AMD Ryzen 5 1500X

Tech Specs Tech Specs

Performance Performance

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AMD Ryzen 5 1500X
Overall I think I'm more impressed with Ryzen 5 series than I was with Ryzen 7 for the simple fact that there is less competition at these price points. Intel has done a poor job of looking after enthusiasts, particularly those on a budget and this is where these new Ryzen 5 chips really hit hard.
- As reviewed by TechSpot on Apr 2017
4
Cores
8
Threads
3.5 GHz
Base Clock
3.7 GHz
Boost Clock
Socket AM4
Socket
65 W
TDP
No iGPU
Graphics
$79
Price
Release date:Apr 11, 2017Price at Launch:$189
Cores:4Threads:8
Base Clock:3.5 GHzBoost Clock:3.7 GHz
Type:DesktopMultithreading:Yes
L2 Cache:2 MBL3 Cache:16 MB
Box Cooler:YesTDP:65 W
Socket:Socket AM4Memory Support:DDR4-2666
Codename:Summit Ridge (Zen)Process Size:14 nm
Integrated Graphics:NoNPU:No
PCIe Support:PCIe 3.0, 24 Lanes
AMD Ryzen 5 3500X
A newer model is available:
AMD Ryzen 5 3500X

Performance Benchmarks

All benchmark data reflects aggregated results from dozens of tests conducted in TechSpot’s labs and compiled from our full library of CPU reviews. Single-core productivity scores are based primarily on Cinebench and Adobe Photoshop workloads. Multi-core results draw from Cinebench, Blender, Corona Benchmark, 7-Zip, Adobe Premiere Pro, and shader compilation tests. CPU gaming benchmarks are all 1080p runs (explainer) as published on TechSpot.

Single-Core Productivity

Multi-Core Productivity

Gaming Performance

Price History

AMD Ryzen 5 1500X pricing

Last 6 months
Price Date
Current $79 Dec 15, 2025
Highest* $203 Sep 11, 2025
Lowest* $69 Oct 30, 2025
Average $132
* Prices are based on listings from Newegg and other major retailers over the past 12+ months.
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Reviews and Ratings

84

Average Score

Based on 27 reviews

9.0

User Score

Based on 936 reviews

Reviewers Liked

  • Ryzen holds a clear lead in productivity performance, though gaming performance is more evenly matched between Intel and AMD
  • 1500X beats i5-7400 in single-thread and multi-thread
  • Lots of motherboard choice

Reviewers Didn't Like

  • Limited overclocking headroom
  • Clock speeds still can't match Intel
  • Unoptimized software ecosystem

Wrapping up with the 720p data first, these low-res results are important for a few reasons, though for some they can be a bit misleading. They're important because they show us the true difference between CPUs in these games. With any speed limits...

By TechSpot on
95

Overall I think I'm more impressed with Ryzen 5 series than I was with Ryzen 7 for the simple fact that there is less competition at these price points. Intel has done a poor job of looking after enthusiasts, particularly those on a budget and this is where these new Ryzen 5 chips really hit hard.

By TechSpot on

For such a small six-game sample, those benchmarks showed quite a few interesting results. Perhaps the most exciting conclusion we can draw is that upcoming six-core Ryzen processors should perform roughly on par with eight-core models when playing...

By TechSpot on
70

More cores, more threads, and more performance for less money. That's the killer proposition for AMD's new Ryzen CPU. Suddenly, most of Intel's desktop processor range looks overpriced and short on punch.But does that thinking extend to this,...

By TopNewReview on
80

In a nutshell, Ryzen 5's main advantage over Intel's Core i5 range is the higher number of cores and threads it offers while sharing the same price bracket. That's not unlike what AMD offers with its Ryzen 7 CPUs, all of which are 8-core/16-thread...

By hardwarezone.com.sg on
99

The bottom line is that the Ryzen 5 1600X and 1500X destroyed Intel's Core i5-7600K and i5-7500 processors in pretty much all of the testing that I performed. The Ryzen 5 series gives you the option of getting a 6C/12T processor while the Core i5 lineup...

By relaxedtech.com on
89

The new AMD RYZEN CPU series has proven to be a huge breakthrough for AMD and is the first time in a long while that they have been able to put up a good hard fight with what Intel has to offer. In our tests, the RYZEN 1500X really proved just how...

By bjorn3d.com on
50

After the highs of the Ryzen 5 1600X its quad-core sibling feels like a bit of a disappointment. I'm still trying to figure out what it's really for. At just under $200 it's simply priced too close to the $219 (£220) hexcore 1600. That's a six-core,...

By pcgamesn.com on
90

As we get to the end of this review, I think my recommendation is pretty clear: while the Ryzen 5 1500X is a good processor the 1600X should be destined for greatness. Its price, performance, efficiency, decent overclocking headroom, situational adaptability and so much more make it one of the best CPU’s released in the last half decade.

By HardwareCanucks on
85

Ryzen 5 1500X delivers strong performance when you focus on productivity tasks. Workloads such as video editing and rendering benefit from the additional threads provided by SMT, giving the 1500X a commanding lead over Intel's similarly-priced...

By Kitguru.net on
85

The Ryzen 5 1500X devastates Intel's i5 lineup of processors with a competitive price and powerful...

By CGM on
90

It’s not just cores doing this. People seem to forget that cores between architectures are not necessarily the same. If it were just cores, the FX series would have been defensible – but the architecture was vastly different. We are still limited by the slowest thread in gaming; it is the architecture and design of those cores that matters.

By GamersNexus on
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