Intel Core i7-8700K vs AMD Ryzen 5 2600

Processor comparisons 17-03-2021

   Perhaps you are thinking about choosing a CPU, you will be able to make a choice after reading the comprehensive tests Intel Core i7-8700K vs AMD Ryzen 5 2600 and understand which is better for games or simple use for machine learning, video editing, rendering, streaming, programming. Here is all information from many benchmarks or real streaming and video editing tests. A step-by-step analysis of all the specifications, so that it can be easier to understand, is made by the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of joint testing in synthetic type tests such as SuperPi, 7zip, PassMark, Handbrake, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Dolphin Emulator, AIDA64, UserBenchmark, Furmark, PCMark 10, Gears 5, 3DMark, Prime95, VeraCrypt, Blender, Blender, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), RealBench, GeekBench 6, 5.2, WPrime, MATLAB, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark.
   Gaming performance of processors in:

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

After reading the results these benchmarks and videos, you can already make an briefed decision about which CPU is better to buy for gaming AMD Ryzen 5 2600 or Intel Core i7-8700K.

Summary benchmark results

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

Core i7-8700K

54%

Ryzen 5 2600

54%

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i7-8700K

54%

Ryzen 5 2600

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	95.7	94.8
Valorant	108.7	107.8
Cyberpunk 2077	60.9	60.4
Apex Legends	102.2	101.3
Call of Duty Warzone	81.6	80.8
Overwatch	88.1	87.3
Red Dead Redemption 2	75.0	74.4
DOOM Eternal	54.4	53.9
Warzone	84.8	84.1
Assassin's Creed	91.3	90.5
Valheim	90.3	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 tested computers not only did they have different amounts of RAM and different video cards. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: FullHD, 2K or 4K. Therefore, 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 i7-8700K

49%

Ryzen 5 2600

56%

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 Ryzen 5 2600 is more energy efficient than the Core i7-8700K as it consumes less power: 95W 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 calculate 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, machine learning, video rendering or video editing, streaming, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the CPU includes all threads and cores that it has to the maximum to reach maximum efficiency. You will find out this data from the benchmark tables below. Before using the data from these tests, be sure to make sure that the software that you are going to use on your computer can work in multi-threaded mode. Because there are still many programs that use only one core to run, 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 i7-8700K	AMD Ryzen 5 2600
Cinbench 15 Single-core	208	164
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1447	1310
Cinbench 20 Single-core	487	374
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	3689	2736
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1209	1024
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	8960	7220

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

	Intel Core i7-8700K	AMD Ryzen 5 2600
Single-Core	2760	2280
Multi-Core	13949	13255

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

	Intel Core i7-8700K	AMD Ryzen 5 2600
Single-Core	1402	1104
Multi-Core	7536	6712

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 you. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system in the future. 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 new games. Accordingly, you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The economy are obvious!

	Intel Core i7-8700K	AMD Ryzen 5 2600
Announcement date	October 01, 2017	April 19, 2018
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	FCLGA1151-2	AM4
Core name	Coffee Lake	Pinnacle Ridge
Architecture	x86	Zen+
Generation	8	2
Turbo Frequency	4.7 MHz	3.9 MHz
Frequency	3.7 MHz	3.4 MHz
Cores	6	6
Threads	12	12
Bus rate	8 GT/s	4 Ã— 8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	14 nm	12 nm
Transistors count	3200 millions	3600 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	95 W	65 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		YD2600BBM6IAF YD2600BBAFBOX YD2600BBAFMPK

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Core i7-8700K is 8% better than Ryzen 5 2600 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 i7-8700K is better: 27
The number of parameters for which AMD Ryzen 5 2600 is better: 9
However, it should be realized that all the number in the text above do not mean that taking them into account you should undividedly trust a simple comparison of these numbers. Be sure to watch benchmarks video and read the opinion of of people who bought Intel Core i7-8700K and AMD Ryzen 5 2600 before making a selection which processor to buy for gaming and which not.

• Intel Core i7-8700K specs and review.

• AMD Ryzen 5 2600 specs and review.