Before the AMD Ryzen processors appeared in the market, a lot of competing brands were considered as the best choices when it comes to processors for performance-based computer rigs; and basically, each of the mid-range and high-end PC’s had Intel processors for their devices. We can’t deny that their processors are good for overclocking and gaming which results in a processor that can readily hold your platform for about five years or so. But recently, AMD surprised everyone with their processors that actually offer more threads, cores, and the most important aspect of all, a much lower price compared to all of its competitors around.
Today, AMD’s Ryzen series is definitely the ultimate winner when it comes to price range and performance, especially with their Ryzen 5 1600 which is one of their most notable processors to date. Other processors in the market today are no longer the primary choice for computers, especially when it comes to gaming and its overall system performance.
If you are choosing between a competing processor and the Ryzen 5 1600, we would highly suggest that you go for the Ryzen 5 1600. This is because the processor can match or even beat other processors even if these have the 1 GHz clock-speed advantage. Of course, we’re not saying that the other processors don’t have such an advantage; they actually do especially when it comes to the single-threaded performance, yet as for the productivity, multi-threaded, as well as the overall performance, the Ryzen 5 1600 from AMD is unbeatable especially when it comes to its twelve threads and six cores.
We can’t deny the fact that AMD displays an excellent increase in performance when it comes to the heavily-threaded workloads such as streaming, rendering, and producing content; plus, another vital factor of the processor is hyperthreading since the Ryzen 5 1600 has while the other processors don’t. This processor from AMD is also said to be great for gaming which is why tons of gamers who are on a budget opt for this processor compared to the pricier ones that are around.
The thing here is, does AMD’s Ryzen 5 1600 offer adequate performance and efficiency to actually beat the other top-notch processors when it comes to the price to performance ratio? Today, we’re going to talk more about the Ryzen 5 1600 from AMD and check out its specifications, features, and performance – whether it is a processor that’s really as good as the company claims it to be, and if it can really work better than other similar products today. Let’s see what the Ryzen 5 1600 has in store for us.
AMD Ryzen 5 1600 CPU Review – Whats in the Box?
When we received the Ryzen 5 1600 for review it came in a very basic, plain package which you can see in the photos. The good news is that if you purchase one of these beasts you will get some much nicer retail packaging. The AMD Ryzen 5 1600 ships in a nicely designed retail package that has the Ryzen logo on the front portion of the box. There is also a little “5” right at the bottom corner of the package just to inform you that the processor is part of Ryzen’s 5 series. There isn’t really much to see on the product’s box so we headed right to opening the package to see what’s inside. Once we opened the package, you will instantly see the AMD Ryzen 5 1600 processor; aside from the product, you will also find a certificate of authenticity neatly slipped into it as well.
If you take a look at the chip itself, you will see that the Ryzen 5 1600 has the integrated heat spreader that covers almost the whole item. On the front part of the processor, you will find a huge logo of AMD Ryzen while a much smaller one for the Ryzen 5 1600 can be seen at the top. If you flip the chip over, you’ll see its pins which you should avoid bending when you insert this to your motherboard’s AM4 socket. Now, we can learn more about the product, it’s specifications, as well as its features to see if this processor from AMD is something that you’d need.
The Product
AMD Ryzen 5 1600 CPU Review – Guess Who’s Back!
The Ryzen 5 collection from AMD can greatly compete with the whole range of Intel’s Core – i5 quad-core series and when it comes to the price range, Ryzen definitely has the upper hand. The Ryzen 5 1600, as well as other processors from the Ryzen 5 series, is also made using the 14-nm silicone (Summit Ridge) that is utilized for the eight-core Ryzen 7 series, and it also consists of quad-core and six-core SKUs which are strengthened by the Simultaneous Multi-Threading or SMT, as well as unlocked base clock multipliers that are across the board.
If you take a look at the processor, you will see that the AMD Ryzen 5 1600 chip looks similar to every other desktop processor from AMD, and we’re talking about processors since the Anthlon-64. Notice that there is a huge and thick heat spreader integrated on the chip which basically covers most of it; beneath this, you will see the AMD Ryzen 5 1600’s PGA or pin grid array. The processor’s AM4 is generally made up of a total of 1,331 pins and these pins are finer compared to the ones you see on the AM3 + FX series processors – this is the reason why you should be careful when inserting the processor to your motherboards AM4 socket.
