Intel Core i5-6600 vs AMD Ryzen 5 2600

Processor comparisons   05-02-2023
   If you are thinking about choosing a CPU, you will be able to make a choice after reading the full tests Intel Core i5-6600 vs AMD Ryzen 5 2600 and understand which is better for games or normal use for video editing, streaming, programming, rendering, machine learning. Here is all information from real streaming and video editing tests or many benchmarks. A careful review 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 software tests like VeraCrypt, UserBenchmark, WPrime, Dolphin Emulator, MATLAB, SuperPi, 3DMark, Prime95, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), 7zip, Blender, Furmark, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, PCMark 10, Handbrake, Blender, PassMark, AIDA64, RealBench, GeekBench 6, 5.2, Gears 5, DaVinci Resolve Studio.
   And how good the CPUs are in games:

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

After reading the results these benchmarks and videos, you already be able to figure out which CPU is better to buy for gaming AMD Ryzen 5 2600 or Intel Core i5-6600.

Summary benchmark results

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

Core i5-6600

51%

Ryzen 5 2600

54%

The number of this parameter shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Ryzen 5 2600 is 5% better than Core i5-6600. The data source is several popular tests. Detailed information can be found below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i5-6600

52%

Ryzen 5 2600

53%

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	91.7	94.8
Valorant	104.3	107.8
Cyberpunk 2077	58.4	60.4
Apex Legends	98.0	101.3
Call of Duty Warzone	78.2	80.8
Overwatch	84.4	87.3
Red Dead Redemption 2	71.9	74.4
DOOM Eternal	52.1	53.9
Warzone	81.3	84.1
Assassin's Creed	87.6	90.5
Valheim	86.5	89.5

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 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 i5-6600

54%

Ryzen 5 2600

56%

To make a finishing 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 5 2600 is more energy efficient than the Core i5-6600 as it consumes less power: 65W vs. 65W. Power consumption is particularly important for laptops. And TDP should be taken into account when choosing a processor cooling system. 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 plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for programming, streaming, machine learning, video editing or video rendering, then first of all you need to pay attention to the 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 efficiency. You will find out this data from the benchmark tables below. Before using the data from these tests, be sure to check whether the software you are going to use on your computer supports multi-threaded mode. Because there are still many programs that can 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 i5-6600	AMD Ryzen 5 2600
Cinbench 15 Single-core	166	164
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	597	1310
Cinbench 20 Single-core	381	374
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	1411	2736
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1041	1024
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	3741	7220

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

	Intel Core i5-6600	AMD Ryzen 5 2600
Single-Core	2294	2280
Multi-Core	6107	13255

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

	Intel Core i5-6600	AMD Ryzen 5 2600
Single-Core	1068	1104
Multi-Core	3667	6712

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the most helpful 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 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 even in new 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 i5-6600	AMD Ryzen 5 2600
Announcement date	September 27, 2015	April 19, 2018
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	FCLGA1151	AM4
Core name	Skylake	Pinnacle Ridge
Architecture	x86	Zen+
Generation	6	2
Turbo Frequency	3.9 MHz	3.9 MHz
Frequency	3.3 MHz	3.4 MHz
Cores	4	6
Threads	4	12
Bus rate	8 GT/s	4 Ã— 8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	14 nm	12 nm
Transistors count	2460 millions	3600 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	65 W	65 W
Memory type	DDR4-1866/2133, DDR3L-1333/1600 @ 1.35V	DDR4
Max. Memory	64 Gb
Memory Frequency		2933
Memory bandwidth	34.1 GB/s
L1 cache		576KB
L2 cache		3MB
L3 cache	6 MB	16MB
Overclocking	No	Yes
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number	Expansion Options	YD2600BBM6IAF YD2600BBAFBOX YD2600BBAFMPK

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Ryzen 5 2600 is 2% better than Core i5-6600 in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Ryzen 5 2600 has 2 more core than Core i5-6600. 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 i5-6600 is better: 9
The number of parameters for which AMD Ryzen 5 2600 is better: 27
However, it should be realized that the summary data that you have looked at here do not mean that taking them into account you should totally trust a simple quantitative comparison. Be sure to watch the testing video and read the opinion of of people who bought Intel Core i5-6600 and AMD Ryzen 5 2600 before making a selection which processor to buy for gaming and which not.

Intel Core i5-6600 - all data

• Cinebench r15 score
• Cinebench r20 score
• Cinebench r23 score
• GeekBench 6, 5.2 score

• Intel Core i5-6600 specs and review.

• AMD Ryzen 5 2600 specs and review.