We found your AMD mid-range CPU but you better act fast

Micro Center announced that it would be launching the limited edition AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D CPU on July 7th, 2023 for $229. But here’s the kicker: it will release exclusively in its stores.

AMD and Micro Center struck a deal that ensured the retailer will have sole distribution of the mid-range processor until supplies run out. The Ryzen 5 5600X3D seems to be a solid gaming card, with six cores and 12 threads, 96MB of total L3 cache that comes with 3D V-Cache tech for boosting gaming performance and works with AM4 platforms that support DDR4 memory.

Due to its more affordable price, it’s ideal for budget gaming machines as it offers quite a bit of bang for its buck. Once it releases, the Ryzen 5 5600X3D could even be one of the best gaming CPUs on the market. And, even better for AMD, it most likely will serve as a direct competitor to Intel’s Core i5-13400 processors, which have been holding down the mid-range market. But Team Red’s latest offering has a similar MSRP but with stronger gaming performance than Team Blue’s chips.

According to Tom’s Hardware, Micro Center will also sell a $329 bundle that includes the Ryzen 5 56003XD, an ASUS B550-Plus TUF motherboard, and 16GB of G.Skill Ripjaws V DDR4 memory. At launch, the retailer will offer a pre-built PowerSpec G516 system with an AMD Radeon 6650XT graphics card, 16GB RAM, and 500 GB NVMe SSD storage, for $849.

Sounding like a good deal for consumers 

AMD has been overall dominating the mid-range CPU scene for years now, with the exception of Intel’s Core i5-13400 processors, and this limited edition Ryzen 5 5600X3D is set to continue that trend, but only during a limited release.

In fact, the Ryzen 5 5600X3D could easily rival other chips like AMD’s Ryzen 9 7950X or Ryzen 7 5800X3D in terms of performance for the price, possibly making it the best bang for your buck chip in a while. What makes the pricing interesting is that the base version, the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X, first sold for more at launch ($299) though now it goes for a much more reasonable $199.

The bundles that Micro Center is offering are pretty sweet as well, with excellent deals for a processor, motherboard, and plenty of RAM. And if you’ve been looking for a budget gaming machine, the build that it’s offering is quite good, especially compared to the prices of other PowerSpec G-series gaming PCs that go for way more.

It seems that AMD is trying to head off its competition by offering more budget-minded cards and PC builds, and working with a well-known tech retailer like Micro Center is a solid way to go about it. If this takes off, it could inspire AMD (and other manufacturers) to try out future initiatives.