27.7.2019

Update 20th January 2020:I upgraded to a 3900x. I've been using it for a couple of weeks and l'm loving it. A few things to note for those of you Ryzen 3rd Gen. users and prospective buyers:1. Voltage offset is your friend. In my case and with my specific MOBO (Asus C6H - x370) the different Ryzen CPUs I had (3600x, 3700x and now 3900x) behaved in the same way:- High voltage at idle up to 1.5V- (Thus) 'high' idle temps: around 37-45ºC- Around 1.2-1.3V at load, temps around 60ºC (ranging from 55 to 65ºC on a Corsair H150i Pro, quiet pump and all fans spinning around 800 RPMs).I don't care what "Robert" from AMD says and I surely don't trust him; I trust the numbers I get on my PC. So,if you want a quieter, more efficient, longer lasting (probably) Ryzen 3rd. Gen. CPU, I advise to go the 'voltage offset' route. Personally, I have my chip set to -1.0V so the 3900x never has more than 1.4V fed to it (I did the same on the 3700x; l actually had this CPU with a 1.250V undervolt and it did just as good as stock. I haven't tried to go so 'low' on voltage on the 3900x yet. I bet it'll work just fine, but until I try it I won't know for certain). I have run benchmarks (games, Cinebench) and I get slightly better results with the offset voltage. YMMV.2. If you want a totally silent PC experience (and have the appropriate components you'll need for it), I suggest you set a fan curve where fans won't spin up until the CPU reaches 62-63ºC AND you set the fans to have around 3 to 5 seconds response delay (you can actually set normal fan curves as long as you have a 5 seconds response delay. Just observe the CPU behavior and you'll understand the *rational for this).*This is all about trying to get around the 'low usage' and 'high voltage' Ryzen 3rd. Gen. behavior. Open an app and it'll boost up to its max., having the voltage fed to it to its max., too. This causes the temps to go much higher than at idle but just for literally a couple/few seconds. I've noticed the CPU won't care whether my fans are spinning at 2000 or 700 RPMs: it will still reach such temps. and settle there.Thus, the way to go is what l mentioned above. That way, your fans won't bother what the CPU is doing and will only spin up when the CPU truly needs it (beyond 62-63ºC). Funny enough that will hardly ever happen (almost never in my system) as, unless you don't have the appropriate airflow, your 3rd Gen. Ryzen CPU will hardly go beyond the aforementioned temps. Sure enough, again, your temps will vary according to the airflow in your case and ambient temps.3. I don't think l have noticed a significant improvement when going from the 3600x to the 3700x and then to the 3900x (as expected). All these CPUs are pretty snappy and a joy to use (once it's all properly configured). Unless you have a workload that requires more than 6 cores OR you are an enthusiast like me who gets thrilled just by thinking you have a 12 cores and 24 threads CPU, you're probably better off with the 3600 (even the non x).If you aren't planning to change the CPU until 3 years or beyond (and you like gaming) l'd probably buy the 3700x. Games like Battlefield V do use those 8 cores and even 12! I've seen "BV" using 54% of the 3900x (that's using those 12 cores fully and some of one thread) and I see up to 64% usage when 'loading' the game "COD MW 2019" or the next level. That is insane.If you aren't a gamer, an enthusiast and/or you won't utilize applications that take advantage of extra cores, then, really, go and get a 3400G. It's an excellent CPU (on daily, 'normal' usage you wouldn't notice a big difference between that one and the 3900x. Of course there is a difference, but not the one you may have in mind; not a 4 VS 12 cores difference.I got a 3400G for my wife and she can't be happier. Mind you, l would've gotten her the best available in the market had l thought a difference