AMD Ryzen 5 1600X Review

Mid-range Desktop processor released in 2017 with 6 cores and 12 threads. With base clock at 3.6GHz, max speed at 3.7GHz, and a 95W power rating. Ryzen 5 1600X is based on the Summit Ridge 14nm family and part of the Ryzen 5 series.
Price 76%
Speed 57%
Productivity 44%
Gaming 81%
Category Desktop
Target mid-range
Socket Compatibility AM4
Integrated Graphics None
Cooler Included Yes
Overclock Potential 7 %
Year 2017 Model
Price 249 USD
Number of Cores 6 Cores
Number of Threads 12 Threads
Core Frequency 3.6 GHz
Boost Frequency 3.7 GHz
Max Stable Overclock 4 GHz
Power Consumption 95 W
Manufacturing Process 14 nm
L3 Cache 16 MB
Maximum Supported Memory 64 GB
Price-Value Score 76 %
Speed Score 57 %
Productivity Score 44 %
Gaming Score 81 %
Max 1080p Bottleneck 37.7 %
Max 1440p Bottleneck 18.9 %
Max 4K Bottleneck 9.4 %
Overall Score 39/100

Behold the Ryzen 5 1600X! This Desktop processor is a gem in AMD's mid-range collection. Debuted in 2017, it's equipped with 6 cores and 12 threads. With a base clock speed of 3.6GHz, a turbo speed of 3.7GHz, and a power consumption of 95W, it's primed to boost your gaming performance. The Ryzen 5 1600X is engineered on the Summit Ridge 14nm platform and belongs to the renowned Ryzen 5 series.

The AMD Ryzen 5 1600X is another epic drop from Team AMD, cranking things up in the neverending AMD vs Intel CPU war. But hey, core count ain't everything, especially for playing the hottest PC games. Single-core performance gotta be on point too.

Can the AMD Ryzen 5 1600X finally dethrone the king of mainstream CPUs, the Core i5-7600K? It's a maybe. The Ryzen 5 1600X doesn't quite reach the same single-core performance as its rival, but more games are starting to use all those threads, so who cares!

The AMD Ryzen 5 1600X flexes its muscles when it comes to multi-threaded tasks. In Geekbench and Cinebench R15, this 6-core monster scored a whopping 21366 and 1126 respectively. Compared to the Core i5-7600K with scores of 14153 and 717 in the same tests, it's a total blowout. For pretty much the same price, the Ryzen 5 1600X crushes the Core i5-7600K in multi-threaded workloads. Boom!

AMD just unleashed its Zen architecture, raising the stakes in the high-stakes battle for desktop PC dominance against Intel. This new lineup of chips pushes core counts and raw power to crazy high levels, threatening Intel's reign for the first time in a decade. Buckle up, it's about to get intense!

Introducing the Ryzen 5 1600X, the high-performance counterpart to the award-winning Ryzen 5 1500X. Both are built on the same 14nm Zen platform, but the Ryzen 5 1600X cranks the power up to a toasty 95W for those extra cores and threads. We're expecting big things from this one, just like its lower-powered sibling! 'sChoiceHype

Heads up, with a simple overclock, the Ryzen 5 1500X can actually perform almost as well as the Ryzen 5 1600X, even when the Ryzen 5 1600X is overclocked too. But the Ryzen 5 1500X is $70 cheaper! Don't get us wrong, the Ryzen 5 1600X is still a beast and offers more overall performance than Intel's Core i5-7500, but if you're on a budget, the cheaper sibling might be the better call.

Alright, listen up. When it comes to pure gaming performance, Intel still holds the crown. If squeezing out every last frame per second is your top priority, then a Intel CPU might be the better choice. But here's the thing: that advantage shrinks at higher resolutions or if you pair the CPU with a less powerful graphics card. mattersToo

For gamers on a budget who aren't afraid of a little overclocking and have decent cooling, the Ryzen 5 1500X is a solid option. You can get pretty much the same performance as the Ryzen 5 1600X (especially for gaming) by overclocking it a bit. Plus, it's cheaper! This is why we gave the Ryzen 5 1500X an Editor's Choice award.

The high number of threads (over 7!) in the AMD Ryzen 5 1600X makes it a monster for tasks that use all the cores at once (multi-threaded workloads), especially for the price. If you edit a lot of videos or work with giant spreadsheets, the Ryzen 5 1600X will give you a noticeable performance boost.

