AMD Ryzen 5 2600X vs Intel Core i9-10850K

Processor comparisons   17-03-2021
   Perhaps you are thinking about choosing a CPU, you will be able to make a choice by looking at the AMD Ryzen 5 2600X vs Intel Core i9-10850K tests and see which is better for games or normal use for video editing, programming, machine learning, rendering, streaming. Here you can find useful information from many benchmarks or real video editing and streaming tests. A careful review of all the specifications, so that it can be easier to read, is summarized in the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of parallel examination in software tests like Furmark, Handbrake, SuperPi, Blender, VeraCrypt, GeekBench 6, 5.2, MATLAB, DaVinci Resolve Studio, 3DMark, UserBenchmark, PCMark 10, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), Gears 5, Prime95, Dolphin Emulator, AIDA64, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, Blender, WPrime, 7zip, RealBench, PassMark.
   Gaming performance of processors in:

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

After reading the results of all benchmarks and videos, you can already make an briefed decision about which processor is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i9-10850K 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 i9-10850K

57%

This value shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Core i9-10850K is 5% better than Ryzen 5 2600X. 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 2600X

53%

Core i9-10850K

56%

The maximum result in this parameter is 100 percent, which is the performance of the most powerful processor at the moment. And it is clear that this is a server processor, on which no one will play 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, 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: Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Hitman 3, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Forza Horizon 4, Metro Exodus, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Microsoft Flight Simulator, Horizon Zero Dawn, NBA 2K20, Half-Life: Alyx, Ghostrunner, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, League of Legends (LOL), Control, Monster Hunter World, DOTA 2A, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Battlefield V.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	94.6	99.8
Valorant	107.5	113.4
Cyberpunk 2077	60.2	63.5
Apex Legends	101.1	106.6
Call of Duty Warzone	80.6	85.1
Overwatch	87.1	91.9
Red Dead Redemption 2	74.2	78.3
DOOM Eternal	53.8	56.7
Warzone	83.9	88.5
Assassin's Creed	90.3	95.3
Valheim	89.3	94.1

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 tested computers not only did they have different amounts of RAM and different video cards. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: 2K, 4K 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 i9-10850K

36%

To make a finishing choice 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 2600X is more energy efficient than the Core i9-10850K as it consumes less power: 95W 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

If you plan 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, to achieve maximum efficiency, the CPU turns on 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 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 can use only one core to run, and all the benefit 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 i9-10850K
Cinbench 15 Single-core	176	229
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1380	2616
Cinbench 20 Single-core	421	536
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	3048	6318
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1074	1367
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	7514	16820

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

	AMD Ryzen 5 2600X	Intel Core i9-10850K
Single-Core	2438	3074
Multi-Core	14033	23350

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

	AMD Ryzen 5 2600X	Intel Core i9-10850K
Single-Core	1127	1383
Multi-Core	6497	11578

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the processor release date and overclocking capability will be the most useful. The later the processor is released, the longer it will last in your computer. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system in the future. The same can be said about overclocking. When the processor can be overclocked, increasing its performance, then it will still be able to produce maximum FPS even in the newest games. It turns out that there is no longer a need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The economy are obvious!

	AMD Ryzen 5 2600X	Intel Core i9-10850K
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	4.2 MHz	5.1 MHz
Frequency	3.6 MHz	3.6 MHz
Cores	6	10
Threads	12	20
Bus rate		8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	12 nm	14 nm
Transistors count	3600 millions	9200 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	95 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	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. Another difference is that Core i9-10850K has 4 more core than Ryzen 5 2600X. 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: 5
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i9-10850K is better: 31
Although it should be realized that the summary data that you have looked at here do not mean that taking them into account you should totally trust a simple comparison of these figures. Better to watch the video tests and read the opinion of real owners of AMD Ryzen 5 2600X and Intel Core i9-10850K before making a selection which of the processors to buy for gaming.

• AMD Ryzen 5 2600X specs and review.

• Intel Core i9-10850K specs and review.