5800X vs 3600x: AMD Ryzen 5 3600X vs 7 5800X

22 марта, 2023

AMD Ryzen 5 3600X vs 7 5800X
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AMD Ryzen 5 5800X Review 		7 % FarC5 26%, BFV 7%, SotTR 0%, Rage2 1%, Witcher3 1%, Civ6 17%, MetroEx 3%, Sekiro 17%, Wolf2 2% ACO 0%
Age

Newest 		26 Months Much more recent.
+38% 		42 Months
TDP

Thermal Design Power (TDP) 		105 Watts 95 Watts Slightly more energy efficient.
+10%
Cores

CPU Processing Cores 		8 cores Much higher core count.
+33% 		6 cores
Threads

CPU Processing Threads 		16 threads Much higher thread count.
+33% 		12 threads
Lithography

Manufacturing process 		7 nm 7 nm
Base Clock

Base Clock Speed 		3.8 GHz 3. 8 GHz
Turbo Clock

Turbo Clock Speed 		4.7 GHz Slightly faster turbo frequency.
+7% 		4.4 GHz
64-Core

OC Multi Core Speed 		1588 Pts Much faster OC 64-core speed.
+44% 		1106 Pts
64-Core

Avg. Multi Core Speed 		1424 Pts Much faster 64-core speed.
+40% 		1017 Pts

How Does AMD’s 5800X Compare With Their 3600X?

Compare AMD’s Ryzen 7 5800X with their Ryzen 5 3600X. Which CPU is better for gaming, general apps, and professional tools?

Ryzen 7 5800X

AMD Ryzen 7 5800X

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Ryzen 5 3600X

AMD Ryzen 5 3600X

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This article compares AMD’s Ryzen 7 5800X with their Ryzen 5 3600X desktop CPUs, exploring which is better for the use cases listed below. We compare each CPU’s attributes rather than benchmarks to help you determine which features are most important when selecting a CPU.

  • Gaming — the latest graphics-intense games
  • General Apps — web browsing, streaming, and office applications
  • Professional Tools — 2D and 3D graphics tools, video editors, compilers, and engineering tools

Gaming on the Ryzen 7 5800X vs. Ryzen 5 3600X

Ryzen 7 5800X for Gaming

When using AMD’s Ryzen 7 5800X CPU for gaming, you can expect excellent game performance with a high-performance CPU cooler or good game performance with a basic or stock CPU cooler.

Recommended Motherboards for the Ryzen 7 5800X:

Best Feature Motherboard

MSI MAG X570 TOMAHAWK WIFI

Check Price on Amazon

Amazon Affiliate Link

Best Value Motherboard

ASUS AM4 TUF Gaming X570-Plus (Wi-Fi)

Check Price on Amazon

Amazon Affiliate Link

Ryzen 5 3600X for Gaming

When using AMD’s Ryzen 5 3600X CPU for gaming, you can expect good game performance with either a high-performance CPU cooler or a stock CPU cooler.

Recommended Motherboards for the Ryzen 5 3600X:

Best Feature Motherboard

MSI MAG X570 TOMAHAWK WIFI

Check Price on Amazon

Amazon Affiliate Link

Best Value Motherboard

ASUS AM4 TUF Gaming X570-Plus (Wi-Fi)

Check Price on Amazon

Amazon Affiliate Link

Gaming Considerations

While a good GPU is critical for gaming performance, your CPU will also have a significant impact. If the CPU is too slow, it can be a bottleneck for your GPU, which can reduce your framerate or cause stuttering. The most important CPU capabilities for gaming are single-core max boost frequency and the number of cores. A high base frequency is also critical for inadequately cooled CPUs.

Depending on the game, the CPU will often handle tasks including scene management, gameplay logic, physics calculations, and asset loading.

Having multiple CPU cores can improve performance with games that utilize them. However, developers cannot split up every task to take advantage of a growing number of cores. Most modern games don’t benefit from having more than 6–8 cores. Game performance will experience diminishing returns as you add more CPU cores.

Cores

5800X: The 5800X’s 8 cores allow for excellent performance with the latest graphics-intense games.

3600X: The 3600X’s 6 cores allow for good performance with the latest graphics-intense games.

Learn more about Core Counts below.

Base Frequency

5800X: The 5800X has a 3.8 GHz base frequency, which is the speed before boosting. You can reach these base frequencies even without a high-end cooler.

3600X: The 3600X has a 3.8 GHz base frequency, which is the speed before boosting. You can reach these base frequencies even without a high-end cooler.

