AMD Ryzen 5 5600G APU Performance Review

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AMD Ryzen 5 5600G APU Top View on Black Textured Background

Introduction

If you thought the AMD Ryzen 7 5700G was a great value for an 8 core/16 thread CPU from AMD, which we proved in our review, then step aside and let’s welcome a great value for a 6 core/12 thread CPU with the AMD Ryzen 5 5600G APU desktop processor.  The AMD Ryzen 5 5600G is an APU based on AMD’s latest Zen 3 architecture with AMD Radeon Graphics built-in. 

This is the 6 core/12 thread step-down from what the Ryzen 7 5700G offered, and offers an even better and more appealing $259 MSRP.  In today’s review, we are going to take the AMD Ryzen 5 5600G and compare it versus the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X and AMD Ryzen 5 3600X.

Similar to our AMD Ryzen 7 5700G review we want to know how close the AMD Ryzen 5 5600G really is to Ryzen 5 5600X CPU performance?  Is the newer Zen 3 architecture enough for it to stand apart from the last generation Ryzen 5 3600X even though it has reduced specs?  These are all questions we want to know because the Ryzen 5 5600G is actually available for a very appealing price point today according to PCPartPicker around $220 or even $199 at Micro Center!  This could be the deal of the year.

AMD Ryzen 5 5600G Specs

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600G, codenamed Cezanne, launched on April 13th, 2021, and is part of the AMD Ryzen 5000 series.  However, it started its life out as an OEM-only option, that is until AMD finally made it available to purchase in retail later that year.  A wise decision that should have come earlier.  In the fall of 2021, the APU was available as a boxed processor for an MSRP of $259. 

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600G currently sits right under the Ryzen 7 5700G as far as Ryzen 5000 G-series APUs are concerned.  This is the next to the fastest version of the Ryzen 5000 G-series APUs on the desktop AM4 platform.  The Ryzen 5 5600G is manufactured on TSMC 7nm FinFET. 

What makes the AMD Ryzen 5000 G-Series special is that these new APUs are based on the latest AMD Zen 3 architecture, which is an upgrade from the last generation Zen 2 APUs.  The AMD Ryzen 4000 G-Series APUs were all based on Zen 2, and all of them were OEM only.

SpecificationRyzen 5 5600XRyzen 5 5600GRyzen 5 3600X
ArchitectureZen 3 / VermeerZen 3 / CezanneZen 2 / Matisse
Process NodeTSMC 7nm FinFETTSMC 7nm FinFETTSMC 7nm FinFET
Cores/Threads6/126/126/12
L2+L3 Cache3MB L2/32MB L33MB L2/16MB L33MB L2/32MB L3
Base Frequency3.7GHz3.9GHz3.8GHz
Max Boost Frequency4.6GHz4.4GHz4.4GHz
TDP65W65W95W
Radeon GraphicsN/AVega 7N/A
MSRP$299$259$249

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600G is a Ryzen 5 CPU with built-in integrated Radeon Graphics.  It is a 6 core/12 thread CPU.  This matches the core/thread count on the Ryzen 5 3600X (Zen 2 CPU) and Ryzen 5 5600X (Zen 3 CPU).  The max boost clock is 4.4GHz, which is 200MHz lower than the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X’s boost clock of 4.6GHz.  In comparison, the Ryzen 5 3600X also runs at the exact same 4.4GHz, so the 5600G and 3600X match in terms of clock speed.  All three are 6 core/12 thread CPUs.  The 3600X is based on Zen 2 though, while the 5600G and 5600X are based on Zen 3.    

Another area where the Ryzen 5 5600G differs is in the L3 cache capacity.  It has half the L3 cache of the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X and AMD Ryzen 5 3600X.  The Ryzen 5 5600G has 16MB of L3 cache, while the 5600X and 3600X both have doubled at 32MB.  This halving of the cache will make one of the biggest differences in performance.

The last major difference is in the TDP.  The Ryzen 5 5600G has a TDP of 65W, which actually matches the Ryzen 5 5600X at 65W TDP as well.  However, the Ryzen 5 3600X had a TDP of 95W, so it utilized more power.

