AMD's new Ryzen 5 5600 is one of the most important new releases from the company. This particular chip will go against the likes of the Intel Core i5 12400 CPU. It's also very similar in specs to the Ryzen 5 5600X which debuted as one of the first Ryzen 5000 series desktop CPUs. In this article, we're going to take a look at the AMD Ryzen 5 5600 vs Ryzen 5 5600X comparison to find out which CPU is better.

Specifications

Before we begin, here's a quick look at the specifications of each processor to see what they both bring to the table:

AMD Ryzen 5 5600 vs Ryzen 5 5600X: Performance Difference

As you can see from the specifications, the AMD Ryzen 5 5600 is pretty much identical to the Ryzen 5 5600X in specs. Both are 6 core chips with twelve threads. There is a slight difference in clock speeds, though, The AMD Ryzen 5 5600 runs at 3.5GHz base frequency, whereas the Ryzen 5 5600X runs at 3.7GHz. We're also looking at a slightly higher boost frequency for the Ryzen 5 5600X CPU at up to 4.6GHz as opposed to just 4.4Ghz for the Ryzen 5 5600.

We're looking at a 32MB L3 cache for both chips, which should translate to good gaming performance. Unlike the Ryzen 5 5600G chip, however, the new Ryzen 5 5600 and the Ryzen 5 5600X don't have integrated graphics. This means you'll have to buy a dedicated graphics card to use these processors for a PC build. But they both come bundled with a stock CPU cooler, which means you won't have to buy a CPU cooler. We think the bundled cooler should be enough to run the chips at stock settings.

Both Ryzen 5 5600 and the Ryzen 5 5600X have TJunction max temp of 90C, which is more in line with what we've seen in other AMD CPUs. We'll have more to talk about the overall performance of these chips once we've had a chance to test these CPUs in a head-to-head comparison. They also default to 65W as the base TDP and have support for up to 128GB of DDR4-3200 memory. Unlike the Ryzen 5 5500, both Ryzen 5 5600 and the Ryzen 5 5600X support PCIe 4.0 which means it's a good option to consider for those who are looking to build a future-proof PC.

Pricing and Availability

AMD has launched the Ryzen 5 5600 at $199 and it'll be available to purchase starting April 4. The Ryzen 5 5600X, on the other hand, is now available to purchase for around $228 at the time of writing this. If you are in the market to buy a reliable processor for an entry-level gaming rig, then you might also want to consider checking out the Ryzen5 5600G, which is available for $219 right now. We'll add a buying link for the Ryzen 5 5600 once it goes on sale. In the meantime, be sure to check out the Ryzen 5 5600X and the Ryzen 5 5600G by hitting the link below.

AMD Ryzen 5 5600 vs Ryzen 5 5600X: Which one should you buy?

The Ryzen 5 5600 looks very promising and is very similar in specs to the Ryzen 5 5600X processor. If you don't mind putting up slightly slower clock speeds then we suggest you consider buying the Ryzen 5 5600 and save some money for the rest of the components in your build. We'll have more to talk about the overall performance of both chips once we get our hands on them for a head-to-head comparison, but both chips should have the same general performance. The Ryzen 5 5600 should also be able to handle gaming and other similarly threaded workloads without any issues.

We also recommend you check out our collection of the best CPUs out there to find out all the available options out there. If you are not rushing to build a new PC right now, then we suggest you wait for AMD to announce the new Ryzen 7000 series desktop processors. It'll be interesting to see how those new chips will perform against Intel's new Alder Lake chips. AMD has also been doing some great things in the laptop space with its new Ryzen 6000 series mobile CPUs too, so be sure to take a look.