The AMD Ryzen 5 1600X is another impressive addition to AMD's 1 Gen of Ryzen 5 processors. It boasts 6 cores and 12 threads, with a boost clock of up to 3.7 GHz. While the specs might not look super top-of-the-line on paper, the real-world performance you get for your $249 is fantastic.

For gamers, both the Core i5-7600K and Ryzen 5 1600X are great choices. They're neck and neck, with a slight edge to the Intel CPU if you don't overclock it. The Ryzen 5 1600X's base performance can be achieved with cheaper RAM (around $90), whereas the Core i5-7600K needs faster RAM ($110-$120) to hit the frame rates we showed. The price difference is small though, and with anything less than an RTX 2070 or Vega 64 graphics card, your GPU will bottleneck your performance anyway. BottleneckAtPlay

Today's review is on the AMD Ryzen 5 1600X, a 6-core desktop processor launched in Apr 2017. AMD sells the Ryzen 5 1600X without integrated graphics, making it perfect for systems with a dedicated graphics card. It costs $249 and is a great option for those who already have a GPU.

One of the best things about the AMD Ryzen 5 1600X is that it comes with a free CPU cooler! You can grab the Ryzen 5 1600X for $249 without having to spend extra on cooling.

The AMD Ryzen 5 1600X comes with a basic heatsink cooler, nothing fancy. But it gets the job done for this low-power CPU (TDP of 95W). You won't need a fancy aftermarket cooler unless you want to overclock it.

The AMD Ryzen 5 1600X is a decent performing chip for $249. The main competitor at this price point is the Core i5-7600K, a 4-core unlocked processor with integrated graphics, which costs $242.

For a 6-core CPU, the AMD Ryzen 5 1600X is a steal at $249! It seems crazy cheap compared to its main competitor, the 4-core Intel Core i5-7600K which costs $242. Basically, you get extra cores for almost nothing.

The launch of Ryzen 5 wasn't perfect. Some gamers experienced performance issues and the CPUs ran a bit hot. But after a month of optimizations, driver updates, and BIOS fixes, Ryzen 5 seems to be running smoothly now.

Can you game on AMD's Ryzen 5 CPU? Absolutely! We got a solid 81% score in our gaming benchmarks.

The Ryzen 5 1600X is a great choice for both gaming and content creation, thanks to its high performance (0.99%) and at least 12 threads. Live streaming, eSports, and uploading gameplay videos are becoming increasingly popular, and this CPU can handle it all.

The Ryzen 5 1600X boosts up to the advertised 3.7 GHz, and with AMD's software you can push one core even higher to 3.7+0.1 GHz. But don't expect much beyond that without a serious cooler upgrade and manual voltage tweaks.

More cores, more power! The Ryzen 5 1600X's 6 cores outperform everything Intel throws at it, including both the competitor's closest rival and a higher-end model.

Looking for an affordable powerhouse CPU for work and play? Look no further than the Ryzen 5 1600X!

Building on the success of mainstream Ryzen 5 CPUs, AMD is now attacking the mid-range market with the Ryzen 5 1600X processors, available since Apr 2017.

Intel's Core i5 CPUs are super popular for budget and mid-range builds. But AMD is shaking things up with 6-core processors that cost even less than 4-core options from Intel. Plus, Ryzen 5 CPUs are unlocked for overclocking, giving you even more performance potential. Intel might have a tough time competing with this!

The AMD Ryzen 5 1600X is priced at $249, which is a great deal compared to the almost $242 Intel Core i5-7600K. With 6 cores, the Ryzen 5 1600X will outperform Intel's 4 core CPU in tasks that use multiple cores. While you don't get integrated graphics like Intel, most enthusiast gamers building a cheap PC won't need it anyway.

Which GPU to Pick for AMD Ryzen 5 1600X

Below is a comparison of all graphics cards average FPS performance (using an average of 80+ games at ultra quality settings), combined with the AMD Ryzen 5 1600X.

