Ryzen 7 3700X vs Ryzen 5 5600X
The complete head-to-head: full specs, real 1080p gaming fps with 1% lows, productivity benchmarks, a live GPU-bottleneck check, power, platform cost and a straight verdict.
Ryzen 7 3700X
Ryzen 5 5600X
gaming, 1080p
The short answer
The Ryzen 5 5600X is the faster gaming chip by a wide margin, about 19% ahead of the Ryzen 7 3700X, because Zen 3 dropped the split core-complex design that held Zen 2 back and gave every core direct, low-latency access to one large shared cache. It also costs a bit less on the used market despite being newer and quicker, making it the easy overall pick for gaming. The 3700X strikes back in heavy multi-threaded work, where its two extra cores let it out-render and out-compile the 5600X. Unless your build genuinely leans on multi-core productivity, buy the 5600X.
The Ryzen 7 3700X was AMD's mainstream Zen 2 flagship in 2019, eight cores split across two core-complex dies that made it a strong all-rounder at launch. The Ryzen 5 5600X arrived a year later on Zen 3 with only six cores, but AMD rebuilt the architecture around a single unified core complex, and the gaming gains were large enough that a six-core chip beat an eight-core one outright.
Both now sell mainly on the used AM4 market. This page lays out real specs, 1080p gaming fps with 1% lows, productivity benchmarks, a GPU-bottleneck checker, power draw, and a direct verdict on which is worth buying today.
At a glance
Six dimensions, two chips. Each owns different corners, bigger area is not automatically better.
Strengths radar
Each axis scored 0-100 relative to the pair
Gaming vs price
Up and to the left is better value
Grey dots are neighbouring chips for context.
Which should you buy?
Pick your use case, the winner changes with what you actually do.
The 5600X is about 19% faster in games and usually the cheaper of the two on the used market.
It delivers strong 1080p and 1440p frame rates without paying for cores a gamer will not use.
Eight cores and sixteen threads give the 3700X a real lead in Cinebench multi and Blender.
More threads leave headroom for x264 software encoding on top of the game itself.
Both sit at 65 W, but the 5600X runs cooler under load thanks to its more efficient Zen 3 design.
A BIOS-updated B450 board takes the 5600X and delivers the bigger real-world upgrade.
Already on a 3700X? Only swap for a real reason.
Read this before you spend
A 19% gaming jump is noticeable at 1080p and 1440p on a fast GPU, but the 3700X is still a capable eight-core chip for productivity work. If gaming is your priority and you can sell the 3700X toward a 5600X, the upgrade is worthwhile. If you render or compile regularly, keep the 3700X.
If you are buying fresh for a gaming-focused AM4 build, the 5600X wins on speed and price, so it is the default pick. Choose the 3700X only when the workload is genuinely multi-thread heavy.
Full specification comparison
Every spec side by side. The highlighted figure wins each row.
| Specification | Ryzen 7 3700X | Ryzen 5 5600X |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | ||
| Architecture | Zen 2 | Zen 3 ▲ |
| Process node | TSMC 7 nm | TSMC 7 nm |
| Release date | Jul 7, 2019 | Nov 5, 2020 |
| Launch MSRP | $329 | $299 ▲ |
| Cores & clocks | ||
| Cores / threads | 8 / 16 ▲ | 6 / 12 |
| Base / boost clock | 3.6 / 4.4 GHz | 3.7 / 4.6 GHz ▲ |
| Overclocking | Unlocked | Unlocked |
| Cache & memory | ||
| Total cache | 36 MB ▲ | 35 MB |
| 3D V-Cache | No | No |
| Memory support | DDR4-3200 | DDR4-3200 |
| Platform & power | ||
| Socket | AM4 | AM4 |
| TDP | 65 W | 65 W |
| Integrated graphics | None | None |
| Bundled cooler | None (later revisions) | None |
Gaming FPS by game
Tested at 1080p with a top GPU so the processor is the limit. Switch resolution and metric, the bars update live.
Average FPS at 1080p, paired with a top-tier GPU so the processor is the limit. The gap between these two chips is widest at 1080p and shrinks as resolution rises and the GPU takes over.
Cache, clocks and 1% lows
Why the cache and clock balance decides the gaming feel
The 3700X splits its cores into two four-core complexes, each with its own 16 MB slice of L3 cache, so a thread on one complex pays a latency penalty reaching data cached on the other. Zen 3 in the 5600X removed that split entirely, putting all cores on one complex sharing one 32 MB L3 pool, which is the single biggest reason a six-core Zen 3 chip out-games an eight-core Zen 2 one.
Neither chip uses 3D V-Cache, that arrived later with the 5800X3D on the same socket. What you are seeing here is a pure architectural cache win, not a stacked-cache trick, and it shows up in both gaming and single-thread work.
Productivity & content creation
Rendering, encoding and compiling lean on cores and threads more than games do, so the ranking can flip here.
Streaming and content work
For streaming alongside gaming, the 3700X's extra two cores give it more spare capacity for x264 software encoding without dropping frames in the game itself. The 5600X handles GPU-based encoding like NVENC just as well, since that offloads to the graphics card, but has less room for a heavy software encode running at the same time as a demanding game.
Will these CPUs bottleneck your GPU?
A faster CPU only helps if your graphics card needs the frames. Pick your GPU and resolution to see expected fps and any bottleneck for each chip.
Will these CPUs bottleneck your GPU?
The willitbottleneck engine, built right into the comparison.
Estimated across a 17-GPU model at 1080p. A CPU only bottlenecks at 1080p with a fast GPU; push to higher resolutions and the GPU becomes the limit, so the bottleneck shrinks or disappears.
