AMD Ryzen 5 5600X Review

Introduction

We’ve barely recovered from the sledgehammer display put forwards by the latest Ryzen 9 CPUs when it’s time to catch our breath a little bit and look at a processor which will fit into more people’s budgets. Indeed the previous six core Ryzen CPUs have positively flown off the shelves and found their way into a myriad of systems with their blend of performance and pricing, perfect for a gaming system.

It’s fair to say that gaming was a big focal point for AMD with the newest Ryzen CPUs, given that it was probably the one weak spot in the first and second generation of Ryzen processors, eliminated greatly with the 3rd generation – especially with the newest iteration of the Agesa controller – and we already know that the single threaded performance of these 5000 series processors is outstanding, so the Ryzen 5 5600X should prove to polish out the only edge that Intel had. 

But there is only one way to find out.

Technical Specifications

Having just looked at the flagship models in the new Ryzen range it’s time to look at a processor which will find its way into significantly more systems than its big sisters, the Ryzen 5 5600X. With 6 cores, 12 threads and a price tag just under the three hundred pounds mark, it’s definitely the meat of the new AMD processors. We all dream of owning a 5950X, but the realities of cooling it and taking full advantage of it with the rest of your hardware means everything needs to be beefier, and thus more expensive. The Ryzen 5 though is priced perfectly for a good gaming rig.

If you’re interested in the changes that have gone on under the hood then you can consult our Ryzen 9 review for the nitty gritty, but as we’ve many results to get through before we hit the games ones, let’s do it to it.