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AMD Ryzen 5 5600 vs AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D

Researched, not hands-on tested.How we review ›

both judged against desktop processors at a similar price

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D scores 6.3/10 overall, ahead of the AMD Ryzen 5 5600 at 4.9/10.

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600 leads on efficiency.

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D leads on single-core performance, platform and integrated graphics.

They score the same on multi-core performance.

The biggest difference is integrated graphics, where the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D scores 5/10 to the AMD Ryzen 5 5600's 0/10.

AMD Ryzen 5 5600

4.9/10verdict: skip

The Ryzen 5 5600 is for builders who want a 6-core, 12-thread AM4 processor and already plan to fit a discrete graphics card. It suits general desktop use, development work and lighter homelab tasks on DDR4. It does not suit anyone who wants to build without a discrete graphics card.

Typically about £121.98 in the UK when we researched itCheck price at Amazon UK (opens in a new tab, affiliate link)

Affiliate link. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Details

AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D

AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D

6.3/10verdict: wait for deal

The Ryzen 7 9800X3D is for builders who want an 8-core AM5 processor with a large 96 MB L3 cache and a high boost clock. It suits a fast desktop or workstation more than a low-power always-on server, because AMD publishes no idle figure and owners report high temperatures under load. Buyers who need a media-encoding iGPU or lots of cores should check the specifications closely first.

Typically about £339.99 in the UK when we researched itCheck price at Amazon UK (opens in a new tab, affiliate link)

Affiliate link. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Details

Scores, criterion by criterion

CriterionWeightAMD Ryzen 5 5600AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D
Multi-core performance25%6/106/10
Single-core performance20%6/108/10
Efficiency20%6/105/10
Platform20%5/107/10
Integrated graphics15%0/105/10
Overall4.9/106.3/10

Specifications

SpecAMD Ryzen 5 5600AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D
Cores / threads6 cores / 12 threads, Zen 3 (Vermeer)8 cores / 16 threads
Base / boost clockBase 3.5 GHz, max boost up to 4.4 GHzBase 4.7 GHz, boost up to 5.2 GHz
SocketAM4AM5
TDP65W120 W default TDP
CacheL1 384 KB, L2 3 MB, L3 32 MB104 MB total (L2 8 MB, L3 96 MB)
Integrated graphicsNone; discrete graphics card requiredAMD Radeon Graphics, 2 graphics cores, 2200 MHz
Memory supportDDR4 only, 2 channels, up to 128 GB, UDIMM, up to 3200 MT/sDDR5, 2 memory channels, DDR5-5600 at 1 DIMM per channel and DDR5-3600 with 2 DIMMs per channel; maximum capacity listed as 192 GB by the shop page and 256 GB by the AMD support page

Strengths and weaknesses

AMD Ryzen 5 5600

  • + 6 cores and 12 threads on Zen 3
  • + Works with seven listed AM4 chipsets, including A520 and B550
  • + PCIe 4.0 and DDR4 memory up to 128 GB
  • − No integrated graphics; a discrete card is required
  • − DDR4 only, and ECC support is reported inconsistently
  • − Older AM4 boards may need a BIOS update first

Skip it if:

  • Anyone who wants to build without a discrete graphics card
  • Buyers who need confirmed ECC memory support
  • People wanting more than six cores for heavy parallel workloads
Read the full AMD Ryzen 5 5600 review ›

AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D

  • + Boost up to 5.2 GHz on Zen 5
  • + 96 MB L3 cache, 104 MB total
  • + PCIe 5.0, DDR5 and ECC with board support
  • − Owners report temperatures near 94 °C and loud fans
  • − No published idle power figure
  • − Hardware AV1/HEVC encode support not published

Skip it if:

  • Homelabbers who need hardware AV1 or HEVC encoding from the iGPU for Plex or Jellyfin.
  • Builders wanting a quiet, low-power always-on server who need a published idle power figure.
  • Anyone needing more than 8 cores for heavy parallel compiling, VMs or rendering.
Read the full AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D review ›

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