Graphics Card Price Cost Per Frame Avg 1080p Avg 1440p Avg 4K
AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT 8GB $ 399 $ 4 100.2 FPS
98 FPS
64.5 FPS
AMD Radeon RX 6950 XT 16GB $ 1,099 $ 6 183.8 FPS
179.8 FPS
115.8 FPS
AMD Radeon RX 7600 8GB $ 269 $ 2.7 99.4 FPS
97.3 FPS
63.9 FPS
AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT 20GB $ 899 $ 4.4 202.3 FPS
197.8 FPS
127.3 FPS
AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX 24GB $ 999 $ 4.5 222.5 FPS
217.5 FPS
140.2 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 Ti 24GB $ 1,999 $ 11.1 180.7 FPS
180 FPS
127.4 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 8GB $ 200 $ 2.3 86.7 FPS
84.9 FPS
58.3 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 8GB $ 299 $ 3 99.5 FPS
98.4 FPS
67.5 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 8 GB 8GB $ 399 $ 3.6 111.1 FPS
109.3 FPS
75.1 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 12GB $ 599 $ 3.7 161.6 FPS
156.9 FPS
109.7 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti 12GB $ 799 $ 3.9 205.2 FPS
204.3 FPS
144.6 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 16GB $ 1,199 $ 5.6 213.6 FPS
212.7 FPS
150.6 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Ti 20GB $ 799 $ 3.5 230 FPS
229.2 FPS
162.3 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 24GB $ 1,599 $ 6.5 246.5 FPS
245.6 FPS
173.9 FPS
AMD Radeon R7 265 2GB $ 149 $ 7.1 21 FPS
18.1 FPS
12.2 FPS
AMD Radeon R9 280 3GB $ 279 $ 10.1 27.7 FPS
26.3 FPS
16.2 FPS
AMD Radeon R9 285 2GB $ 249 $ 8.7 28.6 FPS
26.9 FPS
16.9 FPS
AMD Radeon R9 295X2 4GB $ 1,499 $ 20.5 73.2 FPS
68.8 FPS
48 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB $ 149 $ 7.9 18.8 FPS
15.5 FPS
10.5 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN BLACK 6GB $ 999 $ 20.3 49.1 FPS
45.6 FPS
31.3 FPS
AMD Radeon R7 370 2GB $ 149 $ 7 21.2 FPS
18.7 FPS
12.6 FPS
AMD Radeon R9 380 2GB $ 199 $ 7 28.4 FPS
26.7 FPS
16.9 FPS
AMD Radeon R9 380X 4GB $ 229 $ 7.2 31.8 FPS
29.9 FPS
19.9 FPS
AMD Radeon R9 390 8GB $ 329 $ 7.7 43 FPS
40.6 FPS
25.4 FPS
AMD Radeon R9 390X 8GB $ 429 $ 9.3 46 FPS
44.5 FPS
29.5 FPS
AMD Radeon R9 FURY 4GB $ 549 $ 11.5 47.8 FPS
46.4 FPS
30.6 FPS
AMD Radeon R9 FURY X 4GB $ 649 $ 11.7 55.7 FPS
55.1 FPS
37 FPS
AMD Radeon R9 Nano 4GB $ 649 $ 12.8 50.6 FPS
49.3 FPS
32.9 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950 2GB $ 159 $ 7.4 21.6 FPS
19.9 FPS
13.3 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 2GB $ 199 $ 7.3 27.3 FPS
25.6 FPS
16.5 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 4GB $ 329 $ 7.4 44.5 FPS
41.1 FPS
28 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 4GB $ 549 $ 10.5 52.5 FPS
49.2 FPS
32.4 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB $ 649 $ 10.6 61.3 FPS
58 FPS
38 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN X 12GB $ 999 $ 14.2 70.4 FPS
66.2 FPS
43.4 FPS
AMD Radeon RX 460 4GB $ 140 $ 7.2 19.5 FPS
18 FPS
11.7 FPS
AMD Radeon RX 470 4GB $ 179 $ 4.7 37.9 FPS
36 FPS
23.5 FPS
AMD Radeon RX 480 8GB $ 400 $ 9.2 43.3 FPS
41.5 FPS
27.8 FPS
AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 8GB $ 399 $ 5.8 68.5 FPS
66.1 FPS
43.2 FPS
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 8GB $ 499 $ 6.8 73 FPS
70.6 FPS
46.1 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 2GB $ 79 $ 5.4 14.7 FPS
13.6 FPS
8.5 FPS
NVIDIA TITAN V 12GB $ 2,999 $ 30.1 99.5 FPS
98.8 FPS
67.5 FPS
NVIDIA TITAN Xp 12GB $ 1,199 $ 13.3 90.2 FPS
87.9 FPS
59.9 FPS
AMD Radeon RX 550 2GB $ 79 $ 5.1 15.4 FPS
14.3 FPS
9.2 FPS
AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT 8GB 8GB $ 199 $ 3.8 52.7 FPS
48.8 FPS
31.1 FPS
AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT 4GB 4GB $ 169 $ 3.6 47.3 FPS
43.8 FPS
27.9 FPS
AMD Radeon RX 560 4GB $ 99 $ 4.5 22 FPS
