Question 3700x vs 5600x - the cheap option

DigDog

Lifer
Jun 3, 2011
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so ..
obviously i will be watching out for black friday deals, but with current prices, which option would you go for?
i am honestly trying to get as much upgrade for as little cash as i can, my 4670k is getting old.
3700x
1. would get mounted on a b450 board which is £60 instead of £99 for the 5600x
2. no concerns with needing to update bios
3. actually £20 cheaper
4. comes with Prism, not Spire
5. eight cores
5600x
1. slightly higher IPC

Am i missing anything?
 

Harry_Wild

Senior member
Dec 14, 2012
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I getting the 5700G myself! From reviews, it's great for doing internet surfing, streaming content off of services and other basic PC operations. Do not need a decrete video/graphics card. Using on a 300w PS.
 

Chicken76

Senior member
Jun 10, 2013
254
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The difference in IPC is not that small. You can think of the two as more or less equivalent in multithreaded performance, which is very telling.
I would get a decent X570 board and the 5600X. (I've built 10+ systems at work using the Asus Prime X570-P as well as my personal gaming machine) You get PCI-E 4.0 everywhere and an upgrade option to Zen3D. The price difference is too small to leave so much performance and future-proofing out.
If X570 is too expensive, then look for a decent B550 board (you're not missing that much to be honest. Only one PCI-E 4.0 M.2 slot vs 2/3 on X570 and only the main 16x PCI-E slot is 4.0 vs everything on X570). Don't know which board to recommend, so you'll have to do your own research here.
 

DrMrLordX

Lifer
Apr 27, 2000
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Really depends on your workload. But the 5600X is surprisingly close to the 3700x in MT performance, and it's quite a bit better in ST. For most use cases the 5600X will be the better chip. If all you do all day is loop CBR20 then yes, you will squeeze out slightly better scores with the 3700X. We're talking like 4500 vs 4800 MT scores, or thereabouts.
 

DigDog

Lifer
Jun 3, 2011
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well, i will primarily be playing previous-gen games at 1080p with eye candy turned off. i am fully aware that either - or even cheaper - CPU is fully capable of this, so my real-life concerns are:
1. how much is it gonna cost?
because im not into overclocking anymore and i sure aint playing BF2049 in 4k.
2. do i have to buy a new AIO ?
My coolermaster Nepton doesnt come with, or sell aftermarked AMD mounts.

short pause to say that i normally prefer Intel, i want to give AMD a try, and im not at all hyped by the e-cores of Alder Lake. Im *much* rather have 10 cores than 8 + 4.

the Wraith Prism is substantially better in noise and thermals than the Stealth that the 5600x comes with; and mounted in a Define C it should be pretty quiet w/o any OC.

finally, keep in mind that UK and US prices are not 1:1, for instance, mobos are more expensive.

3700x
MSI B450 Tomahawk
16gb ram
total £380

5600x
MSI B550M Bazooka
same 16gb ram
total £434 BUT i would likely need to buy a better cooler
 
Last edited:

Abwx

Lifer
Apr 2, 2011
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Given the low price difference a 5700G is likely the best solution as hinted by a member, better perfs than both the 3700X and 5600X as well as an IGP that could be enough for basic titles.



 
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fleshconsumed

Diamond Member
Feb 21, 2002
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Honestly, seeing how you're extremely price conscious, either CPU will do just fine for your purposes. 5600x will be better for gaming now due to single core performance, but it is possible that it might change in the future if future games become optimized for 8 cores.

The only thing I would strongly advise is to get b550 chipset motherboard as they typically have better VRMs/VRM heatsinks and because those will have better longevity due to better support. The CPU is essentially a cointoss depending on your budget and priorities.
 
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CuriousMike

Diamond Member
Feb 22, 2001
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I own a machine with a 5600x - my gaming rig.
I also own the 5700G - my work / dev box.

I've owned the 5600x for about a year, the 5700G for 2 months.

For day to day tasks I do on both, I notice no difference

I'm assuming you already have a discrete GPU - then the 5600x is the slightly better choice.

Otherwise, I think you'd be hard pressed to see any difference in speed - all the benchmarks I saw put the 5700G as fast as the 3700X - but the bonus is an OK GPU.
 

killster1

Banned
Mar 15, 2007
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Honestly, seeing how you're extremely price conscious, either CPU will do just fine for your purposes. 5600x will be better for gaming now due to single core performance, but it is possible that it might change in the future if future games become optimized for 8 cores.

