I recently sold my old Intel based 4790k system with the intention of upgrading to something a little more future proof, and importantly, faster. After doing a lot of research I decided to be daring and make a move over to the red team! This was for a few reasons. AMD at the moment just represents far better value for money, power for pound. The AM4 platform has also matured to a level where it is robust and reliable, so no longer an unknown quantity as was the case when it first launched. AMD are also promising that the AM4 platform will be around until at least 2020, whereas Intel are rumoured to be dropping socket 1151 after the 9th gen CPU’s are launched in the near future.
Red team decided, I researched a number of CPU’s before setting on the Ryzen 6 2600. I ruled out the 1st gen CPU’s as I wanted newer architecture, so this seemed like the obvious choice. For the £143 I paid I couldn’t believe I was getting 6 cores, 12 threads and the ability to overclock (big smile). I had a nagging concern over the 3.4GHz base clock with boost to 3.9GHz, however was happy to be proven wrong.
Installation was a breeze. I opted not to use the bundled Wraith cooler as I had already purchased an AIO watercooler. With the low 65w TDP this is one cool little CPU. With my 240mm AIO attached at 100% load in AIDA64 it doesn’t get over 50c!
This CPU easily surpassed whatever expectations I had for it. Despite the lower clock speed single core performance is respectable; however a similar Intel CPU would have the legs on it. However in multi core applications this CPU just runs away with it. When I benchmarked this CPU and compared it to my old Intel i7 4790k this CPU is 1% lower in single core tasks, but an astonishing 50% faster in multi core tasks. Not bad considering the £143 price tag, and me having sold my 4790k for £200.
3DMark scores were similarly impressive, and I noted that despite the 3.9GHz boost, coupled with my Asus B450 board the system automatically boosted the CPU to 4.2GHz. Temperatures on this run peaked at 57c.
Overall I wouldn’t hesitate in recommending this CPU to anyone. It should easily last a few years as it delivered plenty of processing power. Then come 2020 you can swap this CPU out for a newer faster AMD CPU and carry on enjoying the platform for several years. Until Intel, where you will have to change the motherboard if you want to upgrade to a processor post 9th generation.
System:
AMD Ryzen 5 2600
Asus ROG Strix B450-F gaming motherboard
CoolerMaster ML240L AIO liquid cooler
Corsair Vengeance LPX 3200MHz RAM
| Brand | AMD |
|---|---|
| Product Dimensions | 4.06 x 4.06 x 0.76 cm; 453.59 Grams |
| Item model number | YD2600BBAFBOX |
| Manufacturer | AMD |
| Series | YD2600BBAFBOX |
| Color | Black |
| Processor Brand | AMD |
| Processor Type | 80386 |
| Processor Speed | 3.4 GHz |
| Processor Socket | Socket AM4 |
| Processor Count | 6 |
| RAM Size | 16 GB |
| Memory Technology | DDR4 |
| Computer Memory Type | DDR4 SDRAM |
| Wireless Type | 802.11a |
| Wattage | 65 watts |
| Are Batteries Included | No |
| Item Weight | 454 g |
