Six cores and twelve processing threads has been a recipe for success with value orientated buyers in recent years. AMD’s own Ryzen 5 3600 and 3600X CPUs have proven to be fan favourites for their balance between performance and price. Can the Zen 3 Ryzen 5 5600X, which comes in at around £280 in the UK if you can find availability, prove to be another worthy six core challenger? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSeqc-v33_0 The AMD Ryzen 5 5600X is a 6-core, 12-thread processor that operates with a 3.7GHz base frequency and 4.6GHz maximum boost with a 65W TDP. MSRP is set at $299 and that converts into £280 in the UK. That’s a $50 MSRP increase in price over the Zen 2 Ryzen 5 3600X/3600XT it replaces. More challenging, though, is the often £90 availability price increase versus the incredibly popular Ryzen 5 3600 non-X. Granted, availability of those older Zen 2 six cores is just as bad as for the new Zen 3 chips currently. AMD’s chosen process node is still TSMC 7nm, but it is the tweaked design logic as applied with the frequency enhanced Ryzen 3000XT chips launched in July 2020. That should help reach and sustain higher boost clocks versus original Zen 2 Ryzen 3000X chips. For more details on the architecture and the differences of Zen 3 versus Zen 2, check out our main Ryzen 9 5000 series launch review HERE. The six-core Ryzen 5 5600X is a single-CCD and therefore single-CCX processor. As such, you still get full access to 32MB of L3 cache but the L2 cache capacity is cut to 3MB compared to the 4MB on the pricier eight-core parts. The same 12nm IO die is used. Given its price point of £280, the Ryzen 5 5600X actually slots into a neat window between some primary competitors. It is around £30 more expensive than the Core i5-10600K but AMD’s chip ships with a cooler and has better low-cost motherboard support. The 5600X is around £30 cheaper than the sixteen thread Core i7-10700 locked processor which also uses the more expensive Intel platform. Around £20 is the saving for the Ryzen 5 5600X versus the Ryzen 7 3700X which has more cores but is on the older Zen 2 architecture. And the Zen 3 six-core is around £50 more expensive than the premium Ryzen 5 3600X/3600XT which is tolerable for many users, even if the cheaper Ryzen 5 3600 non-X was the obvious chip to buy out of the Zen 2 six cores. We are particularly keen to see how performance has improved versus the Ryzen 5s of yesteryear and the twelve thread Intel Core i5-10600K. Also of particular interest will be the Zen 3 6 core’s performance versus the Ryzen 7 3700X as that Zen 2 eight core remains a worthy market participant at around £300. Frequency, especially in all-core scenarios, was historically the area where people found issue with Ryzen 3000X/XT and Zen 2. Intel managed to push significantly higher clock speeds from its Skylake-based chips on the heavily refined 14nm process technology. That’s especially true when looking at all-core operating frequencies for Intel versus Zen 2 in power unlimited scenarios. As such, we were hoping to see the new, optimised Ryzen 5000 chip operate at higher all-core frequencies when running at stock, PBO, and when overclocked. Stock-Clocked Operating Frequencies: We see the 5600X hitting around 4.45-4.55GHz all-core frequency in the demanding Cinebench and Blender workloads. This clock speed value holds up well using standard AIO cooling but there is clearly thermal headroom spare for lower spec coolers. It is the power and current limits that cap the speed, so PBO and manual overclocking clearly give the chip more room to push. We observed clock values as high as 4650MHz when running the Cinebench 1T test, even if only for small periods of time. As with other Ryzen 5000 chips, this is above the quoted boost frequency and represents a solid result. Ryzen 5 5600X