Home > CPU Comparisons > Ryzen 7 3700X or Ryzen 5 5600X: what's better?

AMD Ryzen 7 3700X vs Ryzen 5 5600X

AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
VS
AMD Ryzen 5 5600X
AMD Ryzen 5 5600X

We compared two desktop CPUs: the 3.6 GHz AMD Ryzen 7 3700X with 8-cores against the 3.7 GHz Ryzen 5 5600X with 6-cores. On this page, you'll find out which processor has better performance in benchmarks, games and other useful information.

  1. Review
  2. Differences
  3. Performance
  4. Specs
  5. Comments (17)

Review

General overview and comparison of the processors
Single-Core Performance
Performance in single-threaded apps and benchmarks
Performance
Measure performance when all cores are involved
Power Efficiency
The efficiency score of electricity consumption
NanoReview Final Score
Generic CPU rating

Key Differences

What are the key differences between 5600X and 3700X
Advantages of AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
  • Has 2 physical cores more
Advantages of AMD Ryzen 5 5600X
  • Newer - released 1-year and 3-months later
  • 5% higher Turbo Boost frequency (4.6 GHz vs 4.4 GHz)

Benchmarks

Comparing the performance of CPUs in benchmarks
Cinebench R20 (Single-Core)
Cinebench R20 (Multi-Core)
Ryzen 7 3700X +11%
4804
Ryzen 5 5600X
4313
Passmark CPU (Single-Core)
Ryzen 7 3700X
2671
Ryzen 5 5600X +28%
3421
Passmark CPU (Multi-Core)
Ryzen 7 3700X +3%
22682
Ryzen 5 5600X
21920
Geekbench 5 (Single-Core)
Ryzen 7 3700X
1280
Ryzen 5 5600X +25%
1601
Geekbench 5 (Multi-Core)

Specifications

Full technical specification of AMD Ryzen 7 3700X and Ryzen 5 5600X
Performance
Cores 8 6
Threads 16 12
Base Frequency 3.6 GHz 3.7 GHz
Turbo Boost Frequency 4.4 GHz 4.6 GHz
Bus frequency 100 MHz 100 MHz
Multiplier 36x 37x
L1 Cache 64K (per core) 64K (per core)
L2 Cache 512K (per core) 512K (per core)
L3 Cache 32MB (shared) 32MB (shared)
Unlocked Multiplier Yes Yes
Power
Transistors 19.2 billions -
Fabrication Process 7 nm 7 nm
TDP 65 W 65 W
Max. temperature 95°C 95°C
Memory support
Memory types DDR4-3200 DDR4-3200
Memory Size 128 GB 128 GB
Max. Memory Channels 2 2
Max. Memory Bandwidth 47.68 GB/s 47.68 GB/s
ECC Support Yes No
General
Vendor AMD AMD
Released July 7, 2019 October 8, 2020
Launch price 329 USD 299 USD
Type Desktop Desktop
Codename Zen 2 Zen 3
Socket AM4 AM4
Integrated GPU No No
Official site AMD Ryzen 7 3700X official page AMD Ryzen 5 5600X official page
PCI Express Version 4.0 4.0
PCI Express Lanes 20 20

Cast your vote

Choose between two processors
781 (45.5%)
936 (54.5%)
Total votes: 1717

Сompetitors

1. AMD Ryzen 7 3700X or Intel Core i7 10750H
2. AMD Ryzen 7 3700X or Intel Core i7 1065G7
3. AMD Ryzen 7 3700X or AMD Ryzen 7 4800H
4. AMD Ryzen 7 3700X or AMD Ryzen 5 3600XT
5. AMD Ryzen 7 3700X or AMD Ryzen 7 3800X
6. AMD Ryzen 5 5600X or AMD Ryzen 5 3600
7. AMD Ryzen 5 5600X or Intel Core i7 10700K
8. AMD Ryzen 5 5600X or Intel Core i5 10600
9. AMD Ryzen 5 5600X or AMD Ryzen 5 3600X

