AMD Ryzen 5 1600 vs AMD Ryzen 7 5700U Comparison

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700U and AMD Ryzen 5 1600 occupy very different corners of the processor market, one a mobile part built for efficiency, the other a desktop part from an earlier generation. Despite their different origins, the benchmark data shows a clear overall performance leader, with the 5700U taking 14 of the 17 recorded head-to-head tests. The Ryzen 5 1600 manages only 3 wins, but those wins reveal specific strengths that are worth examining for certain workloads.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most decisive victories for the Ryzen 7 5700U come in compute-heavy and instruction-intensive tasks. In Cinebench R23 multi-core, the 5700U scores 8650 against the 1600's 6468, a 33.7% advantage. The single-core gap is even larger in percentage terms: 1258 versus 915, a 37.5% margin in favor of the 5700U. This pattern repeats in Cinebench R15, where the 5700U leads by 31.1% in multi-core (1480 vs 1129) and 27.9% in single-core (188 vs 147).

The PassMark suite shows the 5700U's dominance in raw arithmetic and instruction processing. The 5700U's score of 13519 in extended instructions is more than double the 1600's 6667, a 102.8% advantage, the largest margin in any test. Floating-point math also heavily favors the 5700U: 33151 versus 21402, a 54.9% lead. Integer math follows with a 44.8% gap (60037 vs 41470). In data compression, the 5700U scores 218853 against 172053, a 27.2% win. The 5700U also takes PassMark's multi-thread test by 27.3% (15623 vs 12270) and single-thread by 23.9% (2560 vs 2066).

The 5700U wins the Geekbench single-core test by 17.8% (1278 vs 1085) and the data encryption test by 7.4% (12549 vs 11683). Random string sorting goes to the 5700U by 16.6% (23608 vs 20240).

The Ryzen 5 1600's three wins are narrower and concentrated in specific areas. The largest is in PassMark's find prime numbers test, where the 1600 scores 35 against the 5700U's 29, a 17.1% advantage. In Geekbench multi-core, the 1600 wins 5558 to 5323, a 4.2% margin. The 1600 also edges out the 5700U in PassMark physics, 643 to 622, a 3.3% lead.

The overall average benchmark scores tell a similar story. The 5700U averages 18176, while the 1600 averages 17994, a difference of less than 1%. Both processors sit at the 72nd percentile among all CPUs in the database. The nearest rivals for the 5700U include the Intel Core i7-1365U with an average score of 18177 and a 0% delta, and the AMD Ryzen 3 8300G at 18169 with a 0% delta. The 1600's nearest rivals include the Intel Core 5 320 at 18023 with a -0.2% delta and the AMD Ryzen 5 3600XT at 17891 with a 0.6% delta.

Where Each One Wins

The Ryzen 7 5700U is the clear choice for single-threaded responsiveness and modern instruction set workloads. Its 37.5% lead in Cinebench R23 single-core and 23.9% lead in PassMark single-thread indicate that applications relying on per-core performance, such as web browsing, office productivity, and light coding, will run noticeably faster on the 5700U. The 102.8% advantage in extended instructions makes the 5700U particularly well suited for workloads that leverage AVX2 and similar instruction sets, such as video encoding, scientific computing, and certain encryption tasks.

The 5700U also leads in multi-threaded rendering and compression workloads. Its 33.7% win in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 27.2% win in data compression show that content creation tasks like video rendering and file archiving will complete faster on the 5700U. The 44.8% lead in integer math further supports this, as integer-heavy workloads like compression, hashing, and database operations benefit from the 5700U's higher throughput.

The Ryzen 5 1600's wins are narrow but meaningful for specific use cases. Its 17.1% advantage in find prime numbers suggests that certain mathematical workloads, particularly those involving prime number generation or primality testing, run faster on the 1600. The 4.2% lead in Geekbench multi-core, while small, indicates that some multi-threaded applications that are not optimized for the 5700U's architecture may still see a slight benefit from the 1600. The 3.3% lead in physics simulations, as measured by PassMark, points to a narrow advantage in physics-based workloads like certain game physics calculations or scientific simulations.

For most users, however, the 5700U is the better performer across the board. Its wins span a wider range of tests and its margins in the largest categories are substantially bigger than the 1600's wins in its three tests. The 1600's strengths are limited to a small set of niche workloads, while the 5700U's strengths cover the majority of everyday and professional computing tasks.

FAQ

Q: Which processor has a higher single-core performance?

A: The AMD Ryzen 7 5700U leads in single-core tests. It scores 1258 in Cinebench R23 single-core versus the Ryzen 5 1600's 915, a 37.5% advantage. In PassMark single-thread, the 5700U scores 2560 against 2066, a 23.9% lead.

