Amd processor for gaming: The Best CPU for Gaming in 2023 — Top Gaming CPUs for the Money

AMD Ryzen 5 5600X review

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

The Ryzen 5 5600X may be the runt of the Zen 3 family, but it delivers where it counts most: gaming.

(Image: © Future)

Our Verdict

Awesome gaming performance at a great price, the Ryzen 5 5600X proves how far AMD has come in the last few years.

For

Awesome gaming performance
Great value for money
Wraith Stealth included
Decent overclocking potential

Against

Needs an AIO for best performance
Overclocking does little for gaming

Why you can trust PC Gamer
Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.

£279. 99

£158

View

Reduced Price

£167.94

View

£174.99

View

Show More Deals

The Ryzen 5 5600X is the most affordable of the Zen 3 family, and comes hot on the heels of our Ryzen 9 5900X and Ryzen 7 5800X reviews. If there’s one serious criticism of AMD’s Zen 3 so far it’s that the chips are a bit on the pricey side. This is less of a problem at the high-end, where time is money and high performance can claw back time, but as you head down the stack and focus more on gaming, the pay off needs to be more immediate.

Basically a good gaming CPU shouldn’t cost as much as a whole system.

Enter then the 5600X. While you couldn’t really call $299 a budget CPU, it is a more manageable mainstream price point that has historically seen plenty of competition. Currently you’re looking at the likes of the Core i7 10700K, which can be had for around $375, while a more direct comparison can be made with the Core i5 10600K, that will set you back $275.

As with the other Zen 3 chips, this update to the 3600X has seen a $50 price increase, although unlike the other chips, you do still get a cooler with this one. This gives it the value edge over Intel’s offerings (which don’t ship with coolers), all other things being equal.

For testing purposes we’ve used the included Wraith Stealth cooler as well as benchmarked using the same Zadak Spark AIO liquid cooler that we’ve used with the other Zen 3 chips we’ve tested. So you can see what difference you can expect if you do decide to upgrade to an aftermarket chiller.

Ryzen 5 5600X specs

(Image credit: AMD)

Ryzen 5 5600X specs

The Ryzen 5 5600X is a six-core, 12-thread processor with a base clock of 3. 7GHz and max boost of 4.6GHz. It’s built up of a single core complex that has 32MB of L3 cache to call its own, and the same I/O die that can be found in Zen 2. If you want the full lowdown on what makes Zen 3 tick, then it’s worth taking a look at the Zen 3 architecture section of our Ryzen 9 5900X review.

Ryzen 5 5600X specs

Cores — 6
Threads — 12
Lithography — TSMC 7nm
Base clock — 3.7GHz
Boost clock — 4.6GHz
L3 Cache — 32MB
Memory support — DDR4 3200MHz
Socket — AM4
TDP — 65W
Cooler — Wraith Stealth
Launch price — $299 |£299

As with the other chips in the Zen 3 family, you’ll often see the boost clocks rise above the official 4.6GHz limit. Even using the Wraith Stealth cooler you’ll see the cores running at 4,650MHz, and with a water cooler 4. 7GHz isn’t unheard of. If you’re using a fully-threaded application, where all the cores are maxed, then you’ll see them top out at 4,175MHz, which is pretty healthy as well.

The 5600X has a 65W TDP, and limits itself to drawing 76W from the socket. That’s impressively low for a modern CPU, and means that there is the potential for some overclocking shenanigans if that’s your thing. This is an unlocked chip by the way, although you’re going to need a decent cooler to really exploit this fact.

The last thing to note is that the AMD official supports up to 3,200MHz DDR4 RAM, although you’ll be able to run much faster memory without issue. The Infinity Fabric runs at 1,800MHz by default, so pairing it with 3,600MHz DDR4 makes sense. There is the potential for a faster Infinity Clock (FCLK) through BIOS updates in the future as well, although AMD isn’t guaranteeing this at launch .