The Ryzen 5 1600’s AM4 still features the rectangular-shaped cooler-mount layout which is generally different compared to the square-shaped ones found on the Intel LGA platforms. Just recently, the company just released their new v1 0.0.6 AGESA update; a lot of motherboard vendors create firmware based on the AGESA bedrock so all improvements and upgrades to the fundamental code allow all manufacturers to give more options from their own BIOS. However, the newest type features twenty-six more settings that should readily enhance memory overclocking such as granting either the 1T / 2T command rates which were previously limited to just 1T, as well as the increased range of multipliers allowing 4,000 MT/s without the BCKL overclocking.
The Ryzen 5 1600 from AMD is the smaller brother of the Ryzen 5 – 1600X and these two processors feature a total of six cores and both support the SMT for a total of 12 logical cores. Intel’s processors only come in four cores without their Hyperthreading Technology which is generally advantageous for the Ryzen 5 1600 on this aspect. Both the Ryzen 5 1600 and 1600X also feature a Precision Boost and a total of 16-MB of cache; the Precision Boost actually improves and increases up to 3.60 GHz for the AMD Ryzen 5 1600. The XFR also includes an additional 50 MHz over the Precision Boost frequency which is even better especially when your cooling is up to this.
The AMD Ryzen 5 1600 features the Zen Core Architecture which delivers > 52% improvement when it comes to the instructions per clock cycle compared to the previous generations of the AMD core. The second generation Ryzen processors, such as the AMD Ryzen 5 1600, gives you better performance which has been further improved with the latest Zen + architecture, delivering the very first desktop processor right on the advanced 12-nm node. The company also integrated AMD’s Sense MI technology which is a collection of adapting and learning features that aid the AMD Ryzen 5 1600 when it comes to customizing its performance based on your applications and needs.
The Ryzen 5 1600 processor also features the MxGPU which is the very first virtualized GPU solution based on hardware. This virtualization is created on industry standard single-root I / O virtualization or SR-IOV technology that allows a total of sixteen virtualized users per physical GPU to be able to work remotely. Generally, we compared the company’s scalable Virtual Desktop Infrastructure with various virtualization offerings from software and we noticed that the previous can further safeguard important data just by utilizing a dedicated share of local memory for more security.
AMD continuously aims to decrease their load time as well as to improve their storage performance; to achieve these said goals, the company collaborated with a company named Enmotus that has been developing server-class and high-end storage solutions that are specifically designed to enhance the capacity and performance of the data center. Both companies eventually created the Fuze Drive software which was made for the AMD Ryzen processors including the Ryzen 5 1600; the software is also for systems that utilize specific AMD chipsets. Enmotus is a company known for creating quality and highly notable server storage technologies; however, the company opted to collaborate with AMD to improve and further develop consumer storage.
The Fuze Drive Software is compatible with Threadripper and AMD Ryzen processors and the software generally combines all of the available storage devices to form one pool of high-speed and efficient data storage. The Fuze Drive for the Ryzen 5 1600 software combines all of the performance SSDs with volume capacities into one fully and completely automated volume. The active information is dynamically set on the fast storage media without really having any manual intervention.
The Ryzen 5 1600 also features the AMD Infinity Fabric which is the company’s latest interconnect which is a quick way to link various parts in an SoC. We learned that the Infinity Fabric isn’t just made for the Ryzen processors, but it will also be utilized in future GPUs and chips that will eventually be produced by AMD. We actually like that this feature lets you have better, faster, and more secure connections in a chip; and since the intra and inter-chip connectors will be standardized in a lot of AMD products, the company will be able to communicate easily over the same interconnect.
The Ryzen 5 1600 also features the Pure Power which is a special technology that lets Ryzen chips, as well as other Ryzen variants to work efficiently and effectively as possible. The processor’s features are actually very notable, so with that, we’re giving the Ryzen 5 1600 a thumbs-up for these.
SenseMI Technology
Ryzen Master
AMD is all about giving you the power and control to unlock the potential of your new Ryzen processor and this is proven with Ryzen Master. Ryzen Master is a set of tools developed by AMD that makes overclocking your CPU a breeze thanks to its intuitive layout and controls. Every Ryzen processor from AMD has it’s multiplier unlocked which means that you can tweak the settings to your liking allowing you to squeeze very drop of juice out of these little beasts.
The AMD Ryzen Master utility which provides you with a total of four profiles that can help store and stock voltage adjustments and custom clocks for both the Ryzen 5 1600 and the DDR4 memory; not only that, but you can also park cores, as well as regulate memory timing.
Thanks to the inclusion of Ryzen Master overclocking is now something that is available to the more novice users. Before you had to jump into the Bios and tweak settings there which increases the risk of causing some serious damage to the system if you do not know what you are doing. Although making changes through the bios allows you greater control over your overclock settings, Ryzen Master is a really nice way to get all users on board and tinkering with their settings.
