AMD looks set to announce the return of the Ryzen 7 5800X3D, the ultimate gaming processor for DDR4-based AM4 PCs, in a special 10-year anniversary edition. It's a rare victory lap in hardware history, but it could also be the best way to build or upgrade a gaming PC with the current AI-fuelled price surges for DDR5 RAM.

The 5800X3D has to rank as one of the most consumer-friendly components ever, as it is compatible with even some first-generation AMD Ryzen motherboards, yet offers performance comparable with mainstream parts on AMD's newer DDR5-based AM5 platform, thanks to its XL-sized L3 cache. The processor was slowly phased out in favour of the cheaper, slightly slower 5700X3D, before stock for both models eventually dwindled. Now, with DDR5 prices sky-rocketing due to AI demand, offering people a chance to get current-gen performance without needing to change motherboards or buy RAM is a great idea.

An image of the leaked Anniversary Edition packaging was leaked by 9950pro on Twitter, but we still don't know how much the CPU will cost. The 5800X3D originally launched at $449, but even the faster 7800X3D is $359 these days, I'd expect to see the 5800X3D around the same price - with the savings largely coming from DDR4 RAM and older motherboards rather than the CPU itself.

The key point is hitting a price point that makes the 5800X3D viable for those on popular Zen 2 chips like the Ryzen 5 3600 - carving out a middle-ground between waiting to upgrade later and investing in a high-end 9800X3D-based system. Pricing is crucial bearing in mind how the used prices for 5700X3D and 5800X3D have sky-ro

It's interesting to consider how the revived chips have come to exist, as though there is plenty of latent interest in more affordable systems, it's not clear is AMD is restarting full production (probably unlikely) or whether it is using an existing supply of Zen 3 chips for a limited production run. It would be fantastic to see these chips remain available in numbers similar to current-gen options, but that might be a naïve reading of the situation.

Either way, it's a much-appreciated option for the millions of gamers still using AM4 motherboards that are now faced with dramatically higher upgrade fees than could have been reasonably expected just a year or so ago - but reasonable pricing is key to the success of this re-releases.

[source wccftech.com]