Learn more about CPU Clock Speeds below.

Single-Core Boost

5800X: With a high-end cooler, the 5800X’s 4.7 GHz single-core max boost frequency is excellent for performance with the latest graphics-intense games. You can maintain these frequencies with a high-end cooler.

3600X: With a high-end cooler, the 3600X’s 4.4 GHz single-core max boost frequency is excellent for performance with the latest graphics-intense games. You can maintain these frequencies with a high-end cooler.

Learn more about CPU Clock Speeds below.

Overclocking Support

5800X: When using a high-end cooler, the 5800X CPU’s support for overclocking can be excellent for performance with the latest graphics-intense games.

3600X: When using a high-end cooler, the 3600X CPU’s support for overclocking can be excellent for performance with the latest graphics-intense games.

Learn more about Overclocking below.

DDR Support

5800X: The 5800X CPU’s support for DDR4 with a max stock speed of 3200 MHz can be good for performance with the latest graphics-intense games.

3600X: The 3600X CPU’s support for DDR4 with a max stock speed of 3200 MHz can be good for performance with the latest graphics-intense games.

Learn more about DDR Support below.

PCIe

5800X: The 5800X CPU’s support for PCIe 4.0 can be excellent for performance with the latest graphics-intense games, when using the fastest SSDs and graphics cards.

3600X: The 3600X CPU’s support for PCIe 4.0 can be excellent for performance with the latest graphics-intense games, when using the fastest SSDs and graphics cards.

L3 Cache

5800X: The 5800X’s impressive 32 MB of L3 cache is excellent for performance with the latest graphics-intense games.

3600X: The 3600X’s impressive 32 MB of L3 cache is excellent for performance with the latest graphics-intense games.

Learn more about Cache Sizes below.

General Apps on the Ryzen 7 5800X vs. Ryzen 5 3600X

Ryzen 7 5800X

AMD Ryzen 7 5800X

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Ryzen 5 3600X

AMD Ryzen 5 3600X

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Ryzen 7 5800X for General Apps

When using AMD’s Ryzen 7 5800X CPU for general apps, you can expect good app performance with either a high-performance CPU cooler or a stock CPU cooler.

Ryzen 5 3600X for General Apps

When using AMD’s Ryzen 5 3600X CPU for general apps, you can expect good app performance with either a high-performance CPU cooler or a stock CPU cooler.

General App Considerations

If you’re only planning to stream shows, use office apps, or browse the internet, you won’t need a top-end CPU to get good performance. The most important CPU capability for general app usage is the single-core max boost frequency. A high base frequency is also helpful for inadequately cooled CPUs.

Browsers depend on your CPU to quickly load pages and video content and manage multiple browser tabs. Higher single-core boost frequencies can speed up page load times.

Office and web applications are typically single-threaded, so running a single application won’t take advantage of a many-core CPU.

The more cores a CPU has, the more applications you can run simultaneously without noticing a performance impact.

Office and web applications rarely max out the CPU for long periods. These applications can use boost speeds when a burst of processing power is needed, returning to the more efficient base frequencies afterward.

Cores

5800X: The 5800X’s 8 cores allow for excellent performance with modern apps.

3600X: The 3600X’s 6 cores allow for excellent performance with modern apps.

Learn more about Core Counts below.

Single-Core Boost

5800X: With a high-end cooler, the 5800X’s 4.7 GHz single-core max boost frequency is excellent for performance with modern apps. You can maintain these frequencies with a high-end cooler.

3600X: With a high-end cooler, the 3600X’s 4.4 GHz single-core max boost frequency is excellent for performance with modern apps. You can maintain these frequencies with a high-end cooler.

Learn more about CPU Clock Speeds below.

DDR Support

5800X: The 5800X CPU’s support for DDR4 with a max stock speed of 3200 MHz can be good for performance with modern apps.

3600X: The 3600X CPU’s support for DDR4 with a max stock speed of 3200 MHz can be good for performance with modern apps.

Learn more about DDR Support below.

Professional Tools on the Ryzen 7 5800X vs. Ryzen 5 3600X

Ryzen 7 5800X

AMD Ryzen 7 5800X

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Ryzen 5 3600X

AMD Ryzen 5 3600X

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Ryzen 7 5800X for Professional Tools

When using AMD’s Ryzen 7 5800X CPU for professional tools, you can expect excellent tool performance with a high-performance CPU cooler or good tool performance with a basic or stock CPU cooler.

