Rigor Mortis Tortoise

Ryzen 7 3700x vs. Ryzen 5 5600x

Nina Meldon -

Today two desktop CPUs will be battling it out in front of our eyes. It's time for Ryzen 7 3700x and Ryzen 5 5600x to step into the ring, and you, dear reader, can be the judge of who comes out on top. Which of these two Ryzen processors performs better across the board, and should you upgrade from one to another? You'll have to keep reading to find out.

Overview: Ryzen 7 3700x and Ryzen 5 5600x

AMD's Ryzen 7 3700x came on the scene in July 2019, long before any of us knew that the word Coronavirus was about to change our lives. It branded itself as perfect for serious PC enthusiasts who desired unparalleled gaming and streaming experiences—promising words for those who like to play and work hard.

This bad boy is for sale at $329.

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700x processor features:

  • 8 CPU Cores with 16 threads
  • a base clock of 3.68GHz
  • a max boost clock of 4.4.GHz
  • unlocked for overclocking
  • TDP 65W

October 2020, the AMD processor family is joined by Ryzen 5 5600x. It puts its best foot forward as being the fastest in the gaming PC environment and encoding and rendering faster than many of its counterparts.

Our new friend is for sale at $299 and both entry-level and best value for money 5000 series CPU.

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600x processor features:

  • 6 CPU Cores with 12 threads
  • a base clock of 3.7GHz
  • a max boost clock of 4.6GHz
  • unlocked for overclocking
  • TDP 65W

Comparing Ryzen 7 3700x vs. Ryzen 5 5600x Cores and Threads

Ryzen 7 3700 has 8 CPU Cores with 16 threads, and Ryzen 5 5600c has 6 CPU Cores with 12 threads. For those that may be new here, cores increase how much work can be done at a time, and threads increase virtual computational elements, and this is where the multi in multi-core processor comes from.

That means if Ryzen 7 3700 has more of both, it's better, right? Yes, even better is that Ryzen 7 has continuous improvement under its belt and is likely to leave Ryzen 5 far behind.

Clock Speed and Overlocking in Ryzen 7 3700x vs. Ryzen 5 5600x

The Ryzen 5 5600X chip gives a base clock speed of 3.7 GHz that can get boosted up to boosted to 4.6GHz, while the Ryzen 7 5800X clocks at 3.8GHz on its base but can reach an increased performance of 4.7GHz.

That's pretty comparable chip performance for these two, and both of them can be overclocked alongside an excellent cooling system.

Conclusion

Is there a clear winner between these two? Not necessarily. When you install a Ryzen processor, you install one of the most powerful processors on the market, especially when comparing this to the much more run-of-the-mill Intel core series. Ryzen 7 performs slightly better than its Ryzen 5 counterpart, but if you're pinching a few pennies here and there, you will still get good performance from Ryzen 5 5600x at a slightly lower market value.

And if you're looking for the best graphics card for Ryzen 5 5600X, look no further than here. Rigor Mortis Tortoise has your back.