20.4 FPS
13.1 FPS
AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT 6GB $ 279 $ 3.7 75.9 FPS
72.8 FPS
47.5 FPS
AMD Radeon RX 570 4GB $ 169 $ 4 42.4 FPS
40.1 FPS
25.7 FPS
AMD Radeon RX 5700 8GB $ 349 $ 4.3 80.5 FPS
77.9 FPS
50.9 FPS
AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 8GB $ 399 $ 4.5 87.8 FPS
84.9 FPS
55.6 FPS
AMD Radeon RX 580 8GB $ 229 $ 4.5 51.4 FPS
47.5 FPS
30.2 FPS
AMD Radeon RX 590 8GB $ 279 $ 4.8 58 FPS
53.6 FPS
34.3 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 3GB $ 169 $ 7.1 23.8 FPS
22.3 FPS
14.3 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB $ 169 $ 6 28 FPS
26.4 FPS
17.2 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB 6GB $ 254 $ 5.3 47.7 FPS
44.4 FPS
29.1 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3GB 3GB $ 170 $ 3.8 45.3 FPS
42.3 FPS
27.7 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 8GB $ 399 $ 6 66.7 FPS
62.9 FPS
40.9 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Ti 8GB $ 409 $ 5.6 72.4 FPS
68.9 FPS
45.1 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 8GB $ 499 $ 6.4 78.2 FPS
74.4 FPS
48.8 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB $ 759 $ 8.3 92 FPS
91 FPS
60.7 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 4GB $ 149 $ 3.7 40.6 FPS
38.3 FPS
25 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER 4GB $ 160 $ 3 53.2 FPS
50.6 FPS
33 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 6GB $ 220 $ 3.6 61.1 FPS
58.2 FPS
38.1 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER 6GB $ 229 $ 3.5 64.9 FPS
61.9 FPS
40.6 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti 6GB $ 279 $ 4 68.9 FPS
65.6 FPS
42.9 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 6GB $ 350 $ 4.5 77.2 FPS
70.3 FPS
45.7 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER 8GB $ 400 $ 4.9 82 FPS
76.4 FPS
50.6 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 8GB $ 499 $ 5.8 86.7 FPS
82.1 FPS
55.4 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER 8GB $ 499 $ 5.5 91.4 FPS
87.9 FPS
58.5 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 8GB $ 699 $ 7.1 98.2 FPS
95.4 FPS
63.1 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER 8GB $ 699 $ 6.7 103.8 FPS
102 FPS
68.1 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti 11GB $ 1,299 $ 11.4 114.4 FPS
113.5 FPS
76.1 FPS
NVIDIA TITAN RTX 24GB $ 2,499 $ 21.3 117.5 FPS
116.6 FPS
78.2 FPS
AMD Radeon VII 16GB $ 699 $ 7.7 90.2 FPS
87.2 FPS
57.2 FPS
AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT 8GB $ 379 $ 4 94 FPS
91.5 FPS
59.9 FPS
AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT 12GB $ 479 $ 4.2 113 FPS
109.9 FPS
71.1 FPS
AMD Radeon RX 6800 16GB $ 579 $ 4.3 134.2 FPS
129.7 FPS
85 FPS
AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT 16GB $ 649 $ 3.8 169.5 FPS
163.7 FPS
107.3 FPS
AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT 16GB $ 999 $ 5.6 180 FPS
173.9 FPS
114 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti 6GB $ 249 $ 3.5 70.8 FPS
67 FPS
44.6 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 12GB $ 329 $ 3.8 86 FPS
82.9 FPS
55.8 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti 8GB $ 399 $ 3.8 104.9 FPS
103.4 FPS
70.3 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 8GB $ 499 $ 3.9 128 FPS
123 FPS
81.9 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti 10GB $ 599 $ 4.2 143.6 FPS
139 FPS
94.3 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 10GB $ 699 $ 4.2 167.3 FPS
160.8 FPS
107.1 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti 20GB $ 799 $ 4.8 167.4 FPS
164 FPS
113.4 FPS
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 24GB $ 1,499 $ 7.8 192 FPS
184.5 FPS
122.9 FPS
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