The Best Ryzen 5000 Series Zen 3 CPUs
We Take A Closer Look At AMD's Impressive Zen 3 Ryzen 5000 series CPUs
What’s the best Ryzen CPU? AMD’s highly anticipated Ryzen 5000 series CPUs were finally unveiled recently, with Dr. Su ensuring us that their release date of the 5th of November will not be a let down – no disrespect Nvidia.
AT launch, the new Zen 3 lineup consists of all the usual players, taking on the Intel alternative in gaming, workstations tasks, and overall value for money. We see the latest series of Ryzen 5000 series CPUs utilize a new Zen architecture, bringing with it a higher max boost frequency, significant IPC uplift, and a new core layout – all designed to move AMD even closer to the CPU hierarchy top spot.
The following article will be a closer look at some of the standout CPUs in the lineup, exploring their best features and deciding whether they’re better (or worse) than the blue competition.
If you want to know more about Zen 4 CPUs, check out our AMD Zen 4 everything we know page
So, with plenty to get through, and retailers stocked up. Let’s waste no further time and dive straight into it!
Our Top Picks
Best Ryzen 5000 Series Zen 3 CPU
In-depth Review
AMD Ryzen 9 5900X
AMD Ryzen 9 5900X
For me, the best overall CPU in the new Ryzen 5000 series lineup has to be the Ryzen 9 5900X. Whilst it may not be the most powerful CPU in terms of workstation tasks, it certainly offers the greatest value for money when referencing gaming scenarios. With 12 cores/24 threads and the ability to all-core boost to 4.8GHz, the Ryzen 9 5900X ticks a lot of the right boxes.
This CPU comes equipped with a base clock frequency of 3.7GHz, a drop of 100MHz when compared to last year’s flagship Ryzen 9 3900X. That being said, it still manages a performance increase of 28% in demanding titles like Shadow of the Tomb Raider. More impressively, CPU intensive titles such as League of Legends and CS:GO saw an increase of up to 50% when comparing the generational CPUs. Pretty impressive.
The Ryzen 9 5900X also comes equipped with 6MB L2 cache, 64MB l3 cache, and is a 105W TDP part – exactly the same as last year’s Ryzen 9 3900XT. That’s all wrapped up in TSMC’s 7nm process node and is, yet again, backward compatible with 400/500 series motherboard – via a BIOS update.
A fantastic CPU that really does offer the best of both worlds.
AMD Ryzen 9 5950X
AMD Ryzen 9 5950X
As far as workstation performance goes, you’ll be hard-pressed to find anything more suited to the job than the Ryen 9 5950X in today’s market. It not only destroys the previous iteration, but it also outperforms any Intel equivalent – almost putting their 10980XE to the sword as well.
The Ryzen 9 5950X is AMD’s new high-performance 16 core, 32 thread processor – offering up an all-core boost frequency of 4.9GHz and a combined cache of 72MB (L2+L3). This is a 105W TDP part, giving it a significant IPC increase and greater efficiency as well. Whilst we still consider the 5950X massively overkill for a gaming PC, it still offers up very good gaming performance in the greater scheme of things.
In terms of workstation performance, the Ryzen 9 5950X offers up impressive stats, especially when compared to the Intel i9-10900K. AMD has boasted a 59% increase in V-Ray rendering and double-digit improvements when looking at video editing and compiling.
With its ability to fit right into your existing 400/500 series motherboard, the Ryzen 5 5950X really is hard to dismiss.
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X
For the gamer who’s less interested in workstation tasks and focuses more on raw gaming performance, the Ryzen 7 5800X is a superb choice. It offers up excellent value for money and – if rumors are to be believed – should outperform the Intel equivalent on release day.
The Ryzen 7 5800X comes equipped with 8 cores/16 threads, a base clock frequency of 3.8GHz, and a combined cache of 36MB (L2+L3). Like the other CPUs in this guide, the Ryzen 7 5800X is designed using the TSMC’s 7nm node and is fully backward compatible with 400/500 series AM4 motherboards – albeit requiring a BIOS update.
As far as gaming performance is concerned, we should expect to see excellent 1080p and 1440p gaming on ultra settings. Even highly taxing CPU games shouldn’t cause this CPU too many issues.
Whilst this CPU doesn’t really land a blow on the more premium offerings in this guide, it still has the ability to perform fairly taxing workflows. For me, one of the best value CPUs on the market.
AMD Ryzen 5 5600X
AMD Ryzen 5 5600X
Last but not least, we have the budget option – AMD’s Ryzen 5 5600X. Despite this being the slowest and least powerful of the CPUs in this guide, it still has a lot to offer today’s market. It falls slap bang in the middle of a super-competitive price pool, giving consumers another tough decision when it comes to their next CPU upgrade.
The Ryzen 5 5600X comes equipped with everything you’d need for a quality gaming experience – including 6 cores/12 threads, a boost clock frequency of 3.7GHz, max all-core boost of 4.6GHz, and 35MB of combined cache (L2+L3). Once again, this CPU is built on TSMC’s 7nm node and is fully backwards compatible with 400/500 series AM4 motherboards.
Despite this CPU not showcasing the best workstation performance, it still offers up a great gaming experience for individuals on a tight budget. This card is set to hit shelves for around $300, pricing it above the 10600K alternative. That being said, AMD has stated that we should see a performance increase when comparing it to one of Intel’s most popular CPUs – the 10600K.
Only time will tell, but for now, it’s safe to say that this could be one of the best CPUs of 2021.
Final Word
So, there you have it guys, our comprehensive guide on the best Ryzen 5000 series CPUs. Hopefully, this guide has given you a better understanding of the 5000 series lineup and what scenario each processor is best suited towards. Whilst the lineup is currently only 4 CPUs, it’s safe to say that AMD have more SKUs in the works. It’s only a matter of time before the remaining SKUs are released – potentially bringing some changes to this guide.
If you have any questions regarding the Ryzen 5000 series CPU lineup, feel free to leave us a comment in the section below. Better still, why not head on over to our Community Hub where you can discuss everything Ryzen related with like-minded individuals.