In this video I’m breaking down the best AMD Ryzen CPUs to buy for gaming in 2026, but from a value-for-money standpoint—not the “just buy the most expensive X3D” approach. AMD is in a weird spot right now: DDR5 pricing is still rough, and we’re in a memory shortage, which creates these odd situations where certain CPUs sit unsold because people don’t want to buy the RAM for them. If you already have a decent DDR5 kit and an AM5 board (or you bought stuff pre-shortage), you can find some genuinely underrated deals. I start with AM4 because yes, we’re still talking AM4 in 2026, and it’s honestly the best low-end value since you can capitalize on DDR4. I go through what I do and don’t recommend (like skipping the 5500 and the G/GT chips for gaming), and I explain why the 5700X is such a strong buy and why the 5700X3D/5800X3D are the “endgame” AM4 picks when pricing/availability makes sense. Then I move to AM5: I’m assuming you’re targeting 6000 MHz DDR5 because AM5 really likes it. My spicy value pick is the 7500X3D if it’s priced far enough under a 7800X3D, plus I cover the 7600X vs 9600X situation, why I’m cautious with some 7000-series RAM quirks, and when it’s actually worth paying for 9800/9850 X3D depending on refresh rate and your setup.