Intel Core i5-9400F vs AMD Ryzen 5 2600X

Processor comparisons   17-03-2021
   If you have difficulties with the choice of a processor, you will solve them by reading the detailed tests Intel Core i5-9400F vs AMD Ryzen 5 2600X and understand which is better for games or normal use for rendering, machine learning, programming, streaming, video editing. Here you can find useful information from many benchmarks or real video editing and streaming tests. A step-by-step analysis of all the technical characteristics, to make it easier to read, is made by the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of joint testing in special test applications like World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), 3DMark, PCMark 10, Blender, PassMark, VeraCrypt, Handbrake, Dolphin Emulator, UserBenchmark, Furmark, 7zip, AIDA64, Gears 5, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Prime95, MATLAB, SuperPi, RealBench, WPrime, Blender, GeekBench 6, 5.2.
   And how good the processors are in games:

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

After reading the results these benchmarks and videos, you already be able to understand which CPU is better to buy for gaming AMD Ryzen 5 2600X or Intel Core i5-9400F.

Summary benchmark results

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

Core i5-9400F

52%

Ryzen 5 2600X

54%

This value shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Ryzen 5 2600X is 3% better than Core i5-9400F. The data source is several popular tests. Detailed information can be found below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i5-9400F

53%

Ryzen 5 2600X

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	93.5	94.6
Valorant	106.2	107.5
Cyberpunk 2077	59.5	60.2
Apex Legends	99.8	101.1
Call of Duty Warzone	79.7	80.6
Overwatch	86.0	87.1
Red Dead Redemption 2	73.3	74.2
DOOM Eternal	53.1	53.8
Warzone	82.8	83.9
Assassin's Creed	89.2	90.3
Valheim	88.2	89.3

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, 4K or FullHD. 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 i5-9400F

51%

Ryzen 5 2600X

39%

To make a final 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 Core i5-9400F is more energy efficient than the Ryzen 5 2600X as it consumes less power: 65W vs. 95W. Power consumption is particularly important for laptops. And TDP should be taken into account when choosing a processor cooling system. 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

For example you plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for machine learning, programming, video rendering or video editing, streaming, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to reach maximum performance, the processor uses all cores and threads that it has. You will find out this data from the benchmark tables below. Before using the data from these tests, be sure to find out whether the software that you are going to use on your computer can work in multi-threaded mode. Because there are still many programs that can use only one core to work, and all the advantages 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 i5-9400F	AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
Cinbench 15 Single-core	177	176
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	987	1380
Cinbench 20 Single-core	423	421
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	2407	3048
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1115	1074
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	4981	7514

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

	Intel Core i5-9400F	AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
Single-Core	2464	2438
Multi-Core	9559	14033

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

	Intel Core i5-9400F	AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
Single-Core	1001	1127
Multi-Core	5360	6497

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 newer the processor, the longer it will last you. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system later. The same can be said about overclocking. If the processor can be overclocked, thereby increasing its performance, then it will still be able to produce maximum FPS in the newest games. The savings are obvious! Accordingly, you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	Intel Core i5-9400F	AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
Announcement date	January 01, 2019	April 19, 2018
Type	Desktop, Laptop	Desktop
Socket	FCLGA1151-2	AM4
Core name	Coffee Lake	Pinnacle Ridge
Architecture	x86	Zen
Generation	9	2
Turbo Frequency	4.1 MHz	4.2 MHz
Frequency	2.9 MHz	3.6 MHz
Cores	6	6
Threads	6	12
Bus rate	8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	14 nm	12 nm
Transistors count	3600 millions	3600 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	65 W	95 W
Memory type	DDR4-2666	DDR4
Max. Memory	128 Gb
Memory Frequency		2933
Memory bandwidth	41.6 GB/s
L1 cache		576KB
L2 cache		3MB
L3 cache	9 MB	16MB
Overclocking	Yes	Yes
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number		YD260XBCM6IAF YD260XBCAFBOX YD260XBCAFMPK

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Ryzen 5 2600X is 19% better than Core i5-9400F in terms of CPU frequency. 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 i5-9400F is better: 11
The number of parameters for which AMD Ryzen 5 2600X is better: 24
Although it should be realized that the summary data in the text above do not mean that you should be guided entirely by them and trust a simple comparison of these figures. Be sure to watch benchmarks video and read the reviews of of people who bought Intel Core i5-9400F and AMD Ryzen 5 2600X before deciding which of the processors to buy for gaming.

• Intel Core i5-9400F specs and review.

• AMD Ryzen 5 2600X specs and review.