The AMD Ryzen 5 3600 is a CPU that hits the sweet spot for many gamers. Its single-core performance is speedy enough that it shouldn't bottleneck some of the best graphics cards, its multi-threaded chops make it as snappy as you could want for most general use productivity tasks, and it manages to cram all this 'just right-ness' into an affordable package. Well, in case you missed it, it's now more affordable than ever.
The Ryzen 5 3600, our current pick for the best gaming CPU, is now on sale for an all-time low of $155 in the US (but still £161 in the UK). This six-thread, 12-core CPU clocks up to 4.2GHz and is the staple of many a mid- to high-end gaming setup thanks to its combination of gaming and desktop performance.
For the price, it's still the best gaming CPU you can buy by our reckoning, and this has never been more true than right now with its latest 22% discount – the biggest we've seen on the Ryzen 5 3600 to date.
This processor is best paired with a mid- to high-end graphics card like the Nvidia RTX 2070 Super or AMD RX 5700 XT. If you have an RTX 2080 Ti in your system, you’ll probably want a CPU that’s a little quicker to prevent any bottlenecking, but if you’re sitting firmly in the mid-range or lower-high-end range, the Ryzen 5 3600 will be more than enough.
Buy now
We’re probably seeing this low price because AMD has a lot going on at the moment, from its Ryzen ‘XT’ processors to upcoming AMD Ryzen 4000-series APUs, and probably even preparation for a 2020 AMD Zen 3 CPU lineup release. To make room for all these processors in the market we’re seeing AMD cut prices on some of its Zen 2 desktop processor lineup – great news for those on the lookout for a new build.
While AMD Ryzen 4000-series APUs might threaten the Ryzen 5 3600, the 3600’s constant discounts, and now this all-time low, mean the mid-range hero shouldn’t be too worried. It’s still the best gaming CPU out there, and it’s now possible to pick one up for a ridiculously low price.