Intel Core i7-8086K vs AMD Ryzen 5 2600X

Processor comparisons   24-03-2021
   Let's say you can't decide which CPU to buy, you can make a decision by looking at the Intel Core i7-8086K vs AMD Ryzen 5 2600X tests and understand which is better for games or normal use for streaming, rendering, machine learning, programming, video editing. Here you can find useful information from several benchmarks or real streaming and video editing tests. A thorough review of all the specifications, to make it easier to read, is presented in the form of the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of parallel examination in software tests such as Cinebench 23 (20, 15), GeekBench 6, 5.2, 7zip, AIDA64, PCMark 10, Dolphin Emulator, MATLAB, Gears 5, UserBenchmark, Blender, PassMark, Blender, VeraCrypt, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, RealBench, Furmark, Handbrake, 3DMark, SuperPi, WPrime, Prime95, DaVinci Resolve Studio.
   Gaming performance of CPUs in:

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

After reading the results of parallel benchmarks and videos, you can already make an informed decision about which processor is better to buy for gaming AMD Ryzen 5 2600X or Intel Core i7-8086K.

Summary benchmark results

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

Core i7-8086K

54%

Ryzen 5 2600X

54%

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i7-8086K

54%

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	96.2	94.6
Valorant	109.3	107.5
Cyberpunk 2077	61.2	60.2
Apex Legends	102.8	101.1
Call of Duty Warzone	82.0	80.6
Overwatch	88.6	87.1
Red Dead Redemption 2	75.4	74.2
DOOM Eternal	54.7	53.8
Warzone	85.3	83.9
Assassin's Creed	91.8	90.3
Valheim	90.8	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 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: 4K, 2K 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 i7-8086K

50%

Ryzen 5 2600X

39%

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 Core i7-8086K is more energy efficient than the Ryzen 5 2600X as it consumes less power: 95W vs. 95W. 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

If you plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for machine learning, video rendering or video editing, streaming, programming, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the processor uses all cores and threads that it has to the maximum to reach 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 check whether the program 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 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 i7-8086K	AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
Cinbench 15 Single-core	219	176
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1448	1380
Cinbench 20 Single-core	467	421
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	3292	3048
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1321	1074
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	10209	7514

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

	Intel Core i7-8086K	AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
Single-Core	2896	2438
Multi-Core	14705	14033

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

	Intel Core i7-8086K	AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
Single-Core	1427	1127
Multi-Core	8056	6497

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 in your computer. 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 continue to maintain maximum FPS even in new games. It turns out that you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The economy are obvious!

	Intel Core i7-8086K	AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
Announcement date	April 01, 2018	April 19, 2018
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	FCLGA1151-2	AM4
Core name	Coffee Lake	Pinnacle Ridge
Architecture	x86	Zen
Generation	8	2
Turbo Frequency	5 MHz	4.2 MHz
Frequency	4 MHz	3.6 MHz
Cores	6	6
Threads	12	12
Bus rate	8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	14 nm	12 nm
Transistors count	3600 millions	3600 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	95 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	12 MB	16MB
Overclocking	No	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 Core i7-8086K is 9% better than Ryzen 5 2600X 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 i7-8086K is better: 27
The number of parameters for which AMD Ryzen 5 2600X is better: 7
Although it should be realized that all the figures in the text above do not mean that taking them into account you should fully trust a simple comparison of these figures. Better to watch the video tests and read the reviews of real owners of Intel Core i7-8086K and AMD Ryzen 5 2600X before deciding which of the CPUs to buy for gaming.

Intel Core i7-8086K - all data

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

• Intel Core i7-8086K specs and review.

• AMD Ryzen 5 2600X specs and review.