AMD Ryzen 5 3600X vs Intel Core i7-4790K

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 detailed tests AMD Ryzen 5 3600X vs Intel Core i7-4790K and see which is better for games or normal use for video editing, programming, rendering, streaming, machine learning. Here you can find useful information from various benchmarks or real video editing and streaming tests. A thorough analysis of all the specifications, to make it easier to read, is summarized in the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of joint testing in special testing software like GeekBench 6, 5.2, RealBench, Handbrake, PassMark, Dolphin Emulator, Blender, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), PCMark 10, Furmark, VeraCrypt, 7zip, Gears 5, 3DMark, WPrime, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, UserBenchmark, AIDA64, Blender, Prime95, SuperPi, DaVinci Resolve Studio, MATLAB.
   Gaming performance of CPUs in:

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

After looking at the data these benchmarks and videos, you can already make an briefed decision about which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i7-4790K or AMD Ryzen 5 3600X.

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 3600X

55%

Core i7-4790K

52%

This value shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Ryzen 5 3600X is 5% better than Core i7-4790K. 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 3600X

54%

Core i7-4790K

52%

The maximum result in this parameter is 100 percent, which is the performance of the most powerful processor at the moment. And of course, 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. Therefore, if you think that the selected CPU has a small 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 CPU comparisons were performed: Microsoft Flight Simulator, Metro Exodus, Control, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Horizon Zero Dawn, Battlefield V, Hitman 3, NBA 2K20, DOTA 2A, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Forza Horizon 4, Ghostrunner, Monster Hunter World, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, League of Legends (LOL), Half-Life: Alyx.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	96.0	92.8
Valorant	109.1	105.5
Cyberpunk 2077	61.1	59.1
Apex Legends	102.6	99.2
Call of Duty Warzone	81.9	79.1
Overwatch	88.4	85.5
Red Dead Redemption 2	75.3	72.8
DOOM Eternal	54.6	52.8
Warzone	85.1	82.3
Assassin's Creed	91.7	88.6
Valheim	90.6	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 3600X

47%

Core i7-4790K

46%

To make a finishing 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 Ryzen 5 3600X is more energy efficient than the Core i7-4790K as it consumes less power: 95W vs. 88W. Power consumption is particularly important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, it will be useful to know its TDP. 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 programming, streaming, machine learning, video rendering or video editing, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the processor turns on all threads and cores that it has to the maximum to achieve 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 program 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 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 3600X	Intel Core i7-4790K
Cinbench 15 Single-core	204	169
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1647	854
Cinbench 20 Single-core	501	411
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	3751	1982
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1286	1069
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	9588	4936

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

	AMD Ryzen 5 3600X	Intel Core i7-4790K
Single-Core	2651	2491
Multi-Core	18377	8030

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

	AMD Ryzen 5 3600X	Intel Core i7-4790K
Single-Core	1341	1230
Multi-Core	7891	4747

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 in the future. The same can be said about overclocking. If the processor can be overclocked, thereby increasing its performance, then it will still be able to produce maximum FPS in new games. Accordingly, you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The savings are obvious!

	AMD Ryzen 5 3600X	Intel Core i7-4790K
Announcement date	July 07, 2019	April 01, 2014
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	AM4	LGA1150
Core name	Matisse	Devil's Canyon
Architecture	Zen 2	x86
Generation	3	4
Turbo Frequency	4.4 MHz	4.4 MHz
Frequency	3.8 MHz	4 MHz
Cores	6	4
Threads	12	8
Bus rate		5 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	7 nm	22 nm
Transistors count	4200 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	3200
Memory bandwidth		25.6 GB/s
L1 cache	384KB
L2 cache	3MB
L3 cache	32MB	8 MB
Overclocking	Yes	Yes
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number	100-000000022 100-100000022BOX 100-100000022MPK

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Core i7-4790K is 5% better than Ryzen 5 3600X in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Ryzen 5 3600X 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 3600X is better: 29
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i7-4790K is better: 7
Although it should be understood that all the data in the text above do not mean that taking them into account you should undividedly trust a simple comparison of these numbers. Better to watch benchmarks video and read the opinion of of people who bought AMD Ryzen 5 3600X and Intel Core i7-4790K before making a choice which processor to buy for gaming and which not.

• AMD Ryzen 5 3600X specs and review.

• Intel Core i7-4790K specs and review.