was to be found (for her PC usage). The 3400G will save you money (cheaper, no GPU needed, less powerful PSU required... even the electricity bill will be cheaper... ;-)Girls and boys, if you have questions, down in the comments. I hope this helps!Update 1st October 2019:I switched to a 3700x. The only difference l notice between the 3600x and the 3700x is when looking at MSI Afterburner OSD overlay while playing Battlefield V. Now, CPU usage is a lot less than before. If you're just a gamer you should be more than fine with the 3600x, l surely was. It just that seeing that high CPU usage while playing BV was bugging me (YMMV, as ever).The 3700x at stock (PBO off) is hitting advertised clocks in most cores. More importantly, idle voltage and temps are now settled after upgrading to BIOS 7501 (on an Asus C6H x370). I'm using Ryzen Balanced Windows Power Plan.So yeah, so far so good. Boy this's been a journey!I guess l'll now wait for an offer on the 3900x, not because l need it (not by any means!) but because l can and l am a PC enthusiast. Having 6 cores is good, 8 is great and 12 is awesome. 16 cores, l hear you say? Yeah, bring them on baby!Update 18th September 2019:- Upgraded to 5 STARS. At this price (I paid GBP 220, bought from Amazon), this CPU is amazing.- Added picture showing 2 cores reaching 4468MHz (HWinfo).- Waiting for BIOS update of 30th September.I continue being very happy with this CPU. It's snappy and fast. I have observed games like "Battlefield V" using it up to 90%. The game runs as smooth as you would want it (paired to a MSI RTX 2080 Gaming X Trio) and it's a joy to play.Now, my plan is to upgrade to a better Ryzen CPU next year and hopefully keep it for a few years (I'd buy an 8 cores minimum). If you buy a CPU having in mind to keep it for 3+ years, and you like playing games that utilize 8 or more cores if available (like "BV" does) then I would suggest you going for a 3700x instead. It'll be a better buy in that case scenario.Update (a week after purchase):I got into terms with this CPU and decided to keep it.After a week of daily usage l can tell this processor is faster and snappier than the one it’s replacing, a [email protected] only problem I found is the idle temperatures are ‘somehow’ hotter than the 1700x (even when OC). Basically, when idling, the 3600x temperature jumps from around 35°C all the way to 60-63°C. It is a strange, ‘restless’ behavior (see my system’s specs at the bottom).I have come into terms with this by readjusting the fans’ curve. In any case, the fans every now and then rev up to speeds they never reached before (past 2000Rpms in the case of the CPU fans when the latter occasionally reaches 73°C for a few seconds while loading a game). This happens rarely, but I’ve seeing it.In most cases, while gaming or stress testing, the CPU tends to sit at 60-63°C with an ambient temperature of around 20°C. For example, playing Battlefield V (3840x1200@120Hz), as you can see in the (lousy) uploaded pictures. I’d happily say this CPU is pretty cool under load.Another ‘weird’ thing I observed is the voltage. At idle, 1.4V; under load 1.3V. I think this is why the CPU is hot and jumpy when idling VS cooler and more stable under load. I researched online and found that the higher idle voltage is meant to ‘assist’ the 1-2 cores higher clock speed, whereas the lower voltage under load is because of the slower 6 clocks core speed.Speaking of clock speed, my processor has no problem reaching the advertised 4.4Ghz and even 4.450Ghz occasionally. While playing games it sits at 4.275-4.3Ghz, often speeding up to 4.375Ghz. I used “GPU Tweak II” to see the CPU’s behavior ‘while playing games’ and “HWmonitor” to monitor it in general.One thing to notice is the CPU cooler l’m using: an AIO 360mm Corsair H150i PRO with 3x Be Quiet Silent Wings 3 fans. Keep in mind your clock speed and you temps