Ryzen 5 3600X for Professional Tools

When using AMD’s Ryzen 5 3600X CPU for professional tools, you can expect good tool performance with either a high-performance CPU cooler or a stock CPU cooler.

Professional Tool Considerations

Video editors, 2D and 3D graphics tools, software compilers, and engineering tools require high-performing CPUs.

Professional tools are often well optimized to use many cores. CPU cores allow tools to parallelize processing tasks. Increasing the number of cores can divide the time required to process a task if the tool has good multi-threading support.

To maximize performance with professional tools, you’ll want to use a CPU with a high boost frequency and many CPU cores. Good heat dissipation is needed to maintain boost frequencies for extended periods.

While graphics applications use your GPU for some rendering tasks, most calculations and data operations are still dependent on your CPU.

Cores

5800X: The 5800X’s 8 cores allow for excellent performance with professional tools.

3600X: The 3600X’s 6 cores allow for good performance with professional tools.

Learn more about Core Counts below.

Base Frequency

5800X: The 5800X has a 3.8 GHz base frequency, which is the speed before boosting. You can reach these base frequencies even without a high-end cooler.

3600X: The 3600X has a 3.8 GHz base frequency, which is the speed before boosting. You can reach these base frequencies even without a high-end cooler.

Learn more about CPU Clock Speeds below.

Single-Core Boost

5800X: With a high-end cooler, the 5800X’s 4.7 GHz single-core max boost frequency is excellent for performance with professional tools. You can maintain these frequencies with a high-end cooler.

3600X: With a high-end cooler, the 3600X’s 4.4 GHz single-core max boost frequency is excellent for performance with professional tools. You can maintain these frequencies with a high-end cooler.

Learn more about CPU Clock Speeds below.

Overclocking Support

5800X: When using a high-end cooler, the 5800X CPU’s support for overclocking can be excellent for performance with professional tools.

3600X: When using a high-end cooler, the 3600X CPU’s support for overclocking can be excellent for performance with professional tools.

Learn more about Overclocking below.

DDR Support

5800X: The 5800X CPU’s support for DDR4 with a max stock speed of 3200 MHz can be good for performance with professional tools.

3600X: The 3600X CPU’s support for DDR4 with a max stock speed of 3200 MHz can be good for performance with professional tools.

Learn more about DDR Support below.

PCIe

5800X: The 5800X CPU’s support for PCIe 4.0 can be excellent for performance with professional tools, when using the fastest SSDs and graphics cards.

3600X: The 3600X CPU’s support for PCIe 4.0 can be excellent for performance with professional tools, when using the fastest SSDs and graphics cards.

L3 Cache

5800X: The 5800X’s impressive 32 MB of L3 cache is excellent for performance with professional tools.

3600X: The 3600X’s impressive 32 MB of L3 cache is excellent for performance with professional tools.

Learn more about Cache Sizes below.

Best Value Motherboard

  • Our recommended value motherboard to pair with the Ryzen 7 5800X:

    ASUS AM4 TUF Gaming X570-Plus (Wi-Fi)

    Check Price on Amazon

    Amazon Affiliate Link

    • High-quality components
    • PCIe 4.0 support
    • One Gb Ethernet port is faster than most Internet speeds
    • Two NVMe M.2 slots both run at PCIe 4. 0 speeds
    • 802.11ac Wi-Fi provides the convenience of connecting to a Wi-Fi router
    • USB 3.2 Gen 2 offers 10 Gbps USB speeds
    • Check the latest price of the ASUS TUF Gaming X570-Plus (Wi-Fi) Motherboard on Amazon (affiliate link).

Best Feature Motherboard

  • Our recommended feature-rich motherboard to pair with the Ryzen 7 5800X:

    MSI MAG X570 TOMAHAWK WIFI

    Check Price on Amazon

    Amazon Affiliate Link

    • PCIe 4.0 support
    • One 2.5 Gb Ethernet port is faster than most Internet speeds, with room to spare for file transfers
    • Two NVMe M.2 slots both run at PCIe 4.0 speeds
    • Wi-Fi 6 provides great Wi-Fi speeds (not Wi-Fi 6E, but still really good)
    • USB 3.2 Gen 2 offers 10 Gbps USB speeds
    • Check the latest price of the MSI MAG X570 TOMAHAWK WIFI Motherboard on Amazon (affiliate link).

