Intel Core i5-11600K vs AMD Ryzen 9 4900U

Processor comparisons   17-03-2021
   Let's say you are thinking about choosing a CPU, you will be able to make a choice after reading the detailed tests Intel Core i5-11600K vs AMD Ryzen 9 4900U and understand which is better for games or simple use for rendering, machine learning, video editing, programming, streaming. Here is useful information from real video editing and streaming tests or different benchmarks. A thorough review of all the specifications, to make it easier to understand, is presented in the form of the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of joint testing in software tests like Blender, AIDA64, MATLAB, GeekBench 6, 5.2, Blender, PCMark 10, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, WPrime, VeraCrypt, 3DMark, Dolphin Emulator, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Gears 5, RealBench, SuperPi, Handbrake, Furmark, Prime95, UserBenchmark, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), PassMark, 7zip.
   And how good the CPUs are in games:

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

After reading the results these benchmarks and videos, you already be able to know which processor is better to buy for gaming AMD Ryzen 9 4900U 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 4900U

56%

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i5-11600K

54%

Ryzen 9 4900U

53%

The maximum result in this parameter is 100 percent, which is the performance of the most powerful processor at the moment. And it is clear that 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 low game result, just look at the FPS that it produces in real games in the final table below.
List of other games in which processors were compared: Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Control, Battlefield V, Forza Horizon 4, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Horizon Zero Dawn, Hitman 3, NBA 2K20, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), DOTA 2A, Monster Hunter World, Ghostrunner, Microsoft Flight Simulator, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), League of Legends (LOL), Metro Exodus, Half-Life: Alyx.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	95.2	94.6
Valorant	108.1	107.5
Cyberpunk 2077	60.6	60.2
Apex Legends	101.6	101.0
Call of Duty Warzone	81.1	80.6
Overwatch	87.6	87.0
Red Dead Redemption 2	74.6	74.1
DOOM Eternal	54.1	53.7
Warzone	84.3	83.8
Assassin's Creed	90.8	90.3
Valheim	89.7	89.2

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, FullHD 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 compare it in one assembly with the video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

Core i5-11600K

43%

Ryzen 9 4900U

267%

To make a finishing decision 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 Ryzen 9 4900U is more energy efficient than the Core i5-11600K as it consumes less power: 125W vs. 15W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, you must 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

For example you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for streaming, video editing or video rendering, machine learning, programming, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the CPU turns on all threads and cores that it has to the maximum to achieve maximum performance. 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 program 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 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

	Intel Core i5-11600K	AMD Ryzen 9 4900U
Cinbench 15 Single-core	199	208
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1905	1398
Cinbench 20 Single-core	465	503
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	4270	3307
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1213	1270
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	11302	10053

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

	Intel Core i5-11600K	AMD Ryzen 9 4900U
Single-Core	2707	2015
Multi-Core	20616	21586

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

	Intel Core i5-11600K	AMD Ryzen 9 4900U
Single-Core	1621	1203
Multi-Core	7012	6431

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the most useful will be the release date of the processor and the possibility of overclocking it. The later the processor is released, the longer it will last you. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system in the future. The same benefits from the presence of overclocking. When the processor can be overclocked, increasing its performance, then it will still be able to produce maximum FPS in new games. Accordingly, there is no longer a need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The economy are obvious!

	Intel Core i5-11600K	AMD Ryzen 9 4900U
Announcement date	January 20, 2021	January 12, 2021
Type	Desktop	Laptop
Socket	FCLGA1200	FP6
Core name	Rocket Lake	Renoir
Architecture	x86	Zen 2
Generation	11	4
Turbo Frequency	4.9 MHz	4.4 MHz
Frequency	3.9 MHz	2 MHz
Cores	6	8
Threads	12	16
Bus rate	8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	14 nm	7 nm
Transistors count	5400 millions	8600 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	125 W	15 W
Memory type	DDR4-3200	DDR4-3200 LPDDR4-4266
Max. Memory	128 Gb	32 Gb
Memory Frequency	3200	4266
Memory bandwidth	50 GB/s
L1 cache
L2 cache	3 MB	2MB
L3 cache	12 MB	8MB
Overclocking	No	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 i5-11600K is 48% better than Ryzen 9 4900U in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Ryzen 9 4900U has 2 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: 25
The number of parameters for which AMD Ryzen 9 4900U is better: 12
However, it should be understood that all the data in the article above do not mean that you should be guided entirely by them and trust a simple quantitative comparison. Be sure to watch benchmarks video and read the opinion of real owners of Intel Core i5-11600K and AMD Ryzen 9 4900U before deciding which of the processors to buy for gaming.

• Intel Core i5-11600K specs and review.

• AMD Ryzen 9 4900U specs and review.