Q: How do the two processors compare in multi-core rendering?

A: The 5700U wins Cinebench R23 multi-core with a score of 8650 against the 1600's 6468, a 33.7% margin. In Cinebench R15 multi-core, the 5700U leads 1480 to 1129, a 31.1% advantage.

Q: Does the Ryzen 5 1600 win any benchmark tests?

A: Yes, the 1600 wins 3 of the 17 recorded head-to-head tests. It leads in PassMark find prime numbers (35 vs 29, a 17.1% advantage), Geekbench multi-core (5558 vs 5323, a 4.2% margin), and PassMark physics (643 vs 622, a 3.3% lead).

Q: What is the largest performance gap between the two processors?

A: The largest gap is in PassMark extended instructions, where the 5700U scores 13519 against the 1600's 6667, a 102.8% advantage. This means the 5700U delivers more than double the performance in this specific instruction-heavy workload.

Q: How close are the two processors in overall average benchmark scores?

A: The 5700U has an average benchmark score of 18176, while the 1600 averages 17994. The difference is less than 1%, and both are at the 72nd percentile among all CPUs in the database.

Q: Which processor is better for data compression tasks?

A: The 5700U is significantly better. It scores 218853 in PassMark data compression against the 1600's 172053, a 27.2% advantage.

Specification Differences

The two processors differ in nearly every core specification. The Ryzen 7 5700U has 8 cores and 16 threads, while the Ryzen 5 1600 has 6 cores and 12 threads. The 5700U has a base clock of 1800 MHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz. The 1600 has a higher base clock of 3.20 GHz but a lower boost clock of 3.60 GHz. The 5700U carries a 15 W TDP, while the 1600 has a 65 W TDP.

The 5700U uses AMD Socket FP6, a mobile socket, while the 1600 uses AMD Socket AM4 for desktop systems. The 5700U is a mobile processor, and the 1600 is a desktop processor. The 5700U has 8 MB of shared L3 cache, while the 1600 has 16 MB of shared L3 cache. Both have 512 KB of L2 cache per core, but the 5700U has 64 KB of L1 cache per core and the 1600 has 96 KB of L1 cache per core.

Memory support differs in bandwidth. The 5700U supports DDR4 with dual-channel memory and a bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s. The 1600 also supports DDR4 dual-channel memory but at 42.7 GB/s. The 1600 supports ECC memory, while the 5700U does not. The 5700U has 12 PCIe Gen 3 lanes (CPU only), while the 1600 has 16 PCIe Gen 3 lanes (CPU only). The 5700U includes integrated Radeon Graphics with 512 SPs, while the 1600 has no integrated graphics.

The 5700U has a locked multiplier, while the 1600 has an unlocked multiplier. The 1600 was released on April 10, 2017, with a launch MSRP of $219. The 5700U was released on January 11, 2021, with no recorded launch MSRP.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two processors is substantial. The Ryzen 7 5700U is built on Zen 2 architecture with the codename Lucienne, manufactured on a 7 nm process by TSMC. It contains 9,800 million transistors on a 156 mm² die. The Ryzen 5 1600 uses the original Zen architecture with the codename Summit Ridge, manufactured on a 14 nm process by GlobalFoundries. It contains 4,800 million transistors on a 213 mm² die.

The 5700U is from the 5000 series, while the 1600 is from the 1000 series. The 5700U is a Ryzen 7 generation part with Zen 2 (Lucienne) architecture, and the 1600 is a Ryzen 5 generation part with Zen (Summit Ridge) architecture. The 5700U is designed for the mobile market segment, while the 1600 targets the desktop market segment.

The cache hierarchy differs notably. The 5700U has 64 KB of L1 cache per core, 512 KB of L2 cache per core, and 8 MB of shared L3 cache. The 1600 has 96 KB of L1 cache per core, 512 KB of L2 cache per core, and 16 MB of shared L3 cache. The 1600's larger L3 cache and L1 cache per core partly explain its wins in certain tests, while the 5700U's smaller but faster cache layout and newer architecture drive its overall lead.

The process node difference is significant: 7 nm versus 14 nm. This allows the 5700U to pack more transistors on a smaller die while drawing far less power. The 5700U's 15 W TDP is a fraction of the 1600's 65 W TDP. The 5700U's integrated Radeon Graphics with 512 SPs provides a complete mobile solution, while the 1600 requires a discrete graphics card. The 5700U also lacks ECC support, which the 1600 offers, and has fewer PCIe lanes, 12 versus 16. The 1600's unlocked multiplier allows overclocking, while the 5700U is locked. These architectural differences explain why the 5700U dominates most benchmarks despite being a lower-power mobile chip, and why the 1600 retains a narrow edge in a few specific workloads.