Amd ryzen 5 2600x vs ryzen 7 1800x performance games and applications

It's time to finish our comparisons starring the new second generation AMD Ryzen processors, this time we offer you in a confrontation between the Ryzen 5 2600X and the Ryzen 7 1800X, two models with different number of cores, but from two different generations, so it will be interesting to see the evolution of microarchitecture. AMD Ryzen 5 2600X vs Ryzen 7 1800X in games and applications.

Index of contents

AMD Ryzen 5 2600X vs Ryzen 7 1800X technical features

Both processors are differentiated by the number of cores, as well as slight differences in the microarchitecture, since a year has passed between both chips, time that AMD has taken advantage of to reduce cache latencies and access to RAM, which was the main weakness of the first generation of Ryzen processors. These improvements should help bring the six-core, twelve-core Ryzen 5 2600X closer to the Ryzen 7 1800X, a sixteen-core, eight-core processor. In the tests of this comparison we will see if it is true or not.

We recommend reading our post about AMD Ryzen 5 2600X vs Core i7 8700K in games and applications

Game testing

Video games were the main weakness of first-generation AMD Ryzen processors, due to high cache latencies and access to RAM. These two aspects have been improved in the Ryzen 5 2600X, so it will be interesting to see if it manages to outperform its rival despite having two fewer cores. As always, we have tested at 1080p, 2K and 4K resolutions to have the most realistic vision possible. Do both processors use an X470 motherboard and 3400 MHz memory?

TESTING GAMES 1080P (GeForce GTX 1080Ti)
	Rise of Tomb Raider	Far Cry 5	DOOM 4	Final Fantasy XV	DEUS EX: Mankind
Ryzen 5 2600X	146	106	115	126	112
Ryzen 7 1800X	138	97	110	122	105

GAME TESTS 1440P (GeForce GTX 1080Ti)
	Rise of Tomb Raider	Far Cry 5	DOOM 4	Final Fantasy XV	DEUS EX: Mankind
Ryzen 5 2600X	129	87	111	97	87
Ryzen 7 1800X	126	91	112	93	86

TESTING GAMES 2160P (GeForce GTX 1080Ti)
	Rise of Tomb Raider	Far Cry 5	DOOM 4	Final Fantasy XV	DEUS EX: Mankind
Ryzen 5 2600X	77	56	79	53	48
Ryzen 7 1800X	76	56	76	fifty	46

The tests show that, indeed, the Ryzen 5 2600X performs better in video games despite being a processor with fewer cores, undoubtedly the improvements made at the architectural level are noticeable, it is not a huge improvement, but it is real and in all cases.

Application performance

Having seen the performance in games, we will see how both chips behave in very demanding applications with the processor load. Here's hoping that the Ryzen 7 1800X's two extra cores will put it above its rival, which shouldn't benefit as much from latency-level improvements.

TESTING APPLICATIONS
	AIDA 64 READING	AIDA 64 WRITING	CINEBENCH R15	3D MARK FIRE STRIKE	3D MARK TIME SPY	VRMARK	PC MARK 8	LOAD CONSUMPTION (W)
Ryzen 5 2600X	50013	47542	1362	18374	6239	9842	3965	175
Ryzen 7 1800X	49743	47986	1604	18532	7859	9028	3752	202

Indeed, we can see how the Ryzen 7 1800X is a processor with more gross power, something that is noticeable in applications that can take advantage of all its processing cores. Despite this, the Ryzen 5 2600X comes quite close, and consumes less power.

Final words and conclusion about AMD Ryzen 5 2600X vs Ryzen 7 1800X

AMD promised that the games would be the great beneficiaries of the improvements introduced in the second generation Ryzen processors, since they are very sensitive to latencies, so any improvement in this aspect is notable. This makes the Ryzen 5 2600X a better option to play than the Ryzen 7 1800X, as no game is able to take advantage of the extra cores of the second, and if they take advantage of the improvements in the latencies of the new silicon.

We left the games and the situation is just the opposite, since the Ryzen 7 1800X is more powerful and faster when all its cores are used, which means that in these situations, the improvements at the level of architecture in the Ryzen 5 2600X are not enough to make up for its two less cores.

As a final conclusion, we can say that AMD has fulfilled its promise to slightly improve the architecture with the arrival of the second-generation Ryzen, which serve to lay the foundations for what will be the third generation, where a leap forward is already expected. important with the step to a manufacturing process at 7 nm, which would allow to include more nuclei and higher frequency. If you are going to use your equipment only to play games, the Ryzen 5 2600X is the best option, but if you are also going to work with very demanding applications such as high-resolution and quality video rendering, the Ryzen 7 1800X continues to command.

Of course, the other important factor is the price, since the Ryzen 5 2600X costs about 230 euros, while the Ryzen 7 1800X costs about 290 euros. Which of these processors would you choose?