AMD Ryzen 5 1600X (6C12T) CPU Review

1. Ryzen 5 1600X: Introduction & Overclocking2. Ryzen 5 1600X Overclocking3. Testing Methodology4. CPU Tests 1: Cinebench, Handbrake, x265 Encoding5. CPU Tests 2: 7-Zip, Kraken, WPrime6. CPU & Memory Tests: SiSoft Sandra7. Gaming Tests 1: FutureMark8. Gaming Tests 2: GTA V, Metro LL, Witcher 3 (DX11)9. Gaming Tests 3: Ashes, GoW4, ROTTR, Total War (DX12)10. 4K Gaming Tests: GoW4, GTA V, Witcher 311. 1440P Gaming With A GTX 107012. Technical: Power & Temperatures13. Closing Thoughts14. View All Pages

Ashes of the Singularity Escalation

Ashes of the Singularity Escalation is a Sci-Fi real-time strategy game built for the PC platform. The game includes a built-in benchmark tool with DirectX 12 support. We run the CPU-focused benchmark using DirectX 12, a 1080p resolution and the Extreme quality preset.

Gears of War 4

Gears of War 4 is a third-person shooter available on Xbox One and in the form of a well-optimised DX12-only PC port. We run the built-in benchmark using DirectX 12 (the only API supported), a 1080p resolution, the Ultra quality preset, and Async Compute enabled.

Note: The Core i7-2700K, i5-3570K, and i7-4790K are not shown in Gears of War 4 as the game download was too large to install on their system SSD and the clunky Windows Store platform gives errors when moving games installed on a secondary SSD between test systems.

Game version 9.8.0.2 used for current testing (earlier version used for previous testing).

Rise of The Tomb Raider

Rise of The Tomb Raider is a popular title which features both DX11 and DX12 modes. Heavy loading can be placed on the CPU, especially in the Syria and Geothermal Valley sections of the built-in benchmark.

We run the built-in benchmark using the DirectX 12 mode, a 1080p resolution, the Very High quality preset, and SMAA enabled.

Note: Rise of the Tomb Raider numbers were showing variation to the data gathered in previous reviews. As such, we have retested with the CPUs relevant for this comparison and removed the previously-acquired data.

Total War: Warhammer

Total War: Warhammer is another title which features both DX11 and DX12 modes. Heavy loading can be placed on the CPU using the built-in benchmark. The DX12 mode is poorly optimised and tries to force data through a low number of CPU threads rather than balance operations across multiple cores. As such, this gives a good look at pure gaming performance of each CPU in titles that aren't well multi-threaded.

We run the built-in benchmark using the DirectX 12 mode, a 1080p resolution, and the Ultra quality preset.

Note: A game update for Total War: Warhammer has provided a performance increase on AMD and Intel CPUs to the tune of 5%. As such, we have retested with the CPUs relevant for this comparison and removed the previously-acquired data.

Ashes of the Singularity: Escalation replaces the original game in our test suite thanks to its newer update cycle. The most recent game update deploys optimisations that have boosted Ryzen 7 performance by up to 31%, according to AMD. Ryzen 5 1600X performs well in this game benchmark thanks to the engine’s ability to fully leverage twelve threads. Core i5-7600K performance is surpassed by the 1600X but it is certainly not eclipsed by any stretch of the imagination.

A recent update to Gears of War 4 looks to have delivered a decrease in Ryzen performance but the Core i5-7600K is practically unchanged. At the game’s Ultra image quality preset, the Core i5-7600K is faster than the Ryzen 5 1600X by a significant margin. This DX12 game is well multi-threaded but the full performance of Ryzen 5 1600X’s twelve threads cannot be extracted. Some SMT threads are being used but not at a particularly high percentage, which is good for users wanting to run background tasks. The unlocked i5 was pinned at 95%+ usage across its four cores.

Rise of the Tomb Raider is another game that has undergone a recent update that adjusts performance. The Core i5-7600K wins in this game benchmark by allowing the Titan X Pascal graphics card to flex its muscle. Ryzen 5 1600X delivers strong performance at around 100 FPS on average. You will have to be a high refresh rate gamer to notice a severe performance deficit for the Ryzen 5 CPU in this game. Resource utilisation on the Ryzen 5 CPU was high; all twelve threads were loaded to around 60%+, with a single thread running at significantly higher utilisation levels (80%+). The Core i5-7600K was glued close to 100% usage for its result.

Total War: Warhammer delivers an improvement to Ryzen performance that also helps the Intel Core i5 CPUs, based on our testing. This game’s benchmark sees data trying to be pushed through one or two threads, making improvements to performance a task for greater frequencies and IPC capability. The Kaby Lake i5 wins in this test but, as has previously been the case, you’ll need a high refresh rate monitor to notice a significant difference.

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