AMD Ryzen 5 3500X vs AMD Ryzen 5 1600

Processor comparisons 17-03-2021

   Let's say you can't decide which CPU to buy, you can make a choice by looking at the AMD Ryzen 5 3500X vs AMD Ryzen 5 1600 tests and see which is better for games or simple use for video editing, programming, streaming, machine learning, rendering. Here you can find all information from real video editing and streaming tests or different benchmarks. A step-by-step analysis of all the technical characteristics, so that it can be easier to read, is presented in the form of the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of parallel examination in special testing software such as GeekBench 6, 5.2, MATLAB, Prime95, 7zip, Furmark, Dolphin Emulator, SuperPi, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, Blender, PassMark, Gears 5, AIDA64, VeraCrypt, WPrime, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), PCMark 10, Blender, 3DMark, Handbrake, DaVinci Resolve Studio, RealBench, UserBenchmark.
   And how good the CPUs are in games:

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

After looking at the data of joint benchmarks and videos, you already be able to figure out which CPU is better to buy for gaming AMD Ryzen 5 1600 or AMD Ryzen 5 3500X.

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 3500X

54%

Ryzen 5 1600

53%

This shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Ryzen 5 3500X is 1% better than Ryzen 5 1600. The data source is several popular tests. Detailed information can be found below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Ryzen 5 3500X

53%

Ryzen 5 1600

53%

The maximum result in this parameter is 100 percent, which is the performance of the most powerful processor currently available. And it is clear that this is a server processor, on which no one will run games. Because this processor costs several tens of thousands of dollars. And if it seems to you that the selected CPU has a low game result, look at the FPS that it produces in real games in the summary table below.
List of less popular games in which processors were compared: Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Metro Exodus, Ghostrunner, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Battlefield V, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Forza Horizon 4, NBA 2K20, League of Legends (LOL), Horizon Zero Dawn, Hitman 3, Control, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Monster Hunter World, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Microsoft Flight Simulator, DOTA 2A, Half-Life: Alyx.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	94.1	93.8
Valorant	106.9	106.6
Cyberpunk 2077	59.9	59.7
Apex Legends	100.5	100.2
Call of Duty Warzone	80.2	79.9
Overwatch	86.6	86.3
Red Dead Redemption 2	73.8	73.6
DOOM Eternal	53.5	53.3
Warzone	83.4	83.1
Assassin's Creed	89.8	89.5
Valheim	88.7	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 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 3500X

65%

Ryzen 5 1600

47%

To make a finishing choice on which processor is better, you should also consider the generation of its core. The newer the processor generation, the better its performance in games and benchmarks, as well as its energy efficiency. In this case the Ryzen 5 3500X is more energy efficient than the Ryzen 5 1600 since it has less power consumption: 65W vs. 65W. 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 want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for machine learning, streaming, programming, video editing or video rendering, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the processor uses all cores and threads that it has to the maximum to achieve maximum performance. 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. Because there are still many programs that can use only one core to work, 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 3500X	AMD Ryzen 5 1600
Cinbench 15 Single-core	188	147
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1129	1094
Cinbench 20 Single-core	464	357
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	2652	2501
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1126	900
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	7797	6230

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

	AMD Ryzen 5 3500X	AMD Ryzen 5 1600
Single-Core	2562	2063
Multi-Core	13476	12340

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

	AMD Ryzen 5 3500X	AMD Ryzen 5 1600
Single-Core	1272	932
Multi-Core	5963	5690

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the most helpful will be the release date of the processor and the possibility of overclocking it. The later the processor is released, the longer it will last in your computer. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system in the future. The same benefits from the presence of overclocking. When the processor can be overclocked, thereby increasing its performance, then it will continue to maintain maximum FPS in new games. Accordingly, you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The savings are obvious!

	AMD Ryzen 5 3500X	AMD Ryzen 5 1600
Announcement date	September 24, 2019	April 11, 2017
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	AM4	AM4
Core name	Matisse	Summit Ridge
Architecture	Zen 2	Zen
Generation	3	2
Turbo Frequency	4.1 MHz	3.6 MHz
Frequency	3.6 MHz	3.2 MHz
Cores	6	6
Threads	6	12
Bus rate
Bit	64	64
Lithography	7 nm	14 nm
Transistors count	4200 millions	2800 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	65 W	65 W
Memory type	DDR4	DDR4
Max. Memory
Memory Frequency	3200	2667
Memory bandwidth
L1 cache	384KB	576KB
L2 cache	3MB	3MB
L3 cache	32MB	16MB
Overclocking	Yes	Yes
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number	100-000000158 100-100000158CBX 100-100000158MPK	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 3500X is 11% better than Ryzen 5 1600 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 3500X is better: 29
The number of parameters for which AMD Ryzen 5 1600 is better: 2
Although it should be understood that the summary data in the table above do not mean that taking them into account you should completely trust a simple quantitative comparison. Better to watch the video tests and read the reviews of of people who bought AMD Ryzen 5 3500X and AMD Ryzen 5 1600 before making a decision which CPU to buy for gaming and which not.

• AMD Ryzen 5 3500X specs and review.

• AMD Ryzen 5 1600 specs and review.