AMD Ryzen 5 5600X vs Intel Core i9-9900K

Processor comparisons 17-03-2021

   Let's say you are thinking about choosing a processor, you will be able to make a choice after reading the comprehensive tests AMD Ryzen 5 5600X vs Intel Core i9-9900K and decide which is better for games or simple use for machine learning, programming, rendering, video editing, streaming. Here you can find all information from many benchmarks or real video editing and streaming tests. A careful analysis of all the specifications, so that it can be easier to read, is made by the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of parallel examination in special testing software like GeekBench 6, 5.2, PCMark 10, SuperPi, Prime95, MATLAB, Dolphin Emulator, 7zip, Handbrake, 3DMark, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), Furmark, PassMark, VeraCrypt, Blender, RealBench, DaVinci Resolve Studio, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, Blender, AIDA64, UserBenchmark, WPrime, Gears 5.
   And how good the CPUs are in games:

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

After reading the results these benchmarks and videos, you already be able to figure out which processor is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i9-9900K or AMD Ryzen 5 5600X.

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 5600X

56%

Core i9-9900K

55%

The number of this parameter shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Ryzen 5 5600X is 1% better than Core i9-9900K. 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 5600X

55%

Core i9-9900K

55%

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	97.1	98.2
Valorant	110.4	111.6
Cyberpunk 2077	61.8	62.5
Apex Legends	103.8	104.9
Call of Duty Warzone	82.8	83.7
Overwatch	89.4	90.4
Red Dead Redemption 2	76.2	77.0
DOOM Eternal	55.2	55.8
Warzone	86.1	87.0
Assassin's Creed	92.7	93.7
Valheim	91.6	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 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: FullHD, 2K 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 5600X

90%

Core i9-9900K

45%

To make a final decision 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 5600X is more energy efficient than the Core i9-9900K as it consumes less power: 65W vs. 95W. Power consumption is especially 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

Let's say you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for machine learning, programming, streaming, video editing or video rendering, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to achieve maximum efficiency, the processor turns on all cores and threads that it has. You will find out this data from the benchmark tables below. Before you take into account 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. Because there are still many programs that use only one core to run, 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 5600X	Intel Core i9-9900K
Cinbench 15 Single-core	258	219
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1970	2245
Cinbench 20 Single-core	604	518
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	4562	4995
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1572	1284
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	11268	12450

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

	AMD Ryzen 5 5600X	Intel Core i9-9900K
Single-Core	3352	2947
Multi-Core	22120	18753

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

	AMD Ryzen 5 5600X	Intel Core i9-9900K
Single-Core	1768	1301
Multi-Core	8968	9986

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the processor release date and overclocking capability will be the most helpful. The newer the processor, the longer it will last you. 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, increasing its performance, then it will continue to maintain maximum FPS in the newest games. The economy are obvious! It turns out that you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	AMD Ryzen 5 5600X	Intel Core i9-9900K
Announcement date	November 05, 2020	October 01, 2018
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	AM4	FCLGA1151-2
Core name	Vermeer	Coffee Lake
Architecture	Zen 3	x86
Generation	5	9
Turbo Frequency	4.6 MHz	5 MHz
Frequency	3.7 MHz	3.6 MHz
Cores	6	8
Threads	12	16
Bus rate		8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	7 nm	14 nm
Transistors count	4800 millions	8600 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	65 W	95 W
Memory type	DDR4	DDR4-2666
Max. Memory		128 Gb
Memory Frequency	3200
Memory bandwidth		41.6 GB/s
L1 cache
L2 cache	3MB
L3 cache	32MB	16 MB
Overclocking	Yes	No
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number	100-000000065 100-100000065BOX 100-100000065MPK

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Ryzen 5 5600X is 2% better than Core i9-9900K in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i9-9900K has 2 more core than Ryzen 5 5600X. 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 5600X is better: 14
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i9-9900K is better: 23
Although it should be understood that the summary data in the article above do not mean that you should be guided entirely by them and trust a simple quantitative comparison. Better to watch the video tests and read the opinion of real owners of AMD Ryzen 5 5600X and Intel Core i9-9900K before deciding which processor to buy for gaming and which not.

• AMD Ryzen 5 5600X specs and review.

• Intel Core i9-9900K specs and review.