AMD Ryzen 5 3500U vs AMD Ryzen 5 1600

Processor comparisons 17-03-2021

   Perhaps you can't decide which CPU to buy, you can make a decision after reading the detailed tests AMD Ryzen 5 3500U vs AMD Ryzen 5 1600 and decide which is better for games or simple use for programming, rendering, streaming, machine learning, video editing. Here you can find useful information from many benchmarks or real streaming and video editing tests. A thorough analysis of all the technical characteristics, to make it easier to understand, is made by the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of joint testing in software tests like PassMark, WPrime, Handbrake, Blender, 7zip, RealBench, Prime95, SuperPi, Gears 5, Blender, MATLAB, GeekBench 6, 5.2, AIDA64, Furmark, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), Dolphin Emulator, VeraCrypt, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, DaVinci Resolve Studio, PCMark 10, UserBenchmark, 3DMark.
   And how good the processors are in games:

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

After reading the results these benchmarks and videos, you can already make an informed decision about which processor is better to buy for gaming AMD Ryzen 5 1600 or AMD Ryzen 5 3500U.

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 3500U

52%

Ryzen 5 1600

53%

This shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Ryzen 5 1600 is 1% better than Ryzen 5 3500U. The data source is several popular tests. More detailed information of the benchmarks is below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Ryzen 5 3500U

51%

Ryzen 5 1600

53%

The maximum result in this parameter is 100 percent, which is the performance of the most powerful processor at the moment. 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 final table below.
List of other games in which CPU comparisons were performed: Hitman 3, Metro Exodus, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, League of Legends (LOL), Ghostrunner, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, NBA 2K20, DOTA 2A, Control, Battlefield V, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Forza Horizon 4, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Half-Life: Alyx, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Horizon Zero Dawn, Monster Hunter World.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	91.3	93.8
Valorant	103.7	106.6
Cyberpunk 2077	58.1	59.7
Apex Legends	97.5	100.2
Call of Duty Warzone	77.8	79.9
Overwatch	84.0	86.3
Red Dead Redemption 2	71.6	73.6
DOOM Eternal	51.9	53.3
Warzone	80.9	83.1
Assassin's Creed	87.1	89.5
Valheim	86.1	88.5

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 tested computers not only did they have different amounts of RAM and different video cards. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: FullHD, 2K or 4K. 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 get acquainted with the benchmarks that are made with the same video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

Ryzen 5 3500U

209%

Ryzen 5 1600

47%

To make a finishing 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 3500U is more energy efficient than the Ryzen 5 1600 since it has less power consumption: 15W vs. 65W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, it will be useful to know its TDP. 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 machine learning, video rendering or video editing, streaming, programming, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the CPU turns on all threads and cores that it has to the maximum to achieve maximum efficiency. You will learn this data from the benchmark tables below. Before using the data from these tests, be sure to make sure that the program that you are going to use on your computer can work in multi-threaded mode. Since there are still many programs that use only one core to run, and all the advantages 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 3500U	AMD Ryzen 5 1600
Cinbench 15 Single-core	141	147
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	620	1094
Cinbench 20 Single-core	360	357
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	1483	2501
Cinbench 23 Single-core	876	900
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	3544	6230

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

	AMD Ryzen 5 3500U	AMD Ryzen 5 1600
Single-Core	2014	2063
Multi-Core	7199	12340

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

	AMD Ryzen 5 3500U	AMD Ryzen 5 1600
Single-Core	944	932
Multi-Core	3231	5690

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the most helpful will be the the possibility of overclocking it and release date of the processor. The newer the processor, the longer it will last in your computer. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system later. The same benefits from the presence of overclocking. When the processor can be overclocked, thereby increasing its performance, then it will still be able to produce maximum FPS in the newest games. Accordingly, there is no longer a need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The savings are obvious!

	AMD Ryzen 5 3500U	AMD Ryzen 5 1600
Announcement date	December 31, 1969	April 11, 2017
Type	Laptop	Desktop
Socket	FP5	AM4
Core name	Picasso	Summit Ridge
Architecture	Zen+	Zen
Generation	2	2
Turbo Frequency	3.7 MHz	3.6 MHz
Frequency	2.1 MHz	3.2 MHz
Cores	4	6
Threads	8	12
Bus rate
Bit	64	64
Lithography	12 nm	14 nm
Transistors count	4200 millions	2800 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	15 W	65 W
Memory type		DDR4
Max. Memory
Memory Frequency	2400	2667
Memory bandwidth
L1 cache	384KB	576KB
L2 cache	2MB	3MB
L3 cache	4MB	16MB
Overclocking	No	Yes
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number	YM3500C4T4MFG n/a	YD1600BBM6IAE YD1600BBAEBOX YD1600BBAEMPK

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Ryzen 5 1600 is 34% better than Ryzen 5 3500U in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Ryzen 5 1600 has 2 more core than Ryzen 5 3500U. 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 3500U is better: 7
The number of parameters for which AMD Ryzen 5 1600 is better: 27
However, it should be understood that all the data in the article above do not mean that you should be guided entirely by them and trust a simple quantitative comparison. Be sure to watch benchmarks video and read the opinion of real owners of AMD Ryzen 5 3500U and AMD Ryzen 5 1600 before deciding which of the processors to buy for gaming.

• AMD Ryzen 5 3500U specs and review.

• AMD Ryzen 5 1600 specs and review.