Long live AM5
Two pieces of good news, so far, from Computex 2026. First, AMD is extending official support for the AM5 platform all the way through 2029. And second, AMD is launching a new budget CPU at the same time, the Ryzen 7 7700X3D, an eight-core X3D chip for $329.
AMD just keeps delivering CPUs we consumers want.
Want the specs straight from the source? Here is the official product page:
Ten years of AM4, and AM5 is far from done
This is nothing new. The AM4 platform got an absurdly long lifespan, and in the press release AMD shows off ten years of the socket by bringing back the Ryzen 7 5800X3D in a 10th-anniversary edition (on sale from 25 June, $349).
AM4 simply refuses to die, which is hugely positive for anyone still on AM4. Although I suspect most people have probably already upgraded to squeeze the most out of that platform, already owning a 5800X3D.
We already knew AM5 was supported through 2027. Now it has been pushed out to 2029.
In practice that means at least a couple more CPU generations on the same socket. If you are on AM5 today, you can keep upgrading the processor for a long time to come, without taking the hit of swapping both RAM and motherboard at the same time.
I am still on my 7600X myself, and I have considered an upgrade plenty of times, but now I can sit on the fence even longer!
The strategic call to keep the same socket around for so long is turning out to be a quiet stroke of genius right now. Especially given the global component crunch we are in the middle of.
Ryzen 7 7700X3D: eight cores, 3D V-cache, $329
The chip itself is a Zen 4 processor with eight cores and 16 threads. It boosts up to 4.5 GHz, has a 4.0 GHz base, a 120 watt TDP and 96 MB of L3 cache (104 MB of cache total). It goes on sale globally on 16 July for $329.
So it shares the layout and the same 96 MB L3 as the Ryzen 7 7800X3D, but clocks a little lower (the 7800X3D runs 4.2 / 5.0 GHz). In return it is cheaper, landing in a price and performance class where AMD has already carpet-bombed the market with good options. Now with X3D and that extra cache reaching far down into the lower price brackets too.
The Norwegian price is not set yet, and I will check with Komplett to see if they can say anything more. But it is worth remembering that not every chip that gets announced actually makes it here to Norway at all.
This one looks like it will be a very strong option if it does.
This is important in 2026
It is refreshing to see hardware released and lots of good options, especially given the situation we are in. Memory and storage are in short supply these days, and the AI buildout is vacuuming the market for components.
I wrote about exactly that when Valve had to delay the Steam Machine:
It is good to see that in at least one area, the CPUs we need for a PC, there are still plenty of solid, affordable choices.
The people still on old AM4 have gotten real mileage out of that long support window.
And 2029 is not the end of AM5 because AMD can still extend it further. And for many years after end of support there will be plenty of AM5 CPUs on the used market.
I have a feeling this hardware cycle is going to last a long time. Consumers are going to have to squeeze the most out of our current gear, while software and game developers will have to aim for lower system requirements.
Simply because the rate of upgrades out there is much lower when prices are the way they are today.
But with hardware? That is a place where AMD keeps delivering.
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