AMD Ryzen 5 2600 vs Intel Core i9-10900K

Processor comparisons 17-03-2021

   Let's say you can't decide which processor to buy, you can make a choice after reading the comprehensive tests AMD Ryzen 5 2600 vs Intel Core i9-10900K and see which is better for games or normal use for machine learning, programming, rendering, streaming, video editing. Here is useful information from real video editing and streaming tests or many benchmarks. A thorough analysis of all the specifications, to make it easier to understand, is presented in the form of the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of joint testing in synthetic type tests such as World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), Furmark, PassMark, UserBenchmark, SuperPi, VeraCrypt, PCMark 10, Dolphin Emulator, 3DMark, Blender, Gears 5, MATLAB, WPrime, RealBench, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Handbrake, AIDA64, Prime95, Blender, 7zip, GeekBench 6, 5.2.
   Gaming performance of CPUs in:

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

After reading the results of all benchmarks and videos, you already be able to know which processor is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i9-10900K or AMD Ryzen 5 2600.

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 2600

54%

Core i9-10900K

57%

This shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Core i9-10900K is 5% better than Ryzen 5 2600. 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 2600

53%

Core i9-10900K

58%

For the maximum in this test, the results of the most powerful processor in the site database are taken. And it is clear that this is a server processor, on which no one will run games. Because the cost of this processor reaches 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 CPU comparisons were performed: Microsoft Flight Simulator, NBA 2K20, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Control, Monster Hunter World, DOTA 2A, Ghostrunner, Battlefield V, Hitman 3, League of Legends (LOL), Half-Life: Alyx, Metro Exodus, Horizon Zero Dawn, Forza Horizon 4, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	94.8	102.7
Valorant	107.8	116.7
Cyberpunk 2077	60.4	65.3
Apex Legends	101.3	109.7
Call of Duty Warzone	80.8	87.5
Overwatch	87.3	94.5
Red Dead Redemption 2	74.4	80.5
DOOM Eternal	53.9	58.3
Warzone	84.1	91.0
Assassin's Creed	90.5	98.0
Valheim	89.5	96.8

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: 4K, 2K or FullHD. So 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 get acquainted with the benchmarks that are made with the same video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

Ryzen 5 2600

56%

Core i9-10900K

43%

To make a finishing 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 5 2600 is more energy efficient than the Core i9-10900K as it consumes less power: 65W vs. 125W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, you must know its TDP. 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 want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for streaming, machine learning, video editing or video rendering, programming, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the processor turns on all cores and threads that it has to the maximum to achieve maximum efficiency. You will find out this data from the benchmark tables below. Before you take into account 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. Because there are still many programs that can use only one core to work, and all the advantages of multi-core mode turns out to be unnecessary.

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

	AMD Ryzen 5 2600	Intel Core i9-10900K
Cinbench 15 Single-core	164	234
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1310	2677
Cinbench 20 Single-core	374	539
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	2736	6399
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1024	1418
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	7220	17325

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

	AMD Ryzen 5 2600	Intel Core i9-10900K
Single-Core	2280	3141
Multi-Core	13255	24010

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

	AMD Ryzen 5 2600	Intel Core i9-10900K
Single-Core	1104	1617
Multi-Core	6712	14374

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the most useful will be the the possibility of overclocking it and release date of the processor. The later the processor is released, the longer it will last in your computer. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system later. The same benefits from the presence of overclocking. If the processor can be overclocked, 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 2600	Intel Core i9-10900K
Announcement date	April 19, 2018	April 01, 2020
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	AM4	FCLGA1200
Core name	Pinnacle Ridge	Comet Lake
Architecture	Zen+	x86
Generation	2	10
Turbo Frequency	3.9 MHz	5.3 MHz
Frequency	3.4 MHz	3.7 MHz
Cores	6	10
Threads	12	20
Bus rate	4 Ã— 8 GT/s	8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	12 nm	14 nm
Transistors count	3600 millions	9200 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	65 W	125 W
Memory type	DDR4	DDR4-2933
Max. Memory		128 Gb
Memory Frequency	2933
Memory bandwidth		45.8 GB/s
L1 cache	576KB
L2 cache	3MB
L3 cache	16MB	20 MB
Overclocking	Yes	No
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number	YD2600BBM6IAF YD2600BBAFBOX YD2600BBAFMPK

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Core i9-10900K is 8% better than Ryzen 5 2600 in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i9-10900K has 4 more core than Ryzen 5 2600. 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 2600 is better: 6
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i9-10900K is better: 32
However, it should be realized that all the data in the article above do not mean that taking them into account you should fully trust a simple comparison of these figures. Better to watch the video tests and read the reviews of of people who bought AMD Ryzen 5 2600 and Intel Core i9-10900K before making a decision which processor to buy for gaming and which not.

• AMD Ryzen 5 2600 specs and review.

• Intel Core i9-10900K specs and review.