AMD Ryzen 3 1200 vs Intel Core i5-9600K

Processor comparisons 31-01-2023

   If you have difficulties with the choice of a processor, you will solve them by reading the comprehensive tests AMD Ryzen 3 1200 vs Intel Core i5-9600K and decide which is better for games or simple use for streaming, video editing, programming, rendering, machine learning. Here is useful information from different benchmarks or real video editing and streaming tests. A step-by-step analysis of all the technical characteristics, to make it easier to understand, is presented in the form of the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of parallel examination in special test applications like UserBenchmark, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), Handbrake, Prime95, Blender, SuperPi, Blender, DaVinci Resolve Studio, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, PassMark, WPrime, GeekBench 6, 5.2, RealBench, Dolphin Emulator, MATLAB, 7zip, 3DMark, AIDA64, PCMark 10, Furmark, Gears 5, VeraCrypt.
   And how good the processors are in games:

Halo Infinite
Assassin's Creed Valhalla
Rainbow Six Siege
DOOM: Eternal
Apex Legends
Grand Theft Auto V
Cyberpunk 2077
Valheim
Last Man Standing
Red Dead Redemption 2
Call of Duty: Warzone and Modern Warfare
Watch Dogs Legion
World of Warcraft: Shadowlands
Fallout 76
Death Stranding
Borderlands 3
Fortnite
Overwatch
Valorant

After reading the results of joint benchmarks and videos, you can already make an briefed decision about which processor is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i5-9600K or AMD Ryzen 3 1200.

Summary benchmark results

As a percentage of the maximum value based on a sample from the entire base of all processors
Processor Benchmark

Ryzen 3 1200

51%

Core i5-9600K

53%

This shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Core i5-9600K is 3% better than Ryzen 3 1200. The data source is several popular tests. Detailed information can be found below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Ryzen 3 1200

52%

Core i5-9600K

53%

The maximum result in this parameter is 100 percent, which is the performance of the most powerful processor at the moment. And of course, this is a server processor, on which no one will run games. Because this processor costs several tens of thousands of dollars. And if it seems to you that the selected CPU has a small game result, look at the FPS that it produces in real games in the final table below.
List of other games in which processors were compared: Shadow of the Tomb Raider, DOTA 2A, Monster Hunter World, League of Legends (LOL), Microsoft Flight Simulator, Hitman 3, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Horizon Zero Dawn, Ghostrunner, Metro Exodus, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Battlefield V, NBA 2K20, Forza Horizon 4, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Half-Life: Alyx, Control, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG).

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	91.9	94.5
Valorant	104.4	107.4
Cyberpunk 2077	58.5	60.1
Apex Legends	98.2	101.0
Call of Duty Warzone	78.3	80.6
Overwatch	84.6	87.0
Red Dead Redemption 2	72.1	74.1
DOOM Eternal	52.2	53.7
Warzone	81.5	83.8
Assassin's Creed	87.7	90.2
Valheim	86.7	89.1

The numbers in this table indicate the maximum FPS that was received on the device with the corresponding processor. Depending on the configuration of the computer (RAM size and Video Card) and graphics quality settings (Ultra, Medium, Normal), the results may differ quite significantly. We recommend that you better study the results of the Cinebench, GeekBench and Passmark becnmarks.
The computers participating in the comparisons not only were the equipped with different amounts of RAM and different video cards. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: 4K, 2K or FullHD. Therefore, the game benchmark data is approximate. But all video cards met the average system requirements of games. To be sure exactly how much performance the processor will be in games, if you get acquainted with the benchmarks that are made with the same video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

Ryzen 3 1200

55%

Core i5-9600K

48%

To make a final decision on which processor is better, you should also consider the generation of its core. It is clear that the newer the generation, the better the performance of the processor in games and benchmarks, as well as its energy efficiency. In this case the Ryzen 3 1200 is more energy efficient than the Core i5-9600K as it consumes less power: 65W vs. 95W. Power consumption is particularly important for laptops. And TDP should be taken into account when choosing a processor cooling system. It is necessary to calculate so that the TDP data specified in the cooler specification is greater than the TDP of the compared processor.

Software benchmarks

Let's say you plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for streaming, machine learning, video rendering or video editing, programming, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to reach maximum efficiency, the CPU turns on all threads and cores that it has. You will find out this data from the benchmark tables below. Before using the data from these tests, be sure to find out whether the software that you are going to use on your computer can work in multi-threaded mode. Since there are still many programs that use only one core to work, and all the advantages of multi-core mode are unused.

Cinebench 23, 20 an 15
The results of this benchmark show Single-threaded and Multi-threaded CPU performance

	AMD Ryzen 3 1200	Intel Core i5-9600K
Cinbench 15 Single-core	129	204
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	477	1165
Cinbench 20 Single-core	333	481
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	1191	2624
Cinbench 23 Single-core	885	1276
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	3368	7301

Passmark
This popular benchmark displays Multi-threaded and Single-threaded processor performance

	AMD Ryzen 3 1200	Intel Core i5-9600K
Single-Core	1894	2761
Multi-Core	6325	10894

GeekBench 6, 5.2
This benchmark shows Multi-threaded and Single-threaded processor performance

	AMD Ryzen 3 1200	Intel Core i5-9600K
Single-Core	1083	1396
Multi-Core	3839	6386

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the processor release date and overclocking capability will be the most useful. The newer the processor, the longer it will last you. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system later. The same benefits from the presence of overclocking. When the processor can be overclocked, thereby increasing its performance, then it will still be able to produce maximum FPS even in new games. The economy are obvious! Accordingly, there is no longer a need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	AMD Ryzen 3 1200	Intel Core i5-9600K
Announcement date	July 27, 2017	October 01, 2018
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	AM4	FCLGA1151-2
Core name	Summit Ridge	Coffee Lake
Architecture	Zen	x86
Generation	1	9
Turbo Frequency	3.4 MHz	4.6 MHz
Frequency	3.1 MHz	3.7 MHz
Cores	4	6
Threads	4	6
Bus rate		8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography		14 nm
Transistors count	3600 millions	3600 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	65 W	95 W
Memory type	DDR4	DDR4-2666
Max. Memory		128 Gb
Memory Frequency	2667
Memory bandwidth		41.6 GB/s
L1 cache
L2 cache
L3 cache		9 MB
Overclocking	Yes	Yes
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number	YD1200BBM4KAE

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Core i5-9600K is 16% better than Ryzen 3 1200 in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i5-9600K has 2 more core than Ryzen 3 1200. Also keep in mind that high CPU frequency affects battery life through power consumption (relevant for laptops).

Result:
The number of parameters for which AMD Ryzen 3 1200 is better: 3
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i5-9600K is better: 31
Although it should be understood that all the number in the article above do not mean that taking them into account you should fully trust a simple quantitative comparison. Be sure to watch benchmarks video and read the opinion of real owners of AMD Ryzen 3 1200 and Intel Core i5-9600K before making a choice which of the processors to buy for gaming.

AMD Ryzen 3 1200 - all data

• Cinebench r15 score
• Cinebench r20 score
• Cinebench r23 score
• GeekBench 6, 5.2 score

• AMD Ryzen 3 1200 specs and review.

• Intel Core i5-9600K specs and review.