AMD YD2600BBAFBOX Ryzen 5 2600 Processor with Wraith Stealth Cooler, Black

I have this installed in an ASUS Prime x370 Pro. I may lose out on some of the features in the newer x470 chipset, but I already had the motherboard!If you have an x370 motherboard and are thinking about upgrading to a second generation Ryzen you will need a BIOS update, visit the motherboards website and update the BIOS first.I am not using the supplied Wraith cooler, the cooler in a nicely machined block of aluminum with a fan on it. If you don't plan to overclock, if you plan to play just a few games, surf, maybe the odd bit of streaming, a bit of work, you will be ok with the supplied stock cooler, just make sure your case has good airflow, fans at the front, the top and on at the back will help you.I'm using a Noctua NH-U12S SE-AM4 which keeps the CPU at idle around 19-22C underload it will reach 28-29C (just to note out heatwave here is over). Under stress testing on all cores overclocked to 4100 it reached 32C. Take into account my room temperature is around 17C!I'm running 32Gb 2 x 16 at 2400 - and I have not noticed a difference with my 1800x system with it's memory running at 2933 on a Gaming F motherboard! In benchmarks faster memory is faster! For this, and I'll assume the BIOS update, it's fine I have not noticed any instability issues, and everything has performed as well as I could have hoped for.In fact in some tasks, compared directly to my 1800x system it comes very close, and I'm pleased that I didn't get tempted to buy the 2600x or the 1700x (money was not an issue). So, I have great performance, it keeps itself cool, uses a little less power, both BIOS overclocking works well and using the AMD Ryzen Master overclocking suite also works just as well!For a CPU less than £150 this is fantastic value, you can tweak performance gains easily. I'm happy!Just remember, the better cooling and the greater airflow you have, the better your entire system will be, keep things cool. With an X470 chipset, you do get better memory speeds and AMD's store MI - if you want to buy an x370 remember to look or check for 2000 series ready, or you will need an AM4 cpu to update the BIOS. For everyday normal use / games / work - no need to go overboard with memory, 2400 2666 will do you just fine! Save those pennies!Is it worth an upgrade? Well a 2400 with Graphics will suffice for most, if you really want to overclock the 2600x will give you more headroom and ability. For me, and this system, the 2600 has gone beyond all expectations, and yes, there is some silicon lottery at play, no processor is created equal! I may have been lucky, but I haven't done anything beyond what is classed as normal or extreme. I'd imagine the vast majority of people can reach the same o/

I recently sold my old Intel based 4790k system with the intention of upgrading to something a little more future proof, and importantly, faster. After doing a lot of research I decided to be daring and make a move over to the red team! This was for a few reasons. AMD at the moment just represents far better value for money, power for pound. The AM4 platform has also matured to a level where it is robust and reliable, so no longer an unknown quantity as was the case when it first launched. AMD are also promising that the AM4 platform will be around until at least 2020, whereas Intel are rumoured to be dropping socket 1151 after the 9th gen CPU’s are launched in the near future.Red team decided, I researched a number of CPU’s before setting on the Ryzen 6 2600. I ruled out the 1st gen CPU’s as I wanted newer architecture, so this seemed like the obvious choice. For the £143 I paid I couldn’t believe I was getting 6 cores, 12 threads and the ability to overclock (big smile). I had a nagging concern over the 3.4GHz base clock with boost to 3.9GHz, however was happy to be proven wrong.Installation was a breeze. I opted not to use the bundled Wraith cooler as I had already purchased an AIO watercooler. With the low 65w TDP this is one cool little CPU. With my 240mm AIO attached at 100% load in AIDA64 it doesn’t get over 50c!This CPU easily surpassed whatever expectations I had for it. Despite the lower clock speed single core performance is respectable; however a similar Intel CPU would have the legs on it. However in multi core applications this CPU just runs away with it. When I benchmarked this CPU and compared it to my old Intel i7 4790k this CPU is 1% lower in single core tasks, but an astonishing 50% faster in multi core tasks. Not bad considering the £143 price tag, and me having sold my 4790k for £200.3DMark scores were similarly impressive, and I noted that despite the 3.9GHz boost, coupled with my Asus B450 board the system automatically boosted the CPU to 4.2GHz. Temperatures on this run peaked at 57c.Overall I wouldn’t hesitate in recommending this CPU to anyone. It should easily last a few years as it delivered plenty of processing power. Then come 2020 you can swap this CPU out for a newer faster AMD CPU and carry on enjoying the platform for several years. Until Intel, where you will have to change the motherboard if you want to upgrade to a processor post 9th generation.System:AMD Ryzen 5 2600Asus ROG Strix B450-F gaming motherboardCoolerMaster ML240L AIO liquid coolerCorsair Vengeance LPX 3200MHz RAM