Disclosure: we earn a commission when you buy through links on this page, at no extra cost to you. Build recommendations on this page are generated by AI from a compatibility-checked parts catalog, and prices are estimates.
AM4 vs AM5: the real price of AMD's newer platform
Updated Oct 25, 2026. Prices come from our catalogue and may have changed.
Moving to AM5 costs more than just a new board. The boards themselves are pricier, $216 against $100 for AM4 at the median in our catalogue. AM5 also needs DDR5 memory, while AM4 takes cheaper DDR4. In return you get real gains, around 30 percent more gaming performance and up to 50 percent more multi-core power on the newest chips. AMD backs AM5 through 2029, while AM4 now gets only rare reissues. Stick with AM4 for a budget build or a small upgrade, and choose AM5 for a build meant to last.
Key differences
| Criterion | AM4 | AM5 |
|---|---|---|
| Median price in our catalogue | $100 | $216 |
| Memory you need to buy | DDR4, the same memory type used since 2014, often cheaper and sometimes already on hand | DDR5 only, a newer and faster memory type, but pricier and incompatible with any DDR4 kit you already own |
| Best gaming CPU available on this socket | The Ryzen 7 5800X3D, whose average across 13 games in TechSpot testing roughly matches the AM5 Ryzen 5 9600X, a mid-range chip | AMD's newest X3D chips, well ahead of anything AM4 offers in gaming |
| Multi-core performance ceiling | The Ryzen 9 5950X was the fastest chip ever released for AM4 | The Ryzen 9 9950X renders roughly 40 to 50 percent faster in Cinebench multi-core than the 5950X, according to Puget Systems testing |
| Official platform support going forward | AMD has not announced a new CPU architecture for AM4, only reissued Zen 3 chips | AMD has committed to supporting AM5 through 2029, covering the upcoming Zen 6 generation and possibly Zen 7 after it |
| New CPUs released in 2025 and 2026 | Rare, and Zen 3 only. AMD brought back the Ryzen 7 5800X3D as a 10th Anniversary Edition in 2026, not a new design | Regular. AM5 is AMD's only platform for new Ryzen desktop chips |
Prices in our catalogue today
| Price | AM4 | AM5 |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest | $70 | $90 |
| Median | $100 | $216 |
Choose AM4 if…
- You already own a Ryzen 5000 PC, or you want the cheapest new PC and can reuse DDR4 memory you already have.
- The Ryzen 7 5800X3D still holds up well for gaming, and a full AM4 platform costs noticeably less than an AM5 one.
- You accept that AMD will not bring new CPU designs to this socket.
Choose AM5 if…
- You are building a new PC and want CPU upgrades for years, with AM5 supported through 2029.
- You want the newer Ryzen chips, which are clearly faster than Ryzen 5000 in games and heavy multi-core work.
- You can pay more for the board and DDR5 memory in exchange for a platform with room to grow.
Best value AM4
- ASRock B550M PRO4$95 at Newegg
A well-equipped Micro ATX board with two M.2 slots and six SATA ports.
- Asus Prime B550M-A$118 at Newegg
Built-in WiFi 6 from a major brand.
- GIGABYTE B550 Eagle$110 at Newegg
A full-size ATX board with two M.2 slots and WiFi 6.
Best value AM5
- GIGABYTE B650 Eagle$140 at Newegg
An affordable AM5 board that still has three M.2 slots and WiFi 6E.
- Asus TUF Gaming B650-PLUSNo longer available
Part of Asus's durable TUF line, with USB4 and 2.5 gigabit networking.
- MSI MAG B650 Tomahawk GamingNo longer available
A popular mid-range choice with three M.2 slots and WiFi 6E, built to run high-power Ryzen chips.
Cheapest AM4 parts
- ASRock B550M-HDV$70 at Newegg
- ASRock A520M-HDV$71 at Newegg
- MSI A520M-A PRO$71 at Newegg
Cheapest AM5 parts
- GIGABYTE A620M S2H$90 at Newegg
- GIGABYTE A620M GAMING X$100 at Newegg
- GIGABYTE A620M GAMING X AX$110 at Newegg
Frequently asked questions
Can I put a Ryzen 9000 CPU in an AM4 motherboard?
No. AM4 and AM5 use different physical sockets and different chipsets, so a Ryzen 7000 or 9000 CPU will not fit or work in any AM4 board. You need an AM5 motherboard and DDR5 memory to run these newer chips.
Is it worth upgrading from AM4 to AM5 for gaming?
It depends on your current CPU. Coming from an older Ryzen 5000 chip, testing on similarly tiered CPUs shows the newer Ryzen 7000 series can pull ahead by around 30 percent or more in games with a fast graphics card. If you already run a Ryzen 7 5800X3D, the jump is smaller, since that chip still trades blows with mid-range AM5 CPUs.
Do I need new RAM if I switch to AM5?
Yes. AM5 motherboards only accept DDR5 memory, so any DDR4 kit from an AM4 build will not work. This is a big part of the real cost of switching platforms, on top of the higher price of AM5 boards themselves.
Is AM4 dead?
Not quite, but it is winding down. AMD has not launched a new CPU architecture for AM4 since Zen 3, and in 2026 it only brought back a reissued Ryzen 7 5800X3D for its tenth anniversary. New Ryzen development is now focused entirely on AM5.
How long will AM5 be supported?
AMD has publicly committed to supporting the AM5 socket through 2029, which should cover the upcoming Zen 6 generation and possibly Zen 7 after it. That is a longer runway than AM4 had left by this point in its own life.
Sources
- AMD, Computex 2026 announcement on AM4 and AM5 platform support
- TechPowerUp, AMD announces socket AM5 longevity until 2029
- Puget Systems, AMD Ryzen 9000 performance vs previous generations
- TechSpot, Ryzen 5 7600 vs Ryzen 5 5600 review
- TechSpot, AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D 10th Anniversary Edition review
- Tom's Hardware, Ryzen 7 5800X3D 10th Anniversary Edition is now available
More comparisons
Builds that use this
Describe your own needs and budget, and get three compatibility-checked builds in minutes.