AMD Ryzen 5 7600X vs Ryzen 7 7700X: Which is the best gaming CPU?

Modified Jun 27, 2024 07:35 GMT

The Ryzen 5 7600X and the Ryzen 7 7700X are value-for-money mid-range CPUs (Image via AMD)

The AMD Ryzen 5 7600X and the Ryzen 7 7700X are some of the most powerful mid-range offerings from Team Red. They were launched to target the mainstream market back in 2022. Now, they have been handsomely discounted to a point where most budget rigs can easily sport one of them. With the new Ryzen 9000 series chips upcoming, prices can drop even further.

However, which is the better option — the six-core or the octa-core offering? Choosing between them can be a bit of a headache. In this article, we will dive into the specific details of the processors and try to dissect their value.

Note: Some aspects of this article are subjective and reflect the opinions of the writer

The Ryzen 5 7600X and Ryzen 7 7700X both offer significant gaming prowess

The AMD Ryzen 7 7700X is a capable eight-core gaming CPU (Image via AMD)

The Ryzen 5 7600X and the Ryzen 7 7700X are quite similar to each other. Both chips are designed for mid-range systems and have the best of the Zen 4 architecture to handle up to the flagship-grade RTX 4080 and 4090 video cards. Moreover, the multi-core performance of the chips is pretty competitive too. This makes them versatile CPUs for a wide range of systems.

Specs comparison

In terms of on-paper specs, the only difference between the 7600X and the 7700X is the core count and the maximum boost clock speeds. While the 7600X is based on six cores and 12 threads, the 7700X is an eight-core and 16-threaded chip.

Moreover, the 7700X boosts 100 MHz higher than the Ryzen 5. Besides this, you get the same 5nm chiplet-based Zen 4 architecture with either processor, 32 MB of L3 cache, and a similar 105W power budget.

Here is a detailed specs list of the chips:

	Ryzen 5 7600X	Ryzen 7 7700X
Architecture	5nm Zen 4	5nm Zen 4
Socket	AM5	AM5
Cores	6	8
Threads	12	16
Base clock	4.7 GHz	4.5 GHz
Boost clock	5.3 GHz	5.4 GHz
L3 cache	32 MB	32 MB
TDP	105W	105W

The Ryzen 5 7600X is currently selling for just $197.99 on Amazon. Meanwhile, the Ryzen 7 7700X is a bit costlier at $273. You can find the chips for even cheaper at sales and promotions.

Performance comparison

The AMD Ryzen 5 7600X is designed for enthusiast-grade budget gaming rigs (Image via AMD)

Both the Ryzen 5 7600X and Ryzen 7 7700X are high-performance chips that can easily handle gaming and productivity workloads without breaking a sweat.

In terms of synthetic performance, you can find little difference in single-core data, given they are based on a similar architecture. However, the two extra cores on the 7700X makes it a much better chip in multi-core workloads like video editing and rendering.

Below is a comparison of scores achieved by the two chips in some synthetic benchmarks like Cinebench R23 and Geekbench 6. We sourced the data from benchmark score aggregator website Nanoreview.

	AMD Ryzen 5 7600X	AMD Ryzen 7 7700X
Cinebench R23 single-core	1,969	2,026
Cinebench R23 multi-core	15,222	20,203
Geekbench 6 single-core	2,971	2,982
Geekbench 6 multi-core	14,142	15,962

In terms of gaming performance, the extra single-core performance of the Ryzen 7 7700X does give it a slight lead in some video games. However, for the most part, the performance achieved by the two chips is the same. Only when paired with a flagship-grade GPU will you notice a significant gap between the two.

Below is the framerates achieved by the CPUs in some of the latest video games. We sourced the data from the Benchmark for Gamers YouTube channel, who tested the chips with an RTX 3090 Ti.

	AMD Ryzen 5 7600X	AMD Ryzen 7 7700X
Spider-Man Remastered (1080p High)	167 FPS	178 FPS
F1 22 (1080p Medium)	338 FPS	339 FPS
Mountain & Blade II: Bannerlord (1080p Very High)	192 FPS	216 FPS
Far Cry 6 (1080p Ultra)	128 FPS	132 FPS
Valorant (1080p Medium)	1245 FPS	1246 FPS
Cyberpunk 2077 (1080p High)	125 FPS	115 FPS
Call of Duty: Warzone (1080p Ultra)	184 FPS	197 FPS
Fortnite (1080p Competitive)	439 FPS	446 FPS

AMD Ryzen 5 7600X vs Ryzen 7 7700X: Final verdict

Both the 7600X and the 7700X offer superb performance in the latest games. While the eight-core chip is a little faster in some titles, the difference isn't big enough to justify the $76 premium. I believe spending this money on a faster graphics card will unlock much higher framerates in video games.

The 7600X is enough for most gamers. Opting for this chip also means you can get away with a cheaper motherboard and cooler, all of which can go towards a better graphics card.

Check out other CPU comparisons from Sportskeeda: