AMD Ryzen 9 5900X 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 after reading the full tests AMD Ryzen 9 5900X vs AMD Ryzen 5 1600 and understand which is better for games or simple use for programming, rendering, video editing, machine learning, streaming. Here you can find useful information from real streaming and video editing tests or various benchmarks. A careful review of all the specifications, to make it easier to understand, is made by the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of joint testing in special testing software such as Dolphin Emulator, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), 3DMark, PassMark, Prime95, 7zip, SuperPi, Gears 5, WPrime, Blender, AIDA64, Handbrake, MATLAB, Blender, Furmark, VeraCrypt, DaVinci Resolve Studio, UserBenchmark, PCMark 10, RealBench, GeekBench 6, 5.2.
   Gaming performance of processors in:

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

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 1600 or AMD Ryzen 9 5900X.

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 5900X

61%

Ryzen 5 1600

53%

This parameter shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Ryzen 9 5900X is 13% 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 9 5900X

58%

Ryzen 5 1600

53%

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	102.7	93.8
Valorant	116.7	106.6
Cyberpunk 2077	65.3	59.7
Apex Legends	109.7	100.2
Call of Duty Warzone	87.5	79.9
Overwatch	94.5	86.3
Red Dead Redemption 2	80.5	73.6
DOOM Eternal	58.3	53.3
Warzone	91.0	83.1
Assassin's Creed	98.0	89.5
Valheim	96.8	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 9 5900X

51%

Ryzen 5 1600

47%

To make a finishing choice 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 9 5900X is more energy efficient than the Ryzen 5 1600 since it has less power consumption: 105W vs. 65W. Power consumption is particularly important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, you must know its TDP. It is necessary to count so that the TDP data specified in the cooler specification is greater than the TDP of the compared processor.

Software benchmarks

If you plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for programming, machine learning, video editing or video rendering, streaming, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the processor turns on all threads and cores that it has to the maximum to reach maximum performance. You will find out this data from the benchmark tables below. Before using the data from these tests, be sure to check whether the software you are going to use on your computer supports 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 9 5900X	AMD Ryzen 5 1600
Cinbench 15 Single-core	270	147
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	3684	1094
Cinbench 20 Single-core	637	357
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	8468	2501
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1622	900
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	21878	6230

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

	AMD Ryzen 9 5900X	AMD Ryzen 5 1600
Single-Core	3470	2063
Multi-Core	39428	12340

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

	AMD Ryzen 9 5900X	AMD Ryzen 5 1600
Single-Core	1612	932
Multi-Core	14387	5690

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the processor release date and overclocking capability will be the most helpful. The later the processor is released, 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, increasing its performance, then it will still be able to produce maximum FPS even in new games. The savings are obvious! Accordingly, you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	AMD Ryzen 9 5900X	AMD Ryzen 5 1600
Announcement date	November 05, 2020	April 11, 2017
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	AM4	AM4
Core name	Vermeer	Summit Ridge
Architecture	Zen 3	Zen
Generation	4	2
Turbo Frequency	4.8 MHz	3.6 MHz
Frequency	3.7 MHz	3.2 MHz
Cores	12	6
Threads	24	12
Bus rate
Bit	64	64
Lithography	7 nm	14 nm
Transistors count	9400 millions	2800 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	105 W	65 W
Memory type	DDR4	DDR4
Max. Memory
Memory Frequency	3200	2667
Memory bandwidth
L1 cache		576KB
L2 cache	6MB	3MB
L3 cache	64MB	16MB
Overclocking	Yes	Yes
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number	100-000000061 100-100000061WOF	YD1600BBM6IAE YD1600BBAEBOX YD1600BBAEMPK

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Ryzen 9 5900X is 13% better than Ryzen 5 1600 in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Ryzen 9 5900X has 6 more core than Ryzen 5 1600. 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 5900X is better: 32
The number of parameters for which AMD Ryzen 5 1600 is better: 2
Although it should be understood that all the number in the table above do not mean that taking them into account you should totally trust a simple quantitative comparison. Better to watch benchmarks video and read the opinion of real owners of AMD Ryzen 9 5900X and AMD Ryzen 5 1600 before making a decision which processor to buy for gaming and which not.

• AMD Ryzen 9 5900X specs and review.

• AMD Ryzen 5 1600 specs and review.