AMD AM4 5000

Core features

At the core of any PC build is the CPU or Central Processing Unit, often likened to the brain of the PC. The basic specifications you will see on most processors refer to the amount of physical cores, logical cores and the rated clock speeds.

AMD refers to it's multi-threading technology as SMT or simultaneous multi-threading, which splits a physical core into multiple logical cores. This technology can improve performance in multi-threaded workloads, but typically has minimal impact on gaming. While gaming has been slow to utilise more cores over time, the increase in average cores of modern gaming PCs and now consoles, has seen an uplift in performance for higher core count processors in more modern titles, and this is expected to continue over time.

Clock speeds, presented in GHz, are an indication of how fast the CPU cores can retrieve and process instructions. Modern processors will typically have a base and boost clock, as they will increase and decrease their speed based on system load in order to manage power consumption and heat output. The CPU you choose will have tremendous impact in the motherboard you buy, if you invest in a discrete GPU, and even your cooling setup. Processors perform an ever increasing role in your system with more direct control being handled on the CPU instead of the motherboard for greater speeds and direct access to system resources.

What makes the Vermeer generation’s Zen 3 architecture so powerful is a unified complex design. As a result, core-to-core and core-to-cache latencies sit side by side on the die, thereby minimising communication time.

AMD Ryzen Technologies

AMD CPUs include features such as Performance Boost Overdrive, which enables the CPU to tweak features including power consumption based on real-time sensor data to improve performance.

The Ryzen processors are also AMD StoreMI compliant. As a result, they can significantly improve access times for HDDs.

Many in the series are PCIe 4.0 compatible, which ensures fast communications times with compatible components within the completed system, offering double the performance of PCIe 3.0 per lane.

CPU vs APU

One important decision you will have to make is whether you go for a CPU or APU. An APU (Accelerated Processing Unit) is the term AMD uses to describe a CPU that includes on board graphics. Using technology based on AMD's own Radeon Graphics, these chips have the advantage of working out the box without a discrete GPU, although you won't necessarily get the same performance as a combined CPU / GPU setup.

This makes them ideal for budget or SFF (small form factor) builds where money or space is the constraining factor. Of course, if you want the most high-performance system, you will have to purchase a separate GPU; however, these remain a popular option.

Hardware compatibility and bundles

At PCCG, to make your build experience easier and more affordable, we offer a series of bundles that include compatible motherboards, AiO coolers, and other components from manufacturers such as ASRock, ASUS, Gigabyte, and MSI. These will help you get started with your awesome new PC build.