Well, I may be a little late to the party with the Ryzen 5000 series, but we didn’t get one in at the launch. But here we are a little over a month later and we can finally check out the Ryzen 5 5600X which is the mid-range CPU of the new Zen 3 CPUs. This is also one of the most sought after models as well, with its MSRP being $299 and being much more reasonable for a build. Availability is still a constant issue, as it has been with ALL of the launches packed into the end of the year this year. But I’m excited to see the performance improvements promised, especially the single-core/IPC improvements which play a big role in gaming performance. Is the Ryzen 5 5600X going to be what is in your next build? Let’s find out.
Product Name: AMD Ryzen 5 5600X
Review Sample Provided by: AMD
Written by: Wes Compton
Amazon Affiliate Link: HERE
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Specifications |
Ryzen 5 5600X |
|
Boost Clock |
4.6 GHz |
|
Base Clock |
3.7 GHz |
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Cores |
6 |
|
Threads |
12 |
|
L2+L3 Cache |
3MB L2 |
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TDP |
65W |
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Included Cooler |
Wraith Stealth |
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Chiplets |
1x CCD |
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Process CCD/IOD |
7nm/12nm |
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PCIe |
24x PCIe® Gen 4 |
|
Price |
$299 |
So the 5600X is a 6 core 12 thread CPU that consists of one CCD or core complex die and one IOD or IO Die. They have it clocked at 3.7 GHz for the base clock across all cores and it has a boost clock of up to 4.6GHz. The CCD is built on the 7nm process while the IOD is built on the older 12nm process. The 5600X has 3MB of L2 cache and 32MB of L3 and it has a TDP of 65 watts. The new Zen 3 CPUs include other models that scale up significantly farther including the 5950X which has 16 cores and 32 thread and the 5900X with 12 cores and 24 thread with those having boost clocks at (5900X)4.8 and (5950X)4.9 GHz which may make the 5600X seem small in comparison, but for most people, 6 cores are more than enough which is why the 3600X also had 6 cores, but pulled more wattage at 95 watts and had a lower boost clock as well. I did double check the specs using CPUz which is pictured below to make sure we were running there before testing. This also documents the BIOS I tested with which is the new 3003 BIOS for our ASUS Crosshair VIII Hero WiFI and that our memory clocks were correct at 3600 MHz.
We don’t have a full picture section because CPUs don’t have too much going on. But I did get pictures of the packaging which looks just like past Ryzen CPU launches with the 5 on the front. I do wish the full model number would be on the box, not just on the sticker up top though.
The 5600X does come with AMD's Wraith Stealth Cooler which is their lowest profile cooler. I’ve taken a look at their coolers in the past and tested, them be sure to check that out HERE. But I do like that this cooler uses the screw down mounts rather than the old AMD hook tiedowns that AMD still includes on their motherboards.
The CPU itself looks the same as expected. It does run on the same AM4 socket as previous Ryzen CPUs. 5000 series CPUs however are only supported on later generation boards. Specifically, the X570, B550, and A520 with older X470 and B450 chipsets sometimes supporting them with a BIOS update. You do want to make sure the board supports it, even our X570 board needed a BIOS update for support.