Ryzen 5 5600X performance

Image 1 of 3

(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)

Ryzen 5 5600X performance

Test Rig

CPU — AMD Ryzen 5 5600X
Cooler — Zadak Spark AIO / Wraith Stealth
Motherboard — Gigabyte X570 Aorus Master
Memory — 16GB Thermaltake DDR4 @3,600MHz
GPU — Nvidia RTX 2080 Ti
Storage — 2TB Sabrent Rocket PCIe 4. 0
PSU — Ikonik Vulcan 1200W

Having looked at the 12-core 5900X and eight-core 5800X, it’s a bit of rude awakening to only have access to six cores again. This is still a powerhouse compared to Intel’s similarly priced 10600K though, with stronger figures in the X264 video encoding and Cinebench R20 3D rendering benchmarks. In fact the 5600X is closer to Intel’s 10700K, which is impressive given that is an eight-core CPU. The Zen architecture really has come on that much.

If you like to pepper your gaming with more serious work, then something higher up the stack is probably where your money should go. The 5900X is a lot more expensive, but it does offer almost double the performance of this chip in rendering and encoding terms. That is because it is essentially two 5600Xs in one package. The gaming performance is the same regardless though…

Image 1 of 7

(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)

Which is a nice segue into what we’re really interested here: gaming. It’s the gaming performance where AMD really impresses, producing figures that take on the top of Intel’s processor stack, the 10900K. Yes a chip that costs double what AMD is asking for this. Not in every game to be fair, but overall there’s nothing between this $299 CPU and Intel’s $599 10-core, 20-thread monster that draws significantly more power and requires a heftier PSU.

Once again the most impressive performance increase over its previous generation is in F1 2019, where the average performance not only increases significantly, but the minimum frame rates also improve. Making for a smoother experience overall. Total War: Three Kingdoms is also a stand out performer, with the averages matching the 10700K, which produces smoother frame rates than the 10900K.

Even at 4K the extra grunt of the 10900K doesn’t offer much of an advantage, as can be seen in the Assassin’s Creed Odyssey benchmark at 1440p and Far Cry New Dawn at 4K, with the latter highlighting the 2fps difference between Intel’s top-end and this $299 CPU. If that isn’t great value, I’m not sure what is.

Ryzen 5 5600X overclocking

(Image credit: Future)

Ryzen 5 5600X overclocking

One of the themes with AMD Zen architecture is that it basically does a great job of handling the power draw, thermals, and core usage to get the most out of the chip. This is one of the reasons that its new CPUs have managed to produce such stellar performance. Conversely it has made overclocking a bit of a non-entity: basically AMD can handle your chip better than you can. This CPU is the exception to the rule.

The Ryzen 5 5600X is a great overclocker.

This is a 65W chip, as opposed to the other Zen 3 chips which have all been 105W. If you do go for a third-party cooler, such as an all-in-one water cooler, then you can push the chip much harder than the 76W that it limits itself to normally. We managed to set all the cores to 4.7GHz at 1.3V (and possibly more impressively, 4.6GHz at 1.2V was stable too). We’ll dig into this a bit more when we get a chance, but faster clocks or lower voltages should be more than possible.

We also found that Precision Boost Overdrive (PBO) gives a neat little boost as well, although as ever with overclocking these chips it doesn’t seem to have any impact in any of the games—whether you’re talking about PBO, Auto OC, or manual overclocking to 4.7GHz. When it comes to more serious tasks it was a bit better news, with X264 seeing a boost from 39fps up to 42fps and Cinebench going from 4,292 pts upto 4,577 pts. Even overclocked the temperatures remained low as well, topping out at 76°C.

I wouldn’t recommend overclocking on the bundled cooler though, as I hit 87°C just using PBO. There was a temptation to see how far I could push manual overclocking on the Wraith Stealth, but I have a bit too much respect for that cooler to be so mean to it. It’s fine for stock clocks (you’ll top out at 72°C under load) and it runs cooler than that in most games, but overclocking is a bit above its paygrade. It is quiet in use by the way, and don’t let anyone tell you different.

Ryzen 5 5600X verdict

(Image credit: AMD)

Ryzen 5 5600X verdict

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600X is a surprisingly awesome gaming chip. It’s not the monster in serious workloads that the more expensive chips are, but then this does only have six cores and 12 threads to play with. It’ll still see you fine if you want to dabble in 3D rendering, video encoding, and the like, but if that’s your focus, then you’re going to have to spend more.

