AMD Ryzen 5 2600X vs Intel Core i7-4790K

Processor comparisons 17-03-2021

   Let's say you can't decide which CPU to buy, you can make a choice after reading the detailed tests AMD Ryzen 5 2600X vs Intel Core i7-4790K and decide which is better for games or simple use for programming, streaming, video editing, rendering, machine learning. Here is all information from real video editing and streaming tests or various benchmarks. A thorough review of all the technical characteristics, to make it easier to understand, is summarized in the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of parallel examination in special testing software like Blender, 3DMark, DaVinci Resolve Studio, GeekBench 6, 5.2, Handbrake, Blender, Furmark, Gears 5, SuperPi, WPrime, VeraCrypt, UserBenchmark, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, PassMark, Prime95, AIDA64, RealBench, Dolphin Emulator, PCMark 10, MATLAB, 7zip.
   And how good the processors are in games:

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

After reading the results these benchmarks and videos, you already be able to know which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i7-4790K or AMD Ryzen 5 2600X.

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 2600X

54%

Core i7-4790K

52%

This value shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Ryzen 5 2600X is 3% better than Core i7-4790K. The data source is several popular tests. Detailed information can be found below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Ryzen 5 2600X

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 of course, 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. And if it seems to you 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 less popular games in which processors were compared: NBA 2K20, Half-Life: Alyx, Ghostrunner, Horizon Zero Dawn, League of Legends (LOL), Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Hitman 3, Metro Exodus, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Monster Hunter World, Forza Horizon 4, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Control, DOTA 2A, Battlefield V.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	94.6	92.8
Valorant	107.5	105.5
Cyberpunk 2077	60.2	59.1
Apex Legends	101.1	99.2
Call of Duty Warzone	80.6	79.1
Overwatch	87.1	85.5
Red Dead Redemption 2	74.2	72.8
DOOM Eternal	53.8	52.8
Warzone	83.9	82.3
Assassin's Creed	90.3	88.6
Valheim	89.3	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 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 5 2600X

39%

Core i7-4790K

46%

To make a final 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 Core i7-4790K is more energy efficient than the Ryzen 5 2600X since it has less power consumption: 95W vs. 88W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, you need to 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 programming, streaming, video editing or video rendering, machine learning, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to reach maximum efficiency, the CPU uses all cores and threads that it has. You will learn this data from the benchmark tables below. Before using the data from these tests, be sure to check whether the software you are going to use on your computer supports multi-threaded mode. Because there are still many programs that 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 2600X	Intel Core i7-4790K
Cinbench 15 Single-core	176	169
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1380	854
Cinbench 20 Single-core	421	411
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	3048	1982
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1074	1069
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	7514	4936

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

	AMD Ryzen 5 2600X	Intel Core i7-4790K
Single-Core	2438	2491
Multi-Core	14033	8030

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

	AMD Ryzen 5 2600X	Intel Core i7-4790K
Single-Core	1127	1230
Multi-Core	6497	4747

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 2600X	Intel Core i7-4790K
Announcement date	April 19, 2018	April 01, 2014
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	AM4	LGA1150
Core name	Pinnacle Ridge	Devil's Canyon
Architecture	Zen	x86
Generation	2	4
Turbo Frequency	4.2 MHz	4.4 MHz
Frequency	3.6 MHz	4 MHz
Cores	6	4
Threads	12	8
Bus rate		5 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	12 nm	22 nm
Transistors count	3600 millions	1420 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	95 W	88 W
Memory type	DDR4	DDR3-1333/1600, DDR3L-1333/1600 @ 1.5V
Max. Memory		32 Gb
Memory Frequency	2933
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	YD260XBCM6IAF YD260XBCAFBOX YD260XBCAFMPK

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Core i7-4790K is 9% better than Ryzen 5 2600X in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Ryzen 5 2600X 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 2600X is better: 27
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i7-4790K is better: 10
Although it should be realized that all the number that you have looked at here do not mean that taking them into account you should undividedly trust a simple quantitative comparison. Better to watch the testing video and read the opinion of real owners of AMD Ryzen 5 2600X and Intel Core i7-4790K before making a decision which of the CPUs to buy for gaming.

• AMD Ryzen 5 2600X specs and review.

• Intel Core i7-4790K specs and review.