AMD Ryzen 5 release date, news: Mid-range processor to roll out in April

AMD is looking at an April 11 release for Ryzen 5, just a little over a month since the company released Ryzen 7.

The Ryzen 5 range, which is the mid-range line of AMD, has four processors: 1400X, 1500X, 1600, and 1600X. The first two are quad-core processors with 8 threads, while the latter two are hexacore processors with 12 threads. The base clock of these processors ranges from 3.2 GHz to 3.6 GHz, while the precision boost runs from 3.4 GHz to 4 GHz. The most affordable Ryzen 5, which is the 1400X, is priced at $169, while the priciest, 1600X, costs $249.

According to PC World, all these chipsets, with the exception of the Ryzen 5 1600X, will come with the new Wraith coolers.

Initial reviews on the overall specifications of the Ryzen 5 range showed that this can hold its own against the Intel Core i5 chipsets, which this line was designed to compete against. In fact, some have said that it is quite possible for the AMD processors to actually beat Intel's, given that the former has a higher number of cores and threads compared to the latter, bordering the territory occupied by Intel Core i7.

It should be noted that these reviews are based on what is on paper, not the actual performance of the AMD processor. Nonetheless, this has led some to speculate that buyers, even those who are loyal to Intel, may opt to switch brands given the value for money offered by AMD.

According to WCCFTech, AMD will be releasing the Ryzen 6 series next, which, like the Ryzen 5, will combine quad-core and hexacore models. The company will also be releasing the Ryzen 3 series in the second half of the year, which are basic quad-core CPUs. These will be the only AMD models without SMT support.