The best AMD processor in 2024: top AMD CPUs for gaming, creating, and more

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REASONS TO BUY
REASONS TO AVOID
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REASONS TO BUY
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AMD is known for offering a balance of high performance and affordability within the competitive CPU market, and the best AMD processor provides multitasking capabilities to help you excel in a professional capacity, as well as dramatically improving the performance of your PC games. 

Unlike AMD’s closest competitors, AMD processors have historically hit that sweet spot of high-performance power and cost-effectiveness, causing their popularity to soar among professionals and gamers alike. Their best chip, the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, supports the latest DDR5 and PCle 5.0 technology and offers unbeatable value for the price point. 

In contrast, the AMD Ryzen 5 7600X represents an even more affordable option and is bound to appeal to budget buyers, thanks to its impressive single-core performance. Its multicore performance may be too laggy for some, but overall this energy-efficient chip is excellent for productivity and is a solid choice for gaming to boot. 

In much the same way that anyone looking for the best graphics card shouldn’t ignore AMD’s offerings, your search for the best processor should consider AMD’s latest and greatest processors, too.

However, scoping out the best processors on the market can be exhausting, particularly if you’re not sure which way to turn. And that’s where we come in. We’re well-versed in the best processors that AMD has to offer and can help steer you in the right direction, according to your specific needs and requirements. 

The best AMD processor of 2024

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An AMD Ryzen 9 7950X on a table

(Image credit: Future)

The best AMD processor overall

The best AMD processor available right now

Specifications

Cores: 16
Threads: 32
Base clock: 4.5GHz
Boost clock: 5.7GHz
L3 cache: 80MB
TDP: 170W

Reasons to buy

+
Best-in-class performance
+
Very energy efficient
+
DDR5 and PCIe 5.0 support

Reasons to avoid

-
Requires AM5 motherboard
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Expensive
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Professional content creators might want something better

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.

AMD Ryzen 5 7600X processor

(Image credit: Future)

The best budget AMD processor

The perfect mix of performance and value

Specifications

Cores: 6
Threads: 12
Base clock: 4.7GHz
Boost clock: 5.3GHz
L3 cache: 38MB
TDP: 105W

Reasons to buy

+
Outstanding performance for the price
+
Very energy efficient
+
DDR5 and PCIe 5.0 support

Reasons to avoid

-
Requires AM5 motherboard
-
Multicore performance lags somewhat

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.

An AMD Ryzen 7 7700X in a man's hand

(Image credit: Future)

The best midrange AMD processor

High-performance at an accessible price

Specifications

Cores: 8
Threads: 16
Base clock: 4.5GHz
Boost clock: 5.4GHz
L3 cache: 32MB
TDP: 105W

Reasons to buy

+
Phenomenal gaming performance
+
Accessible price
+
Energy efficient

Reasons to avoid

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Needs new hardware to use
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Ryzen 5 7600X offers better value

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.

Ryzen

(Image credit: Ryzen)

The best AM4 AMD processor

Best CPU for AM4 motherboards

Specifications

Cores: 12
Threads: 24
Base clock: 3.7GHz
Boost clock: 4.8GHz
L3 cache: 64MB
TDP: 105W

Reasons to buy

+
Amazing performance
+
A new single-core champion
+
Same power consumption

Reasons to avoid

-
Price increased
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No cooler included

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.

Read the full AMD Ryzen 9 5900X review

An AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D in a man's hand

(Image credit: Future/John Loeffler)

The best AMD processor for gaming

The best AMD processor for gaming

Specifications

Cores: 8
Threads: 16
Base clock: 4.2GHz
Boost clock: 5.0GHz
L3 cache: 104MB
TDP: 120W

Reasons to buy

+
Best-in-class gaming performance
+
Very energy efficient
+
DDR5 and PCIe 5.0 support

Reasons to avoid

-
Requires AM5 motherboard
-
Non-gaming performance lags behind

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

An AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D processor seated into a black motherboard

(Image credit: Future)

The best AM4 AMD processor for gaming

The best processor for gaming on AM4 motherboards

Specifications

Cores: 8
Threads: 16
Base clock: 3.7GHz
Boost clock: 4.7GHz
L3 cache: 100MB
TDP: 105W

Reasons to buy

+
Outstanding gaming performance
+
Uses AM4 Socket
+
New 3D V-Cache technology

Reasons to avoid

-
No DDR5 or PCIe 5.0
-
Non-gaming performance lags

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

John Loeffler
Components Editor

John (He/Him) is the Components Editor here at TechRadar and he is also a programmer, gamer, activist, and Brooklyn College alum currently living in Brooklyn, NY. 


Named by the CTA as a CES 2020 Media Trailblazer for his science and technology reporting, John specializes in all areas of computer science, including industry news, hardware reviews, PC gaming, as well as general science writing and the social impact of the tech industry.


You can find him online on Threads @johnloeffler.


Currently playing: Baldur's Gate 3 (just like everyone else).

With contributions from