It’s definitely in gaming where the Ryzen 5 5600X shines. It’s comparable to the Ryzen 9 5900X and Ryzen 7 5800X, but it costs significantly less than either of those, rolling in as it does at $299. This is a chip for anyone that enjoys gaming. It’ll trade blows with anything Intel has to offer, and keep your graphics card sated.

This is a chip for anyone that enjoys gaming.

The cooler is fine for stock performance, although the way that Precision Boost 2.0 works means that you won’t hit the full potential of the 5600X until you throw a beefier cooler at it. This really only matters for serious number crunching, because in testing it didn’t hold back game performance at all, which is great news from a value for money perspective.

Overall, this is another win for the Zen 3 architecture and for AMD. Sure it’s $50 more than we would have like, but the inclusion of the cooler helps offset this. The more important win is for us gamers: we don’t have to pay over the odds for great gaming performance.

AMD Ryzen 5 5600X: Price Comparison

£279.99

£158

View

Reduced Price

£158.72

View

£167.94

View

£174. 99

View

£179.99

View

Show More Deals

Read our review policy

AMD Ryzen 5 5600X

Awesome gaming performance at a great price, the Ryzen 5 5600X proves how far AMD has come in the last few years.

Alan has been writing about PC tech since before 3D graphics cards existed, and still vividly recalls having to fight with MS-DOS just to get games to load. He fondly remembers the killer combo of a Matrox Millenium and 3dfx Voodoo, and seeing Lara Croft in 3D for the first time. He’s very glad hardware has advanced as much as it has though, and is particularly happy when putting the latest M.2 NVMe SSDs, AMD processors, and laptops through their paces. He has a long-lasting Magic: The Gathering obsession but limits this to MTG Arena these days.

AMD Ryzen for Gaming: What’s Possible?

Copied link!

Daniel Horowitz

March 30, 2021

AMD has been making waves the past few years in the high-end gaming CPU market with its Ryzen™ series of processors. Not only do Ryzen processors offer plenty of threads and great gaming performance, but they’re also cost-effective. With a focus on multitasking and pricing, it’s no wonder that many gamers have turned to the AMD Ryzen series of processors.

If you’re interested in using a Ryzen processor in your gaming PC, you need to know the difference between what’s available from AMD and how they might fit into your rig. The right processor for you will differ depending on your game(s) of choice and their intensity.

For example, does your gaming PC run Cyberpunk 2077 at the highest possible settings or is your setup a multipurpose laptop used for both work and playing Minecraft on the weekends.

Here’s what you need to look for in each of the AMD Ryzen processors and, more generally, in a gaming CPU.

What to look for in a gaming CPU

While most people interested in building a gaming PC focus solely on the GPU, the CPU is just as important. If your CPU and GPU aren’t comparable, your machine will run into serious CPU bottleneck issues. For a crash course in the importance of each, you can read our article here: GPU vs CPU: What Matters Most for PC Gaming?

A CPU bottleneck occurs when the processor isn’t powerful enough. If the GPU in your gaming PC is high-end and you try to play a game at maximum settings, then a mid-tier CPU won’t be able to process this incoming data, leading to your game crashes or stuttering.

To get the best results, you need to purchase a CPU that is comparable to your GPU. To do so, look at several distinct factors that go into the quality of a CPU.

1. Clock speed

The first of these is clock speed, which is measured in gigahertz (GHz). CPUs generally adjust their clock speed based on the task they are performing and their current temperature, so every modern CPU is listed with a base, or minimum, clock speed and a turbo, or maximum, speed.

Since gaming is a resource-intensive task, make sure the base clock speed meets the recommended settings of any game you want to play. You can often find these recommended settings on the game’s Steam or Epic Games listing, or on the game publisher’s site.

2. Cores

Aside from clock speed, you also want to closely look at the number of cores in the CPU. Cores are processors within the main processor, and they’re what makes one CPU more powerful than another one. Think of them as lanes on a highway. Two-lane roads don’t move traffic as quickly as a four-lane highway. In the same way, more cores will move your computer’s information faster, giving you greater performance.

Modern CPUs tend to have at least 4 cores as a baseline, with higher-end processors having 12 or more cores.

