AMD Ryzen 9 4900U vs Intel Core i5-10600K

Processor comparisons 17-03-2021

   If you can't decide which CPU to buy, you can make a decision by looking at the AMD Ryzen 9 4900U vs Intel Core i5-10600K tests and see which is better for games or normal use for machine learning, rendering, programming, video editing, streaming. Here is useful information from real video editing and streaming tests or many benchmarks. 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 synthetic type tests like UserBenchmark, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), GeekBench 6, 5.2, Furmark, PassMark, SuperPi, RealBench, 3DMark, Gears 5, Prime95, PCMark 10, Blender, DaVinci Resolve Studio, VeraCrypt, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, MATLAB, 7zip, Blender, AIDA64, Dolphin Emulator, Handbrake, WPrime.
   And how good the processors are in games:

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

After reading the results of all benchmarks and videos, you can already make an briefed decision about which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i5-10600K or AMD Ryzen 9 4900U.

Summary benchmark results

As a percentage of the maximum value based on a sample from the entire base of all processors
Processor Benchmark

Ryzen 9 4900U

56%

Core i5-10600K

54%

This shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Ryzen 9 4900U is 3% better than Core i5-10600K. The data source is several popular tests. More detailed information of the benchmarks is below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Ryzen 9 4900U

53%

Core i5-10600K

55%

For the maximum in this test, the results of the most powerful processor in the site database are taken. And of course, this is a server processor, on which no one will run games. Because this processor costs several tens of thousands of dollars. And if it seems to you that the selected CPU has a small game result, look at the FPS that it produces in real games in the final table below.
List of other games in which processors were compared: Metro Exodus, NBA 2K20, DOTA 2A, Hitman 3, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Battlefield V, Half-Life: Alyx, Forza Horizon 4, League of Legends (LOL), Monster Hunter World, Control, Ghostrunner, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Shadow of the Tomb Raider, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Horizon Zero Dawn.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	94.6	97.0
Valorant	107.5	110.2
Cyberpunk 2077	60.2	61.7
Apex Legends	101.0	103.6
Call of Duty Warzone	80.6	82.7
Overwatch	87.0	89.3
Red Dead Redemption 2	74.1	76.1
DOOM Eternal	53.7	55.1
Warzone	83.8	86.0
Assassin's Creed	90.3	92.6
Valheim	89.2	91.5

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 9 4900U

267%

Core i5-10600K

39%

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 Ryzen 9 4900U is more energy efficient than the Core i5-10600K as it consumes less power: 15W vs. 125W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, you need to know its TDP. It is necessary to count 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 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, the processor turns on all cores and threads that it has to the maximum to achieve maximum efficiency. You will find out this data from the benchmark tables below. Before you take into account the data from these tests, be sure to find out whether the software that you are going to use on your computer can work in multi-threaded mode. Because there are still many programs that can 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 9 4900U	Intel Core i5-10600K
Cinbench 15 Single-core	208	215
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1398	1615
Cinbench 20 Single-core	503	501
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	3307	3629
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1270	1376
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	10053	10379

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

	AMD Ryzen 9 4900U	Intel Core i5-10600K
Single-Core	2015	2967
Multi-Core	21586	14674

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

	AMD Ryzen 9 4900U	Intel Core i5-10600K
Single-Core	1203	1495
Multi-Core	6431	8815

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the processor release date and overclocking capability will be the most helpful. The later the processor is released, the longer it will last in your computer. 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 continue to maintain maximum FPS in the newest games. Accordingly, there is no longer a need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The savings are obvious!

	AMD Ryzen 9 4900U	Intel Core i5-10600K
Announcement date	January 12, 2021	April 01, 2020
Type	Laptop	Desktop
Socket	FP6	FCLGA1200
Core name	Renoir	Comet Lake
Architecture	Zen 2	x86
Generation	4	10
Turbo Frequency	4.4 MHz	4.8 MHz
Frequency	2 MHz	4.1 MHz
Cores	8	6
Threads	16	12
Bus rate		8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	7 nm	14 nm
Transistors count	8600 millions	4800 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	15 W	125 W
Memory type	DDR4-3200 LPDDR4-4266	DDR4-2666
Max. Memory	32 Gb	128 Gb
Memory Frequency	4266
Memory bandwidth		41.6 GB/s
L1 cache
L2 cache	2MB
L3 cache	8MB	12 MB
Overclocking	Yes	Yes
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Core i5-10600K is 51% better than Ryzen 9 4900U in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Ryzen 9 4900U has 2 more core than Core i5-10600K. 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 9 4900U is better: 11
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i5-10600K is better: 25
Although it should be realized that all the number in the text above do not mean that taking them into account you should fully trust a simple comparison of these numbers. Better to watch benchmarks video and read the opinion of real owners of AMD Ryzen 9 4900U and Intel Core i5-10600K before making a choice which processor to buy for gaming and which not.

• AMD Ryzen 9 4900U specs and review.

• Intel Core i5-10600K specs and review.