AMD Ryzen 5 2600 vs AMD Ryzen 5 3600X

Processor comparisons   17-03-2021
   Let's say you can't decide which processor to buy, you can make a choice after reading the comprehensive tests AMD Ryzen 5 2600 vs AMD Ryzen 5 3600X and understand which is better for games or simple use for rendering, streaming, programming, video editing, machine learning. Here is all information from different benchmarks or real streaming and video editing tests. A thorough review of all the specifications, so that it can be easier to understand, is summarized in the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of parallel examination in special test applications like Furmark, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), Dolphin Emulator, Handbrake, Gears 5, 7zip, GeekBench 6, 5.2, DaVinci Resolve Studio, SuperPi, Prime95, WPrime, UserBenchmark, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, PassMark, RealBench, VeraCrypt, Blender, Blender, 3DMark, MATLAB, AIDA64, PCMark 10.
   Gaming performance of processors in:

Borderlands 3
Red Dead Redemption 2
Fallout 76
Rainbow Six Siege
DOOM: Eternal
Call of Duty: Warzone and Modern Warfare
World of Warcraft: Shadowlands
Death Stranding
Halo Infinite
Cyberpunk 2077
Grand Theft Auto V
Fortnite
Apex Legends
Valheim
Last Man Standing
Valorant
Overwatch
Watch Dogs Legion
Assassin's Creed Valhalla

After reading the results these benchmarks and videos, you already be able to know which CPU is better to buy for gaming AMD Ryzen 5 3600X or AMD Ryzen 5 2600.

Summary benchmark results

As a percentage of the maximum value based on a sample from the entire base of all processors
Processor Benchmark

Ryzen 5 2600

54%

Ryzen 5 3600X

55%

This shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Ryzen 5 3600X is 1% better than Ryzen 5 2600. The data source is several popular tests. Detailed information can be found below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Ryzen 5 2600

53%

Ryzen 5 3600X

54%

For the maximum in this test, the results of the most powerful processor in the site database are taken. And it is clear that this is a server processor, on which no one will play games. Because the cost of this processor reaches several tens of thousands of dollars. And if it seems to you that the selected CPU has a small game result, just look at the FPS that it produces in real games in the summary table below.
List of other games in which processors were compared: Horizon Zero Dawn, Forza Horizon 4, Metro Exodus, Hitman 3, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, NBA 2K20, DOTA 2A, Ghostrunner, Monster Hunter World, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, League of Legends (LOL), Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Control, Battlefield V, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Half-Life: Alyx, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG).

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	94.8	96.0
Valorant	107.8	109.1
Cyberpunk 2077	60.4	61.1
Apex Legends	101.3	102.6
Call of Duty Warzone	80.8	81.9
Overwatch	87.3	88.4
Red Dead Redemption 2	74.4	75.3
DOOM Eternal	53.9	54.6
Warzone	84.1	85.1
Assassin's Creed	90.5	91.7
Valheim	89.5	90.6

The numbers in this table indicate the maximum FPS that was received on the device with the corresponding processor. Depending on the configuration of the computer (RAM size and Video Card) and graphics quality settings (Ultra, Medium, Normal), the results may differ quite significantly. We recommend that you better study the results of the Cinebench, GeekBench and Passmark becnmarks.
The computers participating in the comparing not only were the equipped with different amounts of RAM and different video cards. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: 2K, 4K or FullHD. Therefore, the game benchmark data is approximate. But all video cards met the average system requirements of games. You will get more accurate information about how powerful the processor will be in games, if you compare it in one assembly with the video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

Ryzen 5 2600

56%

Ryzen 5 3600X

47%

To make a final resolution on which processor is better, you should also consider the generation of its core. It is clear that the newer the generation, the better the performance of the processor in games and benchmarks, as well as its energy efficiency. In this case the Ryzen 5 2600 is more energy efficient than the Ryzen 5 3600X since it has less power consumption: 65W vs. 95W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. And TDP should be taken into account when choosing a processor cooling system. It is necessary to calculate so that the TDP data specified in the cooler specification is greater than the TDP of the compared processor.

Software benchmarks

Let's say you plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for video editing or video rendering, streaming, programming, machine learning, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to reach maximum performance, the CPU uses all threads and cores that it has. You will learn this data from the benchmark tables below. Before you take into account the data from these tests, be sure to check whether the program you are going to use on your computer supports multi-threaded mode. Since there are still many programs that can use only one core to run, and all the benefit of multi-core mode are unused.
Cinebench 23, 20 an 15
The results of this benchmark show Single-threaded and Multi-threaded CPU performance

	AMD Ryzen 5 2600	AMD Ryzen 5 3600X
Cinbench 15 Single-core	164	204
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1310	1647
Cinbench 20 Single-core	374	501
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	2736	3751
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1024	1286
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	7220	9588

Passmark
This popular benchmark displays Multi-threaded and Single-threaded processor performance

	AMD Ryzen 5 2600	AMD Ryzen 5 3600X
Single-Core	2280	2651
Multi-Core	13255	18377

GeekBench 6, 5.2
This benchmark shows Multi-threaded and Single-threaded processor performance

	AMD Ryzen 5 2600	AMD Ryzen 5 3600X
Single-Core	1104	1341
Multi-Core	6712	7891

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the processor release date and overclocking capability will be the most helpful. The newer the processor, the longer it will last you. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system in the future. The same can be said about overclocking. If the processor can be overclocked, increasing its performance, then it will continue to maintain maximum FPS in the newest games. The economy are obvious! It turns out that you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	AMD Ryzen 5 2600	AMD Ryzen 5 3600X
Announcement date	April 19, 2018	July 07, 2019
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	AM4	AM4
Core name	Pinnacle Ridge	Matisse
Architecture	Zen+	Zen 2
Generation	2	3
Turbo Frequency	3.9 MHz	4.4 MHz
Frequency	3.4 MHz	3.8 MHz
Cores	6	6
Threads	12	12
Bus rate	4 Ã— 8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	12 nm	7 nm
Transistors count	3600 millions	4200 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	65 W	95 W
Memory type	DDR4	DDR4
Max. Memory
Memory Frequency	2933	3200
Memory bandwidth
L1 cache	576KB	384KB
L2 cache	3MB	3MB
L3 cache	16MB	32MB
Overclocking	Yes	Yes
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number	YD2600BBM6IAF YD2600BBAFBOX YD2600BBAFMPK	100-000000022 100-100000022BOX 100-100000022MPK

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Ryzen 5 3600X is 10% better than Ryzen 5 2600 in terms of CPU frequency. Also keep in mind that high CPU frequency affects battery life through power consumption (relevant for laptops).

Result:
The number of parameters for which AMD Ryzen 5 2600 is better: 3
The number of parameters for which AMD Ryzen 5 3600X is better: 29
However, it should be realized that all the number that you have looked at here do not mean that you should be guided entirely by them and trust a simple quantitative comparison. Be sure to watch the video tests and read the reviews of of people who bought AMD Ryzen 5 2600 and AMD Ryzen 5 3600X before deciding which of the CPUs to buy for gaming.

• AMD Ryzen 5 2600 specs and review.

• AMD Ryzen 5 3600X specs and review.