The only thing I would strongly advise is to get b550 chipset motherboard as they typically have better VRMs/VRM heatsinks and because those will have better longevity due to better support. The CPU is essentially a cointoss depending on your budget and priorities.
i was thinking the same thing except my recommendation would be at least a x470 with good sound output as the pcie4 doesnt really seem to help anything except making your computer run more hot :p

i have a feeling the op has a gfx card already so the 5600x sounds perfect (i use one with a 1080ti and it works well) just make sure you get a board with the features you want and it should be fine for years and years.
 
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Shamrock

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Oct 11, 1999
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well, i will primarily be playing previous-gen games at 1080p with eye candy turned off. i am fully aware that either - or even cheaper - CPU is fully capable of this, so my real-life concerns are:
1. how much is it gonna cost?
because im not into overclocking anymore and i sure aint playing BF2049 in 4k.
2. do i have to buy a new AIO ?
My coolermaster Nepton doesnt come with, or sell aftermarked AMD mounts.

short pause to say that i normally prefer Intel, i want to give AMD a try, and im not at all hyped by the e-cores of Alder Lake. Im *much* rather have 10 cores than 8 + 4.

the Wraith Prism is substantially better in noise and thermals than the Stealth that the 5600x comes with; and mounted in a Define C it should be pretty quiet w/o any OC.

finally, keep in mind that UK and US prices are not 1:1, for instance, mobos are more expensive.

3700x
MSI B450 Tomahawk
16gb ram
total £380

5600x
MSI B550M Bazooka
same 16gb ram
total £434 BUT i would likely need to buy a better cooler

You will NOT need a better cooler for the 5600x. I've been running the stock cooler since April. I have both, CPUs you mentioned, and I much prefer my 5600x.
 

Shmee

Memory & Storage, Graphics Cards Mod Elite Member
Super Moderator
Sep 13, 2008
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Depending on what you have for a GPU, I might would go with a 5800X and a decent, but compatible motherboard. There should be some compatible 400 series boards that work with the 5000 series. I know you are not in the USA, but for what it is worth there have been some great deals on 5800X here recently. I would look around for similar in UK.

My 2nd choice would be a 5700G or 5600X. Again depends on your GPU situation.

Finally, you will likely not be able to reuse your AIO cooler. I would consider using any stock AMD cooler, but would lean towards a moderately better, mid range air cooler. Doesn't need to be a fancy Noctua D15, but maybe something like the Scythe Fuma 2, or even a Cooler master 212 dark edition. Whatever cooler you get, you should be fine as you aren't likely into OCing / tweaking too much. Yes these Ryzen chips can perform better in general when cooler due to the boost algorithm, but for general tasks and games, a decent cooler should be fine.
 
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DigDog

Lifer
Jun 3, 2011
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fyi the 5800x does not come with a cooler at all.

what i did was add to my amazon basket everything from this thread and when black friday comes, ill see if there's some deals "you cannot refuse".

i know that zen 4 should arrive Feb 2022 but it will be a ddr5 platform on a new socket, so likely £1k of parts. it's not that i dont have the money, but i dont have that much need for it.

there's still a good chance ill decide on Zen 4 with a brand new build, then keep it for another 7 years, or maybe a stopgap upgrade waiting for Intel to finally stop using 10nm.

oh, another fyi: the *cheapest* (no quality guarantee) LGA 1700 mobo is £208, here.
 
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DrMrLordX

Lifer
Apr 27, 2000
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i know that zen 4 should arrive Feb 2022

Don't get your hopes up. Even if AMD does deliver Raphael according to their established cadence, you wouldn't see it before April most likely, and that month is rapidly approaching without any indication that Raphael will be ready in Q1 or Q2.
 

fleshconsumed

Diamond Member
Feb 21, 2002
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@DigDog

As far as cooling a 5600x vs. 3700x goes, they have the same TDPs and PPT power limits. @Shamrock is correct in his assessment.
Except as has been pointed out 3700x has a Prism cooler which is much better than Wraith that comes with 5600x. So 3700x could be a better option for him if he values quiet computer and cannot get an aftermarket cooler.
 

Shmee

Memory & Storage, Graphics Cards Mod Elite Member
Super Moderator
Sep 13, 2008
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Hmm, if the 5800X and mid range air cooler really won't work in budget, then I would go with a 5600X and just use the stock one. I can't imagine the price difference would be that high, but of course this depends on the deals available for both, and complicated with prices a bit different in the UK. Also, it would help to know what GPU will be used, and what other parts would need to be bought or be carried over.

That said, it seems a bit silly to me not to go for a current gen 8 core in 2021. Of course with older games, 6 cores will do fine, and the 5600X with the higher IPC over 3700X will likely help.
 

kschendel

Senior member
Aug 1, 2018
261
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5600X, MSI B550M Pro-VDH, and a Cryorig M9a. I doubt that you'll miss the extra two cores given what you are doing, better to have the single core advantage. Pretty much any B550 can easily handle a 5600X.

