In games the Ryzen 5 3600 and the Core i5-10400 are about as fast as each other. Both have 12 threads.
A faster processor only shows in frame rates when the graphics card can draw the extra frames. How much more the Ryzen 5 3600 delivers than the Core i5-10400, with common graphics cards:
| Graphics card | 1080p | 1440p | 4K |
|---|---|---|---|
| RTX 3060 | The same | The same | The same |
| RTX 4060 | The same | The same | The same |
| RTX 5060 Ti | The same | The same | The same |
| RTX 5070 | The same | The same | The same |
| Radeon RX 9070 XT | The same | The same | The same |
| RTX 5080 | The same | The same | The same |
| RTX 5090 | The same | The same | The same |
| Any graphics card fast enough | The same | The same | The same |
Each processor’s figure for games comes from the reference data the Bottleneck app uses to judge the hardware it measures: mostly single-core speed, with a share of multi-core speed up to what an eight-core chip offers, and adjustments for AMD’s X3D cache and Intel’s Core Ultra memory latency that published game tests show. The graphics cards are compared with the same model as the bottleneck calculator. It is about games only, for a typical game at high settings, rounded to 5%: work that uses every core, price and power draw are not part of it.
Before buying a faster processor, make sure your PC gets what it should from the one it has: memory left at a slow default speed can cost as much as the upgrade would add. Bottleneck checks the usual reasons a PC falls short of its parts, free: memory below its rated speed or in single channel, Resizable BAR and GPU scheduling left off, a monitor held at 60 Hz, heat. Then, while you play, it records which part set the pace in every frame.
The free version has no time limit and needs no account. Pro, $9 once, explains each problem and how to fix it, makes the common fixes in one click, and costs out the upgrade for your own PC. Compare the versions