That argument mostly holds up. Still, a CPU that's a poor buy for a new gaming build isn't automatically scrap in the machine you already own. Several of these chips also sit on very different sides of Microsoft's Windows 11 support line, and that should matter as much as frame rates when you decide whether to upgrade.
Here is each chip, checked against AMD's own specs and Microsoft's Windows 11 support history.
FX-8350: The eight cores that weren't quite eight
The FX-8350 was AMD's top desktop chip before Ryzen. It used Piledriver, a refresh of the much-criticized Bulldozer architecture. How-To Geek's main complaint is the "modular" design: two integer cores in each module share a floating-point unit and L2 cache. The chip was sold as eight cores and eight threads, but it didn't behave like a conventional eight-core part in every workload. The outlet notes that this eventually led to a class-action lawsuit over AMD's marketing.
AMD's archived FX spec sheet confirms the basics: eight cores, 4.0 GHz base, 4.2 GHz turbo and a 125 W TDP. The platform is the bigger problem. How-To Geek points to DDR3 memory and PCIe 2.0, which limit modern graphics cards. It also says the chip often struggles to average 60 fps in modern games and has poor 1% lows. The outlet published no benchmark data, so treat those numbers as its judgment.
The Windows angle settles it. When Microsoft set the Windows 11 rules, it said plainly that AMD's pre-Ryzen processors don't support Windows 11, according to Winaero's coverage. Windows 10 support has already ended, so an FX machine is stuck on an unsupported OS, an unofficial Windows 11 install, or a switch to Linux.
Summary: This is the easiest call on the list. An old platform, no official Windows 11 support and high power draw make it a hobby chip, not a daily driver.
Ryzen 5 1600: Great in its day, now outside Windows 11 support
The first-generation Ryzen 5 1600 brought six cores and 12 threads to a mainstream price. How-To Geek notes that Intel's Core i5-7600 had faster single-core performance back then, but its four cores and four threads had a harder time with multithreaded work. The 1600 aged better as games learned to use more cores.
AMD's current support page covers the 1600 (AF) revision, a later version of the chip. It lists six cores and 12 threads, 3.2 GHz base and 3.6 GHz boost, 16 MB L3 cache, 65 W TDP, DDR4 up to 2667 MT/s and PCIe 3.0. Not every early 1600 revision necessarily matches every one of those details.
How-To Geek says the chip "doesn't even support Windows 11 out of the box," which is fair in substance. Microsoft looked again at first-gen Zen in 2021 and still left it off. PCWorld reported that Microsoft decided after analyzing their performance in Windows 11, AMD's first-generation Ryzen processors ("Zen") won't be supported. PC Gamer quoted Microsoft as saying that "after carefully analyzing the first generation of AMD Zen processors in partnership with AMD, together we concluded that there are no additions to the supported CPU list."
To be precise, the 1600 can physically run Windows 11. It just isn't on Microsoft's supported list, so it fails the official compatibility check.
The good news is that AM4 is still useful. How-To Geek suggests dropping in a Ryzen 5000 chip after a BIOS update, if your motherboard supports it. That "if" matters a lot, so see the checklist below.
Summary: This chip is outside official Windows 11 support and behind in performance, but it's often the cheapest system to fix, because a new CPU on the same board may be enough.
Ryzen 7 2700X: An eight-core Zen+ chip that's now behind
AMD launched the 2700X in April 2018 as part of its second-generation Ryzen lineup. The launch release lists eight cores and 16 threads, 4.3 GHz boost and 3.7 GHz base, 105 W TDP and a $329 suggested price, with retail availability on April 19, 2018.
There's an apparent cache mismatch to clear up. How-To Geek says the chip has 16 MB of L3. AMD's launch table says "20MB Smart Prefetch Cache." Both can be right: as far as we know, AMD's 20 MB figure combines L2 and L3 cache, which is consistent with 16 MB of L3. That last point is general industry knowledge, not something AMD's release spells out. How-To Geek's real point stands either way. Zen+ has less cache and lower per-core speed than later chips, and modern games notice.
The author says he owned a 2700X and saw it struggle before selling it in early 2025. He also mentions PCIe 3.0 limiting faster NVMe SSDs. One claim needs caution: that 16 threads make the chip "costly to run 24/7." Thread count doesn't determine your power bill. Workload, idle behavior and BIOS settings do. AMD's own Ryzen 3000 launch material points out that TDP is a thermal design figure, and that electrical power draw varies by workload and can exceed it.
The 2700X is on the right side of the Windows 11 line, since most Ryzen 2000 desktop chips are on Microsoft's list.
Summary: It still works and is officially Windows 11-capable, but a later AM4 chip on the same board would be a big step up.