Comments

So which CPU will you choose: AMD Ryzen 5 5600X or Ryzen 7 3700X?
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Sunny 20 November 2020 19:35
Not sure which one to get. 5600x is pre-order but will come on 18 December. I mainly game on a 140hz monitor playing warzone.
0 Reply
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PCDude 22 November 2020 14:43
There might be some Black Friday deals on 3700x/3800x/3800xt. Worth checking out and monitoring for deals I guess.
0 Reply
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Ward 12 November 2020 02:26
If I were to be gaming and streaming which cpu would be better off to go with? The 5600x for the speeds, or the 3700x for the extra 2 cores? My gpu is a 2070super.
+96 Reply
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PCDude 13 November 2020 00:08
I'm currently building a new PC on MAG B550 Tomahawk. I wanted to buy 5600x at first, but low availability and high cost for a 6 core unit made me look on 3700x at a potential buy, as 2 extra cores will be useful even in new gen games. In any case, both CPUs are gonna be great for your current 2070S.
+10 Reply
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FrostByte 13 November 2020 06:30
The 3700X easily since you're doing multicore workloads.
+2 Reply
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khyzoh 10 November 2020 01:42
which one is better for gaming paired with a 1660 ti?
+8 Reply
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PCDude 10 November 2020 20:39
Both CPUs are overkill for that GPU, at least IMO. Ryzen 3600 seems max you should consider for that GPU (and even that CPU is too powerful for that GPU).
+19 Reply
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Sean 09 November 2020 14:33
Could I still use the Ryzen 7 3700X when I update my B550 MB for the support for 3rd GEN Ryzen?
0 Reply
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PCDude 09 November 2020 22:32
Of course. BIOS update is expanding the list of supported CPUs, not making the older models obsolete.
+6 Reply
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alex 08 November 2020 13:53
Wait for 5800x/5900 for price to fall down, after all 5600x sold out, bf is near so wait. In my country 10700k is 250$ atm and is best of the deal cause mobo can support 1 more cpu release and is basically equal to 5600x and a lot cheaper. 5600x > 3700x gaming 3700x > 5600x productivity intel has best of both. at 250$ with future mobo proof, is best deal.
+15 Reply
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Linus 11 November 2020 23:30
Where do you buy a 10700k for 250€ ?
+14 Reply
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PCDude 07 November 2020 19:09
Given the price and low availability of 5600x, I'm considering getting a 3700x. Is this a good idea at this point? 3700x price is already lower here, than release price of 5600x I would pair that 3700x either with Nvidia RTX 3070 or AMD 6800 (RDNA2).
+11 Reply
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Root 08 November 2020 13:28
Go for 3700x, it's still a good choice, especially for it's price.
+2 Reply
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PCDude 09 November 2020 22:34
Root, Yea I figured as much. At the moment 5600x has superior single core performance, but soon games which use all 8 cores are going to be more and more common. At that moment I figure 3700x might start having an edge vs 5600x due to having 2 extra cores that do the job. In some sense 3700x might age like wine when it comes to modern gaming.
0 Reply
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TrintThe? 11 November 2020 01:31
PCDude, I though that's not how games and CPUs works. I'm pretty sure games just use as much as the CPUs gives them in raw power and not really caring much about specifically how many cores. Isn't their a VERY minimal difference between the Ryzen 5, 7, and 9 for frame rates across games of all ages despite all having different core counts?
0 Reply
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PCDude 12 November 2020 00:28
TrintThe?, It depends on the game. Not all games can use 8c/16t, but now the new generation of consoles is here, so new games should utilize 8c/16t on normal basis. Due to this an older 3700x might suddenly even up or even surpass 5600x 6c/12t. Time will tell, but the way I see it 3700x might be quite futureproof thanks to the superior amount of cores/threads.
0 Reply
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Nice guy 06 November 2020 20:16
I want to stream games. Should I upgrade my Ryzen 7 3700x to Ryzen 5 5600x ?
0 Reply
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Nobody 07 November 2020 16:13
No wait for the 5700x
+8 Reply
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Enchanted 05 November 2020 20:10