PBO Overclocking: We did a quick test on PBO overclocking and found it to run our chip at around 4.65GHz all-core or single core. This is a good enough result for a quick, easy, and stable performance bump. Ryzen 5 5600X Manual Overclocking: We pushed the Ryzen 5 5600X to an impressive 4.8GHz all-core frequency using our X570 motherboards. This used a 1.325V UEFI setting that was a little over 1.3V delivered in operation. We could probably tweak the voltage a little lower, but temperatures and power were fine for our testing. Overclocking Outcome: 4.8GHz all-core is a highly impressive result as it goes beyond the maximum boost frequencies quoted by AMD and should therefore represent no performance loss in single threaded or lightly threaded workloads. We will be outlining the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X CPU's performance while using X570 motherboards from ASUS and Gigabyte with the AGESA - 1.1.0.0 - BIOS version. A 32GB (2x16GB) kit of 3600MHz CL16 DDR4 memory serves our test system. Today's comparison processors come in the form of: Comet Lake Core i9-10900K (10C20T), Core i9-10850K (10C20T), Core i7-10700K (8C16T), and Core i5-10600K (6C12T). Matisse 'Zen 2' Ryzen 9 3900XT (12C24T), Ryzen 9 3950X (16C32T), Ryzen 7 3700X (8C16T), and Ryzen 5 3600XT (6C12T). Vermeer 'Zen 3' Ryzen 9 5900X (12C24T), Ryzen 9 5950X (16C32T), Ryzen 7 5800X (8C16T), and Ryzen 5 5600X (6C12T). Each processor is tested at its default out-of-the-box settings. For the Intel CPUs, unlimited turbo duration as set by the motherboard with XMP enabled is the operating mode. All-core load frequencies for the tested chips are as follows: Core i5-10600K = 4.5GHz. Core i7-10700K = 4.7GHz. Core i9-10850K = 4.8GHz. Core i9-10900K = 4.9GHz. Ryzen 5 3600XT = around 4.275GHz. Ryzen 7 3700X = around 4.05GHz. Ryzen 9 3900XT = around 4.05GHz. Ryzen 9 3950X = around 3.875GHz. Ryzen 5 5600X = around 4.45-4.55GHz. Ryzen 7 5800X = around 4.55GHz. Ryzen 9 5900X = around 4.3-4.4GHz. Ryzen 9 5950X = around 3.85-4.0GHz. CPU Test System Components: Graphics Card: Gigabyte RTX 3080 Eagle OC. Memory: 32GB (2x16GB) Corsair Vengeance LPX 3600MHz 16-18-18-36 DDR4 @ 1.35V. CPU Cooler: Fractal Celsius+ S28 Prisma 280mm AIO at full pump and fan speed OS SSD: WD_Black SN750 NVMe SSD. Games SSD: Aorus 2TB PCIe Gen 4 M.2 SSD. Power Supply: Seasonic Prime TX-1000. Chassis: Lian Li T60 Open Air Test Bench. Operating System: Windows 10 Pro 64-bit. AM4 Motherboards: ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Hero & Gigabyte X570 Aorus Xtreme. Z490 Motherboard: MSI MEG Z490 ACE. Tests: Productivity-related: Cinebench R20 – All-core & single-core CPU benchmark (CPU) Blender 2.90 - All-core rendering of the Classroom benchmark (CPU) V-Ray Render Benchmark - All-core CPU render benchmark test (CPU) HandBrake H264 – Convert 1440p60 H264 video to 1080p60 H264 using the YouTube HQ 1080p60 preset (CPU) HandBrake H265 – Convert 4K30 100Mbps H264 video to 1080p30 40Mbps H265 using the H.265 MKV 1080p30 preset (CPU & Memory) 7-Zip – Built-in 7-Zip benchmark test (CPU & Memory) SiSoft Sandra – Memory bandwidth and Cache & Memory Latency Test (Memory) AIDA64 – Memory bandwidth & memory latency (Memory) Gaming-related: F1 2020 - 1920 x 1080 & 2560 x 1440, Ultra High quality preset with TAA, DX12 Grand Theft Auto V - 1920 x 1080 & 2560 x 1440, Maximum quality settings, no AA, DX11 Metro Exodus - 1920 x 1080 & 2560 x 1440, Ultra quality preset, PhysX and Hairworks off, DX12 Red Dead Redemption 2 - 1920 x 1080 & 2560 x 1440, High settings manually applied, DX12 Shadow of the Tomb Raider – 1920 x 1080 & 2560 x 1440, Highest quality preset, no AA, DX12 Tom Clancy's The Division 2 – 1920 x 1080 & 2560 x 1440, Ultra quality preset, no AA, DX12 Cinebench R20 Cinebench nT sees the 5600X making a positive start. Performance is 