Both chips will bottleneck a current flagship GPU at 1080p in CPU-heavy titles, since neither was built for today's fastest cards. The 5600X pushes the ceiling meaningfully higher than the 3700X, so it pairs better with a strong GPU at 1080p or 1440p.
At 1440p and especially 4K, the GPU becomes the limiting factor for either chip and the performance gap narrows a lot. A mid-range card at 1440p or 4K will look nearly identical on either CPU.
Power draw, heat & cooler needs
What the chip actually pulls under load, how hot it runs, and the cooler you should budget for.
Platform, motherboard & memory
The chip price is only part of it. Socket, board cost, memory type and upgrade path decide the real bill.
Socket & upgrade path
Both use AM4 and both are effectively end-of-line platforms with no further CPU releases planned. A B450 or B550 board handles either chip after a BIOS update, so the platform decision does not favor one over the other, it comes down to price and workload.
Memory: DDR4 vs DDR5
Both officially support DDR4-3200, and both benefit from a fast, tight-timing kit since AM4's Infinity Fabric runs tied to memory speed. A 3200 or 3600 MT/s CL16 kit is the practical sweet spot for either chip, with Zen 3 extracting slightly more from the same memory thanks to its lower-latency cache.
Price history & dollars-per-frame
Raw price is half the story. Cost per gaming frame is the number that decides it, and it keeps moving as prices fall.
Price over time
Street price of each chip (USD)
Overclocking & tuning
Both chips are unlocked. The 3700X has more thermal headroom for an all-core Precision Boost Overdrive tune with a solid cooler, since its stock clocks leave more on the table. The 5600X's stock boost already sits close to its practical limit, so overclocking gains are smaller, undervolting for lower temperatures is usually the better use of tuning time on it.
Pros & cons
Ryzen 7 3700X
- Eight cores and sixteen threads, ahead in heavy multi-thread work
- More total cache for well-threaded workloads
- More thread headroom for streaming while gaming
- About 19% slower in games on average
- Older architecture with higher inter-core latency
Ryzen 5 5600X
- About 19% faster in games thanks to Zen 3's unified cache design
- Often cheaper than the 3700X on the used market despite being newer
- Stronger single-thread performance
- Two fewer cores, behind in heavy multi-thread work
- Less thread headroom for simultaneous streaming and gaming
Buying pitfalls
Check used pricing before assuming a winner
Both chips trade on the used market at similar prices, and listings vary. If a 3700X shows up notably cheaper than a 5600X locally, its extra cores can make it the smarter buy for a multi-thread-heavy build, so compare real local prices, not just MSRP.
BIOS support on older boards
A first-generation B350 or X370 board may need a BIOS update, sometimes requiring an older CPU to flash it, before it will run either chip properly, especially the Zen 3 5600X. Confirm your board's BIOS version and AGESA support first.
Ryzen 7 3700X vs Ryzen 5 5600X: your questions answered
For gaming, clearly yes. The 5600X is about 19% faster in games and often costs less used despite being the newer chip. The 3700X only pulls ahead in heavy multi-threaded rendering and compiling, where its two extra cores matter more than raw per-core speed.
Zen 3 removed the split core-complex design Zen 2 used, giving every core on the 5600X direct access to one shared 32 MB L3 cache instead of two separate 16 MB pools. That cuts the latency games are sensitive to, which matters more for fps than raw core count.
Buy the 5600X for gaming, it is faster and usually cheaper on the used market. Buy the 3700X only if your workload leans heavily on multi-core rendering, encoding, or compiling, where the extra cores pay off.
Yes, if the price is right. Eight physical cores still hold up well in Cinebench multi and Blender, and it can outperform the 5600X in genuinely well-threaded workloads despite its older architecture.
The 3700X, because its extra two cores leave more room for x264 software encoding running alongside the game. If you stream with GPU-based encoding like NVENC instead, the 5600X keeps up fine since that barely touches the CPU.
Both will bottleneck a current flagship GPU at 1080p in CPU-heavy games, the 5600X less than the 3700X. At 1440p or 4K with a mid-range card, the GPU becomes the limiter and the gap between them shrinks a lot.
Yes. Both use AM4 and DDR4, so the same B450 or B550 board and the same memory kit work with either chip. Older boards may need a BIOS update before running the 5600X properly.
The 5600X. Both sit at a 65 W TDP on paper, but Zen 3's efficiency gains mean the 5600X draws less power and runs cooler under both gaming and full multi-core load.
Yes, both are unlocked. The 3700X has more headroom for an all-core Precision Boost Overdrive tune. The 5600X's stock clocks already sit near its ceiling, so its overclocking gains are smaller and undervolting is usually the better move.
Worth it if gaming performance is your priority, since both share AM4 so the rest of your build carries over. If you regularly render or compile, weigh the multi-core loss carefully before selling the 3700X.
The 5600X. It is both faster in games and typically cheaper on the used market than the 3700X, which makes its dollar-per-frame noticeably better.
No, neither the 3700X nor the 5600X includes integrated graphics, so a discrete GPU is required to get a display signal from either build.
It is the biggest single factor in the gaming gap. The 3700X's split cache adds latency between core complexes, while the 5600X's unified cache removes it, and that shows up directly in frame rates and 1% lows.
They are close at 4K since the GPU becomes the limiting factor at that resolution regardless of which chip you pick. Either works fine for a 4K build, so choose based on price and productivity needs.
Both officially support DDR4-3200 and respond well to a fast, tight-timing kit since Infinity Fabric speed ties to memory speed on AM4. A 3200 to 3600 MT/s CL16 kit is the practical sweet spot for either chip.
Only for a budget-focused build. AM4 has no further CPU releases coming, so treat either chip as an end point rather than a stepping stone, and plan on AM5 or newer for your next real platform upgrade.