I am stumped whether to go for a 3700x or 5600x. Gaming performance is the most important factor so 5600x seems like a no-brainer, but one deal breaker for me is the included stock cooler. As this would be my first build, I would want a cooler that doesn’t require applying thermal compound. The stock cooler on the 3700x seems like a better option for me, partly because of the RGB since, it obviously leads to more performance. Jokes aside, it’s also better at cooling than the stock cooler for the 5600x. I am open to good cooler options though! It would be a good experience to learn how to apply thermal paste anyways. Thanks, Enchanted
+31 Reply
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Ike 06 November 2020 00:14
You can buy that same cooler for $30-$40 and it should have the same paste applied. I’ve got a 3700x temporarily while waiting for the 5600x. I suggest going that way for the gaming performance, especially if you are getting a new 6000 series GPU.
+5 Reply
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TheRealJoe24 06 November 2020 00:31
I would go with the 3700x. First thing: stocking, do you think you will be able to get one before the end of the year? Second: physical cores, the 3700x has a higher core and thread count. Third: Testing, there is nothing out there yet for the 5600x and the bios is still in beta as far I as I know. Applying thermal paste isn't very difficult but I do not know as this is my first build too. I went with the 3700x for my personal build. I bought it last week for close to $50 off msrp and deals like those are a great reason to get one. Also multicore performance, although not important for gaming, is great for productivity. I would say the 3700x is always the better choice if you are planning on getting a great gpu in 2020. I am really glad though that I found this comment as I was having the same dilemma and I refused to view any benchmarks or reviews for the new cpus and when I did, I realized I was not going to miss out on much. I hope this answered your question, TheRealJoe24
+13 Reply
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Gauthier 05 November 2020 17:42
Got the same Dilemma between these two. I'm a gamer but i would stream sometimes. I saw in early benchmarks that the 5600X gains around 20% more fps in games than the 3700X. So that's a big jump of course. I an other review was the 3700x 5% better in streaming and gaming together so i think i take the 5600X.
+12 Reply
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CC^ 07 November 2020 06:00
> another review was the 3700x 5% better in streaming and gaming together May I ask from what review did you get this info from?
+20 Reply
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Sean 05 November 2020 16:13
Hi, I'm building a content creation PC and I was wondering which of the two is better. I know that they have similar performances despite the 7 3700X having 2 more cores but it has ECC support. Which should I choose now? Don't worry about the price between the two.
+12 Reply
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Root 05 November 2020 16:35
For content creation I would go for 3700x.
0 Reply
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Sean 05 November 2020 19:12
Root, Does the 3700x support the "SMART ACCESS MEMORY" feature when I will buy and pair it with a Radeon 6000 series GPU? I'm planning to buy that since it supports the AV1 encoder format which some say is better than the NVENC encoder when doing content creation.
+18 Reply
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RGB 05 November 2020 19:32
Got to have that RGB cooler ;p. so Ryzen 7 3700x
0 Reply
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TheRealJoe24 06 November 2020 00:32
RGB, same here. The cooler is just awesome
0 Reply
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wiiuboy619 06 November 2020 01:49
RGB, @RGB, you can pick up an rgb cooler for around 45 bucks, which isnt a lot when ur spending 500 on a cpu + gpu
0 Reply
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Yaboi 06 November 2020 06:25
Sean, As of rn it’s only for 5000 series. I doubt they would add it to the 3000 but who knows
0 Reply
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Kkk 06 November 2020 09:32
Sean, I think they said it only works if you have 5000 series cpu but i m not sure.
+1 Reply
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Vin 16 November 2020 08:05
Sean, I believe no, Smart Access memory will only be available for 6000 gpu series and zen 3 processors.
0 Reply
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Peyton 03 November 2020 15:00
Both of them are pretty much the same price. For gaming and streaming, does the fact that the 3700X has 2 more cores make it the better deal, or does the fact that the 5600X have better single-core performance make it better? How would two extra cores affect stream performance? I know from experience with my 1600X and 1050 ti that only having 6 cores results in pretty severe frame drops (even on 30fps), terrible pixel rendering, and a result that looks like a 5-year-old tried to paint half the pixels.
