Intel Core i9-10900F vs Intel Core i5-11600K

Processor comparisons   23-03-2021
   Let's say you can't decide which CPU to buy, you can make a decision by looking at the Intel Core i9-10900F vs Intel Core i5-11600K tests and see which is better for games or normal use for rendering, video editing, streaming, programming, machine learning. Here you can find useful information from real streaming and video editing tests or many benchmarks. A thorough review of all the technical characteristics, so that it can be easier to read, is made by the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of parallel examination in special test applications such as RealBench, Gears 5, AIDA64, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, Blender, WPrime, VeraCrypt, GeekBench 6, 5.2, PassMark, DaVinci Resolve Studio, 3DMark, Furmark, Handbrake, SuperPi, Dolphin Emulator, PCMark 10, Blender, Prime95, MATLAB, UserBenchmark, 7zip, Cinebench 23 (20, 15).
   And how good the processors are in games:

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

After looking at the data these benchmarks and videos, you already be able to figure out which processor is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i5-11600K or Intel Core i9-10900F.

Summary benchmark results

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

Core i9-10900F

56%

Core i5-11600K

56%

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i9-10900F

56%

Core i5-11600K

54%

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 low 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: Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Forza Horizon 4, Metro Exodus, Horizon Zero Dawn, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), League of Legends (LOL), Ghostrunner, Half-Life: Alyx, Battlefield V, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Hitman 3, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Monster Hunter World, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Control, NBA 2K20, DOTA 2A, Microsoft Flight Simulator.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	99.0	95.2
Valorant	112.5	108.1
Cyberpunk 2077	63.0	60.6
Apex Legends	105.8	101.6
Call of Duty Warzone	84.4	81.1
Overwatch	91.2	87.6
Red Dead Redemption 2	77.7	74.6
DOOM Eternal	56.3	54.1
Warzone	87.8	84.3
Assassin's Creed	94.5	90.8
Valheim	93.4	89.7

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 i9-10900F

71%

Core i5-11600K

43%

To make a finishing resolution 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 i9-10900F is more energy efficient than the Core i5-11600K since it has less power consumption: 65W vs. 125W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, it will be useful to know its TDP. 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

If you plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for programming, machine learning, video editing or video rendering, streaming, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the processor turns on all threads and cores that it has to the maximum to reach maximum performance. 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. Since 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 i9-10900F	Intel Core i5-11600K
Cinbench 15 Single-core	229	199
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	2516	1905
Cinbench 20 Single-core	524	465
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	5853	4270
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1353	1213
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	14644	11302

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

	Intel Core i9-10900F	Intel Core i5-11600K
Single-Core	3085	2707
Multi-Core	20970	20616

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

	Intel Core i9-10900F	Intel Core i5-11600K
Single-Core	1398	1621
Multi-Core	10825	7012

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 in the future. 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 in new games. The economy are obvious! It turns out that there is no longer a need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	Intel Core i9-10900F	Intel Core i5-11600K
Announcement date	April 01, 2020	January 20, 2021
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	FCLGA1200	FCLGA1200
Core name	Comet Lake	Rocket Lake
Architecture	x86	x86
Generation	10	11
Turbo Frequency	5.2 MHz	4.9 MHz
Frequency	2.8 MHz	3.9 MHz
Cores	10	6
Threads	20	12
Bus rate	8 GT/s	8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	14 nm	14 nm
Transistors count	9200 millions	5400 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	65 W	125 W
Memory type	DDR4-2933	DDR4-3200
Max. Memory	128 Gb	128 Gb
Memory Frequency		3200
Memory bandwidth	45.8 GB/s	50 GB/s
L1 cache
L2 cache		3 MB
L3 cache	20 MB	12 MB
Overclocking	No	No
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Core i5-11600K is 28% better than Core i9-10900F in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i9-10900F has 4 more core than Core i5-11600K. 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 i9-10900F is better: 26
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i5-11600K is better: 7
However, it should be understood that all the figures in the article above do not mean that you should be guided entirely by them and trust a simple comparison of these figures. Better to watch the testing video and read the reviews of of people who bought Intel Core i9-10900F and Intel Core i5-11600K before deciding which of the CPUs to buy for gaming.

Intel Core i9-10900F - all data

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

• Intel Core i9-10900F specs and review.

• Intel Core i5-11600K specs and review.