Top 5 AMD Ryzen Processors
Ryzen 1000 - 3000 series processors are still on sale, but the actual models are still 4000 and 5000. There are among them as self-sufficient APUs with the index G, which have a built-in graphics card no worse than budget discrete. So also classic CPUs with only computational cores and virtual threads, but in large numbers (up to 16 - 32 pieces), with progressive Zen 3 architecture and energy efficient 7nm processor. We've selected five of the most interesting, in our opinion, AMD CPUs for different budgets and tasks - from eSports gaming to professional work.
AMD Ryzen 5 4600G - for novice eSports gamer
Reasons to buy: 6 cores and 12 threads, powerful iGPU Vega 7, FidelityFX Super Resolution upscaling.
Reasons not to buy: If you have a discrete graphics card right away.
AMD Ryzen 5 4600G is a relatively inexpensive entry-level gaming or, more accurately, cybersports processor. It is a self-sufficient solution because in addition to the 6 cores Zen 2 architecture and 12 threads SMT has also a built-in graphics gas pedal Radeon Vega 7. It is one of the most powerful iGPUs on the market and will remain so even after Ryzen 7000 processors with only four clusters of graphics microcores, even though it has the new RDNA 2 architecture.
whereas 4600G has as many as seven clusters of GCN 5 microcores. With dual-channel high-frequency RAM, Vega 7 is able to run almost any modern game in native 720p resolution at least at low settings and stable 30+ FPS. The only exception is the super demanding Cyberpunk 2077, but FidelityFX Super Resolution smart upscaling technology helps with that. Besides games, Vega 7 can hardware mount video with H264 and H265 codecs and play VP9.
AMD Ryzen 5 5500 - for the economical gamer
Reasons to buy: Zen 3 advanced architecture, 6 cores and 12 threads, memory up to 4266 MHz.
Reasons not to buy: Narrow PCIe 3.0 x8 graphics card bus.
AMD Ryzen 5 5500 - perhaps the processor is now the optimal partner for the popular Radeon RX 6600 graphics card. Unlike budget 6500 XT with narrow bus PCIe 4.0 x4, it has already bus x8. So it will not be a bottle neck for the RX 6600. It has several advantages over 4500: first of all it has progressive Zen 3 architecture, about 15% faster than Zen 2.
. Secondly Ryzen 5 5500 has double channel 8+8 MB third level cache (16 MB total), while 4500 has only single channel 8 MB. Third is lower operating temperature: up to 90 degrees Celsius vs. 95 for Ryzen 5 4500. Smart Precision Boost auto overclocking technology adjusts frequency on the fly under single and multithreaded loads. To squeeze the maximum performance depending on the cooling system: boxed mini cooler, tower super cooler or water cooler. The memory overclocking is also pleasing - up to 4266 MHz, and in synchronous mode.
AMD Ryzen 5 5600 - both to play and to work
Reasons to buy: PCIe 4.0 bus for graphics card and SSD, 6 cores and 12 threads, Zen 3 architecture.
Reasons not to buy: If you absolutely need iGPU.
The AMD Ryzen 5 5600 is by far the most versatile processor on the market right now. It has 6 Zen 3 cores and 12 virtual threads and also supports PCIe 4.0 bus. Thanks to it is able to pull almost any video card up to RX 6850 XT if not flagship then pre-flagship ones. The frequency is just a bit lower than 5600X, but the price is significantly lower. The plus side is single-chip structure, while older Ryzen slightly loses in performance when exchanging data between two CCX chips.
The base frequency for the Ryzen 5 5600 is claimed to be 3.5 GHz, and the auto overclocking on a single core is 4.4 GHz. Most of the time under gaming load the CPU runs at exactly 4 GHz. But by simple manipulations with BIOS settings menu, you can increase frequency of all cores up to maximum 4.4 GHz. Power and heat consumption will increase from 65W to about 100W, but any motherboard with radiators on VRM and even three-tube tower cooler will be able to handle it.
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D - Counter-Strike champion
Reasons to buy: Highest FPS in games, 96MB 3D cache capacity, 8 cores and 16 threads.
Reasons not to buy: RAM only up to 3800 MHz.
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D is the fastest gaming processor on the market, which is achieved by a huge 96MB L3 cache soldered on top of the main crystal. Especially strong advantage in Counter-Strike Global Offensive (500 FPS vs. 400 in the nearest pursuer) and Total War. Last equally demanding performance per core and multithreading, because draws on the map a large number of ancient warriors, each with a unique face and chain mail.
In other games, depending more on the graphics card than the processor, the 5800X3D has a smaller advantage, but also there. The only thing you can blame it for is a relatively low memory frequency - only 3800 MHz. Further RAM switches to asynchronous mode: bandwidth improves, but delays, on the contrary, worsen. Nevertheless, the idea with a big 3D cache turned out to be so successful that according to rumors AMD will soon equip other existing 5000-series processors with it, as well as the forthcoming 7000.
AMD Ryzen 9 5950X - for professional work
Reasons to buy: The most multi-core processor among consumer, best choice for video editing, modeling, drawing and virtual machines.
Reasons not to buy: Redundant for gaming.
The AMD Ryzen 9 5950X is the flagship processor for the AM4 consumer socket with 16 cores and correspondingly 32 threads. Only highly specialized AMD Threadripper (32 - 64) for workstations and EPYC (64 - 128) for servers can boast of more. but both of them have different sockets. For games, the 5950X is clearly redundant: they are simply not able to load such a large number of cores. It is quite another matter for professional working applications, which are paralleled much better.
Even 4K video editing, which relies mostly on graphics cards (Radeon Media Encoder and OpenCL technologies), needs a powerful processor for applying color filters and other post effects. And 3D-modeling and CAD-drawing are accelerated proportionally to the number of cores. Another area of application of multicore CPUs are virtual machines, that is several program computers working on one physical one. You can run a good dozen of them on the 5950X.
For those who want to know more
- How to build a $1000 gaming PC
- 5 useful gadgets for the novice eSportsman
- 5 useful gadgets for a beginner streamer
The author would like to thank ASBIS, an official distributor of AMD processors, for their help in preparing this article.