may vary when pairing the 3600x with a different, less efficient cooler.I’ll try to take and add new, more informative pictures when l have the time.All in all, if you’re coming from a 1700x/2700x or slower, I’d recommend the upgrade if you’re looking for a faster ‘Single Core (SC)’ speed and a snappier feeling when using the PC (e.g. opening programs, loading websites, etc.). (Bear in mind, around half a year ago I tried the 2700x on my rig but l sent it back due to not noticing any improvement compared to my 1700x.)I keep the 4 stars rating due to the 'weird idle behavior'. Otherwise this CPU would completely deserve 5 stars. Price to performance it is a 5 stars CPU.My rig:- 3600x- C6H (x370)- RTX 2080 Strix- Corsair H150i PRO (with 3x Be Quiet Silent Wings 3)- NVME Samsung 960 PRO- 3200Mhz – 16GB RAM – Corsair Dominator Platinum- EVGA T2 - 850w- Be Quiet Dark Base 900 Pro……………………………….(*As a side note and in order to help prospective buyers decide between this CPU and the 3700x.)If your usage is like mine (Word, 20+ tabs/two windows internet browsing, gaming AAA games, listening to music and watching movies) then this CPU will surely serve you very well. I would certainly also explore Intel options (specifically the 9700K if on offer).I’ve had an 8 cores CPU (the aforementioned 1700x) and trust me, if you want a fast, snappy feeling on your PC, you want high SC performance. Leave all those 8 cores for ‘video editors’ and other users of applications that utilize a high core/thread count.‘Future proofing,’ I hear you say? I laugh at that concept. My beloved 1700x bought in the best region of the world (Cambridge, Massachusetts) in May 2017 (yeah, I was a Zen early adopter) is already outdated by a 6 cores CPU, 2 years later. There is no ‘future proofing’ in technology. Now, if you can’t afford an upgrade every 2 years or you just don’t bother, then surely, aim at the best you can buy today. I would then pay the extra 80 GBP and get the 3700x because those extra 2 cores may come handy in the coming 4-5 years. If your PC usage is like mine and you’re like me in that you’re already thinking of the new Ryzen CPU (Zen 5?) then get this one and save those 80 GBP for the next Ryzen generation.‘Some games use 8 cores,’ you say. Well, check games benchmarks and tell me what the difference is: 5fps? 8fps in the best case scenario? Will you notice that? I surely won’t.……………………………….(Initial review.)I have mixed feelings about the 3600x.On one hand it 'feels' snappier and faster than my old and trusty 1700x (even when OC to 3.9Ghz), on the other hand the 3600x runs hotter when idling.My PC was silent until upgrading to the 3600x. I can now hear the 3x Be Quiet Silent Wings 3 fans revving up (installed on a 360mm AIO Corsair 150i PRO) at idle. Ambient temperature: 19°C.The CPU reaches the advertised speed and l have seen it surpassing it, too (see pictures attached). When all cores are in use it seats at 4.09 while aleatory changing the speed of 1 core to 4.124Mhz (when benchmarking Cinebench r15 MC).So far it gets 4 stars because it runs significantly hotter than the 1700x (3.9Ghz OC) at idle. When gaming (BV) it sits at around 63-65°C (see attached pictures) (Front door of my case opened, 3x 140mm Be Quiet Silent Wings 3 located at the case front running at full speed).Conclusion, after a few hours of testing (To be updated):- It feels snappier/faster than a 1700x (OC to 3.9Ghz) when opening programs and ‘normal usage’. This time it’s not only about ‘numbers’ (benchmarks) but you can ‘feel’ the difference.- It runs hotter than a 1700x (even when OC to 3.9Ghz).- Metro Exodus Benchmark: l get the very same results with the 3600x and the 1700x on this benchmark. I guess l’m GPU limited/bottlenecked (but just to say).One star off because of the temps at idle. l'll conduct further testing and come back to update this review in a week.

