[SOLVED] Ryzen 5 3600 or 5600x for 1440p gaming?

poorbugger

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I've been trying to get my hands on the 5600x for months now but i cant. The last seen price of the 5600x was 350usd in my country while i can get the 3600 for 190usd. Is the 5600x worth it if im playing on 1440p? I have the rtx 3070 already but currently no cpu whatsoever.
 
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I've been trying to get my hands on the 5600x for months now but i cant. The last seen price of the 5600x was 350usd in my country while i can get the 3600 for 190usd. Is the 5600x worth it if im playing on 1440p? I have the rtx 3070 already but currently no cpu whatsoever.
3600's are still perfectly good gaming CPU's even when paired with a 6800 or 3080 and especially at 1440p. In fact, there's no practical difference in frame rates at 1440p and up.(EDIT: wrong video)

The main problem is their price as that's come back up in recent weeks so $US190 seems a good price. If it should go back up in your area I can expect 3600's will only drop back down as 5600's get more numerous in the marketplace. It's really your...
I've been trying to get my hands on the 5600x for months now but i cant. The last seen price of the 5600x was 350usd in my country while i can get the 3600 for 190usd. Is the 5600x worth it if im playing on 1440p? I have the rtx 3070 already but currently no cpu whatsoever.
3600's are still perfectly good gaming CPU's even when paired with a 6800 or 3080 and especially at 1440p. In fact, there's no practical difference in frame rates at 1440p and up.(EDIT: wrong video)

The main problem is their price as that's come back up in recent weeks so $US190 seems a good price. If it should go back up in your area I can expect 3600's will only drop back down as 5600's get more numerous in the marketplace. It's really your choice how much you want to pay for no practical difference in 1440p fps.

In general, the 'best cpu' for gaming is not very relevant and hasn't been, really since 2nd gen Zen processors. That because it's only significant on even the best GPU's at super high frame rate gaming (e-sport type games, think Rocket League and PUBG) and generally at low resolutions (1080p). Even then slim enough margins separating the top FPS 'scores' (150 vs 180fps) make it unnoticeable to all but the most selective of 'golden eye' players. The top processors are close enough that being crowned 'best cpu' is only a title and a marketing ploy.

To me what's more important was how it brought down the price of high-end CPU's to make it affordable to the average gamer. So seeing how Zen3's been taken over by scalper's charging premiums is really sad.
 
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poorbugger

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3600's are still perfectly good gaming CPU's even when paired with a 6800 or 3080 and especially at 1440p. In fact, there's no practical difference in frame rates at 1440p and up.

The main problem is their price as that's come back up in recent weeks so $US190 seems a good price. If it should go back up in your area I can expect 3600's will only drop back down as 5600's get more numerous in the marketplace. It's really your choice how much you want to pay for no practical difference in 1440p fps.

In general, the 'best cpu' for gaming is not very relevant and hasn't been, really since 2nd gen Zen processors. That because it's only significant on even the best GPU's at super high frame rate gaming (e-sport type games, think Rocket League and PUBG) and generally at low resolutions (1080p). Even then slim enough margins separating the top FPS 'scores' (150 vs 180fps) make it unnoticeable to all but the most selective of 'golden eye' players. The top processors are close enough that being crowned 'best cpu' is only a title and a marketing ploy.

To me what's more important was how it brought down the price of high-end CPU's to make it affordable to the average gamer. So seeing how Zen3's been taken over by scalper's charging premiums is really sad.
But that's against zen 2 cpus no? I think the 5600x wins even ryzen 7 or ryzen 9 in gaming.
 
Dec 30, 2020
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I've been trying to get my hands on the 5600x for months now but i cant. The last seen price of the 5600x was 350usd in my country while i can get the 3600 for 190usd. Is the 5600x worth it if im playing on 1440p? I have the rtx 3070 already but currently no cpu whatsoever.
3600's are still perfectly good gaming CPU's even when paired with a 6800 or 3080 and especially at 1440p. In fact, there's no practical difference in frame rates at 1440p and up.

The main problem is their price as that's come back up in recent weeks so $US190 seems a good price. If it should go back up in your area I can expect 3600's will only drop back down as 5600's get more numerous in the marketplace. It's really your choice how much you want to pay for no practical difference in 1440p fps.


