Its output is not meeting expectations compared to my previous model.
Its output is not meeting expectations compared to my previous model.
I began with the 3600 and upgraded a week later after purchasing it. My goal was to run BF2042, which is quite demanding on the CPU. The 5600 ran hotter than I remembered, so I reapplied thermal paste and the cooler several times. Eventually, I reused the old 3600 before returning it. The 5600 stayed about 10 degrees cooler in Cinebench, but my idle temps are a bit lower with the 3600. My BF2042 performance is roughly 6-7 degrees cooler, and I experience less stuttering with the 3600. Overall FPS improves. My core clock reaches up to 4.0 GHz with the 3600, while the 5600 caps at 3.7 GHz. It has a lower TDP and uses it fully. The 3600 consumes around 90% of its TDP, which might explain the higher core speeds. I’m unsure if enabling PBO on either chip is the problem or there’s another factor at play.
Gigabyte A520i Mobo Wraith Spire includes both processors, Corsair TM30 thermal paste, SF750 PSU, XFX rx6600, Sandisk SATA SSD, Silverstone Sg13 mini ITX case. The fan is a 120mm model with a future upgrade potential. For the 5600 stock fan curve: idle at 42°C and 76W TDP. For the 3600 stock fan curve: idle between 42-43°C and 84°C. Both fans run at 3.9Ghz and 91% of their respective TDPs.
I began with the 3600 and upgraded roughly a week later after purchasing it. My goal is to run BF2042, which is already a demanding CPU game. The 5600 seemed to run hotter than I remembered the 3600 did, so I reapplied thermal paste and the cooler several times. Eventually, I decided to reinstall the old 3600 just to confirm my thoughts. The 5600 maintained about 10 degrees lower in Cinnebench, but with the 5600 I experienced more stuttering and lower frame rates. My core clock reached up to 4.0 GHz with the 3600, whereas the 5600 only hit 3.7 GHz in Cinnebench. The 5600 has a lower TDP and is utilizing it fully, while the 3600 uses around 90% of its TDP. This might explain why the core clocks are increasing and resulting in smoother performance and fewer stutters. I couldn’t find a way to enable PBO on either processor. Is this likely my problem or is there another factor at play? Here are my specifications along with the recorded temperatures:
- Gigabyte a520i Mobo Wraith Spire (both processors)
- Corsair TM30 Thermal Paste
- Corsair SF750 PSU
- XFX rx6600
- Sandisk SATA SSD
- Silverstone Sg13 Mini ITX case
- Generic old TT 120mm fan (upcoming upgrade)
Temperatures recorded:
5600 stock fan curve: Idle – 42°C, Cinnebench – 72°C, 1.05V @ 3.7GHz, 100% of 76W
3600 stock fan curve: Idle – 42–43°C, Cinnebench – 84°C, 1.33V @ 3.9GHz, 91% of 88W
Oh no, I wasn't expecting replies and thought this was a more suitable spot.
the 3600 has a thermal design power of 65w, indicating its intended power limit. it might be possible to exceed it, but that's not relevant here. likely the problem stems from misunderstanding your main concern. i'm curious what specific performance drop you're observing compared to other models. did you run any tests like superposition or firestrike? also, i agree your 3600 performs better than some others in certain tasks, so this could be elsewhere. regarding ram, xmp settings, dual channel, gpu temperatures—could be the missing piece.
I see, your temperatures were elevated after upgrading to the 5600. Reverting to the 3600 helped reduce stuttering and slightly improved frame rates. The clock speeds on the 5600 are indeed lower, which is normal. Your concern about the 5600 is valid—using full TDP can affect performance. You mentioned XMP was enabled, but with only one 16GB stick, it might not be fully optimized. The GPU temperatures seemed okay at first, though cooling isn’t ideal right now. It’s puzzling why the cooler didn’t keep things cooler despite matching the same setup. You didn’t enable Precision Boost in Ryzen Master, which might explain the slower clocks. Running SuperCaliper wasn’t worth it since CPU temps were only slightly higher than idle. You opted for Cinebench instead for a more focused test.
I focused mainly on temperatures and thought there might have been a faulty processor. That’s why I logged the readings. PBO didn’t turn on, so I’m confused about why the 5600 was noticeably warmer than my old CPU and seemed to cause more lag. It gave me roughly 10 fewer frames and felt very choppy. I don’t know what else to say.