Intel Core i5-11600K vs AMD Ryzen 9 5900

Processor comparisons   17-03-2021
   If you are thinking about choosing a CPU, you will be able to make a choice after reading the full tests Intel Core i5-11600K vs AMD Ryzen 9 5900 and decide which is better for games or simple use for video editing, rendering, streaming, programming, machine learning. Here is all information from different benchmarks or real streaming and video editing tests. A thorough analysis of all the specifications, so that it can be easier to understand, is made by the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of joint testing in software tests such as UserBenchmark, Handbrake, SuperPi, DaVinci Resolve Studio, 3DMark, Prime95, Blender, VeraCrypt, WPrime, AIDA64, Dolphin Emulator, MATLAB, GeekBench 6, 5.2, Blender, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, RealBench, 7zip, Gears 5, PCMark 10, Furmark, PassMark, Cinebench 23 (20, 15).
   Gaming performance of processors in:

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

After looking at the data these benchmarks and videos, you already be able to understand which CPU is better to buy for gaming AMD Ryzen 9 5900 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 5900

62%

The number of this parameter shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Ryzen 9 5900 is 9% better than Core i5-11600K. The data source is several popular tests. More detailed information of the benchmarks is below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i5-11600K

54%

Ryzen 9 5900

59%

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 other games in which processors were compared: Control, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), League of Legends (LOL), Ghostrunner, DOTA 2A, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Forza Horizon 4, Metro Exodus, Horizon Zero Dawn, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Battlefield V, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Half-Life: Alyx, Hitman 3, NBA 2K20, Monster Hunter World.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	95.2	103.8
Valorant	108.1	118.0
Cyberpunk 2077	60.6	66.1
Apex Legends	101.6	110.9
Call of Duty Warzone	81.1	88.5
Overwatch	87.6	95.6
Red Dead Redemption 2	74.6	81.4
DOOM Eternal	54.1	59.0
Warzone	84.3	92.0
Assassin's Creed	90.8	99.1
Valheim	89.7	97.9

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 comparisons not only were the equipped with 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. You will get more accurate information about how powerful 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 5900

89%

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 Ryzen 9 5900 is more energy efficient than the Core i5-11600K as it consumes less power: 125W vs. 65W. Power consumption is particularly important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, it will be useful 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

If you plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for video rendering or video editing, streaming, machine learning, programming, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to achieve maximum efficiency, the processor includes 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 software you are going to use on your computer supports multi-threaded mode. Since there are still many programs that use only one core to run, 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 5900
Cinbench 15 Single-core	199	285
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1905	3789
Cinbench 20 Single-core	465	668
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	4270	8653
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1213	1815
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	11302	23790

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

	Intel Core i5-11600K	AMD Ryzen 9 5900
Single-Core	2707	3487
Multi-Core	20616	39560

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

	Intel Core i5-11600K	AMD Ryzen 9 5900
Single-Core	1621	1743
Multi-Core	7012	15530

Comparison of specifications

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

	Intel Core i5-11600K	AMD Ryzen 9 5900
Announcement date	January 20, 2021	January 12, 2021
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	FCLGA1200	AM4
Core name	Rocket Lake	Vermeer
Architecture	x86	Zen 3
Generation	11	4
Turbo Frequency	4.9 MHz	4.7 MHz
Frequency	3.9 MHz	3 MHz
Cores	6	12
Threads	12	24
Bus rate	8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	14 nm	7 nm
Transistors count	5400 millions	9400 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	125 W	65 W
Memory type	DDR4-3200	DDR4
Max. Memory	128 Gb
Memory Frequency	3200	3200
Memory bandwidth	50 GB/s
L1 cache
L2 cache	3 MB	6MB
L3 cache	12 MB	64MB
Overclocking	No	Yes
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number		100-000000062

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Core i5-11600K is 23% better than Ryzen 9 5900 in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Ryzen 9 5900 has 6 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: 7
The number of parameters for which AMD Ryzen 9 5900 is better: 29
However, it should be realized that all the data that you have looked at here do not mean that you should be guided entirely by them and trust a simple comparison of these figures. Better to watch the video tests and read the reviews of real owners of Intel Core i5-11600K and AMD Ryzen 9 5900 before deciding which of the processors to buy for gaming.

• Intel Core i5-11600K specs and review.

• AMD Ryzen 9 5900 specs and review.