AMD Ryzen 5 1600 vs Intel Core i7-4790K

Processor comparisons   17-03-2021
   If you have difficulties with the choice of a CPU, you will solve them by reading the comprehensive tests AMD Ryzen 5 1600 vs Intel Core i7-4790K and understand which is better for games or simple use for rendering, machine learning, programming, streaming, video editing. Here is useful information from real streaming and video editing tests or many benchmarks. A thorough analysis of all the technical characteristics, to make it easier to understand, is made by the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of parallel examination in software tests like PCMark 10, VeraCrypt, UserBenchmark, SuperPi, 3DMark, MATLAB, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), GeekBench 6, 5.2, 7zip, Gears 5, Furmark, Blender, RealBench, PassMark, Dolphin Emulator, AIDA64, WPrime, Blender, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, Prime95, Handbrake.
   And how good the CPUs are in games:

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

After looking at the data these benchmarks and videos, you already be able to figure out which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i7-4790K or AMD Ryzen 5 1600.

Summary benchmark results

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

Ryzen 5 1600

53%

Core i7-4790K

52%

This parameter shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Ryzen 5 1600 is 1% better than Core i7-4790K. The data source is several popular tests. More detailed information of the benchmarks is below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Ryzen 5 1600

53%

Core i7-4790K

52%

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	93.8	92.8
Valorant	106.6	105.5
Cyberpunk 2077	59.7	59.1
Apex Legends	100.2	99.2
Call of Duty Warzone	79.9	79.1
Overwatch	86.3	85.5
Red Dead Redemption 2	73.6	72.8
DOOM Eternal	53.3	52.8
Warzone	83.1	82.3
Assassin's Creed	89.5	88.6
Valheim	88.5	87.6

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 that were in the comparisons not only did they have different amounts of RAM and different video cards. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: 2K, FullHD or 4K. Therefore, the game benchmark data is approximate. But all video cards met the average system requirements of games. You will get more accurate information about how powerful the processor will be in games, if you compare it in one assembly with the video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

Ryzen 5 1600

47%

Core i7-4790K

46%

To make a finishing resolution on which processor is better, you should also consider the generation of its core. The newer the processor generation, the better its performance in games and benchmarks, as well as its energy efficiency. In this case the Ryzen 5 1600 is more energy efficient than the Core i7-4790K as it consumes less power: 65W vs. 88W. Power consumption is particularly important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, it will be useful to know its TDP. You need to buy a cooler that has the TDP data specified in the specification was greater than the TDP of the compared processor.

Software benchmarks

Let's say you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for streaming, machine learning, programming, video editing or video rendering, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the CPU includes all cores and threads that it has to the maximum to achieve maximum performance. You will learn this data from the benchmark tables below. Before you take into account the data from these tests, be sure to find out whether the program that you are going to use on your computer can work in multi-threaded mode. Because there are still many programs that can use only one core to run, 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 5 1600	Intel Core i7-4790K
Cinbench 15 Single-core	147	169
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1094	854
Cinbench 20 Single-core	357	411
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	2501	1982
Cinbench 23 Single-core	900	1069
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	6230	4936

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

	AMD Ryzen 5 1600	Intel Core i7-4790K
Single-Core	2063	2491
Multi-Core	12340	8030

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

	AMD Ryzen 5 1600	Intel Core i7-4790K
Single-Core	932	1230
Multi-Core	5690	4747

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the processor release date and overclocking capability will be the most helpful. The newer the processor, the longer it will last you. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system in the future. The same can be said about overclocking. If the processor can be overclocked, increasing its performance, then it will continue to maintain maximum FPS in the newest games. The economy are obvious! It turns out that you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	AMD Ryzen 5 1600	Intel Core i7-4790K
Announcement date	April 11, 2017	April 01, 2014
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	AM4	LGA1150
Core name	Summit Ridge	Devil's Canyon
Architecture	Zen	x86
Generation	2	4
Turbo Frequency	3.6 MHz	4.4 MHz
Frequency	3.2 MHz	4 MHz
Cores	6	4
Threads	12	8
Bus rate		5 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	14 nm	22 nm
Transistors count	2800 millions	1420 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	65 W	88 W
Memory type	DDR4	DDR3-1333/1600, DDR3L-1333/1600 @ 1.5V
Max. Memory		32 Gb
Memory Frequency	2667
Memory bandwidth		25.6 GB/s
L1 cache	576KB
L2 cache	3MB
L3 cache	16MB	8 MB
Overclocking	Yes	Yes
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number	YD1600BBM6IAE YD1600BBAEBOX YD1600BBAEMPK

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Core i7-4790K is 19% better than Ryzen 5 1600 in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Ryzen 5 1600 has 2 more core than Core i7-4790K. 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 5 1600 is better: 25
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i7-4790K is better: 12
However, it should be realized that all the figures in the article above do not mean that you should be guided entirely by them and trust a simple quantitative comparison. Better to watch the testing video and read the opinion of real owners of AMD Ryzen 5 1600 and Intel Core i7-4790K before making a selection which CPU to buy for gaming and which not.

• AMD Ryzen 5 1600 specs and review.

• Intel Core i7-4790K specs and review.