AMDRyzen 5 5600 6-Core, 12-Thread Unlocked Desktop Processor with Wraith Stealth Cooler

Let’s just say it up front: if you’re building a mid-range gaming PC, a light workstation, or even a home lab test bench, the Ryzen 5 5600 is still one of the smartest buys you can make in 2025. This chip came out as a "budget refresh" under the 5600X, but guess what? It performs 95% as well for less money—and that’s a win in my book.I’ve used this in three different builds:A gaming rig with a 3060 Ti and 32GB RAM (runs everything at 1080p/1440p like butter)A micro-ATX NAS/media server comboA test bench I keep at the shop with a stripped-down Linux distro for container devAnd across all of them? It’s stable, fast, and ridiculously power-efficient. The 6-core, 12-thread layout handles multitasking, gaming, streaming, compiling, and even light 3D rendering without breaking a sweat.Why It’s a Beast (for the price):Base 3.5GHz, boost up to 4.4GHz—plenty fast for any modern taskUnlocked for overclocking (though most people won’t need to—it's already well-tuned)AM4 socket = drop-in upgrade for tons of older B450/B550/X570 motherboardsPaired with a decent cooler (like that Thermalright Assassin 👀), it runs cool and quietWorks perfectly with budget DDR4—no need to jump to DDR5 yetWhat Could Be Better:Doesn’t include integrated graphics—so you’ll need a GPU, even just to bootNot future-proof for AM5/DDR5 platforms—but that’s why it’s priced like a legendStock cooler is okay… but you’re gonna want to upgrade if you're pushing this chipTL;DR:The Ryzen 5 5600 is still one of AMD’s most balanced chips ever made. It’s affordable, reliable, snappy under pressure, and perfect for gamers and builders who care more about performance per dollar than flexing on Cinebench charts.If you're building smart—and not just shiny—this is your CPU.

This is the only processor you'll ever need if you're just looking for something to power a simple budget gaming PC build. Even when paired with a budget GPU like the RX 6600, you can expect to play almost any game at Ultra settings at 1080p with plenty of FPS to spare. The CPU works just as well for 1440p gaming as well, if you have a more powerful GPU like the 6800 XT.This CPU also comes with an included stock cooler, which does perform remarkably better than the stock coolers from older CPU generations. However, I would still recommend getting a different cooler, just to get that slight extra bit of performance in terms of temperature control. For my test, I used this with a low profile ID-COOLING IS-55 cooler and I had an average CPU temp in the mid-60 degrees in most games.In terms of FPS performance, this CPU is more than enough to deliver over or near 100 FPS at 1080p in almost any game with the 6600 and can even exceed 200 FPS when paired with a 6800 XT. The CPU has the perfect amount of performance where there isn't any concern of it being a bottleneck unless you pair it with something like the RTX 4090, for example. In my main tests, I averaged around 76FPS in Cyberpunk 2077 with FSR 2.0 enabled on High Settings at 1080p, and I averaged around 92FPS in Hogwarts Legacy with FSR 2.0 enabled at High and also at 1080p- both games were tested with the 6600 and with 16GB of 3200Mhz RAM.Overall, there isn't a CPU that has a much better value proposition than this one. If you want a solid CPU that will work just fine with almost any GPU while still providing an excellent gaming experience, then this is the CPU for you. It comes with a cooler in the box and has preapplied thermal paste, which makes building a budget/first time PC all that much easier. I highly recommend it.

I build and upgrade computers, and use AMD Ryzen CPUs quite a bit in this hobby. AMD always provides excellent computing power for business computers and gaming computers. Using AMD saves money over the equivalent competitor models. I recommend AMD CPUs for those wanting maximum bang-for-the-buck.

After 3 years this cpu is still holding up well for me. I'm not sure who's in the market in 2025 for a new budget am4 but it's been flawless for me and my rx6600. Could work with a higher gpu but prob upgrade to a 5800x3d if you got the 3080+/6900+It's (arguably) interchangeable with the 5600x. Just make sure you check the price because sometimes it goes on sale for cheaper than the non-x. I could easily see this lasting another 6 years with no problems.

This is absolutely worth the money. I upgraded a machine from a 1900x to this 5600, the difference is speed is incredible. Installation was easy, included a new fan which is nice. Updating the BIOS wasn't difficult either. Would recommend.

The media could not be loaded. I was surprised when the CPU and Fan came in a brown box. But the CPU and the Fan worked perfectly so it's OK. It's supposed to be unlocked which I can overclock the CPU but I haven't done any of the tuning yet because my son thinks it's fast as it is. It's quite a plug and play. The price is good for this CPU especially with the Fan so we don't have to go out and buy a separate fan. The fan is quite efficient and quiet.