Another interesting fact is that the AMD Ryzen 5 5600G only supports up to PCIe 3.0, in fact, all Ryzen 5000 G-Series APUs only support PCIe 3.0.  They do not utilize the newer PCIe 4.0 bandwidth.  This means that ultimately you will be restricted to PCIe 3.0 x4 SSD performance on motherboards, as well as PCIe 3.0 on the primary PCIe graphics slot rather than PCIe 4.0.  This fact should not affect CPU performance, but it could affect other subsystem performance like SSDs.

Therefore, the 5600G is a 6 core/12 thread CPU but has its L3 cache cut in half, and a lower clock speed than the 5600X, but the same TDP.  Compared to the 3600X it has the same clock speed, but the L3 cache is cut in half, and a lower TDP at 65W, but is based on the newer Zen 3 architecture. 

Because this is an APU it has built-in integrated graphics in the way of AMD Radeon Vega Graphics.  It specifically uses an AMD Radeon RX Vega 7 GPU that is built-in.  The graphics core is based on the GCN 5.0 architecture, Vega.  It is made from 7 Compute Units, 448 Streaming Processors, 8 ROPs, and 28 Texture Mapping Units running at 1900MHz. 

The AMD Radeon RX Vega 7 Graphics inside the 5600G will perform slower than the Vega 8 graphics inside the 5700G.  This is a step-down in integrated graphics performance from the 5700G in terms of CUs, Streaming Processors, TMUs, and clock speed.  You can check out our review on the performance of Vega 8 inside the 5700G here

AMD Ryzen 5 5600G Pictures

We purchased a full boxed retail Ryzen 5 5600G pictured above for review.  The box comes in a nice color, and the label indicates it as AMD Ryzen 5 5600G with Radeon Graphics 6 Core, 12 Thread Processor 4.4GHz Max Boost, 3.9GHz Base.  It is a Socket AM4, Heat Sink Fan Included, 19MB Cache (it is counting the total of the L2 + L3 cache), and that it is Unlocked.  You can overclock the 5600G.

As is indicated on the package the boxed retail version comes with an AMD Wraith STEALTH heatsink fan in the box.  The Wraith STEALTH is the most basic of the AMD processor cooling solutions that AMD offers.  While it will get the job done, it is built for 65W TDP CPUs, has less meat on the bone in terms of heat dissipation area, and is all aluminum with no copper.  It comes with pre-applied thermal paste and uses the AMD push-pin installation mounting.

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600G itself looks like any other AM4 CPU.  It is big and square, has a large heat spreader, and simply installs into our X570 motherboard with ease.

AMD Ryzen 5 5600G Installation

Installing our AMD Ryzen 5 5600G went smoothly, with no issues.  We are using the MSI MEG CORELIQUID S360 AIO Cooler that we reviewed.  We will be using this same AIO for all CPUs in this review.  The motherboard we are using is an ASUS TUF GAMING X570-PLUS (WI-FI) motherboard.  The BIOS we are using is the official Version 4022 build from 12/14/2021.  We have a Crucial Ballistix DDR4-3600 CL16 16GB RAM Kit installed.  From ASUS’s webpage for this motherboard we are using Chipset drivers Version 3.10.22.706 dated 11/18/2021.

CPUz and HWiNFO64 show all the right information, and we are running at DDR4-3600 by default with D.O.C.P. enabled.

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Brent Justicehttps://www.thefpsreview.com
Former managing editor of GPUs at HardOCP for 18 years, Brent Justice has been reviewing computer components since the late 90s, educated in the art and method of the computer hardware review, he brings experience, knowledge, and hands-on testing with a gamer-oriented and hardware enthusiast perspective. You can follow him on Twitter - @Brent_Justice You can sub to his YouTube channel - Justice Gaming https://www.youtube.com/c/JusticeGamingChannel You can check out his computer builds on KIT - @BrentJustice https://kit.co/BrentJustice

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