AMD Ryzen 9 5600X vs AMD Ryzen 5 2600X

Processor comparisons 05-02-2023

   If you can't decide which processor to buy, you can make a choice after reading the full tests AMD Ryzen 9 5600X vs AMD Ryzen 5 2600X and understand which is better for games or normal use for programming, machine learning, rendering, streaming, video editing. Here is all information from various benchmarks or real streaming and video editing tests. A thorough analysis of all the specifications, to make it easier to understand, is summarized in the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of joint testing in special testing software like 3DMark, Gears 5, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, GeekBench 6, 5.2, SuperPi, UserBenchmark, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), Blender, Prime95, PCMark 10, PassMark, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Furmark, RealBench, 7zip, MATLAB, Dolphin Emulator, WPrime, VeraCrypt, AIDA64, Handbrake, Blender.
   And how good the CPUs are in games:

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

After reading the results these benchmarks and videos, you already be able to figure out which CPU is better to buy for gaming AMD Ryzen 5 2600X or AMD Ryzen 9 5600X.

Summary benchmark results

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

Ryzen 9 5600X

58%

Ryzen 5 2600X

54%

This value shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Ryzen 9 5600X is 6% better than Ryzen 5 2600X. The data source is several popular tests. More detailed information of the benchmarks is below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Ryzen 9 5600X

55%

Ryzen 5 2600X

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 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 CPU comparisons were performed: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, NBA 2K20, Metro Exodus, League of Legends (LOL), PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), DOTA 2A, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Monster Hunter World, Battlefield V, Half-Life: Alyx, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Hitman 3, Ghostrunner, Control, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Horizon Zero Dawn, Forza Horizon 4.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	97.8	94.6
Valorant	111.2	107.5
Cyberpunk 2077	62.3	60.2
Apex Legends	104.5	101.1
Call of Duty Warzone	83.4	80.6
Overwatch	90.1	87.1
Red Dead Redemption 2	76.7	74.2
DOOM Eternal	55.6	53.8
Warzone	86.7	83.9
Assassin's Creed	93.4	90.3
Valheim	92.3	89.3

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 that were in the comparisons not only did they have different amounts of RAM and different video cards. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: 2K, FullHD 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 compare it in one assembly with the video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

Ryzen 9 5600X

89%

Ryzen 5 2600X

39%

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 9 5600X is more energy efficient than the Ryzen 5 2600X 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

For example you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for programming, machine learning, streaming, video rendering or video editing, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to reach maximum performance, the processor turns on all cores and threads that it has. You will find out this data from the benchmark tables below. Before using 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 use only one core to work, and all the advantages of multi-core mode turns out to be unnecessary.

Cinebench 23, 20 an 15
The results of this benchmark show Single-threaded and Multi-threaded CPU performance

	AMD Ryzen 9 5600X	AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
Cinbench 15 Single-core	187	176
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	2569	1380
Cinbench 20 Single-core	444	421
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	5905	3048
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1131	1074
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	15257	7514

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

	AMD Ryzen 9 5600X	AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
Single-Core	2421	2438
Multi-Core	27495	14033

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

	AMD Ryzen 9 5600X	AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
Single-Core	1747	1127
Multi-Core	9641	6497

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the processor release date and overclocking capability will be the most useful. The newer the processor, the longer it will last you. 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 even in new games. The economy are obvious! Accordingly, there is no longer a need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	AMD Ryzen 9 5600X	AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
Announcement date	November 05, 2020	April 19, 2018
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	AM4	AM4
Core name	Vermeer	Pinnacle Ridge
Architecture	Zen 3	Zen
Generation	4	2
Turbo Frequency	4.6 MHz	4.2 MHz
Frequency	3.7 MHz	3.6 MHz
Cores	6	6
Threads	12	12
Bus rate
Bit	64	64
Lithography	7 nm	12 nm
Transistors count	9400 millions	3600 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	65 W	95 W
Memory type	DDR4	DDR4
Max. Memory
Memory Frequency	3200	2933
Memory bandwidth
L1 cache		576KB
L2 cache	3MB	3MB
L3 cache	32MB	16MB
Overclocking	Yes	Yes
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number	100-000000065 100-100000065BOX 100-100000065MPK	YD260XBCM6IAF YD260XBCAFBOX YD260XBCAFMPK

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Ryzen 9 5600X is 2% better than Ryzen 5 2600X 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 9 5600X is better: 29
The number of parameters for which AMD Ryzen 5 2600X is better: 2
Although it should be realized that all the number in the text above do not mean that taking them into account you should entirely trust a simple quantitative comparison. Better to watch the testing video and read the opinion of of people who bought AMD Ryzen 9 5600X and AMD Ryzen 5 2600X before making a selection which processor to buy for gaming and which not.

AMD Ryzen 9 5600X - all data

• Cinebench r15 score
• Cinebench r20 score
• Cinebench r23 score
• GeekBench 6, 5.2 score

• AMD Ryzen 9 5600X specs and review.

• AMD Ryzen 5 2600X specs and review.