3. Threads

Threads are another important component to look at in a gaming CPU. They’re the virtual components that divide the cores within a processor. Using multithreading, a single core can create two threads, meaning that a CPU with 4 cores will have 8 threads.

Higher-end Ryzen processors also use a technology called SMT (simultaneous multithreading), which can improve gaming performance by allowing your machine to utilize all of the threads at once.

Best AMD Ryzen processors for gaming

When you shop for a Ryzen CPU, you’ll need to designate the series, model, and special-use cases designated by the suffix.

Series

AMD Ryzen processors are grouped into 4 distinct series. These are broken down into:

Ryzen 3: Entry-level CPUs for gaming
Ryzen 5: Mainstream CPUs for gaming
Ryzen 7: Hobbyist gaming CPUs
Ryzen 9: Enthusiast, hard-core gaming CPUs

While they’re all excellent CPUs, each has a distinct function with power for your specific gaming needs.

Model

Each Ryzen series CPU is also assigned a model number, so you can compare CPUs within each series. Just remember to always start with the series number when comparing units, rather than the model number. For example, a Ryzen 5 1600 will always outperform a Ryzen 3 3300X.

Suffix

The X suffix is also added to certain models. It means that this is a slightly faster version of the standard model. However, this difference in speed is not major, so when you’re shopping, only consider the suffix when comparing the same series number and model number range against each other.

Here’s what you can expect when purchasing a gaming PC with the accompanying Ryzen processor.

1. AMD Ryzen 3 — Best budget gaming processor

The Ryzen 3 is designed for budget-friendly PCs. While these CPUs are light on the wallet, they are no slouches when it comes to processing power. Both the Ryzen 3 3100 and Ryzen 3 3300X are quad-core processors, meaning that they have 4 cores and 8 threads.

They’re more than capable of running low-intensity games and even games from the last generation with higher graphical requirements such as The Witcher 3 at a steady 60 frames per second (fps). However, where the Ryzen really shines is with popular titles that you can pair with a budget GPU such as Minecraft, Fortnite, or Overwatch.

Do you need your computer to handle working from home and casual gaming during the week? Then the Ryzen 3 3100 and Ryzen 3 3300X are both excellent choices. This is particularly true if you’re budget-conscious or want a CPU that will work well with an entry-level GPU.

Our recommendation:

If you’re looking for a new computer with a Ryzen 3 processor, we recommend:

Desktop PC: HP Pavilion desktop PC TP01-0145m

Laptop: HP ProBook 635 Aero G7 notebook PC

2. AMD Ryzen 5 — Best midrange gaming processor

AMD’s Ryzen 5 chips are where you can start to play current generation titles on your PC with increased processing efficiency. The increased pricing reflects this, and the current AMD Ryzen 5 processors are equipped with 6 cores and 12 threads.

This makes them formidable options for gaming and other intense workloads. Foremost among these is the Ryzen 5 5600X, but the Ryzen 5 3600 is a great option, too, if you can’t invest as much of your gaming computer budget in your CPU.

At this level of processor, you can easily run all games without issues with a comparable GPU. However, it may be more difficult to run graphics-intense titles such as Cyberpunk 2077 and Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla at higher settings, particularly if you don’t want to create a CPU bottleneck.

You can also play games with large open worlds and many players on a server – Call of Duty: Warzone, Grand Theft Auto V, and Red Dead Redemption 2 – particularly if you choose the higher-end Ryzen 5 5600X.

Our recommendation:

For desktop and laptop options with great Ryzen 5 processors, we recommend you take a look at these machines, which are created specifically with gaming in mind and come with excellent graphics cards and cooling options for midrange gaming.

Desktop PC: HP Pavilion gaming desktop TG01-1070m

Laptop: HP OMEN Laptop 15z -en000

3.

AMD Ryzen 7 and 9 — best hardcore gaming processors

AMD Ryzen 7 and 9 are both meant for more serious gamers. The Ryzen 7 CPU comes with 8 cores and 16 threads, while the Ryzen 9 CPU boasts 12 cores and 24 threads. This provides them with the processing power to run virtually any game at higher settings. The best options among these are the AMD Ryzen 7 3700X and the AMD Ryzen 9 3900X. Paired with a high-end GPU, both of these Ryzen CPUs will deliver excellent performance, and they can reach clock speeds of up to 4.5 GHz and 4.7 GHz, respectively.

