2700X vs 3600

Is the 2700X or 3600 best for gaming?

2700 vs 3600 min
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AMDs 2700x and 3600 are great choices for desktops, but which delivers the best gaming performance?

The 2700X is the 2nd Generation Ryzen 7 released in Q2 of 2018. This CPU is equipped with an impressive 8 cores and 16 threads, operating at a standard 3.7GHz and 4.3GHz boost clock. On paper the 8 core, 16 thread setup is great for multitasking – but how will it stack up against the newer 3600?

The Ryzen 5 3600 released in Q3 2019 is the 3rd generation of Ryzen 5 CPUs. Thanks to AMDs new 7nm manufacturing process, the 3600 can deliver much better performance whilst consuming less power. It also benefits from backwards compatibility with AM4 slot socket motherboards, requiring a simple bios update for older motherboards to support later CPUs.

Equipped with 6 cores and 12 threads, the 3600 offers slightly lower core and thread count. This model runs at a 3.6GHz base clock, and a maximum boost of 4.2GHz, with an impressive 65W TDP.

The Specs

Below is a table to compare each processor side-by-side. So, what exactly are the differences between these two CPUs?

AMD Ryzen 7 2700X

Ryzen 7 2700

Speed

3.7Ghz – 4.3Ghz

Core (Threads)

8/16

Socket

AM4

TDP

105W

Unlocked?

Yes

PCIe Version

PCIe 3.0 x16

Total L2 Cache

4MB

Total L3 Cache

16MB

CMOS

12nm FinFET

Max Temps

85°C

Pros

Truly unlocked overclocking potential

Fantastic multi-tasking performance levels

Excellent value for money

Cons

AMD Ryzen 5 3600

Ryzen 3600x packaging 50

Speed

3.6GHz/4.2GHz

Core (threads)

6/12

Socket

AM4

TDP

65W

Unlocked?

Yes

PCIe Version

PCIe 4.0 x16

Total L2 Cache

3MB

Total L3 Cache

32MB

CMOS

TSMC 7nm FinFET

Max Temps

95°C

Pros

Incredible value for money

Extremely high single thread performance

Capable of producing 100+fps in the most popular AAA game titles

Cons

Bios update required if you want to pair with 300/400 series motherboards

 

Features

Cores

The number of cores in a CPU won’t have a huge impact on your overall gaming experience. But the difference between the 2700X and 3600 is still worth noting.

This is one area where the 2700X is superior to the 3600, equipped with an additional 2 cores. However, most games are not designed to utilize multiple cores. Instead single core performance has a larger impact on gaming performance. If you intend to stream or use your desktop for daily tasks, more cores would allow more simultaneous processes without slowing down your system.

Threads

The 2700X has 16 threads in total, 4 more than the 3600. Although more cores and threads do not directly translate into improved gaming performance, more cores and threads will handle increased workloads more efficiently.

If you stream or run a lot of background processes whilst gaming, the extra cores and threads of the 2700X will help prevent frame drops and increase the 1% lowest average frames.

Clock Speed

The 2700X has a base frequency of 3.7GHz, and a maximum turbo boost frequency of 4.3GHz. The 3600 on the other hand has a 3.6GHz base frequency, 100MHz less than the 2700X. The turbo boost frequency is also 100MHz less than the 2700X at 4.2GHz.

Interestingly the 3600 boasts similar or 5% increased gaming performance over the 2700X, despite lower base and turbo boost frequencies.

This is due to the Zen 2 microarchitecture, benefitting from a 7nm manufacturing process which increases performance and power efficiency. AMDs engineers have been able to increase the Instructions Per Clock by 15% on all Zen 2 cores, increasing the amount of processing a CPU can perform each clock.

This explains why the 3600 is able to use less power and match or outperform the 2700X in gaming, whilst having 100MHz lower clock speeds.

Cache Capacity

Another important difference is the cache capacity. There are some big differences between the L1, L2, and L3 cache capacities. When it comes to gaming, the architecture and cache size play an important role to deliver data to the CPU quickly.

This is good news for the 3600 as the Zen 2 architecture boasts increased L1, L2, and L3 cache sizes, allowing vital data to be stored in the CPU cache for extremely fast processing.

As gaming involves a lot of repetitive tasks, caching the most used assets in a game reduces the amount of times the CPU has to fetch data from RAM. Although RAM is extremely fast compared to SSDs/HHDs, intelligently caching assets on the CPU die decreases the amount of time spent retrieving assets from RAM, increasing overall performance.

The more capacity, the more data caches can store. This is another benefit of the 3600, and is a partial reason why its performance can match or exceed the 2700X in gaming.

Performance

Okay, so now we know exactly what all of those complex specs mean and what they can do. But what does this actually look like in practical terms?

As mentioned above in very basic terms, the 2700X will be able to run more tasks and manage them more efficiently due to the higher number of threads and cores. So what does this mean for gaming? Sure, you can run different apps in the background. But how does it impact the game itself?

Cores and Clock Speed

Well, threads are important but for running games, cores and clock speeds are what should be your main focus.

Although cores and threads will make a difference when it comes to gaming. The clock speed is also a huge factor. Clock speed is essentially the measurement of how many cycles a CPU can perform per second.

Clock speed, unsurprisingly, is essentially the speed at which the CPU and your games will run. The faster the speed, the faster the gaming.

But the max boost clock is different to the actual clock speed. As both the 2700X and 3600 are unlocked, this means that they can be altered for overclocking. Overclocking is the process of adjusting the CPU to increase the clock speed.

This is complicated and any alterations will likely void your warranty. But the capacity to increase the clock speed is available for both the 2700X and 3600. Each has the potential to increase by 0.01GHz, which is in proportion to the size difference of the original clock speed.

An advanced cooling system that can allow the CPU to reach higher temperatures is also a good feature for overclocking. The 2700X has a higher capacity for overclocking but it isn’t much higher than the 3600. The ability to reach a higher temperature means the 2700X will be able to do much more, safely.

Pricing and Availability

The price difference between the 2700X and the 3600 isn’t huge but, generally, the 2700X is the more expensive option. This isn’t surprising considering it is larger, heavier, and has higher capacities and capabilities.

But, as you will have gathered from the information above, more capacity and higher capabilities don’t automatically equal a better performing CPU. So, a more expensive CPU also doesn’t automatically equal better performance. 

In comparison to a lot of other similar CPUs available, both of these options are actually pretty affordable.

Both the 2700X and 3600 are currently available to purchase on Amazon. There are a range of models available. But be sure to read through all of the specs. Even if the names imply that the different models are variations of the 2700X and the 3600, they will still be very different and work differently. 

 

Conclusion

There is no argument to say that the 3600 is a bad CPU. But the 2700X definitely comes out on top. It has a higher number of cores and a higher number of threads. The increased capacities, base clock, and max clock boost may look negligible but they will still make a difference.

One of the main reasons the 2700X surpasses the 3600 is the max temperature. With increased features, an increase in maximum temperature is necessary. But such a huge difference definitely makes a difference.