AMD Ryzen 5 1600 vs Intel Core i7-8700K

Processor comparisons 17-03-2021

   Let's say you are thinking about choosing a processor, you will be able to make a decision after reading the comprehensive tests AMD Ryzen 5 1600 vs Intel Core i7-8700K and see which is better for games or normal use for programming, video editing, machine learning, streaming, rendering. Here is all information from real streaming and video editing tests or several benchmarks. A thorough review of all the technical characteristics, to make it easier to read, is presented in the form of the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of parallel examination in special testing software like World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, Furmark, 3DMark, SuperPi, Blender, WPrime, MATLAB, Gears 5, Blender, PCMark 10, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), AIDA64, Dolphin Emulator, VeraCrypt, 7zip, UserBenchmark, GeekBench 6, 5.2, PassMark, Handbrake, DaVinci Resolve Studio, RealBench, Prime95.
   And how good the processors are in games:

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

After reading the results of all benchmarks and videos, you already be able to figure out which processor is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i7-8700K 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 i7-8700K

54%

This shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Core i7-8700K is 1% better than Ryzen 5 1600. The data source is several popular tests. Detailed information can be found below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Ryzen 5 1600

53%

Core i7-8700K

54%

For the maximum in this test, the results of the most powerful processor in the site database are taken. 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 low game result, just look at the FPS that it produces in real games in the summary table below.
List of less popular games in which processors were compared: Hitman 3, Forza Horizon 4, Battlefield V, Horizon Zero Dawn, Monster Hunter World, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Metro Exodus, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), League of Legends (LOL), DOTA 2A, Ghostrunner, Half-Life: Alyx, Control, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, NBA 2K20.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	93.8	95.7
Valorant	106.6	108.7
Cyberpunk 2077	59.7	60.9
Apex Legends	100.2	102.2
Call of Duty Warzone	79.9	81.6
Overwatch	86.3	88.1
Red Dead Redemption 2	73.6	75.0
DOOM Eternal	53.3	54.4
Warzone	83.1	84.8
Assassin's Creed	89.5	91.3
Valheim	88.5	90.3

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 i7-8700K

49%

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 Core i7-8700K is more energy efficient than the Ryzen 5 1600 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. 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

If you plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for video editing or video rendering, streaming, programming, machine learning, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the processor includes all cores and threads that it has to the maximum to reach maximum efficiency. You will find out this data from the benchmark tables below. Before using the data from these tests, be sure to make sure that 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 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 i7-8700K
Cinbench 15 Single-core	147	208
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1094	1447
Cinbench 20 Single-core	357	487
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	2501	3689
Cinbench 23 Single-core	900	1209
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	6230	8960

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

	AMD Ryzen 5 1600	Intel Core i7-8700K
Single-Core	2063	2760
Multi-Core	12340	13949

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

	AMD Ryzen 5 1600	Intel Core i7-8700K
Single-Core	932	1402
Multi-Core	5690	7536

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 in your computer. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system in the future. The same benefits from the presence of overclocking. When the processor can be overclocked, thereby increasing its performance, then it will continue to maintain maximum FPS in new games. The economy are obvious! Accordingly, you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	AMD Ryzen 5 1600	Intel Core i7-8700K
Announcement date	April 11, 2017	October 01, 2017
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	AM4	FCLGA1151-2
Core name	Summit Ridge	Coffee Lake
Architecture	Zen	x86
Generation	2	8
Turbo Frequency	3.6 MHz	4.7 MHz
Frequency	3.2 MHz	3.7 MHz
Cores	6	6
Threads	12	12
Bus rate		8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	14 nm	14 nm
Transistors count	2800 millions	3200 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	576KB
L2 cache	3MB
L3 cache	16MB	12 MB
Overclocking	Yes	No
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 i7-8700K is 13% better than Ryzen 5 1600 in terms of CPU frequency. 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: 6
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i7-8700K is better: 29
Although it should be realized that all the data that you have looked at here do not mean that you should be guided entirely by them and trust a simple comparison of these figures. Better to watch the testing video and read the opinion of of people who bought AMD Ryzen 5 1600 and Intel Core i7-8700K before deciding which of the processors to buy for gaming.

• AMD Ryzen 5 1600 specs and review.

• Intel Core i7-8700K specs and review.