Consider the Ryzen 7 3700X if you want to focus on gaming without multitasking. While the Ryzen 7 3700X can handle almost all tasks if they are run individually, you might encounter some lag issues when trying to multitask. If you want to stream video or run a Discord chat while playing Apex Legends with your friends you should consider the more advanced CPU.

A Ryzen 9 3900X will multitask without issue thanks to its increased core count. This Ryzen 9 is also a great option for those who want to stream their games to Twitch while playing at the highest settings.

There is, of course, a substantial price difference between an AMD Ryzen 7 processor and the Ryzen 9, but the option you choose depends on your current GPU and whether you intend to multitask.

Our recommendations:

For PCs you can customize or pre-package with Ryzen 7 and Ryzen 9 processors, here are our recommendations:

Desktop PC: HP OMEN 25L desktop

Laptop: 15-inch HP OMEN laptop

Summary

Finding the right CPU for your gaming PC can seem challenging at first, with all the models, numbers, and specs to choose from. However, when selecting a CPU, it’s important to focus on the clock speeds, core count, and thread count you need to play your favorite games.

You should also consider your GPU, determining whether it’s comparable to your gaming CPU pick. Whether you choose a PC with a Ryzen 3, 5, 7, or 9 processor, you can feel confident knowing that, with the right GPU, you’ll be ready to play.

About the Author: Daniel Horowitz is a contributing writer for HP Tech Takes. Daniel is a New York-based author and has written for publications such as USA Today, Digital Trends, Unwinnable Magazine, and many other media outlets.

Disclosure: Our site may get a share of revenue from the sale of the products featured on this page.

AMD Celebrating 50 years of innovation

* Quantity limit: no more than one eligible game per hand. Eligible products include: AMD Ryzen 7 2700X Gold Edition, Ryzen 7 2700X, Ryzen 7 2700, Ryzen 5 2600X, Ryzen 5 2600, Ryzen 5 2400G, Radeon VII Gold Edition, Radeon VII, Vega RX series, RX 590, RX 580 or RX 570. Offer cannot be combined with any other discounts or promotions. Offer available only from participating retailers. Minimum age of participants: from 18 years old. After purchase, the product must be installed on the system on which the coupon code will be activated. Additional terms and restrictions apply depending on your country of residence. See www.amdrewards.com/terms for the full text of the terms and conditions.

**Offer not available in all countries. Coupon code redeem one (1) «AMD 50th Anniversary» Long Sleeve T-shirt. The coupon code must be redeemed at https://www.amdrewards.com/amd50. Quantity limited: no more than one coupon per customer, family, email address. The offer is valid for one-time use online. The discount applies only to the product and does not affect the cost of gift cards, packaging materials, shipping or taxes. Offer cannot be combined with any other discounts or promotions. Transfer or sale to third parties is prohibited. Not available for exchange for cash or cash equivalent. Promotion terms are subject to change. The use of previous purchases is invalid. The organizer is not responsible for lost or stolen coupon codes. The buyer is solely responsible for the payment of duties (or taxes) under the laws of his country.

1. Radeon VR Ready Premium products are select Radeon graphics cards that meet or exceed the specifications of graphics cards and processors recommended for use with Oculus Rift or HTC Vive video headsets. Proper use of headsets requires that other hardware (including the CPU) and other system specifications meet the requirements of Oculus Rift or HTC Vive. Because VR technology, VR headsets, and other VR hardware and software are constantly being improved and updated, these requirements are subject to change without notice. Computer and system manufacturers may create different system configurations, which may vary in performance in virtual reality. Please contact your computer or system manufacturer to verify VR support. GD-102 DirectX® 12 support requires x86 processor, Graphics Core Next based Radeon™ graphics card and Windows 9 operating system0007 ® 10. GD-99

2. Monitor and AMD Radeon™ graphics with FreeSync support required. See www.amd.com/freesync for details. Before purchasing, check compatibility by contacting the hardware manufacturer. GD-127

