AMD Ryzen 5 3600 vs AMD Ryzen 7 5800X

Processor comparisons   17-03-2021
   Let's say you can't decide which processor to buy, you can make a decision after reading the comprehensive tests AMD Ryzen 5 3600 vs AMD Ryzen 7 5800X and understand which is better for games or normal use for video editing, programming, rendering, streaming, machine learning. Here is all information from various benchmarks or real video editing and streaming tests. A step-by-step 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 SuperPi, UserBenchmark, PassMark, 3DMark, VeraCrypt, PCMark 10, Prime95, AIDA64, Furmark, Dolphin Emulator, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), Handbrake, RealBench, Gears 5, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, MATLAB, Blender, 7zip, GeekBench 6, 5.2, Blender, DaVinci Resolve Studio, WPrime.
   And how good the CPUs are in games:

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

After looking at the data these benchmarks and videos, you can already make an informed decision about which CPU is better to buy for gaming AMD Ryzen 7 5800X or AMD Ryzen 5 3600.

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 3600

55%

Ryzen 7 5800X

58%

This shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Ryzen 7 5800X is 5% better than Ryzen 5 3600. The data source is several popular tests. Detailed information can be found below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Ryzen 5 3600

53%

Ryzen 7 5800X

56%

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 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 low game result, just look at the FPS that it produces in real games in the final table below.
List of other games in which processors were compared: Half-Life: Alyx, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Microsoft Flight Simulator, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Battlefield V, NBA 2K20, Monster Hunter World, Horizon Zero Dawn, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Control, DOTA 2A, Hitman 3, League of Legends (LOL), Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Metro Exodus, Forza Horizon 4, Ghostrunner.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	94.7	99.7
Valorant	107.6	113.3
Cyberpunk 2077	60.3	63.5
Apex Legends	101.2	106.5
Call of Duty Warzone	80.7	85.0
Overwatch	87.2	91.8
Red Dead Redemption 2	74.3	78.2
DOOM Eternal	53.8	56.7
Warzone	83.9	88.4
Assassin's Creed	90.4	95.2
Valheim	89.3	94.1

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: 4K, 2K 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 get acquainted with the benchmarks that are made with the same video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

Ryzen 5 3600

63%

Ryzen 7 5800X

57%

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 3600 is more energy efficient than the Ryzen 7 5800X since it has less power consumption: 65W vs. 105W. 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

For example you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for programming, streaming, video rendering or video editing, machine learning, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to achieve maximum efficiency, the processor uses all threads and cores that it has. You will find out this data from the benchmark tables below. Before you take into account 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 benefit 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 5 3600	AMD Ryzen 7 5800X
Cinbench 15 Single-core		270
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1578	2611
Cinbench 20 Single-core	472	628
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	3689	5724
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1253	1594
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	9412	15245

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

	AMD Ryzen 5 3600	AMD Ryzen 7 5800X
Single-Core	2611	3479
Multi-Core	17872	28799

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

	AMD Ryzen 5 3600	AMD Ryzen 7 5800X
Single-Core	1238	1823
Multi-Core	6578	11496

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the most useful 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 you. 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, increasing its performance, then it will still be able to produce maximum FPS in new games. Accordingly, there is no longer a need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The economy are obvious!

	AMD Ryzen 5 3600	AMD Ryzen 7 5800X
Announcement date	July 07, 2019	November 05, 2020
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	AM4	AM4
Core name	Matisse	Vermeer
Architecture	Zen 2	Zen 3
Generation	3	5
Turbo Frequency	4.2 MHz	4.7 MHz
Frequency	3.6 MHz	3.8 MHz
Cores	6	8
Threads	12	16
Bus rate
Bit	64	64
Lithography	7 nm	7 nm
Transistors count	4200 millions	6200 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	65 W	105 W
Memory type	DDR4	DDR4
Max. Memory
Memory Frequency	3200	3200
Memory bandwidth
L1 cache	384KB
L2 cache	3MB	4MB
L3 cache	32MB	32MB
Overclocking	No	Yes
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number	100-000000031 100-100000031BOX 100-100000031MPK	100-000000063 100-100000063WOF

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Ryzen 7 5800X is 5% better than Ryzen 5 3600 in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Ryzen 7 5800X has 2 more core than Ryzen 5 3600. 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 3600 is better: 2
The number of parameters for which AMD Ryzen 7 5800X is better: 30
Although it should be realized that all the figures in the text above do not mean that taking them into account you should undividedly trust a simple comparison of these numbers. Be sure to watch the testing video and read the reviews of real owners of AMD Ryzen 5 3600 and AMD Ryzen 7 5800X before making a choice which processor to buy for gaming and which not.

• AMD Ryzen 5 3600 specs and review.

• AMD Ryzen 7 5800X specs and review.