AMD Ryzen 5 2600X vs Intel Core i9-9900K

Processor comparisons 17-03-2021

   If there are difficulties with the choice of a CPU, you will solve them by reading the comprehensive tests AMD Ryzen 5 2600X vs Intel Core i9-9900K and decide which is better for games or normal use for streaming, machine learning, programming, video editing, rendering. Here you can find useful information from real streaming and video editing tests or different 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 video comparison, you can get the results of joint testing in synthetic type tests such as GeekBench 6, 5.2, PassMark, Blender, WPrime, DaVinci Resolve Studio, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, VeraCrypt, AIDA64, Prime95, PCMark 10, RealBench, UserBenchmark, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), 3DMark, Handbrake, Blender, Furmark, SuperPi, Gears 5, 7zip, Dolphin Emulator, MATLAB.
   Gaming performance of processors in:

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

After looking at the data of all benchmarks and videos, you already be able to know which processor is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i9-9900K 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 i9-9900K

55%

This parameter shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Core i9-9900K is 1% 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 i9-9900K

55%

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	94.6	98.2
Valorant	107.5	111.6
Cyberpunk 2077	60.2	62.5
Apex Legends	101.1	104.9
Call of Duty Warzone	80.6	83.7
Overwatch	87.1	90.4
Red Dead Redemption 2	74.2	77.0
DOOM Eternal	53.8	55.8
Warzone	83.9	87.0
Assassin's Creed	90.3	93.7
Valheim	89.3	92.6

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 comparing not only were the equipped with different amounts of RAM and different video cards. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: 2K, FullHD or 4K. So 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 i9-9900K

45%

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 i9-9900K is more energy efficient than the Ryzen 5 2600X as it consumes less power: 95W vs. 95W. Power consumption is particularly important for laptops. And TDP should be taken into account when choosing a processor cooling system. 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 want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for programming, video rendering or video editing, machine learning, streaming, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the processor uses all cores and threads that it has to the maximum to reach 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 check whether the software you are going to use on your computer supports multi-threaded mode. Because there are still many programs that can use only one core to run, and all the benefit 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 2600X	Intel Core i9-9900K
Cinbench 15 Single-core	176	219
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1380	2245
Cinbench 20 Single-core	421	518
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	3048	4995
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1074	1284
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	7514	12450

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

	AMD Ryzen 5 2600X	Intel Core i9-9900K
Single-Core	2438	2947
Multi-Core	14033	18753

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

	AMD Ryzen 5 2600X	Intel Core i9-9900K
Single-Core	1127	1301
Multi-Core	6497	9986

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 you. 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 still be able to produce maximum FPS even in new games. It turns out that there is no longer a need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The savings are obvious!

	AMD Ryzen 5 2600X	Intel Core i9-9900K
Announcement date	April 19, 2018	October 01, 2018
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	AM4	FCLGA1151-2
Core name	Pinnacle Ridge	Coffee Lake
Architecture	Zen	x86
Generation	2	9
Turbo Frequency	4.2 MHz	5 MHz
Frequency	3.6 MHz	3.6 MHz
Cores	6	8
Threads	12	16
Bus rate		8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	12 nm	14 nm
Transistors count	3600 millions	8600 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	95 W	95 W
Memory type	DDR4	DDR4-2666
Max. Memory		128 Gb
Memory Frequency	2933
Memory bandwidth		41.6 GB/s
L1 cache	576KB
L2 cache	3MB
L3 cache	16MB	16 MB
Overclocking	Yes	No
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 i9-9900K has 2 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: 6
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i9-9900K is better: 30
However, it should be understood that all the number in the table above do not mean that taking them into account you should completely trust a simple quantitative comparison. Be sure to watch the video tests and read the opinion of real owners of AMD Ryzen 5 2600X and Intel Core i9-9900K before making a decision which of the processors to buy for gaming.

• AMD Ryzen 5 2600X specs and review.

• Intel Core i9-9900K specs and review.