Intel Core i5-11600 vs Intel Core i9-10900K

Processor comparisons 18-03-2021

   For example you are thinking about choosing a processor, you will be able to make a decision after reading the comprehensive tests Intel Core i5-11600 vs Intel Core i9-10900K and decide which is better for games or simple use for streaming, programming, video editing, machine learning, rendering. Here is all information from several 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 comparison video, you can get the results of parallel examination in software tests such as UserBenchmark, AIDA64, MATLAB, Dolphin Emulator, RealBench, Furmark, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, Handbrake, 3DMark, Prime95, Blender, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), GeekBench 6, 5.2, Gears 5, 7zip, VeraCrypt, PCMark 10, PassMark, Blender, WPrime, DaVinci Resolve Studio, SuperPi.
   And how good the processors are in games:

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

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 i9-10900K or Intel Core i5-11600.

Summary benchmark results

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

Core i5-11600

55%

Core i9-10900K

57%

This parameter shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Core i9-10900K is 3% better than Core i5-11600. The data source is several popular tests. More detailed information of the benchmarks is below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i5-11600

53%

Core i9-10900K

58%

For the maximum in this test, the results of the most powerful processor in the site database are taken. 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 little game result, just look at the FPS that it produces in real games in the summary table below.
List of other games in which processors were compared: Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Forza Horizon 4, Metro Exodus, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), League of Legends (LOL), Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Half-Life: Alyx, Horizon Zero Dawn, Microsoft Flight Simulator, DOTA 2A, Monster Hunter World, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Control, Hitman 3, Ghostrunner, NBA 2K20, Battlefield V.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	94.8	102.7
Valorant	107.7	116.7
Cyberpunk 2077	60.3	65.3
Apex Legends	101.3	109.7
Call of Duty Warzone	80.8	87.5
Overwatch	87.3	94.5
Red Dead Redemption 2	74.3	80.5
DOOM Eternal	53.9	58.3
Warzone	84.0	91.0
Assassin's Creed	90.5	98.0
Valheim	89.4	96.8

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: 4K, 2K or FullHD. 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 compare it in one assembly with the video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

Core i5-11600

41%

Core i9-10900K

43%

To make a finishing resolution 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 i9-10900K is more energy efficient than the Core i5-11600 since it has less power consumption: 125W vs. 125W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, it will be useful to 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

Let's say you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for streaming, video rendering or video editing, programming, machine learning, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the processor includes all cores and threads that it has to the maximum to reach maximum efficiency. You will learn this data from the benchmark tables below. Before using the data from these tests, be sure to make sure that the program that you are going to use on your computer can work in multi-threaded mode. Since there are still many programs that 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

	Intel Core i5-11600	Intel Core i9-10900K
Cinbench 15 Single-core	189	234
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1811	2677
Cinbench 20 Single-core	442	539
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	4058	6399
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1153	1418
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	10741	17325

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

	Intel Core i5-11600	Intel Core i9-10900K
Single-Core	2573	3141
Multi-Core	19594	24010

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

	Intel Core i5-11600	Intel Core i9-10900K
Single-Core	1541	1617
Multi-Core	6664	14374

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 in the future. The same can be said about overclocking. If the processor can be overclocked, thereby increasing its performance, then it will continue to maintain maximum FPS in new games. The economy are obvious! It turns out that there is no longer a need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	Intel Core i5-11600	Intel Core i9-10900K
Announcement date	January 20, 2021	April 01, 2020
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	FCLGA1200	FCLGA1200
Core name	Rocket Lake	Comet Lake
Architecture	x86	x86
Generation	11	10
Turbo Frequency	4.8 MHz	5.3 MHz
Frequency	2.8 MHz	3.7 MHz
Cores	6	10
Threads	12	20
Bus rate	8 GT/s	8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	14 nm	14 nm
Transistors count	5400 millions	9200 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	125 W	125 W
Memory type	DDR4-3200	DDR4-2933
Max. Memory	128 Gb	128 Gb
Memory Frequency	3200
Memory bandwidth	50 GB/s	45.8 GB/s
L1 cache
L2 cache	3 MB
L3 cache	12 MB	20 MB
Overclocking	No	No
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 i9-10900K is 24% better than Core i5-11600 in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i9-10900K has 4 more core than Core i5-11600. Also keep in mind that high CPU frequency affects battery life through power consumption (relevant for laptops).

Result:
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i5-11600 is better: 5
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i9-10900K is better: 27
Although it should be realized that all the data in the article above do not mean that you should be guided entirely by them and trust a simple comparison of these numbers. Better to watch the testing video and read the opinion of of people who bought Intel Core i5-11600 and Intel Core i9-10900K before making a choice which processor to buy for gaming and which not.

Intel Core i5-11600 - all data

• Call of Duty: Warzone gaming benchmark
• Cinebench r15 score
• Cinebench r20 score
• Cinebench r23 score
• GeekBench 6, 5.2 score

• Intel Core i5-11600 specs and review.

• Intel Core i9-10900K specs and review.