Best Value Motherboard

  • Our recommended value motherboard to pair with the Ryzen 7 5800X:

    ASUS AM4 TUF Gaming X570-Plus (Wi-Fi)

    Check Price on Amazon

    Amazon Affiliate Link

    • High-quality components
    • PCIe 4.0 support
    • One Gb Ethernet port is faster than most Internet speeds
    • Two NVMe M.2 slots both run at PCIe 4.0 speeds
    • 802.11ac Wi-Fi provides the convenience of connecting to a Wi-Fi router
    • USB 3.2 Gen 2 offers 10 Gbps USB speeds
    • Check the latest price of the ASUS TUF Gaming X570-Plus (Wi-Fi) Motherboard on Amazon (affiliate link).

Best Feature Motherboard

  • Our recommended feature-rich motherboard to pair with the Ryzen 7 5800X:

    MSI MAG X570 TOMAHAWK WIFI

    Check Price on Amazon

    Amazon Affiliate Link

    • PCIe 4. 0 support
    • One 2.5 Gb Ethernet port is faster than most Internet speeds, with room to spare for file transfers
    • Two NVMe M.2 slots both run at PCIe 4.0 speeds
    • Wi-Fi 6 provides great Wi-Fi speeds (not Wi-Fi 6E, but still really good)
    • USB 3.2 Gen 2 offers 10 Gbps USB speeds
    • Check the latest price of the MSI MAG X570 TOMAHAWK WIFI Motherboard on Amazon (affiliate link).

Considerations When Choosing a CPU

Core Count

AMD’s Ryzen 7 5800X CPUs have 8 cores.

AMD’s Ryzen 5 3600X CPUs have 6 cores.

Increased core counts can improve the performance of games and professional tools that use them. Most modern games don’t benefit from having more than 6–8 cores. Even general apps can benefit from many cores when numerous applications are open simultaneously. Web browsers don’t significantly take advantage of multiple cores when loading a single page. However, more CPU cores can improve performance when running demanding web apps in multiple windows.

CPU Clock Speeds

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800X has a 3.8 GHz base frequency and supports a 4.7 GHz single-core max boost frequency.

The AMD Ryzen 5 3600X has a 3.8 GHz base frequency and supports a 4.4 GHz single-core max boost frequency.

Single-core performance is essential for some games, as many don’t take full advantage of multiple cores. Professional tools depend on high single and multi-core boost frequencies to maximize their processing speed.

Boost frequencies are only achieved under ideal circumstances. The safest strategy for consistent gaming performance with a basic cooler is to get a processor with a higher base clock speed. However, with adequate cooling, you may be able to maintain speeds near the max boost frequency.

Check out my article, Choosing the Best CPU Cooler for AMD’s Ryzen 7 5800X, for recommended coolers that can maintain these boost frequencies on the 5800X.

Check out my article, Choosing the Best CPU Cooler for AMD’s Ryzen 5 3600X, for recommended coolers that can maintain these boost frequencies on the 3600X.

DDR Support

The 5800X CPU’s fastest supported DDR memory type is DDR4, with a max stock speed of 3200 MHz.

The 3600X CPU’s fastest supported DDR memory type is DDR4, with a max stock speed of 3200 MHz.

You can exceed these stock speeds officially supported by CPUs when overclocking memory, such as with an XMP profile. Motherboard specifications will indicate their supported overclocked-memory speeds. To be able to overclock DDR memory, your motherboard chipset needs to support memory overclocking.

Faster PC memory can improve game and professional tool performance by reducing the time it takes to perform calculations and data operations.

Using the quickest RAM may not have as much of an impact as upgrading your CPU and graphics card or adding more RAM.

Learn about our recommended RAM for the 5800X in Choosing the Best RAM for AMD’s Ryzen 7 5800X CPU.

Learn about our recommended RAM for the 3600X in Choosing the Best RAM for AMD’s Ryzen 5 3600X CPU.

Cache Size

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800X has an L3 cache capacity of 32 MB.

The AMD Ryzen 5 3600X has an L3 cache capacity of 32 MB.

A CPU’s cache is a small amount of memory, close to the CPU cores, containing recently used data. An L3 cache capacity of at least 20 MB is ideal for games and professional tool performance.

Games and professional tool performance can improve as cache size increases, as it can reduce delays when retrieving commonly used assets from memory. While nearly any task will use a CPU’s cache, a large cache becomes less impactful for general PC usage, such as browsing webpages.

Remember that cache sizes often increase with core counts, so if you want to increase your L3 cache, you may need to get a CPU with more cores.