Ryzen 7 3700X vs Ryzen 5 3600: Which Is Better for Gaming?

Short answer: With the fastest graphics card at 1080p, where the processor sets the limit, the Ryzen 7 3700X is about 5% faster in our nine-game model (105 vs 100 FPS). With a mid-range RTX 5070 at 1440p the gap almost disappears, because the graphics card becomes the limit.

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At a glance

	Ryzen 7 3700X	Ryzen 5 3600
1080p gaming score, Tom’s Hardware (RTX 5090)	Not in chart	Not in chart
Multi-thread score, Tom’s Hardware	Not in chart	Not in chart
Single-thread score, Tom’s Hardware	Not in chart	Not in chart
Avg FPS, RTX 5090 at 1080p (our model)	105	100
Avg FPS, RTX 5070 at 1440p (our model)	96	94
Launch price	$329	$199

Tom’s Hardware scores are percentages of the fastest chip in each chart (1080p gaming: Ryzen 7 9850X3D = 100%, 17-game geomean, RTX 5090, updated 5 October 2026). “Not in chart” means Tom’s current chart does not include that chip. Our model averages nine demanding games on High.

What independent benchmarks show

Neither chip is in Tom’s Hardware’s current gaming chart, so the gaming numbers on this page come from our calibrated model; see the methodology below.

Ryzen 7 3700X vs Ryzen 5 3600 FPS in popular games

Game	Ryzen 7 3700X RTX 5090, 1080p	Ryzen 5 3600 RTX 5090, 1080p	Ryzen 7 3700X RTX 5070, 1440p	Ryzen 5 3600 RTX 5070, 1440p
Counter-Strike 2	287 (189 low)	274 (181 low)	287	274
Valorant	350 (231 low)	334 (221 low)	350	334
Fortnite	166 (109 low)	158 (104 low)	150	150
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7	134 (88 low)	128 (84 low)	105	105
Battlefield 6	102 (67 low)	97 (64 low)	102	97
ARC Raiders	115 (76 low)	109 (72 low)	115	109
Marvel Rivals	108 (71 low)	103 (68 low)	91	91
Cyberpunk 2077	96 (63 low)	91 (60 low)	96	91
Black Myth: Wukong	83 (55 low)	79 (52 low)	70	70
Hogwarts Legacy	70 (46 low)	67 (44 low)	70	67
Baldur's Gate 3	70 (46 low)	67 (44 low)	70	67
Elden Ring	60 (40 low)	60 (40 low)	60	60

Average FPS and 1% lows on High from our FPS model, which is calibrated against published reviews; expect real results within about ±12%. Elden Ring is capped at 60 FPS.

The RTX 5090 columns show the most each processor can do, because the graphics card is fast enough never to be the limit. The RTX 5070 columns show a typical mid-range build, where the two chips land much closer together.

Does the difference matter at 1440p and 4K?

Setup	Ryzen 7 3700X	Ryzen 5 3600	Difference
RTX 5090, 1080p	105	100	5%
RTX 5090, 4K	105	100	5%
RTX 5070, 1080p	105	100	5%
RTX 5070, 1440p	96	94	2%

Nine-game average FPS on High from our model.

The faster CPU only pays off when the graphics card is not the limit: at 1080p with a high-end card, with a high refresh rate monitor, or in CPU-heavy games such as Counter-Strike 2, strategy and simulation titles. At 4K with any card, and at 1440p with a mid-range card, the two chips perform close to the same.

Specifications

Spec	Ryzen 7 3700X	Ryzen 5 3600
Cores / threads	8 / 16	6 / 12
Architecture	Zen 2	Zen 2
L3 cache	32 MB	32 MB
Max boost clock	4.4 GHz	4.2 GHz
Socket	AM4	AM4
Memory	DDR4	DDR4
Rated / max power	65 W / ~88 W	65 W / ~88 W
Released	2019	2019
Launch price	$329	$199

Manufacturer specifications. Maximum power is AMD’s package power limit (PPT) or Intel’s maximum turbo power. Launch price is the manufacturer’s suggested price at release; street prices are usually lower.