Hello everyone!

@poorbugger the answer is simple. At this price point go now for the Ryzen 5 3600 for 190-200$. The Bang for the buck is real. But if you can wait a bit, then go later for the 5600x. But now it's too expensive with very very less performance-gain as you would expect. Especially at 1440p you can expect to see no real difference, expect in your wallt. :D
 
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But that's against zen 2 cpus no? I think the 5600x wins even ryzen 7 or ryzen 9 in gaming.
3600's are Zen 2 CPU's and the performance margin is still very small. Check out that linked video...it answers your question.

And the point is, 'winning' is often times misleading as the winning margin is usually so slight it's not going to be noticed. You can often times simply tweak and tune your memory overclock to make up for any difference. In fact, it's probably to your advantage to go with the 3600 CPU along with better memory for 3600 memory speed.
 
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Indeed is worth to wait a bit until Zen 3 CPUs (5xxxX) for appropriate price will appear again. Or you can purchase 3600 and then sell it later.

Most important, you must have proper PSU, motherboard and RAM as well (and exact in this order). Since you are bargaining around 3600, get B550 board with good VRM too and forget about X570. Best B550s are better for budget anyway and without that little annoying chipset cooler.
 

poorbugger

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3600's are Zen 2 CPU's.

I don't exactly understand your point: Ryzen 5 are 6 core, Ryzen 7 are 8 core and Ryzen 9 are 12 & 16 core CPU's. 5's and 7's come in Zen1, Zen1.5, Zen 2, and Zen 3 generations, 9's only in Zen 2 and Zen 3.

And 'winning' is often times misleading as the winning margin is usually so slight it's not going to be noticed. You can often times simply tweak and tune your memory overclock to make up for any difference.
I'm sorry if i didnt explain it well. Im well aware of the ryzen models and cores. What i meant is in the video that you showed me is that the ryzen 5 3600 is going up against the ryzen 9 3950x where they're both zen 2 cpus. In this video
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxZcPl2OTrM

The ryzen 5 3600 is compared as the ryzen 5 5600x at 1440p and there's a difference. I'm new to 144hz gaming because the monitor jsut arrived and i havent used it yet for gaming. So in the cold wars benchmark, there's a difference and in this video too.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTUqd0SUIgI

I'm not talking about games like rainbow six siege where it's 300 fps vs 300fps. I'm talking about games like far cry where 3600 was averaging 100 fps and 5600x pulled ahead by 120fps. Will i feel the lag if i'm playing at 100fps compared to 120fps on my 144hz monitor?
 

poorbugger

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Indeed is worth to wait a bit until Zen 3 CPUs (5xxxX) for appropriate price will appear again. Or you can purchase 3600 and then sell it later.

Most important, you must have proper PSU, motherboard and RAM as well (and exact in this order). Since you are bargaining around 3600, get B550 board with good VRM too and forget about X570. Best B550s are better for budget anyway and without that little annoying chipset cooler.
I already have everything bought except for the cpu. The price of the zen3 in my country is going to be at 350usd. That's the msrp here so it wont go anywhere lower than that.
 
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I'm not talking about games like rainbow six siege where it's 300 fps vs 300fps. I'm talking about games like far cry where 3600 was averaging 100 fps and 5600x pulled ahead by 120fps. Will i feel the lag if i'm playing at 100fps compared to 120fps on my 144hz monitor?

Probably not... I don't notice any lag in my setup and I'm freesyncing a 144hz monitor with a 3700x. What games are you playing? Triple A type games generally don't need over 60fps to play extremely well, with no lagging even in heavy scenes/areas. I play games like Witcher 3 and Ghost Recon BP in Ultra settings at 1440p, no lagging, ever. I usually lock my games at 60fps just to keep my GPU from skyrocketing temps and screaming the fans LOL.

FarCry is also notorious for AMD processors as it's Intel friendly. Zen 3 did improve things, but it's still a poor comparison point unless it's absolutely your game. And still yet: 100fps will probably be unnoticeable in that game since it's a AAA title and not a fast paced e-sport shooter.

btw...i linked the wrong video. buggers. i have to find the right one now, but your two are probably pretty close to telling the story but pay attention to the games they test. The margins are just not that big since it's the GPU at 1440p that's going to be the limit to performance.
 