27% quicker than the 10600K and 16% better than the considerably cheaper Ryzen 5 3600XT. The 8-core 3700X does score higher though, with a 10% lead over the 5600X but that gap narrows significantly with the Zen 3 part’s 4.8GHz overclock. Given the reduced maximum boost clocks, it comes as no surprise to see the 5600X scoring slightly below other Zen 3 chips. A performance result of 600 is certainly a strong step up of 23% versus the 10600K, 13% versus the 3600XT, and 18% versus the 3700X. These are big gains and our manual overclock to 4.8GHz pushed the 5600X’s lead even higher. Zen 3 really is proving to be a superb architectural design with fantastic IPC. Blender Classroom Benchmark The 5600X comfortably outperforms the cheaper Core i5-10600K and Ryzen 5 3600XT in Blender. But the slightly more expensive Ryzen 7 3700X and its eight Zen 2 cores are notably faster in this test. If you were looking at purchasing the 5600X for a budget multi-threaded Blender rig, the 8-core Zen 2 offering looks to be a more valuable solution at the price point. V-Ray CPU Benchmark V-Ray sees the 5600X continuing to deliver strong performance leads over the cheaper Core i5 and Ryzen 5 chips. This time, the overclocked 5600X matches the stock clocked 3700X performance and is within touching distance of the 4.7GHz 10700K. 7-Zip Compressing 7-Zip compression is 32% faster on the Ryzen 5 5600X versus the Core i5-10600K. Zen 3 yet again scores very well in this test, thus allowing the six core 5600X to roughly match Zen 2 and Comet Lake 8-core parts. 7-Zip Decompressing Decompression is where the Zen architecture comes into its own, as proven by the whopping 45% performance lead for the 5600X versus the 10600K. Handbrake H264 Our Handbrake H264 test is quicker on the 5600X by 24% versus the 10600K and 13% versus the 3600XT. The Zen 2 eight-core 3700X regains a performance lead to the tune of 11% in this test, however. Handbrake H265 Architectural proficiencies aid the Zen 3 parts’ scoring in our Handbrake H265 test. This allows the 6-core 5600X to comfortably outperform the Comet Lake and Zen 2 6 cores in addition to the Ryzen 7 3700X. Performance from the Ryzen 5 Zen 3 part is roughly similar to the far more expensive Core i7-10700K. Sandra Memory Bandwidth AIDA64 Memory Performance Memory performance is as we expect from a single-CCD Zen processor. You still get the half-speed write performance that is common for the single-CCD Ryzen processors on Zen 2 and Zen 3. Memory latency versus Zen 2 continues to show improvement, even with this single-CCD Zen 3 part. 3DMark Time Spy 3DMark Time Spy has the 5600X beating the 3600XT and 10600K. F1 2020 We use the DirectX 12 mode, TAA, and the Ultra High quality preset. F1 2020 at 1080p sees the Ryzen 5 5600X delivering the same promising numbers as the higher-end Zen 3 siblings. AMD’s newest six-core chip comfortably outperforms its logical Zen 2 and Comet Lake competitors. At 1440p, the performance is still strong, with AMD’s Zen 3 6-core basically matching the chart-toppers when accounting for error and variance margins. The Core i5-10600K does score a little better though. Grand Theft Auto V We use the DirectX 11 mode, anti-aliasing disabled, and the Maximum quality settings. Zen 3 works superbly with GTA V and this trend continues with the 5600X despite its relative core count deficit versus Ryzen 7 and Ryzen 9 chips. Intel Comet Lake and AMD’s Zen 2 competitors are no match for the 5600X here – this is strong victory for the new Ryzen 5. At 1440p, the same performance trend holds true. The Comet Lake and Zen 3 big boys are faster but the 5600X comfortably beats its logical price point competitors such as the Core i5-10600K and Ryzen 7 3700X. Metro Exodus We use the DirectX 12 mode, PhysX & Hairworks disabled, and the Ultra quality settings. Metro Exodus once again has the 5600X beating its relevant competition, though its lead versus the 10600K is slim when both CPUs are at stock. 