads, and cache. It comes with AMD Wraith Spire cooler but you can get a good liquid cooler for it if you are an overclocker or performance enthusiast. This is one of the best budget gaming processors that has got both performance and affordable price.

Buy AMD Ryzen 5 1500X Processor

AMD Ryzen 5 1400

Ryzen 5 1400 is the cheapest Ryzen 5 processor that you can buy for your budget gaming PC. Even though the processor is cheaper but it does not lack performance. It has clock speed of 3.2 GHz with 3.4GHz Turbo and comes with 8MB cache. The processor has 4-cores (quad-core) and can process 8 threads at once. These eight threads make it mimic as an octa-core processor and gives it better performance in multi-threaded applications and modern games. Ryzen 5 1400 is going to give a tough fight to the Intel Core i3-7350K Processor which is only a dual-core processor and is priced slightly higher than Ryzen 1400.

Like other Ryzen 5 processors, this one also comes with XFR and but it has the lowest frequency boost which is up to 50MHz only. The maximum power consumption or TDP of Ryzen 5 1400 is at 65 Watt. The processor comes with AMD Wraith Stealth Cooler which I think is sufficient for this budget Ryzen processor.

Buy AMD Ryzen 5 1400 Processor

Note: The official launch of AMD Ryzen 5 processors is on 11 April 2017 but they are still available online from some sellers.

 See also: Best Intel Kaby Lake Processors for Gaming PC

Final Words

In the end, I would like to say that these Ryzen 5 processors from AMD are really worth every penny and you can really build a powerful gaming PC using them without spending too much. If you have queries regarding processors, graphics cards or gaming build then feel free to ask me by leaving a comment below.