The AMD Ryzen 5 5600 is the 6-core 12-thread desktop processor that’s based on the Zen 3 architecture. The 5600 was kinda late to the company’s desktop processor lineup, considering the 1600, 2600, and 3600 were the company’s most popular units in terms of sales. The 5600X arrived first, then came the 5700G and 5600G APUs, and fast forward a full 10 months later, the AMD Ryzen 5 5600 finally got released – non-G, non-X.
AMD Ryzen 5 5600
The AMD Ryzen 5 5600 is based on the same Vermeer chip as the 5600X, which makes it a better chip compared to the 5600G even though it doesn’t have integrated graphics. The Gen 3 chiplet comes with six out of the eight cores enabled, which share the full 32MB L3 cache. It also has PCI-Express Gen 4 support for x16 graphics and a CPU attached M.2 NVMe slot.
The AMD Ryzen 5 5600 has a clock speed of 3.5GHz and 4.4GHz boost. Its TDP is rated at 65W and you get a cooling solution in the box – Wraith Stealth. Speaking of cooling solutions, the AMD Ryzen 5 5600 uses the AM4 socket, so there’s plenty of compatible cooling solutions to choose from.
Specifications
Test Build
Our humble test build used to test the AMD Ryzen 5 5600 are as specced below. We’ve also upgraded to a32GB Klevv Cras XR RAM, and a larger WD Black SN770 1TB SSD. Everything else remains the same.
CPU AMD Ryzen 5 5600 GPU Zotac GeForce RTX 3070 AMP Holo RAM 32GB Klevv Cras XR 3,600MHz (4 x 8GB) Storage WD Black SN770 1TB Motherboard NZXT N7 B550 Cooler NZXT Kraken X53 RGB AIO Cooler
Performance
| Test | Ryzen 5 5600 |
| Far Cry 5, 1920 x 1080 | 133 FPS |
| Metro Exodus, 1920 x 1080 | DX12 | 181 FPS |
| Civilization VI, 1920 x 1080 | DX12 | 265 FPS |
| Battlefield V, 1920 x 1080 | 213 FPS |
| Borderlands 3, 1920 x 1080 | 89 FPS |
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 112 FPS |
| Blender | 229 FPS |
| Cinebench R23 | Single: 1462 Multi: 10899 |
| Blender | 229.1s |
Above are the tests we’ve run with the AMD Ryzen 5 5600 and the test bench we have in the studio. Temperature wise, we kept everything stock with power limits active. Even under load, the CPU manage to keep itself at around 51-degrees.
Conclusion
The AMD Ryzen 5 5600 is a no-brainer upgrade for those who are coming from 1st or even 2nd gen Ryzen CPUs. It’s faster than the 5600G in terms of gaming, because the graphics department is outsourced to a dedicated GPU so the CPU could have more to work with. 1080p gaming won’t be an issue, and you could well go beyond that as long as your GPU supports it. And it’s only slightly slower than the 5600X, and it supports PCIe 4.0, unlike the G series.
Not only that, the AMD Ryzen 5 5600 that’s built on the 7nm process also comes with the Wraith Stealth cooler. Great for if you’re currently on a budget or don’t have the funds for an AIO cooler or water cooling solution yet. It has its multiplier unlocked which makes it great and easy for overclocking, easy to keep temperatures low too.
As mentioned above, the AMD Ryzen 5 5600 may be late to the party, but it’s never late for those who are still on 1st and 2nd gen Ryzen CPUs. I think the 5600 is a great chip and an even greater investment that could last you through Zen 4 and AM5, or more.
