Older AMD AM4 chips like Ryzen 5 5800X/5800XT climb Amazon’s charts as DDR5 prices surge. Cheaper DDR4 keeps total build costs down, making Zen 3 a top pick.
© A. Krivonosov
AMD processors on the AM4 platform have unexpectedly climbed back to the top of Amazon’s sales charts in the United States and the United Kingdom. The older Ryzen 5 5800X and the refreshed 5800XT, both based on the Zen 3 architecture and launched several years ago, have taken prominent spots despite the presence of newer Zen 4 and Zen 5 offerings.
In the UK, the Ryzen 5 5800X leads Amazon’s list of best-selling CPUs, while in the US the Ryzen 5 5800XT has entered the top five, landing in fourth place. It’s an unusual turn for chips running on a platform nearing its first decade, but the answer lies in the current state of the memory market.
A sharp rise in DDR5 prices is pushing buyers toward more affordable upgrade paths. In some cases, 64 GB DDR5 kits cost more than a PlayStation 5, and analysts do not expect a noticeable price drop at least until 2026. Against this backdrop, DDR4 remains a significantly cheaper option, making older platforms newly attractive.
Demand for CPUs that pair with DDR4 has grown so much that the Ryzen 7 5800X3D, AMD’s first chip with 3D V-Cache, has become pricier on the secondary market than the new Ryzen 7 9800X3D. However, the 5800X3D is long out of production, so buyers are turning to the Ryzen 5 5800X and 5800XT, which are still widely available at retail.
Lower prices have helped, too. In the UK, the Ryzen 5 5800X sells for around £184, and in the US the Ryzen 5 5800XT can be found for $199—roughly on par with newer processors that require costly DDR5. That balance of CPU pricing and accessible memory is making AMD’s previous generation surprisingly relevant for mainstream builds. It’s a timely reminder that the total cost of a platform—rather than headline specs—often decides what wins at checkout.