The naming is the confusing part. Across both AMD and Intel, the F suffix normally marks a chip with its integrated graphics sliced off, and the 5500F does indeed lack an iGPU. But so does the regular 5500. In reality, Tom's Hardware notes, the 5500F is an updated 5500 with better specs, while the original 5500 is the chip that better fits the usual F-series description of a re-release with the iGPU cut away.

The silicon change matters more than the suffix. The 5500 came from the Cezanne APU family, which is limited to PCIe 3.0. The 5500F instead uses Vermeer, the same family as the Ryzen 5 5600X, bringing PCIe 4.0 for GPU and storage performance plus the 200 MHz boost clock bump.

Against Intel, the 5500F targets the Core i3-14100F, a quad-core chip selling for around $100. The 14100F led the base 5500 by 11% in average 1080p gaming; the 5500F tightens that to 2.9% in Tom's Hardware's testing, and it outclasses Intel in multithreaded performance while averaging a 10% gain over the 5500. The site calls it AMD's best budget gaming CPU, at least for builders without DDR5 already on hand, since the cost of a DDR5 kit nullifies savings on pricier chips.

Practical details stay friendly: the 65W TDP and 88W platform maximum carry over, and the bundled Wraith Stealth cooler is described as plenty under load, saving the cost of an aftermarket cooler. One caveat for shoppers is pricing. The $100 suggested retail has drifted up toward $120, though the review hopes street prices settle back near list before long.