AMD Ryzen 5 2600X vs AMD Ryzen 5 3500U

AMD Ryzen 5 2600X

The AMD Ryzen 5 2600X is a high-end desktop processor with 6 cores (12 threads) that was announced early 2018. It is based on the revised Zen+ cores and at launch the second fastest Ryzen CPU behind the Ryzen 7 2700X. The CPU cores clock at 3.6 GHz base and using Precision Boost 2 up to 4.2 GHz. All 6 cores and 12 threads can clock up to 3.9 GHz. The 6 cores are divided in two cluster (3 cores each with own L3 cache) connected via Infinity Fabric.

Compared to the older first Ryzen generation (e.g., Ryzen 5 1600X), the second generation is manufactured in an improved process (12nm called), offers and improved Precision Boost 2 (especially in partial load of the cores) and faster cache and memory speeds.

See our second generation Ryzen review for detailed benchmarks and information.

AMD Ryzen 5 3500U

The AMD Ryzen 5 3500U is a mobile SoC that was announced in January 2019. It combines four Zen+ cores (8 threads) clocked at 2.1 GHz to 3.7 GHz with a Radeon RX Vega 8 iGPU with 8 CUs (512 Shaders) clocked at up to 1200 MHz. Specified at 15 Watt TDP, the SoC is intended for thin mid-range laptops. In Chromebooks, AMD calles the APU AMD Ryzen 5 3500C, but the specifications (and performance) are the same.

The Picasso SoC uses the Zen+ microarchitecture with slight improvements that should lead to a 3% IPS (performance per clock) improvements. Furthermore, the 12 nm process allows for higher clocks at similar power consumption.

The integrated dual-channel memory controller supports up to DDR4-2400 memory. As the features of the Picasso APUs are the same compared to the Raven Ridge predecessors, we point to our Raven Ridge launch article.

Performance

The average 3500U in our database matches the Intel Core i7-1065G7 in multi-thread performance to be an OK lower mid-range option, as of early 2021.

The Honor MagicBook 14 is among the fastest laptops powered by the 3500U that we know of. It can be up to 50% faster in CPU-bound workloads than the slowest system featuring the same chip in our database, as of August 2023.

Power consumption

This Ryzen 5 series chip has a default TDP (also known as the long-term power limit) of 15 W, a value that laptop makers are free to set to anything between 12 W and 35 W with clock speeds and performance changing accordingly as a result. Either way, this is a tad too high to allow for passively cooled designs.

The chip is manufactured on a 12 nm process for subpar, as of late 2022, energy efficiency.