3. Precision Boost Overdrive requires 2nd generation AMD Ryzen Threadripper processor and AMD X399 series motherboard. Because Precision Boost Overdrive allows the processor to operate outside of the specified specifications or manufacturer’s settings, use of this feature will void your AMD product warranty and may also void warranties offered by the system manufacturer or retailer. GD-128

Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 Gold Edition is rated «M» for Mature Content by the ESRB and is prohibited by the European Video Game Rating System (PEGI) for anyone under the age of 18. World War Z is rated «M» for Mature Content by the ESRB and is prohibited by the European Gaming Rating System (PEGI) for anyone under the age of 18. May contain content inappropriate for children to view. For more information, visit ESRB.org, PEGI.info, or contact your local gaming authority.

^© 2019 Ubisoft Entertainment. All rights reserved. Tom Clancy’s, The Division logo, Soldier badge, Snowdrop, Ubisoft and the Ubisoft logo are registered or unregistered trademarks of Ubisoft Entertainment in the United States and/or other countries.
Trademark and ^© 2018 Paramount Pictures. All rights reserved.

^© 2019 Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. All rights reserved. AMD, the AMD Arrow logo, Radeon, Ryzen, and combinations thereof are trademarks of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. Other product names used in this publication are for identification purposes only and may be trademarks of their respective companies. DirectX is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the US and other countries; Vulkan and the Vulkan logo are trademarks of Khronos Group Inc. Other product names used in this publication are for identification purposes only and may be trademarks of their respective companies.

AMD Celebrating 50 years of innovation

* Quantity limit: no more than one eligible game per hand. Eligible products include: AMD Ryzen 7 2700X Gold Edition, Ryzen 7 2700X, Ryzen 7 2700, Ryzen 5 2600X, Ryzen 5 2600, Ryzen 5 2400G, Radeon VII Gold Edition, Radeon VII, Vega RX series, RX 590, RX 580 or RX 570. Offer cannot be combined with any other discounts or promotions. Offer available only from participating retailers. Minimum age of participants: from 18 years old. After purchase, the product must be installed on the system on which the coupon code will be activated. Additional terms and restrictions apply depending on your country of residence. For the full text of the terms and conditions, please visit www.amdrewards.com /terms.

**Offer not available in all countries. Coupon code redeem one (1) «AMD 50th Anniversary» Long Sleeve T-shirt. Coupon code must be redeemed at https://www.amdrewards.com/amd50. Quantity limited: no more than one coupon per customer, family, email address. The offer is valid for one-time use online. The discount applies only to the product and does not affect the cost of gift cards, packaging materials, shipping or taxes. Offer cannot be combined with any other discounts or promotions. Transfer or sale to third parties is prohibited. Not available for exchange for cash or cash equivalent. Promotion terms are subject to change. The use of previous purchases is invalid. The organizer is not responsible for lost or stolen coupon codes. The buyer is solely responsible for the payment of duties (or taxes) under the laws of his country.

1. Radeon VR Ready Premium products are select Radeon graphics cards that meet or exceed the specifications of graphics cards and processors recommended for use with Oculus Rift or HTC Vive video headsets. Proper use of headsets requires that other hardware (including the CPU) and other system specifications meet the requirements of Oculus Rift or HTC Vive. Because VR technology, VR headsets, and other VR hardware and software are constantly being improved and updated, these requirements are subject to change without notice. Computer and system manufacturers may create different system configurations, which may vary in performance in virtual reality. Please contact your computer or system manufacturer to verify VR support. GD-102 DirectX® 12 support requires an x86 processor, Graphics Core Next-based Radeon™ graphics card, and Windows® 10. GD-99

2. Monitor and AMD Radeon™ graphics with FreeSync support required. See www.amd.com/freesync for details. Before purchasing, check compatibility by contacting the hardware manufacturer. GD-127

^© 2019 Ubisoft Entertainment. All rights reserved. Tom Clancy’s, The Division logo, Soldier badge, Snowdrop, Ubisoft and the Ubisoft logo are registered or unregistered trademarks of Ubisoft Entertainment in the United States and/or other countries. Trademark and ^© 2018 Paramount Pictures. All rights reserved.