16.4.2021

Ever since the K5-166 landed in my pc all those years ago, I've loved the underdog. Even had a Cyrix at one point. The Phenom II gave me some good times. The A8, for all its flaws, did a splendid job with Linux Mint, Windows 8.1 (2018 unpatched and offline) and Debian KDE, apart from a long night or five tweaking screen tearing issues. Let's throw some power at it, I said. Let's wait months for the 3600 to come back into stock at a decent enough price. Let's assume that after 2 freaking years, the idle voltage and stock cooler malarkies, aided partially and unhelpfully by "AMD Robert", things have settled down...Nope. R5 3600, stock cooler, AsRock B450 Pro 4, and 2x8GB DDR4 3200 Crucial Ballistix.Added a WD550 NVMe drive... So far, I don't think anything I added was ever on a compatibility list for the board initially. The "Ready for 3xxx" label clearly added later on. Of course the drive didn't boot so an SSD made do alongside. Things all set up again - Mint 20.0 and Windows 8.1 (the old offline version purely for old games and apps that just don't work right anywhere else) - and benchmarks through Performance Test began... And ended as I watched the reported CPU temperature fly into the 80s and reach 90c within a couple of minutes. I checked everything was attached, no problems there....Days later, armed with thermal paste, along with voltage offset, memory timing and fan curve knowledge, along with the eco mode (60w PPT) on the board, I got something workable. I wasn't hitting specs on all cores with the stock cooler and I didn't expect anything different but that temperature was INSANE to start with. I ended up with -50mV offset, the right memory timings, eco mode enabled and that was it. I extended the tests and watched the temperature reach the high 70s after half an hour, so that stock cooler needs to GO. That loses a star in my opinion, it's utterly useless and after 2 years, the fact a substandard cooler is still supplied says a lot really... Two decades and this one has to be the most awkward CPU I have dealt with. The board got its BIOS updates which changed nothing. This CPU would be better off cooler-free and cheaper.So, that was the crusty part of the whole shebang... And I haven't even got to pushing it in games yet. However, the performance test results were a little surprising. I'd let one medium pass go before freaking out at the temps before I changed the offsets, timings and power limiter. The results I got after applying all the limits and changes was rather surprising. Single thread went up about 9%, multithread up about 3%. Ran the tests several times, pretty much the same results... How on earth did limiting and lowering settings make it run BETTER??? Confusing as it seems to me, it's running much better now.Shame about that horrible stock cooler, which is probably the reason for the bizarre benchmarks. But the PPT never goes over 60w, the temps mid to late 70s at worst under full loads and now I'm having fun with OC'ing the video card... Damn you, AMD, for making me geek again.

29.7.2020

So I've been into overclocking CPU's for many years... about 18 of them in fact. Ever since the original AMD Thunderbird 1.2Ghz... that ran at a whopping 1.6Ghz... a 33% overclock.These days I don't push them so hard. I tweak to get the best performance at the lowest power possible... the Ryzen 1xxx and 2xxx series... not great for that. My other 2600X can't do more than 4Ghz all core at all... just 400Mhz increase and the voltages needed to be fixed at 1.35vBut these new Zen 2 CPU's... what an improvement. Far greater power delivery and lower power use.So I spent many days/week dialing in the best overclock. Stock this thing is 3.9Ghz with a single core boost up to 4.5Ghz.but the voltage requirements was all over the place when left on auto... and that meant heat. Idle temps would be 25ºC above ambient in a case with great airflow (Corsair CrystalX680 with 8 corsair ML fans (4x 140mm and 4x 120mm) and a H115i AIO. Under stress testing this would hit around 80ºCSo a tweaking I would go.The results are pretty dam good... I've got a 4.4Ghz ALL CORE boost whilst lowering the voltages to just 1.23v... well, below stock... and will go lower... I had a 4Ghz all core clock at just 1.17v just to see how low I could take it.Now some may think... but that's below the 4.5Ghz boost clock.,.. yes... but that boost clock is for 1 core only... Mine is across ALL 8.If you try to use PBO, or try to set the best core to run higher... it down clocks the rest of the cores on that chiplet... leading to an overall lower performance. plus you need more volts to go higher and that means heat. So to get a single core to 4.6Ghz, It need 1.3v and the other 3 cores dropped to 4.1Ghz... a net gain of 200 on one core, whilst a net loss of 600mhz on the other 3... that doesn't make sense... and I'm simplifying it to make it easier to understand. the gain you get in single thread tasks... doesn't outweigh the larger gains you get in multi threaded ones.So at 4.4Ghz all core @ 1.23v... Ambient temps are 17-18ºC above ambient, whilst dropping the fan profile from normal to quiet. An average reduction of 7ºC. Stress testing is now around 60-64ºC... or roughly 16-20ºC COOLER.Normal day to day use... I've seen idle temps as low as 35-36ºC, but the average is 40ºC as it's a little warmer and the average temp in my home office is low 20's most days.Just keep an eye on pricing... Now the XT variants are out... they seem to be better binned CPU's... but are only averaging an extra 100-200Mhz whilst costing a lot more... and these have dropped in price now, making them better value. I think they're about £40 cheaper than they were when I bought it.I was originally going to get the 3900X... but the extra £100 for those extra cores... well, it was a little bit of overkill for gaming and some light video editing. 8/16 cores/threads will keep me going for years to come... and with an X570 motherboard. I'm fully prepared for future upgrades to Zen 3 and 4.