1440p shows preference for the Intel 10600K by a minor margin and the performance boost for the 5600X versus Zen 2 is indistinguishable with this level of GPU demand. Red Dead Redemption 2 We run the game with image settings manually set to High and the DirectX 12 mode enabled. Red Dead Redemption 2 using our test setup continues to show strong preference for Intel Comet Lake chips. Here, the Core i5-10600K beats the Ryzen 5 5600X by a measurable and somewhat useful margin. AMD’s six-core 5600X does, however, keep pace with the other Zen 3 parts and slightly outperforms the Zen 2 offerings. At 1440P, we see more of the same Intel preference and this time the performance uplift from Zen 2 to Zen 3 is compressed heavily, except for the low FPS numbers on the 3600XT. Shadow of the Tomb Raider We use the DirectX 12 mode, anti-aliasing disabled, and the Highest quality preset. Shadow of the Tomb Raider performs well on Zen 3 and has the six-core 5600X smashing the performance numbers of its Zen 2 and 10600K competitors. AMD’s cheapest Zen 3 offering is actually competitive versus the 10700K here. At 1440p, we see the same performance trend with the Ryzen 5 5600X being much faster than the 10600K, 3600XT, and 3700X. The Division 2 We run the game with quality set to Ultra, VSync disabled, and DX12 mode. The Division 2 sees Ryzen 5 5600X once again outperforming the 10600K, 3700X, and 3600XT. Intel’s Core i5 provides the toughest fight, but the Zen 3 six-core is simply faster outside of a 5GHz Intel overclock. Cranked up to 1440p, performance is similar across the board so there are no inherent upsides or downsides to the Ryzen 5 5600X in this example. We leave the system to idle on the Windows 10 desktop before taking a power draw reading. For CPU load results, we read the power draw while producing five minutes' worth of loading in the Cinebench R20 nT rendering test. The power consumption of our entire test system (at the wall) is shown in the chart. The same test parameters are used for temperature readings. Power Consumption Power draw readings are accurate to around +/-5W under heavy load due to instantaneous fluctuations in the value. We use a Titanium-rated Seasonic 1000W Prime PSU. Power consumption is absolutely superb from the 65W TDP Ryzen 5 5600X. Six Zen 3 cores with a power budget of 76W makes for a very light energy requirement. The wall draw levels are more than 20W lower than the Ryzen 5 3600XT and Core i5-10600K competitors when loaded at stock clocks. Overclocking increased the load power draw by a little over 30W. But this sub-180W wall reading is still easily tolerable even with modest cooling and motherboard VRM hardware. Performance per Watt The Ryzen 5 5600X actually does reasonably well in the Cinebench-based performance per Watt chart. Despite a two-core deficit versus the 3700X, AMD’s new Ryzen 5 5600X actually manages to match its efficiency. Points per Watt are far greater for the Zen 3 5600X versus its Core i5-10600K and Ryzen 5 3600XT competitors. AMD’s chosen 65W TDP for the 5600X looks to deliver excellent efficiency balance. Temperatures Temperature recordings were taken using the Fractal Celsius+ S28 Prisma 280mm AIO CPU cooler at full fan and pump speed. Ambient temperatures were around 22°C. Out of the box temperatures using the same premium 280mm AIO cooler as with all other testing are sub-60C under load and are easy to handle. Even with cheaper coolers, we would have no worries about thermals for the Ryzen 5 5600X. That’s especially true when running the stock Precision Boost or automatic Precision Boost Overdrive settings that adjust frequency and voltage based on temperature readings. Overclocking pushed the