Ryzen 5 2600 vs Ryzen 9 3900X — Specs & Performance Compared

Verdict: The Ryzen 9 3900X is ahead of the Ryzen 5 2600 on all 7 shared benchmarks on file, by 12% to 156%, including 156% in Cinebench R23 multi (18,682 vs 7,306).

Side-by-side CPU comparison of the Ryzen 5 2600 and the Ryzen 9 3900X. Released 2018 (Ryzen 5 2600), 2019 (Ryzen 9 3900X). MSRP range: $199 · $499. Specs, synthetic benchmarks, AI inference tok/s, and Amazon availability below; each column header links to that part's benchmark page.

AMD

Ryzen 5 2600

6 cores65W TDP$199 MSRP2018

Full Ryzen 5 2600 benchmarks →

AMD

Ryzen 9 3900X

12 cores105W TDP$499 MSRP2019

Full Ryzen 9 3900X benchmarks →

*Price sourced from Amazon.com. Price and availability subject to change.

Where to buy

A listing for each part; the current price and stock are on the retailer's page.

Specs side-by-side

Spec	Ryzen 5 2600	Ryzen 9 3900X
cores	6	12
threads	12	24
base clock ghz	3.4	3.8
boost clock ghz	3.9	4.6
tdp w	65	105
l3 cache mb	16	64
process nm	12	7
socket	AMD Socket AM4	AMD Socket AM4

Synthetic benchmarks

Each row says whether a higher or a lower number is better (ranks and times are lower-is-better). Scores come from CGDirector, CPU-Monkey, GadgetVersus, NanoReview, Geekbench Browser, PassMark Software, numberworld.org and HWBOT; each row links its sources, and where they differ the cell shows their median. Empty cells mean we don't yet have that benchmark on file for the SKU.

Benchmark	Ryzen 5 2600	Ryzen 9 3900X
Cinebench R23 multi (higher is better) Source: CGDirector, CPU-Monkey	7,306 points	18,682 points
Cinebench R23 single (higher is better) Source: CGDirector, CPU-Monkey	1,053 points	1,312 points
Geekbench 6 multi (higher is better) Source: GadgetVersus, NanoReview, Geekbench Browser	5,239 points	9,259 points
Geekbench 6 single (higher is better) Source: GadgetVersus, NanoReview, Geekbench Browser	1,162 points	1,682 points
PassMark CPU Mark (higher is better) Source: PassMark Software	13,133 points	32,491 points
PassMark Single Thread (higher is better) Source: PassMark Software	2,413 points	2,702 points
PassMark Single Thread Rating (higher is better) Source: PassMark Software	2,234 points	2,702 points
Y-cruncher 1B (lower is better) Source: numberworld.org	110 seconds	—
Y-cruncher Pi 1B (lower is better) Source: HWBOT	—	89 seconds

Quick answers

Which is faster, the Ryzen 5 2600 or the Ryzen 9 3900X?

The Ryzen 9 3900X is ahead of the Ryzen 5 2600 on all 7 shared benchmarks on file, by 12% to 156%, including 156% in Cinebench R23 multi (18,682 vs 7,306).

What did the Ryzen 5 2600 and the Ryzen 9 3900X cost at launch?

The Ryzen 5 2600 launched at a $199 MSRP and the Ryzen 9 3900X at $499. Street prices drift from launch pricing; the Where to buy section links current listings.