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AMD launched the six-core Ryzen 5 5600X and the 5600 chips as part of their Zen 3-based Ryzen 5000 lineup. These chips are at the bottom of the series and make up for budget offerings. Although both the CPUs have been replaced by newer and faster Ryzen 7000 variants, the 5600X and 5600 remain solid value-for-money offerings to date. Thus, many gamers are considering buying these processors over the other six-core CPUs.
However, choosing between the 5600X and the non-X counterpart can take time and effort. There are quite a few factors that gamers need to consider before finalizing their next processor.
This article will review the significant differences and try to answer which chip is the best option for gamers in 2023.
The Ryzen 5 5600X and the Ryzen 5 5600 offer solid price-to-performance
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The 5600X and the 5600 have more in common than they differ in. Both processors pack six cores and twelve threads and are based on the Zen 3 architecture. Both CPUs can be overclocked. However, the price tags are quite different. Thus, choosing between them can be tricky.
Specs
A look at the specs table will only confuse PC builders. The processors are pretty much identical. Both chips will draw up to 65W under the peak load. However, the 5600 has lower operating speeds. While the Ryzen 5 5600X has a base clock of 3.7 GHz, the 5600 clocks 200 MHz slower at 3.5 GHz.
Additionally, the boosted clock speeds have also been butchered by 200 MHz. While the best core in the 5600X can boost up to 4.6 GHz, the 5600 can only go up to 4.4 GHz.
Thus, it is safe to assume that the 5600 is built from lower-quality dies than the 5600X. Some cores can't naturally boost up to 4.4 GHz. Instead of throwing these cores away, the company has repurposed them for a budget offering. This brings the price of the Ryzen 5 5600 down.
Performance difference
Since the Ryzen 5 5600X and the 5600 are based on similar DNA, it's no surprise that the chips are identical regarding performance. The synthetic benchmarks reveal that the Ryzen 5 5600 non-X is only about 1% slower than the costlier variant. This difference is spotted across single-core and multi-core performances.
In video games, we see a similar trend being repeated. The Ryzen 5 5600 gets very close to the Ryzen 5 5600X and even scores identical in some titles. However, in most games, there is a maximum difference of up to 1%.
Thus, gamers can opt for the Ryzen 5 5600 and still get away with a similarly performing system. The 5600 was initially launched for a budget audience. While the 5600X would have cost gamers $300, the cheaper chip was priced at just $199. Be that as it may, pricing trends have changed in recent months.
The Ryzen 5 5600X can be bought for just $170. In comparison, the 5600 is listed for $130 on Newegg. Both chips offer tremendous value for money. Spending $40 for an extra 1% performance doesn't make sense for most gamers.
Those with extra cash to spend on their gaming rigs should opt for the Core i5 12400F or the Core i5 13400F, which sell for around $151 and $199, respectively. Both of these processors are more powerful than the Ryzen 5 5600X.
