The original AMD Ryzen processor from AMD has been highly lauded; so much so that AMD has no choice but to put out the next-gen AMD Ryzen 5 2600. As is, there are high accolades on both sides of the pond: from gamers to enthusiast. Henceforth, gone are the days that Intel is the only option for those who want a high-performance CPUs.
Indeed, when AMD rolls out its all-new AMD Ryzen 2, even more folks sit up. Can the new AMD, internally known as ‘AMD Pinnacle Ridge’, top the success of the original AMD Ryzen? Well wonder no more, as the latest AMD Ryzen 5 2600 – the mid-ranger – comes in for a test run.
More Zen
The AMD Ryzen 5 2600 comes in the similar muted orange and grey box that the original sports. It’s an easy guess of: if it isn’t wrong, why fix it? As for the insides, one will find the processor is, as always, on a literal mount that sits on a cut-out window. Coming along for the ride is the AMD Wraith Stealth AM4 cooler.
Cores for Everyone
AMD’s vision for its AMD Ryzen is to produce an affordable processor line-up that offers high core counts; in short, it’s for everyone to consider getting. The AMD Ryzen 5 2600 continues that trend. Similar to the original AMD Ryzen 5 1600 that it’s replacing, this next-gen entry comes with 6-Cores and 12-Treads. Interestingly, the introduction price that for this high-spec mid-ranger is just RM40 more than the previous model. Streaming while playing a game? Well that is now a possibility and there is even some headroom to spare!
VTEC Kicks In!
The AMD Ryzen 5 2600 uses a 12nm FinFET manufacturing process, an aspect that all AMD Pinnacle Ridge entries use. This is way smaller when compared to 14nm for the previous AMD Zen platform. Somehow, AMD manages to squeeze some more performance out of this new CPU; this shows it can clearly go the extra mile. To meet expectations, this AMD entry runs on a 3.4GHz base clockspeed, with a 3.9GHz boost mode. It’s a big step up when comparing to the 3.2GHz base and 3.6GHz boost offerings on the predecessor. Supporting the new processing speeds is the RAM support improvements that this next-gen AMD provides. Out of the box, it can pair with the dual-channel DDR4 2933MHz RAM modules. This promises lower latency on apps and games that need that sort of experience delivery.
Hot Stuff
In terms of cooling, the AMD Wraith Stealth does a decent job.It’s very much unlike the higher-spec AMD Wraith Spire RGB cooler that comes with the AMD Ryzen 7 2700. Since the AMD Ryzen 5 2600 has a power draw of only 65W TDP, the cooler, which comes as a bundle, is more than necessary. Of course, those looking to overclock this processor, do consider getting a beefier cooler. After all, AMD has put in place overclocking features in all AMD Ryzen entries. Even during this review, the heat noticeably jump to nearly 65°~70° Celsius during benchmarks.
Suitable for All
The AMD Ryzen 2600 is a decent performer. With its 6-Cores and 12-Threads, it is seemingly ready for all users; specifically, those who’re looking for a home PC that is powerful enough to deal with games and some heavy work. Of course, the whole idea here is to provide the best bang for the buck. The higher memory support translates to a better gaming machine too; plus the high core/thread configuration ensures even the most basic encoding and streaming is no longer an issue.
