AMD may resurrect some older CPUs to help users dodge the worst of the RAM crisis

AMD may bring back some older products to allow users to dodge the worst of the RAM crisis.

In a roundtable discussion that our sister site, Tom's Hardware, took part in, Ryzen chief David McAfee responded to a question about the difficulties facing PC builders in 2026.

McAfee said that AMD is "certainly looking at everything that [it] can do to bring more supply and kind of reintroduce products back into the ecosystem to satisfy the demands of gamers that maybe want that significant upgrade in their AM4 platform without having to rebuild their entire system."

He's also cited as saying it's something AMD is "very actively working on."

The AM4 socket that is used by older processors, such as the Ryzen 5000 series, supports DDR4 memory. This being much more affordable than DDR5, used by the AM5 platform and Ryzen 7000/9000 series chips, today.

You can thank the RAM crisis for that. DDR5 RAM kits that were selling under $100 until August, 2025 are now as much as $440. You can purchase 32 GB of DDR4 RAM for around $179—nowhere near as affordable as it once was, likely as it was planned to be phased out until recently, but far cheaper than the newer standard. While performance is reduced through the use of DDR4 and older processors that support it, you can still get great performance.

It's not much of a stretch for AMD to reintroduce older CPUs. The company has continued selling older AM4 chips for some time, including new X3D processors as recently reviewed as 2024. Though last we heard, AMD had discontinued the famed Ryzen 7 5700X3D as it phases out the last of AM4 and moved onto pastures new, including old/new chips like the Ryzen 5 7500X3D.

But this might be tacit confirmation of those older CPUs returning once again. We shouldn't need these chips in the market, but unfortunately, they're maybe our best hope for keeping budget PC gaming alive and well through the year.

Of course, AMD is really keen to get people continuining to buy chips, and by extension, motherboards from its partners, too. Motherboard sales were reportedly down 50% in late 2025, compared to late 2024 and the RAM crisis is showing no sign of slowing, which is deterring buyers.

McAfee said at the roundtable that AMD's partners are seeing higher numbers of CPU-only purchases as people look to upgrade their existing machines rather than go all-in on a new platform.

Similarly, you could revisit older Intel chips, which offer both DDR4 and DDR5 support, depending on the motherboard. AM4 and LGA1700 motherboards with DDR4 support on are fairly easy to find at low prices, though often with the latter, only very basic models intended for simple workstations.

AMD isn't the only company said to be bringing back older products. While merely a rumour, and less convincing than this from AMD's McAfee, Nvidia is reportedly considering resurrecting the RTX 3060.

Best CPU for gaming 2026

1. Best overall:
AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D

2. Best budget:
AMD Ryzen 5 7600X

3. Best mid-range:
AMD Ryzen 7 9700X

4. Best high-end:
AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D

5. Best AM4 upgrade:
AMD Ryzen 7 5700X3D

6. Best CPU graphics:
AMD Ryzen 7 8700G

👉Check out our full CPU guide👈