Value: price per frame

At launch prices, the Ryzen 7 3700X gives 31.8 FPS per $100 and the Ryzen 5 3600 gives 50.2 FPS per $100 (RTX 5090, 1080p average). The Ryzen 5 3600 is the better value at those prices. Street prices change week to week, so redo the math with today’s prices: divide the price by the FPS, and remember to include the motherboard and memory if the sockets differ.

Platform, cooling and power

Same socket (AM4). AM4 is end-of-line: no new desktop chips are coming, but boards and DDR4 memory are cheap, and the Ryzen 7 5700X3D and 5800X3D are the strongest drop-in gaming upgrades.
Cooling: The stock cooler (if one is included) or any $25 tower cooler is enough. This applies to both chips.
Power supply: with an RTX 5070, about 550 W for the Ryzen 7 3700X and 550 W for the Ryzen 5 3600. See the PSU calculator.

Bottleneck with popular graphics cards

Graphics card	Ryzen 7 3700X (1080p / 1440p)	Ryzen 5 3600 (1080p / 1440p)
RTX 5060	27% CPU / 11% CPU	28% CPU / 14% CPU
RX 9060 XT 16GB	28% CPU / 14% CPU	30% CPU / 16% CPU
RTX 5070	35% CPU / 24% CPU	37% CPU / 26% CPU
RTX 5070 Ti	38% CPU / 28% CPU	39% CPU / 29% CPU
RX 9070 XT	38% CPU / 29% CPU	39% CPU / 30% CPU
RTX 5080	40% CPU / 31% CPU	41% CPU / 32% CPU
RTX 5090	42% CPU / 33% CPU	42% CPU / 34% CPU

From our bottleneck calculator, default settings. Up to 10% is balanced; a GPU limit is normal.

Full lists: best GPU for the Ryzen 7 3700X and best GPU for the Ryzen 5 3600.

Which one should you buy?

Buy the Ryzen 7 3700X if you want the highest frame rates with a fast graphics card or you also stream, edit video or render (more threads).
Buy the Ryzen 5 3600 if you want to spend less.

Should you upgrade from the Ryzen 5 3600 to the Ryzen 7 3700X?

Probably not. A gap of about 5% is hard to feel in games, especially at 1440p and 4K. Put the money into a faster graphics card instead.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Ryzen 7 3700X better than the Ryzen 5 3600 for gaming?

With a high-end graphics card at 1080p, the Ryzen 7 3700X is about 5% faster in our model. At 1440p with a mid-range card the difference is almost none.

How much faster is the Ryzen 7 3700X?

About 5% at 1080p with a top graphics card, 2% at 1440p with an RTX 5070, and 5% at 4K.

Which one is better for streaming and video editing?

The one with more cores and threads usually wins: the Ryzen 7 3700X here.

Can I use the Ryzen 7 3700X and Ryzen 5 3600 on the same motherboard?

Yes, both use the AM4 socket. Update the motherboard BIOS before swapping to the newer chip.

Which one uses less power?

Both have about the same maximum power (88 W vs 88 W). In games they usually draw well below that.

What cooler do I need?

For both: the stock cooler (if one is included) or any $25 tower cooler is enough.

Is there a difference at 4K?

Very little. At 4K the graphics card is the limit, so the two land within 5% of each other even with an RTX 5090 in our model.

Which graphics card should I pair with them?

See our best GPU for the Ryzen 7 3700X and best GPU for the Ryzen 5 3600 guides, or check any pair in the bottleneck calculator.

How we compared

Measured results: gaming, multi-thread and single-thread scores are from Tom’s Hardware’s CPU hierarchy (RTX 5090, 1080p, 17 games; DDR5-6000 on AM5, DDR5-7200 on Intel), plus TechSpot reviews where noted.
Per-game FPS: from our FPS model, calibrated against published reviews; when both chips are in Tom’s Hardware’s chart, the per-game numbers are scaled to match its measured gap. Use it for the size of the gap between the chips, not as an exact frame rate.
Specs and prices: AMD and Intel specifications; launch prices at release.

More comparisons

Sources: Tom’s Hardware – CPU Benchmarks Hierarchy (updated 5 October 2026); AMD and Intel product specifications.