Amd Ryzen 5 3600 and Ryzen 5 3600X
Are they the new mid-range champions?
We were full of praise for AMDs new 3rd generation Ryzen processors. While the higher-end eight and twelve core CPUs occupy the performance segment, the hex core Ryzen 5 3600 and Ryzen 5 3600X fill the popular $300 to $400 price void nicely. They both have all the 3rd generation tech, features and performance under the hood. Now AMD can add mainstream affordability too. Are these CPUs the new price/ performance champions?
The 3600X comes with a 200MHz increase on base and boost speeds when compared to Ryzen 5 2600X. The L3 cache is doubled and DDR4-3200 is officially supported. Add in all cumulative architectural benefits of Zen 2 and its clear we’re dealing with a much faster CPU. TDP remains at 95W.
The 3600 is in our opinion the more enticing of the two. With its 3.6GHz base clock and 4.2GHz boost clock it’s 200MHz slower than the 3600X, but it’s also cheaper and comes with a 65W TDP making it more suitable to small form factor or a noise minimised build. You’re not really losing that much in performance either. About the only real weakness is the very basic Wraith Stealth cooler which isn’t great compared to the bigger Wraith Spire that comes with the 3600X.
Both 3600 processors exhibit very strong multithreaded performance, beating out the still quite beastly Intel i7-8700K. Gaming performance is also competitive. Not bad at all when you consider Intel’s clock speed advantage. Intel still has its nose in front in pure maximum FPS gaming, but not necessarily at every price point. Remember that in a GPU limited scenario, any gaming FPS advantage essentially evaporates. Overall, the 3600 and 3600X are better balanced across a range of workloads.
Power consumption and temperatures for both models are impressive. We used our Corsair H100i Pro 240mm AIO cooler and maxed out at 64C with the 3600. The 3600X was only a couple of degrees more. Bear in mind that we’re in winter, so temps in a closed case in summer will be higher. Power consumption results were enlightening too. We recorded a peak system power consumption of 154W vs 144W for the 3600, not as much of a difference as we expected.
AMD continues to kick goals. The 3600 and 3600X carry all of the 3rd generation’s features and strengths combined with excellent value. At $315, the 3600 in particular is simply outstanding. It’s much cheaper than a 9600K and has no real competition at its price point. The 3600X is of course faster than the 3600, but not by much. Pair either one of these processors with an affordable B450 or X470 motherboard and you’ll get a very well balanced system and have a few extra dollars to put towards a faster GPU or bigger SSD. (Don’t forget that a non-X570 AM4 board might need a BIOS flash to include 3rd Gen support). We think the 3600 is the more compelling out of the two as its cheaper, uses a little less power and isn’t far behind on performance. Either one will serve you well across a range of workloads though.
CHRIS SZEWCZYK