Core Count vs. Clock Speed

[tolkiennerd69]

Hello! I'm wondering what will be a better pick for DCS: the ryzen 5 5600x or the 7 5800x. The 5800x has more cores and threads, but a .3 Ghz-lower clock speed. Both are the same price currently. Which one is better?

[emosun]

the 5800x appears to be faster both single and multithreaded.

Much as it was true 30 years ago , clock speed has nothing to do with how much the processor can do.

[podkall]

What?

 

5800x has both more cores and faster clock speed, where are you getting that 5800x has less?

 

Also by default you never choose CPU based on clock speed, it's (sometimes) core count and platform that matters, as well as if the CPU is low-end/mid/high-end.

[Ha-Satan]

How much is the 5700X3D relative to the 5600X and 5800X in your region? In general, flight sims like DCS absolutely love the extra L3 cache on the X3D CPUs.

 

Also, do you already have an AM4 motherboard or is this a totally new system?

[GuiltySpark_]

13 minutes ago, tolkiennerd69 said:

Both are the same price currently. Which one is better?

5800x, if you have the cooling for it.

 

But both are a crap purchase in 2025 especially if this is a fully new build. 5700x3D at the very least if you're buying on AM4.

[tolkiennerd69]

Both the 5 5600x and the 7 5800x are like $140 for me and the 5700x3d is $260. I fell like the 5700x3d is overkill considering the fact that I'll be pairing it with a 6700xt. I just have the ryzen stock cooler and don't really want to pay for a nice air cooler or an AIO, so maybe I should go with the 5600x. I'm on AM4 currently and don't want to invest in AM5. The reason I thought the 5800x had a slower clock speed is because I was comparing its base clock with the 5600x's boost clock...

3 hours ago, GuiltySpark_ said:

But both are a crap purchase in 2025 especially if this is a fully new build. 5700x3D at the very least if you're buying on AM4.

wdym? I see lots of people suggesting the 5600 and 5600x? Or do you mean just for flight sims?

[okkee]

31 minutes ago, tolkiennerd69 said:

Hello! I'm wondering what will be a better pick for DCS: the ryzen 5 5600x or the 7 5800x. The 5800x has more cores and threads, but a .3 Ghz-lower clock speed. Both are the same price currently. Which one is better?

5800x. The extra cores would definitely be a lot more helpful for some games.

[Ha-Satan]

3 minutes ago, tolkiennerd69 said:

Both the 5 5600x and the 7 5800x are like $140 for me and the 5700x3d is $260. I fell like the 5700x3d is overkill considering the fact that I'll be pairing it with a 6700xt. I just have the ryzen stock cooler and don't really want to pay for a nice air cooler or an AIO, so maybe I should go with the 5600x. I'm on AM4 currently and don't want to invest in AM5. The reason I thought the 5800x had a slower clock speed is because I was comparing its base clock with the 5600x's boost clock...

wdym? I see lots of people suggesting the 5600 and 5600x? Or do you mean just for flight sims?

Ryzen 5000 series CPUs only really make sense to buy in 2025 in two contexts:

 

1. You already have an older AM4 system with a Ryzen 1000/2000/3000 series CPU and want to get a CPU boost without replacing the whole system

 

2. You are building new, but on a very low budget

 

It sounds like you already have an AM4 system so a Ryzen 5000 series CPU makes sense.

 

For gaming, the 5600, 5600X, and 5800X will all perform basically the same. The 5700X3D will be a decent amount faster (when CPU-bound). If you can get the 5600 non-X for meaningfully less than the 5600X or 5800X, just get the 5600 non-X. 

 

The 5600/5600X/5800X would all pair well with a 6700 XT.

[YoungBlade]

8 minutes ago, tolkiennerd69 said:

wdym? I see lots of people suggesting the 5600 and 5600x? Or do you mean just for flight sims?

Those recommendations are generally going to be based on the idea that you can pick up a Ryzen 5 5600(X), AM4 motherboard, and DDR4 RAM for dirt cheap, or you're upgrading an existing AM4 system with something like a Ryzen 5 1600 or Ryzen 3 3100 currently on it.

 

If it is priced the same as a 5800X, something isn't right, and it's probably a bad buy.

[tolkiennerd69]

34 minutes ago, YoungBlade said:

f it is priced the same as a 5800X, something isn't right, and it's probably a bad buy.

Check Amazon.

 

I'm on AM4 and upgrading from 5 3600x and GTX 1660 super. If the 5800x stays on sale, which it has been for the last month, and doesn't get effected too much by the tariffs, I'll guess I will get that. Would a stock AMD cooler be sufficient, or do I need a tower cooler/cheap aio?

[YoungBlade]

36 minutes ago, tolkiennerd69 said:

Check Amazon.

 

I'm on AM4 and upgrading from 5 3600x and GTX 1660 super. If the 5800x stays on sale, which it has been for the last month, and doesn't get effected too much by the tariffs, I'll guess I will get that. Would a stock AMD cooler be sufficient, or do I need a tower cooler/cheap aio?

If you're in the US, the 5800XT ($155) is currently cheaper on Amazon than the 5800X ($161), so I don't know why you wouldn't just get that. It's the same CPU, but faster - and cheaper for some reason. You could also look at the 5700X for $137 - it's basically the same, but has a lower out-of-the-box power draw. (Ignore the R7 5700 non-X as that's a different chip altogether and slower than the Ryzen 5 5600.)

 

The R5 5600 is currently going for $123, so a fair bit cheaper than the 5800X. The 5600X is $143 - not worth it when you can get the 5600 non-X for $20 cheaper.

 

I wouldn't recommend the stock cooler for a 5800X, but if I remember correctly, the 3600X came with the Wraith Spire, so that's a bit better than the Stealth. It should at least keep it running within spec. A slight undervolt could also help.

 

If you intend to run these at stock settings, then either the R5 5600 non-X or the R7 5700X will do fine with the stock cooler. They run at a 65W TDP so max out their power consumption at just 88W - less than what your 3600X would be pulling under load.

[KidKid]

2 hours ago, tolkiennerd69 said:

Hello! I'm wondering what will be a better pick for DCS: the ryzen 5 5600x or the 7 5800x. The 5800x has more cores and threads, but a .3 Ghz-lower clock speed. Both are the same price currently. Which one is better?

But the 5800x can boost higher than the 5600x. If kept under proper temps, the 5800x should be faster.

[Ha-Satan]

45 minutes ago, YoungBlade said:

If you intend to run these at stock settings, then either the R5 5600 non-X or the R7 5700X will do fine with the stock cooler. They run at a 65W TDP so max out their power consumption at just 88W - less than what your 3600X would be pulling under load.

Yeah, IMO at these prices either get the 5600 non-X or 5700X (if you really want 8 cores) and just use the stock cooler.