Threadripper 2920X: A workstation chip on an expensive platform
The 2920X is a high-end desktop part, not a gaming chip, and it shouldn't be judged as one. AMD lists 12 cores and 24 threads, up to 4.3 GHz boost, 32 MB L3 cache, a 180 W TDP, the sTR4 socket, quad-channel DDR4 and 64 PCIe 3.0 lanes. It launched in October 2018 at $649.
How-To Geek's best point here is about the platform. The chip needs an X399 board, which the outlet says can cost hundreds on the used market, while the CPU alone sometimes sells for under $100. We haven't checked current listings, so take those figures as the outlet's observation. The logic holds anyway: a cheap CPU on an expensive, hard-to-find board isn't a bargain.
For homelab users, How-To Geek suggests selling the board and CPU and buying an efficient mini PC for always-on duty. That's reasonable when power and noise matter. If you actually need all those PCIe lanes for HBAs, NICs or several GPUs, though, a mini PC can't replace it.
Third-party Windows 11 compatibility guides list the Threadripper 2000 series, including the 2920X, as supported. Check Microsoft's official list for your exact model.
Summary: Retire it from gaming. Keep it only if you really need the I/O.
Ryzen 5 3400G: The model number oversells it
This is the most confusingly named chip on the list. Despite the "3000" branding, AMD's own launch material from July 2019 describes the 3400G as a second-generation Ryzen part, which means Zen+. It has four cores and eight threads, up to 4.2 GHz boost, Radeon RX Vega 11 graphics, a 65 W TDP and a $149 launch price. AMD also stated it doesn't support PCIe 4.0. The Zen 2 Ryzen 3000 desktop CPUs launched the same day were a different design. AMD estimated about a 15% per-clock (IPC) improvement for Zen 2 and debuted PCIe 4.0 on the X570 chipset.
People bought the 3400G for its integrated graphics, which were good enough for light gaming without a graphics card. Today both the CPU and the Vega GPU feel dated. How-To Geek recommends the Ryzen 5 5600G as a much better APU on the same AM4 socket. That only makes sense if you still need integrated graphics. If you already run a discrete GPU, a non-G Ryzen 5000 chip is usually the better buy.
One upside: the 3400G is on Microsoft's supported list, while the older Ryzen 5 2400G is not, as compatibility guides note.
Summary: Its weakness is age and naming, not Windows support. Upgrade within AM4 based on whether you need integrated graphics.
Ryzen 5 3600: Borderline, not dead
AMD's specs for the 3600: six cores and 12 threads, up to 4.2 GHz boost, 32 MB L3 cache, 65 W TDP, DDR4-3200, PCIe 4.0 on compatible boards, launched July 7, 2019. How-To Geek admits it's the weakest case on its list and calls it "right on the borderline" of acceptable. It says you could probably get another year out of it.
The outlet also suggests switching to Linux to stretch that year. It offers no testing to back that up, so don't count on a predictable speed boost just from changing operating systems.
Microsoft's list has caused some confusion with this chip. In 2024, a user on Microsoft's Q&A forum reported that Windows 11 no longer has the Ryzen 5 3600 in the supported processor list (3600X and 3600XT ARE in listed as supported). Current compatibility guides say a Ryzen 5 3600 is supported. In practice, Windows 11 runs on 3600 systems, but if PC Health Check gives you an odd result, check Microsoft's list for your exact model.
Summary: Keep it if it handles your games. If 1% lows are hurting, a Ryzen 5000 or X3D chip on the same board is the obvious next step.
Before you buy: an AM4 drop-in checklist
Four of the six chips sit on AM4, so many owners can upgrade without a full rebuild. Here's how to avoid an expensive mistake:
- Find your exact motherboard model. Run
msinfo32and look at "BaseBoard Product." - Check the board maker's CPU support list for the specific Ryzen 5000 chip you want, and note the minimum BIOS version it needs.
- Update the BIOS while your current CPU is still installed. Some boards can only be flashed this way. Others have a CPU-less "flashback" button, so check your board's features.
- Read the release notes. Some BIOS updates for older boards dropped support for older CPUs to make room for newer ones.
- After installing the new chip, confirm that fTPM/TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot are on. Windows 11 requires both, along with a supported CPU.
You'll know it worked when the board posts, Task Manager reports the new CPU name and core count, and PC Health Check passes.
The bottom line
How-To Geek's list is really two lists. The FX-8350 and Threadripper 2920X are cases where the platform itself is the problem, through power draw, board cost or (for the FX) no official Windows 11 support. The four Ryzen chips are "you can do better on the same board" cases, and some of them are perfectly usable today.
Age alone isn't a reason to throw a chip away. If your games run well and Windows 11 is happy, the 3600 can wait. If you're on an FX chip or first-gen Ryzen, though, both your frame rates and your Windows 11 support status point toward an upgrade.