22.2.2021

I got this processor to replace my i5-9400F because I wanted to handle multitasking, resource-heavy scenarios and video production work and so far it's just absolutely demolished any task I've thrown at it, at base clock speed without so much as turning on AMD's automatic overclocking.I've played games and recorded them at Twitch-compatible bitrates (x264 encoding up to 8,000kbps CBR) with a camera and leap motion doing face and hand tracking at the same time and it laughs at the workload. I've played games recording 1080p and 1440p video at CRF14 (variable bit rate ranging from 30 thousand to over 50 thousand kbps) on x264 fast, or 1080/30fps console footage at the same CRF on x264 slow (i.e.

28.5.2020

My original plan was to upgrade an old i5 machine with a cheap i7/motherboard bundle off eBay but then the lock-down hit and these bundles that you could get for around a ton were now selling for more than double. No value there any more. So, looked at new and this CPU seemed to offer the best price to performance ratio out there. It would need a new motherboard and RAM but it still seemed to make sense. There was some initial debate between getting this or the 3600x but for another fifty quid, it didn't really seem worth it for another 200MHz.Now, this CPU is fast. Compared to the old i5 it replaced, chalk and cheese.

16.8.2019

So, starting this review off I've been using my Ryzen 5 3600 for a few weeks on my Asus ROG STRIX x470-f motherboard with Corsair Vengeance LPX 3200mhz DDR4(2X8GB) I've had no issues at all with installation or even getting up and running - besides for the hour of fresh OS install as recommended when changing hardware.First off the installation to the board itself couldn't be easier, drivers and software is all in one handy zipped file on the AMD Support page, one click and a restart and that's it. I like experimenting a little with Ryzen Master and squeezing a little more performance out of it - conveniently on the new version of RM, there's actually a 'Precision Boost' & 'Auto Overclocking'

22.4.2021

My rig specs:CPU: R5 3600 running at base speedMemory: 16GB Corsair LPX DDR4 RAM 3600 CL18Mobo: Asrock B450M Steel Legend Motherboard Bios P3.90GPU: RTX 2060 6GB (Non-S version)Cooler: Noctua NH-U12S Chromax Black, 120mm Single-Tower CPU CoolerCase: Cooler Master MasterBox TD500 Mesh white- ARGB PC CaseOS: Windows 10 64 Bit Build 19042 (20H2)Originally, I purchased the R5 5600X from Amazon along with the rest of my setup. However, due to a catastrophic mishap I managed to damage the CPU whilst also bricking my old Tomahawk motherboard, so I had to urgently purchase a replacement CPU (and mobo) as I'm working from home. So I came across an R5 3600 on another website for £150, so it was an instant purchase,

24.3.2021

First off I didn't pay the current asking price. Chip shortages have pushed all silicon up even older generations.I paid £360 for this chip (3900xt) but not here so this review will show as not verified.If you can get this chip, or the 3900x, for a decent price then I say go for it even with the current Ryzen 3rd gen 5000 series chips. They are better however bang per buck this chip is a monster. Shame applies to the 3900x.Cinebench R20 score are in the 7800 range.I used Clocktuner to tweak the chip slightly to give it more oomph with less voltage. (also think about Dram calculator to tweak the memory).On the subject of memory, make sure you get 3600mhz or 3733mhz,

25.4.2020

Coming over from an intel i7 4790k was a big move. But more on that throughout the review.Firstly when you receive the Ryzen it’s clear that AMD are pushing that “we’re cool” vibe. The box looks great, the marketing really pushes the envelope and it’s leagues in front of the boring Intel brand.Inside the box, “how they get it all in” I cant re-box, you get the wraith, Non-LED, the chip and some written blurb all well presented and secure, it has the usual authenticity and security attachments as standard.Installation is easy, beware the pins, if you damage those the chip is goosed. For those new to AMD you also need a board which can accommodate an AMD CPU.My board is the ASUS E570,

