AMD’s Ryzen 5 3500X processor is now available for purchase from select US retailers. This CPU is unique in that it was originally exclusive to China, but now, stateside enthusiasts can pick up the chip, which features six Zen 2 cores, six threads, a 3.6 GHz base clock, a max boost clock of up to 4.1 GHz, 32 MB of L3 cache, and a default TDP of 65 watts, from third-party sellers at Amazon and Newegg. The Ryzen 5 3500X’s US prices aren’t necessarily sensible, however—the default listing on Amazon (Platinum Micro) has the chip pegged for $239, which is nearly equal to what the 6C/12T Ryzen 5 3600 is going for ($241).
The only way you can justify the price of AMD’s 3500X is if you pair the chip with a budget-oriented B450 motherboard. But even then, Intel’s equivalent B460 motherboards are just $10 to $20 more expensive than a similarly specced B450 board. So going with the 3500X will really depend on how tight your budget is for a motherboard.
Sources: Amazon, Tom’s Hardware