Intel Core i5-11600K vs AMD Ryzen 9 3950X

Processor comparisons   17-03-2021
   You may have difficulties with the choice of a processor, you will solve them by reading the comprehensive tests Intel Core i5-11600K vs AMD Ryzen 9 3950X and decide which is better for games or normal use for machine learning, video editing, streaming, programming, rendering. Here you can find useful information from real streaming and video editing tests or several benchmarks. A step-by-step analysis of all the specifications, to make it easier to understand, is made by the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of joint testing in special testing software like PassMark, Blender, Gears 5, Furmark, MATLAB, WPrime, Handbrake, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, GeekBench 6, 5.2, VeraCrypt, 3DMark, DaVinci Resolve Studio, 7zip, AIDA64, RealBench, Blender, SuperPi, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), Prime95, PCMark 10, UserBenchmark, Dolphin Emulator.
   And how good the CPUs are in games:

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

After looking at the data of joint benchmarks and videos, you can already make an informed decision about which processor is better to buy for gaming AMD Ryzen 9 3950X or Intel Core i5-11600K.

Summary benchmark results

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

Core i5-11600K

56%

Ryzen 9 3950X

61%

This shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Ryzen 9 3950X is 8% better than Core i5-11600K. The data source is several popular tests. Detailed information can be found below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i5-11600K

54%

Ryzen 9 3950X

58%

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 play games. Because the cost of this processor reaches 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 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	95.2	103.7
Valorant	108.1	117.9
Cyberpunk 2077	60.6	66.0
Apex Legends	101.6	110.8
Call of Duty Warzone	81.1	88.4
Overwatch	87.6	95.5
Red Dead Redemption 2	74.6	81.3
DOOM Eternal	54.1	58.9
Warzone	84.3	91.9
Assassin's Creed	90.8	99.0
Valheim	89.7	97.8

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 tested computers not only did they have different video cards and different amounts of RAM. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: FullHD, 2K or 4K. 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

Core i5-11600K

43%

Ryzen 9 3950X

40%

To make a finishing choice 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 Core i5-11600K is more energy efficient than the Ryzen 9 3950X since it has less power consumption: 125W vs. 105W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, you need 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

Let's say you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for machine learning, programming, streaming, video rendering or video editing, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to achieve maximum performance, the processor uses all cores and threads that it has. 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 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

	Intel Core i5-11600K	AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
Cinbench 15 Single-core	199	217
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1905	3897
Cinbench 20 Single-core	465	531
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	4270	9148
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1213	1371
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	11302	24050

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

	Intel Core i5-11600K	AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
Single-Core	2707	2718
Multi-Core	20616	39170

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

	Intel Core i5-11600K	AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
Single-Core	1621	1286
Multi-Core	7012	15407

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the most helpful 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 later. The same can be said about overclocking. When the processor can be overclocked, increasing its performance, then it will continue to maintain maximum FPS even in the newest games. The savings are obvious! It turns out that you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	Intel Core i5-11600K	AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
Announcement date	January 20, 2021	October 01, 2019
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	FCLGA1200	AM4
Core name	Rocket Lake	Matisse
Architecture	x86	Zen 2
Generation	11	3
Turbo Frequency	4.9 MHz	4.7 MHz
Frequency	3.9 MHz	3.5 MHz
Cores	6	16
Threads	12	32
Bus rate	8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	14 nm	7 nm
Transistors count	5400 millions	7800 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	125 W	105 W
Memory type	DDR4-3200	DDR4
Max. Memory	128 Gb
Memory Frequency	3200	3200
Memory bandwidth	50 GB/s
L1 cache		1MB
L2 cache	3 MB	8MB
L3 cache	12 MB	64MB
Overclocking	No	Yes
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number		100-000000051 100-100000051WOF

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Core i5-11600K is 10% better than Ryzen 9 3950X in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Ryzen 9 3950X has 10 more core than Core i5-11600K. 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 i5-11600K is better: 8
The number of parameters for which AMD Ryzen 9 3950X is better: 29
However, it should be understood that all the figures that you have looked at here do not mean that taking them into account you should undividedly trust a simple comparison of these numbers. Be sure to watch the video tests and read the opinion of real owners of Intel Core i5-11600K and AMD Ryzen 9 3950X before making a decision which CPU to buy for gaming and which not.

• Intel Core i5-11600K specs and review.

• AMD Ryzen 9 3950X specs and review.