chip close to 80C with our unoptimized voltage setting. Again, this is no cause for concern with a premium AIO cooler but will start to get a little toasty on small and budget air heatsinks. Performance per £ Value Despite the Zen 3 price increases, the 5600X does reasonably well for our Cinebench-weighted performance per Pound money chart. The 5600X looks to be better value in this test versus the Core i5-10600K, but the more expensive Ryzen 7 3700X is a stiff competitor. The same can be said for the Ryzen 5 3600XT, and even tougher competition would come from the cheaper but almost as fast Ryzen 5 3600 non-X and 3600X… if you are able to find them in stock again. The Ryzen 5 5600X proves itself as a superb gaming processor and delivers efficient and competitive productivity performance without breaking the bank. Versus the roughly £250 Core i5-10600K that ships without a cooler, the £280 Ryzen 5 5600X is an obvious winner. AMD’s chip sits on a better platform with more premium features even on low cost motherboards. And the performance superiority versus Intel’s six-core processor more than justifies the 5600X’s 12% price premium. We feel that the Zen 3 Ryzen 5 is also a much better buy than the roughly £230 Ryzen 5 3600XT. You get better all-round performance, the efficient Zen 3 architecture, and vastly superior gaming FPS. Lower cost Ryzen 5 3600 and Ryzen 5 3600X would be tough competitors from a purely pricing perspective, but these are getting increasingly difficult to find at that sub-£200 sweet spot. If gaming is your focus, the Ryzen 5 5600X is far superior to the £300 3700X. However, if you are mainly interested in heavily multi-threaded productivity usage such as rendering, the 3700X is a better option. For other productivity tasks such as video conversion and file compression, the Zen 3 architectural improvements actually make the 5600X very competitive despite its core count deficit. So, the Ryzen 5 5600X comfortably holds its own versus the Ryzen 7 3700X, albeit with that eight-core Zen 2 chip being the toughest competitor currently on the market. If you are only interested in gaming, our results highlight that the Ryzen 5 5600X is an excellent performer and now becomes the realistic go-to gaming processor if you can afford and justify the £280 asking price. There is still an argument that cheaper Zen 2 Ryzen 5 plus the difference spent on a beefier GPU will be a better option. But we like the untethered FPS numbers offered by the Ryzen 5 5600X and are more confident that Zen 3 will last successive GPU upgrades going forward. Yes, the 5600X’s price increase versus Zen 2 Ryzen 5s is a little tough to swallow for many and we hope that a 5600 non-X will come in at sub-£250 in the future. But unless you are able to find a bargain sub-£200 Ryzen 5 3600 once again, we feel that the extra spend on the Ryzen 5 5600X is justified by its consistently strong performance, excellent overclocking headroom, and truly competitive gaming numbers. The Ryzen 5 5600X MSRP is $299 USD and £280 in the UK at major e-tailers such as Overclockers UK. Pros: Excellent gaming performance. Strong out-of-the-box clock speeds. High overclocked frequency. Excellent power efficiency and thermal performance. Drop-in upgrade for many AM4 users. Bundled basic CPU cooler. Reasonable price point versus the competition. Cons: Some will be disappointed by the price increase versus Ryzen 5 3600. Ryzen 7 3700X is a tough productivity usage competitor at £20 more. KitGuru says: If you are in a position where your budget for a productivity plus gaming processor is strictly kept to the sub-£300 price point, the Ryzen 5 5600X is a very well balanced option and offers impressive gaming performance to make it a strong recommendation versus the competitors.
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