Product Specifications
How it Performs
Our Test System
The Ryzen 5 1600 was tested on the following build:
- Asus Strix GTX1080 GPU
- Asus TUF X470-Plus Gaming Motherboard
- 32GB Kingston HyperX Fury 2666MHz DDR4 RAM
- Noctua NH-D15S CPU Cooler
- eVGA SuperNOVA G3 750w PSU
- 480GB Patriot Hellfire M.2 SSD
- 2x HyperX Savage 240GB SSD
- Thermaltake View71 Tempered Glass Chasis
When it comes to the Ryzen 5 1600’s gaming and overall performance, the processor is designed to run games and software easily. We tested the Ryzen 5 1600 processor on games that we ran on maximum settings using an Nvidia GTX1080. Generally, the Ryzen 5 1600 from AMD is very much similar to their 1600X except that it features a slightly decreased TDP of 65-W.
Our test system makes use of a Noctua NH-D15S CPU cooler which easily draws heat from the CPU keeping the processor running nice and cool. Overclocking the Ryzen 5 was a pleasure and was very easy allowing us to hit a steady 3.9GHz that ran without issue and was incredibly stable. It is possible that you could overclock the Ryzen 5 1600 to speeds higher than 3.9GHz depending on your setup however we found that 3.9GHz was the sweet spot. Overclocked at 3.9GHz the temperature remained stable and there were no concerns of overheating which meant that the computer ran smoothly and we noticed no issues related to overheating in gaming or application tasks.
Its gaming performance is very good and the Ryzen 5 1600 can readily compete with Intel at even higher resolutions than 1080p. Just remember that AMD does not recommend that you have a v-Core voltage that is higher than 1.35-V since this can greatly affect a processor’s longevity, especially when it comes to long term overclocking. Although this is the case, AMD still notes that their Ryzen processors, including the Ryzen 5 1600, can generally withstand voltage that is higher than 1.45-V. Also, you should remember that the warranty provided by AMD for the Ryzen 5 1600 does not cover any damages done due to overclocking, so basically, everything that you do that is related to this is at your own risk.
The performance of the Ryzen 5 1600 processor from AMD is fantastic, especially when you begin looking at the multi-threaded apps; moreover, we also see that the processor is better and more advantageous over other processors that are out in the market since these usually fail in terms of shortage of HT and cores. As for the single-threaded apps which usually include a lot of productivity programs such as Office, AMD’s Ryzen 5 1600 also does a great job with these. It is very easy to recommend the Ryzen 5 1600 to gamers thanks to its very affordable price tag and its performance.
Thanks to the Noctua NH-D15S the temperatures sat on average at around 58 degress under load and 32 degrees whilst the computer was idle.
Power Consumption
Gaming Performance
3DMark Performance
Conclusion
The Ryzen 5 1600 from AMD retails at a very affordable price and it actually beats the Intel 7500 & 7600-K when it comes to multi-threaded apps; it also features HTT / SMT which the competing chips from Intel lacks. It’s also really good that their processor’s single-threaded performance was greatly enhanced over the earlier generations which makes the processor generally more efficient when it comes to its performance.
AMD’s core advantage, unlocked multipliers, as well as threads that make the Ryzen 5 1600 an excellent processor for both professionals and gamers who are on a budget; this processor also provides you with numerous features and great performance for a very reasonable price. In fact, you can actually opt for this processor instead of the pricey ones; you’ll just need some overclocking work and you can make it work just like the 1600X. We were also able to actually hit the 4 GHz clock frequency with this processor so we’re really very happy with the results.
We also observed that with the Ryzen 5 1600, the company’s similar overclocking ceilings and unlocked multipliers are great for gamers who are on a budget; you’ll actually just need to do a bit of tinkering when you purchase a cheaper CPU and it will basically work and perform just as effectively as the high-end models that are available. With the Ryzen 5 1600, you will just need to tweak it a bit and you won’t really need to buy an expensive processor since this will work fast especially when it comes to gaming; additionally, its performance is also very stable and we didn’t have any lagging issues as well.
Overall, we loved the performance and basically everything about the Ryzen 5 1600; its core performance is definitely good for what it needs to do for a variety of applications especially in its price category. Also, if you combine this with a 3.5 GHz Turbo Frequency, the Ryzen 5 1600 processor from AMD is definitely notable. So if you are in need of a budget-friendly processor that works excellently for gaming and other tasks, we highly recommend the Ryzen 5 1600 from AMD and we’re sure that you’re going to appreciate its features and performance just as much as we did.
Where to Buy
If you want to have your own AMD Ryzen 5 1600, you can simply visit AMD’s store locator to see which shops offer this processor.
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