Unless you've been living under a rock, you probably know that AMD is celebrating its 50th anniversary today. In addition to commemorative editions of the Ryzen 7 2700X and Radeon VII, there are also many AMD deals out there. One that particulay caught our eye is the Ryzen 5 2600 processor, which is currently on sale at Newegg for $150 with the promotional code EMCTYWT23.
What makes the Ryzen 5 2600 an even sweeter deal is the included AMD50 game bundle, which has a $139 value. Upon purchase, you'll receive two games codes to redeem free copies of Tom Clancy's The Division 2 Gold Edition and World War Z.
The Ryzen 5 2600 is AMD's current mid-range consumer desktop processor. The chip features six cores, 12 threads and 16MB of L3 cache. The processor has a 3.4GHz base clock speed and a 3.9GHz turbo. Like AMD's other second-generation Ryzen processors, the Ryzen 5 2600 comes unlocked for overclocking.
Other notable specs of the Ryzen 5 2600 include support for 16 high-speed PCIe 3.0 lanes, dual-channel DDR4 memory modules up to 2,933MHz and a 65W TDP (thermal design power). AMD's Wraith Stealth CPU cooler accompanies the processor.
Below is a table comparing the Ryzen 5 2600 among other similar CPUs.
AMD Ryzen 5 2600 Specs Comparison
| Row 0 - Cell 0 | Cores /Threads | Base /Boost Clock Speed (GHz) | Cache(MB) | PCIe 3.0 | Interface / Chipset | Unlocked Multiplier | DRAM | TDP | Price (at time of writing) | PricePer Core |
| Intel Core i7-8700K | 6 / 12 | 3.7 / 4.7 | 12 | 16 | 1151 / Z370 | Yes | Dual DDR4-2666 | 95W | $369.99 | $61.67 |
| AMD Ryzen 5 2600X | 6 / 12 | 3.6 / 4.2 | 16 | 16 | AM4 / X470 | Yes | Dual DDR4-2933 | 95W | $179.99 | $30 |
| AMD Ryzen 5 2600 | 6 / 12 | 3.4 / 3.9 | 16 | 16 | AM4 / X470 | Yes | Dual DDR4-2933 | 65W | $149.99 | $25 |
| AMD Ryzen 5 1600X | 6 / 12 | 3.6 / 4 | 16 | 16 | AM4 / X370 | Yes | Dual DDR4-2666 | 95W | $150.89 | $25.15 |
| AMD Ryzen 5 1600 | 6 / 12 | 3.2 / 3.6 | 16 | 16 | AM4 / X370 | Yes | Dual DDR4-2666 | 65W | $119.89 | $19.98 |
At the current pricing, the Ryzen 5 2600 is the most cost-effective option for a six-core, 12-thread processor. The Ryzen 5 2600 is approximately $25 per core at this price, which is even cheaper than AMD's last-generation Ryzen 5 1600X.
Should You Buy This CPU?
We highly recommend you check out our in-depth AMD Ryzen 5 2600 review before opening your wallet.
For more help making your purchase, review our CPU Buying Guide for help. To see where this processor ranks among others currently available, including from rival Intel, check out our CPU hierarchy page. And for other CPUs we love, see our best cheap CPUs, favorite gaming CPUs and best CPUs for productivity performance pages.
