Ryzen 5 2600 Power Consumption Guide

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While there are many newer processors you could choose to buy, anyone seeking to put together a budget gaming PC build could do a lot worse than a Ryzen 5 2600. Sure they’re a couple of years old now, but they still pack a punch when it comes to gaming performance.

Ryzen 5 2600

However you’ll still need to know how much power these processors consume, as that’s going to have an impact on the power supply that you ultimately buy – and the overall cost of your PC.

So, let’s take a look at the Ryzen 5 2600 power draw and see what you’ll be dealing with.

How Many Watts Does A Ryzen 5 2600 Use?

A Ryzen 5 2600 processor is rated for 65 watts and will typically use around that amount of power under normal conditions. When you put it under extra stress – such as when you push the limits of the games you play – it will typically rise to around 78 watts.

That’s still quite low compared to many of Ryzen’s more powerful processors. As an example, a Ryzen 9 3950X has a typical power draw under a load of around 169 watts (source).

If you’re looking to keep your power consumption lower, a Ryzen 5 2600 could be the ideal choice.

Processors don’t really have ‘idle’ time because even if you’re not doing much with your PC, there are always things happening in the background. So unlike a graphics card where you might get consumption as low as 8 watts when you’re not actively using the PC, you can expect a Ryzen 5 2600 to average at around 65 watts whenever it’s switched on.

AMD Ryzen 5 2600

  • Budget-friendly processor that’s great for gaming
  • 6 cores and 12 threads – multitask with ease
  • High-quality Wraith cooler included

How Many Watts Does A Ryzen 5 2600 Use Per Hour?

Typically a Ryzen 5 2600 will use 65 watt-hours of electricity per hour when your PC is in use. That’s the same as 0.065 kilowatt-hours, and considering the average PC users in the US have their PC on for 3.5 hours a day, it works out at a weekly usage of 1.6 kilowatt-hours.

Even though we’re dealing with a processor that uses just 65 watts, it’s easier to convert to kilowatt-hours since that’s what we’re billed by. The average cost of electricity in the US is $0.14 per kilowatt-hour, so using that average PC time we can work out that a Ryzen 5 2600 will cost around $0.22 per week to run.

Of course, that is just your processor – you have to bear in mind all the other components of your PC too, and it’s likely that your graphics card will use around double that amount of power alone – or potentially even more, depending on which one you choose.

Read more: How many watts does a Gaming PC use?

One other thing to consider is the possibility of overclocking your processor, since a lot of people who are buying a Ryzen 5 2600 will be looking to do so to get the most performance.

If you aren’t sure what overclocking is, it’s where you set up your PC to push past its typical maximums by driving more power through it. It’s risky because you can push your components too far and potentially even damage them, but you can get a significant boost in PC performance too.

Provided you have the right cooling in place, you can overclock a Ryzen 5 2600 to around 4Ghz – if you do, it’ll likely draw around 100-130 watts of power instead of the typical 65 watts. So bear that in mind when choosing your power supply.

If you aren’t confident with overclocking, spend a lot of time researching before you dive into it.

The Best Power Supply For A Ryzen 5 2600

There is no single recommendation for the best power supply for a Ryzen 5 2600 because it depends on the rest of your system. As a guide, you should aim for a power supply with at least a 300-watt capacity, but any powerful graphics card is going to push your requirements higher.

The Ryzen 5 2600’s 65-watt power draw is not going to be the main driver behind your choice of power supply.

If you’re building a regular PC without a graphics card then a 300-watt power supply is perfect, but most people who build a PC are doing so for gaming. So you need to factor in the wattage of the GPU as well.

Raidmax 300W XT Series Power Supply

  • Low-cost power supply
  • Efficient cooling keeps it running well

How To Reduce Power Consumption For A Ryzen 5 2600

When processors have to work harder, they draw more power. And they tend to come under the most duress when they are overheating. If you want to make sure you keep the power consumption of your Ryzen 5 2600 in check then you need to make sure you have an effective cooling solution in place.

Buying the processor brand new should get you an included Wraith air cooler from AMD, and these are more than capable of managing the processor at typical speeds.

But the Ryzen 5 2600 is an older processor, and so there’s a good chance you may buy it second-hand without the cooler. You’ll either need a replacement air cooler, or you could even choose a water-cooling solution – especially if you’re looking at overclocking it.

Corsair iCUE H150i CPU Cooler

  • High-performance, low-noise cooling solution
  • Powerful airflow with a low profile
  • Customizable RGB

What PSU do I need for Ryzen 5 2600 and RX 580?

The RX 580 graphics card typically uses around 188 watts when gaming, with the Ryzen 5 2600 pushing to around 78 watts. When you factor in other components and add 20% for power surges, the minimum recommended PSU would be a 550-watt model.

Read more: RX 580 Power Consumption Guide

By the time you get to this level of power supply, you’ll want to make sure you’re getting one that’s at least 80+ Bronze rated for efficiency, otherwise, you’re wasting a lot of energy.

Read more: Power Supply Ratings Explained 

What power supply do I need for RTX 3070 and Ryzen 5 2600?

An RTX 3070 graphics card will typically use around 220 watts of power. When paired with a Ryzen 5 2600 you may manage with a 600-watt PSU but ideally, you’ll want one that’s 650-watt rated or higher.

This may seem high compared to the wattage of the graphics card and processor but you do want at least an extra 20% on top of the total typical consumption of your components, just in case the power spikes.

Read more: RTX 3070 Power Consumption Guide

What PSU do I need for Ryzen 5 2600 and GTX 1650?

With a Ryzen 5 2600 consuming around 78 watts during gaming, and a GTX 1650 graphics card typically pulling 100 watts, you should aim for around a 500-watt power supply for your PC, though aim higher if you intend to replace your GPU in the future.

Read more: GTX 1650 Power Consumption Guide

Final Word

The Ryzen 5 2600 has a low typical power draw compared to other processors, but still does a job for a gaming PC on a budget. Make sure you check the consumption of your other components too, especially your graphics card, but generally you shouldn’t need the most expensive power supplies to run your computer.

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