AMD Ryzen 5 3600X (6C12T) CPU Review

1. Introduction2. Ryzen 5 3600X vs Core i5-9600K3. Overclocking4. Testing Methodology5. CPU Tests: Cinebench R15 & R20, Blender6. CPU & Memory Tests: 7-Zip, Handbrake x264 & x2657. Memory Tests: Memory Bandwidth and Latency8. Gaming Tests 1: 3DMark, Deus Ex, Far Cry 5, GTA V9. Gaming Tests 2: GRW, Hitman 2, SotTR10. 1440p Gaming Tests: Deus Ex & Far Cry 511. Technical: Power Draw, Efficiency, Temperatures12. Closing Thoughts13. View All Pages

Priced squarely to compete with Intel’s Core i5-9600K at the ever-attractive £240 price point, AMD Ryzen 5 3600X continues the Ryzen 5 x600 tradition. That tradition is to offer six cores with Simultaneous Multi-Threading (SMT) doubling the thread count to a dozen. This time, however, those six cores that boost up to 4.4GHz, are based on AMD’s brand-new Zen 2 architecture, and they’re built using TSMC’s leading 7nm FinFET process.

We have already seen the success that Zen 2 on 7nm has brought in the eight-core Ryzen 7 3700X and the twelve-core Ryzen 9 3900X flagship, so what can it do for this mid-range part?

Although it is easy to view the Ryzen 5 3600X as half a Ryzen 9 3900X, it would be more accurate to perceive the processor as a cut down Ryzen 7 3700X/3800X. The 95W-TDP hexacore utilises a single CCD, comprised of two core complexes (CCXs). This means that one core per CCX is disabled, but AMD retains the full whack of L3 cache that is shared between each core within the CCX.

Just like the other Zen 2 processors, Ryzen 5 3600X features a segregated IO die that most notably contains the memory controller and is fabbed on older (cheaper), arguably more mature 12nm process technology.

Infinity Fabric is the interconnect that keeps things communicating smoothly. Just like with all other Zen-based CPUs, the Infinity Fabric frequency is tied to the memory clock (up to a maximum of 1800MHz by default for Zen 2), hence higher-speed RAM up to 3600MHz should show latency and performance benefits outside of just memory-intensive workloads. Expensive sticks of RAM may be hard to justify at this market segment, but we’d certainly advise looking for 3000MHz DDR4 kits as a minimum.

CPU	AMD Ryzen 9 3900X	AMD Ryzen 7 3700X	AMD Ryzen 5 3600X	AMD Ryzen 7 2700X	Intel Core i7 9700K	Intel Core i5 9600K
CPU Architecture	Zen 2	Zen 2	Zen 2	Zen+	Coffee Lake	Coffee Lake
CPU Socket	AM4	AM4	AM4	AM4	LGA 1151 rev. 2	LGA 1151 rev. 2
Core / Threads	12 / 24	8 / 16	6 / 12	8 / 16	8 / 8	6 / 6
Base Frequency	3.8GHz	3.6GHz	3.8GHz	3.7GHz	3.6GHz	3.7GHz
All-Core Frequency	Up to 4.6GHz	Up to 4.4GHz	Up to 4.4GHz	Up to 4.3GHz	4.6GHz	4.3GHz
Boost Frequency	Up to 4.6GHz	Up to 4.4GHz	Up to 4.4GHz	Up to 4.3GHz	4.9GHz	4.6GHz
Unlocked Core Multiplier	Yes (x0.25 granularity)	Yes (x0.25 granularity)	Yes (x0.25 granularity)	Yes (x0.25 granularity)	Yes (x1 granularity)	Yes (x1 granularity)
L3 Cache	64MB	32MB	32MB	16MB	12MB	9MB
Max. Memory Channels	2 (DDR4)	2 (DDR4)	2 (DDR4)	2 (DDR4)	2 (DDR4)	2 (DDR4)
Max. Memory Frequency (Native)	2667 to 3200MHz	2667 to 3200MHz	2667 to 3200MHz	1866 to 2933MHz	2666MHz	2666MHz
CPU PCIe Lanes	16+4+4 PCIe Gen 4	16+4+4 PCIe Gen 4	16+4+4 PCIe Gen 4	16+4+4 PCIe Gen 3	16 PCIe Gen 3	16 PCIe Gen 3
Manufacturing Process	7nm	7nm	7nm	12nm	14nm++	14nm++
TDP	105W	65W	95W	105W	95W	95W
MSRP	$499	$329	$249	$329	$374-385	$262-263
UK Street Price (July 2019)	£480	£320	£240	£240	Approx. £380	Approx. £220

As AMD promised all those years ago, the new Ryzen 5 3600X processor is supported by the AM4 platform. There are a few caveats to watch out for, however, as older B350/X370 and B450/X470 motherboards will need a BIOS update to work with the chip. I wouldn’t bother looking at A320 motherboards if you’re spending £240 on a Ryzen 5 processor, even if there are BIOS situations where the chip may be compatible. B450 solutions are worth the extra money in this scenario.

Likewise, I don’t think X570 motherboards, which start at £160, are generally a good idea for Ryzen 5 3600X buyers. Saving £60-80 by going for a solid B450 option is smarter, even if you do lose out on PCIe Gen 4.0 support (unless the suggestions of backwards compatibility are extended more widely). We must, however, point out that Ryzen 3000-compatible BIOSes with some older boards have proven flaky in our testing. That’s not to say that the BIOS stability of many X570 boards is much of an improvement at the time of writing.

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