Ryzen 9 3900X vs Ryzen 5 3600

VS

Aggregate performance score

Ryzen 5 3600
2019
6 cores / 12 threads, 65 Watt
11.17
Ryzen 9 3900X
2019
12 cores / 24 threads, 105 Watt
20.53
+83.8%

Ryzen 9 3900X outperforms Ryzen 5 3600 by an impressive 84% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing Ryzen 5 3600 and Ryzen 9 3900X processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking702275
Place by popularity8not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation22.8121.73
Market segmentDesktop processorDesktop processor
SeriesAMD Ryzen 5AMD Ryzen 9
Power efficiency16.2615.54
Architecture codenameMatisse (2019−2020)Matisse (Zen 2) (2019−2020)
Release date7 July 2019 (5 years ago)7 July 2019 (5 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$199$499

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

Ryzen 5 3600 has 5% better value for money than Ryzen 9 3900X.

Detailed specifications

Ryzen 5 3600 and Ryzen 9 3900X basic parameters such as number of cores, number of threads, base frequency and turbo boost clock, lithography, cache size and multiplier lock state. These parameters indirectly say of CPU speed, though for more precise assessment you have to consider their test results.

Physical cores6 (Hexa-Core)12 (Dodeca-Core)
Threads1224
Base clock speed3.6 GHz3.8 GHz
Boost clock speed4.2 GHz4.6 GHz
L1 cache384 KB768 KB
L2 cache3 MB6 MB
L3 cache32 MB (shared)64 MB
Chip lithography7 nm, 12 nm7 nm, 12 nm
Maximum core temperatureno data95 °C
Number of transistors4,800 million19,200 million
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility++
Unlocked multiplier++

Compatibility

Information on Ryzen 5 3600 and Ryzen 9 3900X compatibility with other computer components: motherboard (look for socket type), power supply unit (look for power consumption) etc. Useful when planning a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. Note that power consumption of some processors can well exceed their nominal TDP, even without overclocking. Some can even double their declared thermals given that the motherboard allows to tune the CPU power parameters.

Number of CPUs in a configuration1 (Uniprocessor)1 (Uniprocessor)
SocketAM4AM4
Power consumption (TDP)65 Watt105 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Ryzen 5 3600 and Ryzen 9 3900X. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

AES-NI++
AVX++
Precision Boost 2++

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Ryzen 5 3600 and Ryzen 9 3900X are enumerated here.

AMD-V++

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Ryzen 5 3600 and Ryzen 9 3900X. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR4 Dual-channelDDR4 Dual-channel
Maximum memory size128 GB128 GB
Max memory channels22
Maximum memory bandwidth51.196 GB/s51.196 GB/s

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card--

Synthetic benchmark performance

Various benchmark results of the processors in comparison. Overall score is measured in points in 0-100 range, higher is better.


Combined synthetic benchmark score

This is our combined benchmark performance rating. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly.

Ryzen 5 3600 11.17
Ryzen 9 3900X 20.53
+83.8%

Passmark

Passmark CPU Mark is a widespread benchmark, consisting of 8 different types of workload, including integer and floating point math, extended instructions, compression, encryption and physics calculation. There is also one separate single-threaded scenario measuring single-core performance.

Ryzen 5 3600 17742
Ryzen 9 3900X 32613
+83.8%

GeekBench 5 Single-Core

GeekBench 5 Single-Core is a cross-platform application developed in the form of CPU tests that independently recreate certain real-world tasks with which to accurately measure performance. This version uses only a single CPU core.

Ryzen 5 3600 1614
Ryzen 9 3900X 1710
+5.9%

GeekBench 5 Multi-Core

GeekBench 5 Multi-Core is a cross-platform application developed in the form of CPU tests that independently recreate certain real-world tasks with which to accurately measure performance. This version uses all available CPU cores.

Ryzen 5 3600 6912
Ryzen 9 3900X 9939
+43.8%

Cinebench 15 64-bit multi-core

Cinebench Release 15 Multi Core is a variant of Cinebench R15 which uses all the processor threads.

Ryzen 5 3600 1568
Ryzen 9 3900X 3049
+94.5%

Cinebench 15 64-bit single-core

Cinebench R15 (standing for Release 15) is a benchmark made by Maxon, authors of Cinema 4D. It was superseded by later versions of Cinebench, which use more modern variants of Cinema 4D engine. The Single Core version (sometimes called Single-Thread) only uses a single processor thread to render a room full of reflective spheres and light sources.

Ryzen 5 3600 192
Ryzen 9 3900X 207
+7.8%

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 11.17 20.53
Recency 7 July 2019 7 July 2019
Physical cores 6 12
Threads 12 24
Power consumption (TDP) 65 Watt 105 Watt

Ryzen 5 3600 has 61.5% lower power consumption.

Ryzen 9 3900X, on the other hand, has a 83.8% higher aggregate performance score, and 100% more physical cores and 100% more threads.

The Ryzen 9 3900X is our recommended choice as it beats the Ryzen 5 3600 in performance tests.


Should you still have questions on choice between Ryzen 5 3600 and Ryzen 9 3900X, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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AMD Ryzen 5 3600
Ryzen 5 3600
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
Ryzen 9 3900X

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Community ratings

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Questions & comments

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