If you are looking to build a mid-range PC around Zen 3 or upgrade an existing supported platform to AMD's latest silicon, the Ryzen 7 5800X is a good choice. Especially since right now it is available on Amazon for $419, down from the regular retail price of $449.

The 5800X is one of the easier Zen 3 parts to buy, as it is in stock far more often than the Ryzen 9 5900X or 5950X. And while it may not be the most spectacular product in AMD's stable, it remains one of the best CPUs for gaming, with strong performance at 1080p, 1440p, and even 4K when paired with a high-performance graphics card.

Of course, therein lies the problem - CPUs are currently incredibly scarce. The lack of onboard graphics means that iGPUs can't make up the time. If you are building a PC around a Ryzen 7 5800X today, you need to get a discrete GPU somehow, or already have a GPU that can slot into a new build.

GPU stock challenges aside, the Ryzen 7 5800X is a good foundation for a mid-range gaming PC. It's an 8-core/16-thread processor with a base clock of 3.8 GHz, a maximum boost clock of 4.7 GHz, and 32 GB of L3 cache. And because it is a Zen 3 part, it supports the PCI Express 4.0 specification (X570 or B550 chipsets) and can take full advantage of very fast PCIe 4.0 SSDs (some of the best models reach speeds in excess of 7,000 MB/sec).

There is something else to note besides the GPU. This is the lowest price for the Ryzen 7 5800X, but Intel's previous-generation Core i7 10700K offers similar gaming performance and hovers around $319. This is a great price, but it does not support PCIe 4.0; there is also Intel's new Core i7 11700K based on Rocket Lake that supports PCIe 4.0 and is currently available on Amazon for $399.99.