AMD Ryzen 5 5500 socket: AM4

What the Ryzen 5 5500 is

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 is a six core, twelve thread desktop processor in the Ryzen 5000 series built on the Zen 3 core design with the Cezanne codename. It runs at 3.6 GHz base and boosts to 4.2 GHz, and it carries 16 MB of shared L3 cache with 3 MB of L2 and 384 KB of L1 on a single 180 mm² die made with TSMC 7 nm FinFET. AMD rates it at 65 W default TDP with a 90 °C maximum temperature, and the multiplier is unlocked.

AMD lists the graphics entry as Discrete Graphics Card Required, so this Cezanne die ships with its graphics portion disabled and the system needs a separate card. The result is a budget CPU only part: the same core design as the G series APUs, the same 16 MB of L3 cache, and the same PCIe 3.0 link, minus any picture output of its own. Memory support is DDR4 at up to 3200 MT/s across two channels with room for up to 128 GB.

AMD launched the 5500 on April 4, 2022 as the entry step into Ryzen 5000 for builds that already include a graphics card. The boxed version ships with the Wraith Stealth cooler, which keeps the complete platform cost low.

Socket and motherboard compatibility

The Ryzen 5 5500 fits the AM4 socket, a pin grid array design with 1,331 pins on the processor. AMD names X570, B550, A520, X470, B450, X370 and B350 chipsets as supporting, covering the 500, 400 and 300 series families. Boards built before April 2022 need a BIOS version that adds this processor.

The update path matches the other late Ryzen 5000 additions. A 500 series board is the straightforward home, while a 400 or 300 series board works after a BIOS update from the board maker. The maker CPU support page names the version, and boards without a flashback feature need an older supported processor installed to perform the flash.

Memory, PCIe and cooling

The memory controller supports DDR4 at up to 3200 MT/s across two channels and up to 128 GB total. Two matched sticks give dual channel operation, and faster kits run with an XMP or DOCP profile switched on in the BIOS. There is no DDR5 option on AM4.

The PCIe link stays at PCIe 3.0 even on X570 and B550 boards that can run PCIe 4.0 with Vermeer chips. A graphics card built for PCIe 4.0 still works in the slot at the lower speed, and an SSD likewise runs at 3.0 speed. Cooler mounting uses the AM4 pattern of holes spaced 54 × 90 mm described in the CPU cooler compatibility by socket guide, and the Wraith Stealth in the box covers stock operation at 65 W.

Upgrade paths

On the same socket, the 5500 can move up to a Vermeer based chip such as the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X for its larger 32 MB L3 cache and PCIe 4.0 support while keeping the board, memory and cooler. Higher core count Ryzen 7 and Ryzen 9 models on AM4 fit the same boards for thread heavy work.

Moving past AM4 means a new board and DDR5 memory on AM5. The 5500 makes most sense as a low cost entry or as a repair part that reuses an existing AM4 board, a DDR4 kit and a graphics card that are already on hand.