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Dec 30, 2020
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I cannot speak for everyone here, because first i look for the price mark-up. Paying around 200-300 $ for 5-20 fps more (depending on which game) is not really smart.
BUT i would see the difference. I am having 144hz for about 2 years now and i have a 60hz monitor next to it for simple work.
And for me every game lower than 120 fps is feeling clunky and a bit laggy. But if i had to choose 100fps for 300 or even 200$ less, then i would do it.
And if you really want a performance gain and Money is not a question then get yourself an 5900x or 5950x, OC it to the space with custom watercooling and an rtx3090 fine.
If that's what you are looking for.

But at a reasonable point, there is simply said no gain fo the buck going for the 5600x. It's simply because it's too expensive. If it would be a 50-120$ difference, than i would say go for it. But not more. and paying now around 500$ for this little performance gain is simply not worth it.
 
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But at a reasonable point, there is simply said no gain fo the buck going for the 5600x. It's simply because it's too expensive. If it would be a 50-120$ difference, than i would say go for it. But not more. and paying now around 500$ for this little performance gain is simply not worth it.

Can't agree more with the above. Also, take the money saved and put it on 16GB of good, low latency and fast 3600 memory to probably yield just as much improvement for in-game lagging. Ryzen loves fast, low-latency memory.

And one other thing: availability and price gouging for Ryzen processors right now has, ironically, put Intel in the position of 'value leader' in the market place. So if you've not got the motherboard yet, there's also something to consider.
 
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Can't agree more with the above. Also, take the money saved and put it on 16GB of good, low latency and fast 3600 memory to probably yield just as much improvement for in-game lagging. Ryzen loves fast, low-latency memory.

And one other thing: availability and price gouging for Ryzen processors right now has, ironically, put Intel in the position of 'value leader' in the market place. So if you've not got the motherboard yet, there's also something to consider.
Yup i see it just like @drea.drechsler. i simply got my hands on a cheap asus rog strix x570-e gaming board and and the normal price rx 6800xt and thought "Okay full AMD" and because my last AMD was an old Phenom, but otherwise i would now consider looking into Intel. But only if the processor has to be "now". Later the market will get stable again and amd will again be the value leader.
 

poorbugger

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Hey guys thanks for the replies. There's some good news and bad news. The ryzen 5 3600 price rose up to 250usd while the ryzen 5 5600x was in stock for for 350usd. I got the ryzen 5 5600x instead for more future proof because i dont want to have buyer's remorse later. So all there is now is to wait for the cpu to arrive
 
Hey guys thanks for the replies. There's some good news and bad news. The ryzen 5 3600 price rose up to 250usd while the ryzen 5 5600x was in stock for for 350usd. I got the ryzen 5 5600x instead for more future proof because i dont want to have buyer's remorse later. So all there is now is to wait for the cpu to arrive
And another case of fate having it's say your affairs LOL.
 

poorbugger

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I guess an update here. God i swear i have the worst luck ever lmao. The order that i placed down for the 5600x was cancelled by the seller due to the reason of out of stock. Now they're back in stock for 500usd LOL so i think this is a no brainer and i ended up getting the 3600 instead for 230usd. I hope i didnt make a bad buy :(.
 
Not bad AFAIK. For medium settings in new resource hungry games and high settings in older ones 3600 will be fine. In such circumstances I would search for 3600X. Got one for my nephew for 185€ because of teared packaging box in shop. Works amazingly in B550 board so far. However if you already ordered 3600, let it be. You can always upgrade to 5xxx CPU later when they will appear in stock again and prices will drop (I hope). Current prices (in January 2021) are nuts also here where I live.

5600X + RTX 3070 at 1440p must be a bomb. 5800X with even RTX 2060 Super at 1440p in high/ultra settings give 80...110 FPS (tried Far Cry 5, Borderlands 3, Mass Effect Andromeda and The Outer Worlds so far). Maybe e-sports gurus will disapprove, but for casual FPS single play it is awesome.