4.3.2021

The latest Ryzen 3000 processors (except APU models) differ from previous Ryzen generations in that they are no longer based on a single, large chip but use a multi-chip approach with smaller chips instead. Depending on the exact model there can be one (6 and 8-core models) or two (12 and 16-core models) actual CPU-Dies (CCD) on the package. Each processor also uses an I/O-Die (IOD), which contains things like the memory controller, PCIe controller, connections to the motherboard chipset and other functions. Because of this design change and the switch to a smaller 7nm manufacturing process, the heat distribution of the overall processor is much different from older 14nm and 12nm based single-chip Ryzen processors with a similar power draw.Depending on the exact CPU model,

13.1.2021

Rig: Air cooled 3700X, Gigabyte X570 motherboard, Corsair iCue 16GB DDR4 3200 MHz, M.2, Corsair iCue case, Asus RTX 2070 mini GPU, Corsair 650W PSUTested this build with Doom Eternal and Wolfenstein: Youngblood to see ray tracing in action. For HD video rendering, I used Sony (now Magix) Vegas v.15. The chosen CPU and GPU were purchased for their significantly lower power draw relative to similar or higher spec components in their respective ranges. The Ryzen 3700X has a 65w TDP (105w for the 3800X) and the Asus 2070 Dual Mini OC GPU 175w, which is 40w less than the average full length part. The 3700X can comfortably maintain 4.3 Ghz boost under load but only occasionally the full 4.4GHz top boost.

7.5.2020

So I bought the 3600 as a return to AMD after almost a decade with Intel. I'm not disappointed.I've upgraded from an Intel 4790k and whilst still a solid chip its time was up. My system was, I started to notice, struggle in a few little areas. Started being less 'smooth'. With the current aggressive pricing on the 3600 I decided to invest and then when the 4000 series comes out, I'll pick up a cheaper 3900x or something.To go with my 3600 I bought an MSI B450 Tomahawk Max, 16gb crucial Ballistix ram @ 3600 MHz and a new m.2 ssd. I reused my old case and seasonic psu. Unfortunately my Noctua U12s didnt have the correct bracket but more on that in a bit.So, using the stock cooler I set about installing and building it all.

24.8.2019

I had a 2200g before, i bought that waiting this CPU and the GPU prices to calm down. I calculated the differences between the two CPU (r3 2200g - 4core 3700MHz) and expected a good speedbump.But in the everyday use, all tasks where the 2200g (like a not too old i5) was struggling the r5 3600 is doing easy even often half of the CPU is sleeping :) I am not saying it worth to upgrade from 2600x, but it is somehow faster than it should be.I had 145 pts in CinebenchR15 sinle, now i have 200, and i did not expect this will be a new whole level.It can boost 4400MHz with auto overclock setting for moments (i did not try more yet, only found higher setting in the BIOS, not in Ryzen Master),

29.7.2020

I think this is what AMD intended Ryzen to be from the off, I have had the 1700X and the 2600 from previous gen. Both excellent in their own right and I learnt alot about Ryzen and it's likes and dislikes, So coming from the Ryzen 5 2600 I wasn't expecting miracles.I got them though, let me explain, on paper the Ryzen 5 3600 has a slightly higher all core boost and double the cache, thats it oh and smaller fab at 7nm. What ever trickey they have going on is working I get a solid 15-20% FPS boost in all current tiltes and a solid 1500-2000 point gain in Firestrike, not earth shattering I admit but when you factor in I sold my 2600 for £100 this 3600 cost me £54 at the time I bought it.

2.9.2020

I have built a number of PC's over the years but not for the last three and since then the technology has marched on considerably.This time I was building a PC for my wife who uses Photoshop and needed a reasonably powerful PC to use the program fully. As such I got back into the weeds and started the upgrade to my personal memory module.And I found that Ryzen CPU's from AMD are currently the overall choice for performance vs cost if most of the online reviews, Youtube videos and magazines are anything to go by. Given that most of these views are held by people with far better technical knowledge than I, this seemed to be the way forward.So, which CPU?As ever with unlimited funds one would simply pick the fastest at the highest cost.

AMD Ryzen 5 3600XT - Reviews

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