AMD Ryzen 7 3700X vs AMD Ryzen 5 2600

Processor comparisons   17-03-2021
   Perhaps you can't decide which processor to buy, you can make a decision by looking at the AMD Ryzen 7 3700X vs AMD Ryzen 5 2600 tests and understand which is better for games or simple use for video editing, machine learning, streaming, programming, rendering. Here you can find useful information from different benchmarks or real video editing and streaming tests. A step-by-step analysis of all the technical characteristics, to make it easier to read, is presented in the form of the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of joint testing in synthetic type tests like GeekBench 6, 5.2, Blender, Dolphin Emulator, PCMark 10, MATLAB, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, SuperPi, RealBench, Gears 5, VeraCrypt, Prime95, 3DMark, Blender, 7zip, PassMark, UserBenchmark, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), Handbrake, AIDA64, Furmark, WPrime.
   Gaming performance of processors in:

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

After looking at the data of all benchmarks and videos, you can already make an informed decision about which processor is better to buy for gaming AMD Ryzen 5 2600 or AMD Ryzen 7 3700X.

Summary benchmark results

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

Ryzen 7 3700X

56%

Ryzen 5 2600

54%

This shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Ryzen 7 3700X is 3% better than Ryzen 5 2600. The data source is several popular tests. More detailed information of the benchmarks is below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Ryzen 7 3700X

55%

Ryzen 5 2600

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 the cost of this processor reaches several tens of thousands of dollars. Therefore, if you think 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 less popular games in which processors were compared: Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Forza Horizon 4, Control, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), League of Legends (LOL), Horizon Zero Dawn, DOTA 2A, Monster Hunter World, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Ghostrunner, Battlefield V, NBA 2K20, Half-Life: Alyx, Metro Exodus, Hitman 3.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	97.2	94.8
Valorant	110.5	107.8
Cyberpunk 2077	61.9	60.4
Apex Legends	103.8	101.3
Call of Duty Warzone	82.8	80.8
Overwatch	89.5	87.3
Red Dead Redemption 2	76.2	74.4
DOOM Eternal	55.2	53.9
Warzone	86.2	84.1
Assassin's Creed	92.8	90.5
Valheim	91.7	89.5

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, FullHD or 4K. So the game benchmark data is approximate. But all video cards met the average system requirements of games. To be sure exactly how much performance 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 7 3700X

68%

Ryzen 5 2600

56%

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 7 3700X is more energy efficient than the Ryzen 5 2600 since it has less power consumption: 65W 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

For example you plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for streaming, programming, video editing or video rendering, machine learning, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the CPU turns on all cores and threads 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. Because there are still many programs that use only one core to run, and all the benefit 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 7 3700X	AMD Ryzen 5 2600
Cinbench 15 Single-core	204	164
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	2114	1310
Cinbench 20 Single-core	501	374
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	4834	2736
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1294	1024
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	12355	7220

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

	AMD Ryzen 7 3700X	AMD Ryzen 5 2600
Single-Core	2716	2280
Multi-Core	22880	13255

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

	AMD Ryzen 7 3700X	AMD Ryzen 5 2600
Single-Core	1339	1104
Multi-Core	9023	6712

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 7 3700X	AMD Ryzen 5 2600
Announcement date	July 07, 2019	April 19, 2018
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	AM4	AM4
Core name	Matisse	Pinnacle Ridge
Architecture	Zen 2	Zen+
Generation	3	2
Turbo Frequency	4.4 MHz	3.9 MHz
Frequency	3.6 MHz	3.4 MHz
Cores	8	6
Threads	16	12
Bus rate		4 Ã— 8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	7 nm	12 nm
Transistors count	4600 millions	3600 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	65 W	65 W
Memory type	DDR4	DDR4
Max. Memory
Memory Frequency	3200	2933
Memory bandwidth
L1 cache	512KB	576KB
L2 cache	4MB	3MB
L3 cache	32MB	16MB
Overclocking	Yes	Yes
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number	100-000000071 100-100000071BOX 100-100000071MPK	YD2600BBM6IAF YD2600BBAFBOX YD2600BBAFMPK

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Ryzen 7 3700X is 5% better than Ryzen 5 2600 in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Ryzen 7 3700X has 2 more core than Ryzen 5 2600. 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 7 3700X is better: 32
The number of parameters for which AMD Ryzen 5 2600 is better: 2
However, it should be realized that all the data in the article above do not mean that taking them into account you should fully trust a simple quantitative comparison. Be sure to watch benchmarks video and read the opinion of real owners of AMD Ryzen 7 3700X and AMD Ryzen 5 2600 before making a decision which CPU to buy for gaming and which not.

• AMD Ryzen 7 3700X specs and review.

• AMD Ryzen 5 2600 specs and review.