+14 Reply
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Peyton 03 November 2020 16:46
Looking back, the fact that I used a 1050 ti and did full HD rendering probably didn't help matters.
+6 Reply
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user 02 November 2020 19:55
For photo video editing what should I choose?
+16 Reply
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Isaac 02 November 2020 21:32
Ryzen 5 5600x with at least 16 GB of ram
+5 Reply
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Simon 02 November 2020 03:21
I am afraid 5600X starting price will come higher.
0 Reply
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Isaac 02 November 2020 21:32
It’s 300$ For ryzen 5 and 330 for the 7
0 Reply
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Dee 03 November 2020 22:01
Isaac, Microcenter has one for 279.99 and a 3800x for 299.00 and 20$ off a motherboard if you purchase one
+3 Reply
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TheRealJoe24 06 November 2020 00:34
Dee, Yeah that is a great deal. I price matched at best buy to get a $279 3700x and I could not be happier with the price
0 Reply
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wiiuboy619 06 November 2020 04:15
Dee, im lucky to have a microcenter 15 mins away, its 280 bucks there?
0 Reply
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Anray 31 October 2020 02:59
Hello, I'm interested in building a PC for Gaming, maybe Streaming, Video Editing (Adobe Premiere) and Music Production (FL Studio). I'm not sure if I should go for the 3700x or the 5600x, I know the 3700x is better in multitasking but I'm not sure if more cores are better or if less but faster cores are better, maybe someone could help me to select one?
+79 Reply
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Gamer 3000 02 November 2020 13:13
Hello Anray. Acuttaly there is only little difference in mutli core performence. So you can buy ryzen 5 5600x
+2 Reply
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Isaac 02 November 2020 21:33
The 5 will be enough and cheap
0 Reply
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Anray 03 November 2020 15:30
Isaac, Thank you so much, Guys!
0 Reply
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TheRealJoe24 06 November 2020 00:35
If you are on a budget, go with the 3700x. It has a higher core count and better multitasking and all of that makes a huge difference in those tasks
0 Reply
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Preston 29 October 2020 17:20
I can get a Ryzen 7 3700x for $279.99 at my micro center. Should I get it or wait for the 5600x?
+63 Reply
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David 01 November 2020 14:25
I'm looking for a deal on a 3700X or 3800X on Black Friday.
+7 Reply
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Pranav 03 November 2020 03:35
Thats a very good deal! go forth and get it
0 Reply
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Dee 03 November 2020 22:02
I did yesterday, got a new mb too for the extra 20$ off
0 Reply
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TheRealJoe24 06 November 2020 00:36
I went for that deal and it is really good. I was worried about zen3 and black friday deals, but no black friday deal will be lower than that. Definitely get it
0 Reply
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Ale 19 October 2020 17:24
For streaming and gaming ? Which one ?
+24 Reply
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Chris 19 October 2020 19:19
For streaming and gaming it would be a close one, because the 3700x has more cores and threads it will be better for streaming by a small amount but the 5600x will be a little better at gaming. The 3700x is more expensive by $30 so the 5600x would be what I would choose.
0 Reply
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Mark 23 October 2020 12:32
Chris, Im having this decision issue right now but not sure the prices will be different between them in Europe
0 Reply
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Dan 26 October 2020 05:44
Mark, Think a availability as well.
0 Reply
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Siddhesh 31 October 2020 11:28
I think you should go for Ryzen 5 5600x
0 Reply
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Petr 16 October 2020 22:36
Hi, which one would match better with 3070 RTX for gaming pc setup? Thanks in advance.
+71 Reply
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Root 17 October 2020 10:04
I would go for 5600x. But both CPUs are good, you can't loose choosing either of them.
+22 Reply
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