Intel Core i7-5960X vs AMD Ryzen 5 4600U

Processor comparisons 25-03-2021

   Let's say you have difficulties with the choice of a processor, you will solve them by reading the full tests Intel Core i7-5960X vs AMD Ryzen 5 4600U and see which is better for games or normal use for programming, machine learning, video editing, rendering, streaming. Here you can find useful information from real streaming and video editing tests or many benchmarks. A thorough review of all the specifications, to make it easier to understand, is presented in the form of the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of joint testing in synthetic type tests like Dolphin Emulator, Blender, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, WPrime, UserBenchmark, Prime95, GeekBench 6, 5.2, Blender, MATLAB, 7zip, AIDA64, 3DMark, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), Furmark, PassMark, VeraCrypt, Gears 5, SuperPi, PCMark 10, RealBench, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Handbrake.
   Gaming performance of CPUs in:

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

After reading the results these benchmarks and videos, you already be able to understand which processor is better to buy for gaming AMD Ryzen 5 4600U or Intel Core i7-5960X.

Summary benchmark results

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

Core i7-5960X

53%

Ryzen 5 4600U

54%

The number of this parameter shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Ryzen 5 4600U is 1% better than Core i7-5960X. The data source is several popular tests. More detailed information of the benchmarks is below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i7-5960X

55%

Ryzen 5 4600U

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	97.0	94.4
Valorant	110.2	107.2
Cyberpunk 2077	61.7	60.0
Apex Legends	103.6	100.8
Call of Duty Warzone	82.6	80.4
Overwatch	89.2	86.8
Red Dead Redemption 2	76.0	74.0
DOOM Eternal	55.1	53.6
Warzone	85.9	83.6
Assassin's Creed	92.6	90.1
Valheim	91.5	89.0

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 that were in the comparisons not only did they have different video cards and different amounts of RAM. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: 4K, 2K or FullHD. 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 i7-5960X

26%

Ryzen 5 4600U

248%

To make a final decision 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 4600U is more energy efficient than the Core i7-5960X since it has less power consumption: 140W vs. 15W. Power consumption is particularly important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, it will be useful 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 streaming, machine learning, video editing or video rendering, programming, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the CPU includes all cores and threads that it has to the maximum to achieve maximum efficiency. You will learn 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. Since there are still many programs that use only one core to work, and all the benefit 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 i7-5960X	AMD Ryzen 5 4600U
Cinbench 15 Single-core	177	174
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1360	1363
Cinbench 20 Single-core	464	448
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	3423	3011
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1106	1162
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	7691	8044

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

	Intel Core i7-5960X	AMD Ryzen 5 4600U
Single-Core	1966	2389
Multi-Core	12668	13861

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

	Intel Core i7-5960X	AMD Ryzen 5 4600U
Single-Core	1095	1120
Multi-Core	8786	6229

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the processor release date and overclocking capability will be the most helpful. 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 benefits from the presence of overclocking. If the processor can be overclocked, increasing its performance, then it will continue to maintain maximum FPS in the newest games. Accordingly, there is no longer a need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The savings are obvious!

	Intel Core i7-5960X	AMD Ryzen 5 4600U
Announcement date	April 01, 2014	April 01, 2020
Type	Desktop	Laptop
Socket	LGA2011-v3	FP6
Core name	Haswell E	Renoir
Architecture	x86	Zen 2
Generation	5	2
Turbo Frequency	3.5 MHz	4 MHz
Frequency	3 MHz	2.1 MHz
Cores	8	6
Threads	16	12
Bus rate	0 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	22 nm	7 nm
Transistors count	4130 millions	4600 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	140 W	15 W
Memory type	DDR4 1600/1866/2133	DDR4 - Up to 3200MHz
Max. Memory	64 Gb
Memory Frequency
Memory bandwidth	68 GB/s
L1 cache
L2 cache		3MB
L3 cache	20 MB	8MB
Overclocking	No	Yes
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number		100-000000105

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Core i7-5960X is 29% better than Ryzen 5 4600U in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i7-5960X has 2 more core than Ryzen 5 4600U. 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 i7-5960X is better: 22
The number of parameters for which AMD Ryzen 5 4600U is better: 14
However, it should be realized that the summary data in the table above do not mean that taking them into account you should fully trust a simple comparison of these numbers. Better to watch the video tests and read the reviews of of people who bought Intel Core i7-5960X and AMD Ryzen 5 4600U before making a choice which of the CPUs to buy for gaming.

Intel Core i7-5960X - all data

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

• Intel Core i7-5960X specs and review.

• AMD Ryzen 5 4600U specs and review.