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InnoReviews

AMD Ryzen 5 3600X vs AMD Ryzen 5 5500

WINNER
A
42.8Inno Score
VS
A
41Inno Score
36.5Single-core43.4
37.4Multi-core38.6
60.3Gaming42.4
5 spec wins — AMD Ryzen 5 3600X7 spec wins — AMD Ryzen 5 5500

InnoReviews verdict

AMD Ryzen 5 3600X wins this desktop processor face-off, 42.8 to 41, pulling ahead mainly in gaming (+18). AMD Ryzen 5 5500 still makes sense if its price or standout specs fit your needs better.

Which would you pick?

Key differences

Reasons to pick the AMD Ryzen 5 3600X

  • Stronger gaming score: 60 vs 42
  • 100% higher L3 cache: 32 MB vs 16 MB
  • 45% higher Max turbo power: 128 W vs 88 W
  • 33% higher PCIe version: 4 vs 3

Reasons to pick the AMD Ryzen 5 5500

  • Stronger Single-core score: 43 vs 37
  • 32% lower Base TDP: 65 W vs 95 W
  • 17% higher Geekbench 6 (single): 1,750 vs 1,490
  • 10% higher Geekbench 6 (multi): 7,900 vs 7,200
  • Lower launch price: $159 vs $249

General

General comparison: AMD Ryzen 5 3600X versus AMD Ryzen 5 5500
SpecAMD Ryzen 5 3600XAMD Ryzen 5 5500
Announced20192022
SocketAM4AM4
Process7 nm7 nm
Base TDP95 W65 W+32%
Max turbo power128 W+45%88 W
Unlocked multiplierYesYes
Cooler includedYesYes

Cores & Clocks

Cores & Clocks comparison: AMD Ryzen 5 3600X versus AMD Ryzen 5 5500
SpecAMD Ryzen 5 3600XAMD Ryzen 5 5500
Cores66
Performance cores66
Efficiency cores00
Threads1212
Base clock3.8 GHz+6%3.6 GHz
Boost clock4.4 GHz+5%4.2 GHz
L2 cache3 MB3 MB
L3 cache32 MB+100%16 MB

Memory

Memory comparison: AMD Ryzen 5 3600X versus AMD Ryzen 5 5500
SpecAMD Ryzen 5 3600XAMD Ryzen 5 5500
Memory supportDDR4-3200DDR4-3200
Max memory128 GB128 GB
Memory channels22

Platform

Platform comparison: AMD Ryzen 5 3600X versus AMD Ryzen 5 5500
SpecAMD Ryzen 5 3600XAMD Ryzen 5 5500
PCIe version4+33%3
CPU PCIe lanes2424

Benchmarks

Benchmarks comparison: AMD Ryzen 5 3600X versus AMD Ryzen 5 5500
SpecAMD Ryzen 5 3600XAMD Ryzen 5 5500
Geekbench 6 (single)1,4901,750+17%
Geekbench 6 (multi)7,2007,900+10%
Cinebench R23 (single)1,2901,390+8%
Cinebench R23 (multi)9,70010,100+4%
PassMark18,40019,000+3%

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