The M9a is cheap (£25 or less) and easily outperforms either the Stealth or the Prism in both cooling and noise.
 

DigDog

Lifer
Jun 3, 2011
13,444
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the GPU is a RX590 Fatboy that i got less-than-half-retail.
i already have a 1tb samsung EVO plus another SSD for storage, a EVGA gold-but-actually-platinum 1kw psu, practically new.

current cooling solution is a CM Nepton 240 which had a very short window where they sold AMD mounts, but are permanently out of stock now.

the cup itself is a delidded 4670k w/ liquid metal that will do 4.2 locked but the mobo is old and dropping voltages, so the OC is unstable and i had to go back to stock.

even a 3700x would be a 35% to 50% increase without taking into account the additional instruction sets. I wouldnt be posting this thread if i had to do a full build, i just want the extra oomph with as little cash as possible.
IF, i find myself that i can dedicate more time to gaming, as i used to, i would go with a 12700k.

realistically, we're looking at the 3700x pulling 130fps and the 5600x pulling 145. If the 5600x came with the Prism, it would be a no-brainer.
 

AnitaPeterson

Diamond Member
Apr 24, 2001
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[...] realistically, we're looking at the 3700x pulling 130fps and the 5600x pulling 145. If the 5600x came with the Prism, it would be a no-brainer.

Do you have any used online local markets in your part of the world? Here in Ottawa I can find a Wraith Prism for C$25 second-hand on Kijiji... might be worth looking into it.
 

Thunder 57

Platinum Member
Aug 19, 2007
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the GPU is a RX590 Fatboy that i got less-than-half-retail.
i already have a 1tb samsung EVO plus another SSD for storage, a EVGA gold-but-actually-platinum 1kw psu, practically new.

current cooling solution is a CM Nepton 240 which had a very short window where they sold AMD mounts, but are permanently out of stock now.

the cup itself is a delidded 4670k w/ liquid metal that will do 4.2 locked but the mobo is old and dropping voltages, so the OC is unstable and i had to go back to stock.

even a 3700x would be a 35% to 50% increase without taking into account the additional instruction sets. I wouldnt be posting this thread if i had to do a full build, i just want the extra oomph with as little cash as possible.
IF, i find myself that i can dedicate more time to gaming, as i used to, i would go with a 12700k.

realistically, we're looking at the 3700x pulling 130fps and the 5600x pulling 145. If the 5600x came with the Prism, it would be a no-brainer.

Prices sure have gone up on everything, even CPU coolers. I would recommend the 5600X route and just getting another cooler. Check out the Cooler Master Hyper T4, it's close to the 212 but a bit cheaper. It was out of stock on the UK Amazon site be available on the eBay site for £20-30 it appeared. Unless you are doing rendering or transcoding, the 5600X seems to be the better choice overall.

Also, there are B450 revisions that come with Zen 3 support out of the box. I'm sure they cost a bit more though. AMD still seems to offer a loaner chip for Zen 3. Just go to the bottom of that page for more info. Might take a bit longer to get everything going, but another option to consider.

EDIT:

Just read the website again and it looks like they require proof of ownership of a 500 series mobo. Not sure why because that doesn't seem to make any sense. I thought all 500 series chipsets were compatible with Zen 3 out of the box.
 

Leeea

Diamond Member
Apr 3, 2020
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The 5600x is way way better.

If you want to save some money, go for a g model.

In multithread they are equivalent as they say.

But in single the 5600x is noticeably quicker.

Things are different from 5 years ago, but there are still single thread hold ups in software. Especially older software.
 

amrnuke

Golden Member
Apr 24, 2019
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Having had the 3600X and 5600X, I can't emphasize how much snappier the 5600X is in everyday use. Given your use case, I am not sure the extra cores of the 3700X will be worth it.

Then thinking about ways to save even more, comparing the 5600X and 5600G, the 5600G is $80 cheaper (at least at MicroCenter). Also, the 5600G has the IO integrated on-die, rather than on a separate old-process chiplet, which can enable some more fidgeting with RAM and IF and overclocking. It should be fairly easy to achieve stock 5600X-level clocks (4.65 GHz) without much temperature increase especially since you have a dGPU and won't be using the IGP. Additionally, I don't see much need for a 500 series board, given your use case. A solid B450 board that comes with Zen3 compatibility out of the box would be fine.

In the end, if you're price conscious, the combo of 5600G + B450 + decent tower cooler could shave substantial money off the price while preserving nearly all of the benefit of Zen3 over Zen2.