Ryzen 5 5500
Model frame rate limit of 108 FPS. That is roughly the fastest this processor can feed a graphics card in a modern AAA title, no matter which card you fit.
The Ryzen 5 5500 is an entry-level gaming processor in our database, with a model frame rate limit of 108 FPS.
With 6 cores and 12 threads it has what current games want, with a little to spare for background tasks.
It uses the AM4 socket with DDR4 memory, and at 1440p it can keep up with a card as fast as the GeForce RTX 5070.
Frame Rate Limit in Popular Games
| Game (settings) | Most FPS the Ryzen 5 5500 can feed |
|---|---|
| Cyberpunk 2077 (High, no ray tracing) | ~90 |
| Fortnite (High, DirectX 12) | ~135 |
| Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 (High) | ~120 |
| Counter-Strike 2 (High) | ~240 |
Modelled estimates with an unlimited graphics card, rounded to the nearest 5 FPS. Your real frame rate is the lower of this and what your card can render. See the methodology.
Best match at each resolution
| Resolution | Closest matched card | Estimated FPS |
|---|---|---|
| 1080p | GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 16GB | 108 |
| 1440p | Radeon RX 6950 XT | 108 |
| 4K | GeForce RTX 4090 | 108 |
"Closest matched" means the two parts run out of headroom at about the same frame rate, so neither is obviously wasted. A faster card is still worth buying if you plan to raise the resolution later.
The cards it lands closest to
The 24 graphics cards whose frame rate limit sits nearest this processor's, fastest first. Anything faster than the top of this table is wasted on it at 1080p, and anything slower is a card it will never trouble. For any other combination, use the calculator.
| Graphics card | 1080p | 1440p | 4K |
|---|---|---|---|
| GeForce RTX 5070 Ti | 108 cpu | 108 cpu | 79 gpu |
| Radeon RX 9070 XT | 108 cpu | 108 cpu | 79 gpu |
| Radeon RX 7900 XT | 108 cpu | 108 cpu | 77 gpu |
| GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super | 108 cpu | 108 cpu | 76 gpu |
| GeForce RTX 3090 Ti | 108 cpu | 108 cpu | 74 gpu |
| GeForce RTX 4070 Ti | 108 cpu | 108 even | 70 gpu |
| GeForce RTX 3090 | 108 cpu | 108 even | 70 gpu |
| Radeon RX 9070 | 108 cpu | 108 even | 70 gpu |
| GeForce RTX 3080 Ti | 108 cpu | 108 even | 68 gpu |
| Radeon RX 6950 XT | 108 cpu | 108 even | 67 gpu |
| GeForce RTX 5070 | 108 cpu | 106 even | 65 gpu |
| GeForce RTX 4070 Super | 108 cpu | 106 even | 64 gpu |
| GeForce RTX 3080 12GB | 108 cpu | 106 even | 65 gpu |
| Radeon RX 7900 GRE | 108 cpu | 106 even | 65 gpu |
| GeForce RTX 3080 | 108 cpu | 102 gpu | 62 gpu |
| Radeon RX 6900 XT | 108 cpu | 102 gpu | 62 gpu |
| Radeon RX 7800 XT | 108 cpu | 100 gpu | 60 gpu |
| Radeon RX 6800 XT | 108 cpu | 98 gpu | 59 gpu |
| GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16GB | 108 cpu | 91 gpu | 54 gpu |
| GeForce RTX 4070 | 108 cpu | 91 gpu | 54 gpu |
| Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB | 108 cpu | 90 gpu | 53 gpu |
| GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8GB | 108 cpu | 88 gpu | 52 gpu |
| Radeon RX 7700 XT | 108 cpu | 88 gpu | 52 gpu |
| GeForce RTX 3070 Ti | 108 cpu | 86 gpu | 51 gpu |
The tag after each number says which part hits its limit first.
Ryzen 5 5500 Compared
- Ryzen 5 5600 vs Ryzen 5 5500 — The Ryzen 5 5600 is about 17% faster in games than the Ryzen 5 5500 (126 vs 108 FPS frame rate limit).
- Core i3-12100F vs Ryzen 5 5500 — The Core i3-12100F is about 14% faster in games than the Ryzen 5 5500 (123 vs 108 FPS frame rate limit).
Specifications
| Manufacturer | AMD |
| Generation | AMD Ryzen 5000 Series (Zen 3) |
| Cores | 6 |
| Threads | 12 |
| Released | 2022 |
Other AMD Ryzen 5000 Series (Zen 3) Processors
- Ryzen 7 5700G bottleneck and GPU pairing
- Ryzen 5 5600 bottleneck and GPU pairing
- Ryzen 5 5600G bottleneck and GPU pairing
- Ryzen 5 5600X bottleneck and GPU pairing
Common Questions
Is the Ryzen 5 5500 good for an RTX 5070?
Yes. At 1440p the RTX 5070 is the limit, not the Ryzen 5 5500, at around 106 FPS in our model. That is the balance you want in a gaming PC.
What is the best GPU for the Ryzen 5 5500?
At 1440p, the Radeon RX 6950 XT is the closest match: the two run out of headroom at about the same frame rate, so neither is wasted. A faster card still makes sense if you play at 4K, where the processor matters less.
Is the Ryzen 5 5500 still good for gaming?
For older or lighter games, yes. Its 108 FPS frame rate limit and 12 threads mean modern AAA games run, but it will limit any recent mid-range or better card.
Will the Ryzen 5 5500 bottleneck an RTX 5080?
Yes, at 1440p. It leaves about 28% of the RTX 5080 unused in our model (108 FPS from the processor against 149 from the card). At 4K the gap shrinks a lot.