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The AMD Ryzen 5 3500X is a mid-range six-core budget processor from the Zen 2 lineup. The chip has already been replaced by faster options in the Ryzen 5000 and Ryzen 7000 series. However, thanks to multiple price cuts, the processor now represents a solid value proposition worth considering.
Since the 3500X is based on the aging 7nm Zen 2 architecture, it has its share of caveats. For starters, the single-core performance of the 3500X isn't at par with some of the latest budget six-core processors in the market. Moreover, the chip doesn't feature some of the latest technologies like hyperthreading.
Let's go over what the 3500X offers today and try to find out whether it's worth the cash in 2023.
What generation is the AMD Ryzen 5 3500X?
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The AMD Ryzen 5 3500X is from the third-generation of Ryzen chips. This is depicted by the '3' at the beginning of its alphanumeric moniker. The processor is based on the 7nm Zen 2 architecture that first debuted back in 2019.
Although most of the chips based on this technology have already been discontinued, some budget offerings like the 3500X and the 3300X continue to be stocked at leading retailers at cut-down prices.
AMD Ryzen 5 3500X 6-core processor Price
The AMD Ryzen 5 3500X was initially introduced as a China-only CPU. However, it has debuted in the global markets recently. Currently, the boxed processor with the Wraith Stealth air cooler is selling for $114.99 on Newegg.
The trayed 3500X, which is just the chip with no packaging, is selling for just $64.99, making it a deal not worth missing. However, do note that trayed chips aren't backed by an official warranty. You'll have to reach out to the seller for coverage.
AMD Ryzen 5 3500X Specs
The AMD Ryzen 5 3500X is a six-core and six-threaded processor based on the Zen 2 architecture. It uses a phased-out TSMC 7nm FinFET tech. The chip has a base clock of 3.6 GHz and can boost up to 4.1 GHz.
The detailed specs of the 3500X chip are listed below:
AMD Ryzen 5 3500X benchmark
The AMD Ryzen 5 3500X's performance is nearly close to other budget six-core Zen 2 processors like the AMD Ryzen 5 3600. The 3500X is much slower than the Ryzen 5 5500, a newer Zen 3 chip that replaced it and it loses big time to the Core i3 12100 and the 13100 in single-core performance. This is indicative of framerates in video games as well.
Below is a list of performance of the chips in the Geekbench 5 benchmark:
Therefore, only opt for the 3500X if you're building a budget gaming rig with a low-power graphics card like a Radeon RX 580 or Intel Arc A750. The chip is far from the latest and fastest offerings in the market and will disappoint with the latest graphics cards like the RTX 4060 and AMD RX 7600 installed in a gaming rig.
Is AMD Ryzen 5 3500X better than AMD Ryzen 5 3600X?
The AMD 3500X and 3600X are both based on the Zen 2 architecture and share a bunch in common. Their similar naming can make choosing between the processors a bit difficult.
Below is a list of performance figures logged in a couple of synthetic benchmarks on both the 3500X and the 3600X:
Although the chips are quite close to each other in terms of single-core performance, the gap is large in multi-core workloads. This is because the 3600X supports hyper-threading and has 12 threads instead of the six on the 3500X. This makes it a much better chip for rigs that double up as a gaming rig.
Therefore, choose depending on what you'll use your PC for. If gaming is your only priority and you have budget constraints, the 3500X is the best option.
Else, we recommend opting for the newer Core i3 13100 instead of the 3600X. For about the same money, you can get way more performance with the Intel chip.
