Intel Core i9-10900KF vs Intel Core i5-11500

Processor comparisons   23-03-2021
   Perhaps you are thinking about choosing a CPU, you will be able to make a decision after reading the detailed tests Intel Core i9-10900KF vs Intel Core i5-11500 and decide which is better for games or normal use for rendering, video editing, machine learning, streaming, programming. Here you can find useful information from several benchmarks or real video editing and streaming tests. A step-by-step analysis of all the technical characteristics, to make it easier to understand, is summarized in the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of joint testing in software tests such as MATLAB, Dolphin Emulator, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, VeraCrypt, PCMark 10, GeekBench 6, 5.2, 7zip, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), DaVinci Resolve Studio, Prime95, RealBench, WPrime, SuperPi, AIDA64, Handbrake, Furmark, PassMark, Blender, UserBenchmark, Gears 5, 3DMark, Blender.
   Gaming performance of CPUs in:

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

After reading the results these benchmarks and videos, you already be able to understand which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i5-11500 or Intel Core i9-10900KF.

Summary benchmark results

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

Core i9-10900KF

57%

Core i5-11500

55%

The number of this parameter shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Core i9-10900KF is 3% better than Core i5-11500. The data source is several popular tests. More detailed information of the benchmarks is below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i9-10900KF

57%

Core i5-11500

54%

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	101.4	95.7
Valorant	115.2	108.8
Cyberpunk 2077	64.5	60.9
Apex Legends	108.3	102.3
Call of Duty Warzone	86.4	81.6
Overwatch	93.3	88.1
Red Dead Redemption 2	79.5	75.1
DOOM Eternal	57.6	54.4
Warzone	89.9	84.9
Assassin's Creed	96.8	91.4
Valheim	95.6	90.3

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 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: 2K, 4K or FullHD. So 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 compare it in one assembly with the video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

Core i9-10900KF

39%

Core i5-11500

81%

To make a finishing 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 i5-11500 is more energy efficient than the Core i9-10900KF since it has less power consumption: 125W vs. 65W. Power consumption is particularly important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, you must 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

For example you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for machine learning, streaming, video editing or video rendering, programming, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the processor turns on all cores and threads that it has to the maximum to reach maximum performance. 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 can 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 i9-10900KF	Intel Core i5-11500
Cinbench 15 Single-core	234	186
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	2677	1783
Cinbench 20 Single-core	539	435
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	6399	3994
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1418	1135
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	17325	10572

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

	Intel Core i9-10900KF	Intel Core i5-11500
Single-Core	3105	2532
Multi-Core	23797	19286

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

	Intel Core i9-10900KF	Intel Core i5-11500
Single-Core	1471	1584
Multi-Core	13125	7583

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 in your computer. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system later. The same benefits from the presence of overclocking. When the processor can be overclocked, thereby increasing its performance, then it will still be able to produce 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 i9-10900KF	Intel Core i5-11500
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	5.3 MHz	4.6 MHz
Frequency	3.7 MHz	2.7 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)	125 W	65 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 i9-10900KF is 27% better than Core i5-11500 in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i9-10900KF has 4 more core than Core i5-11500. 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 i9-10900KF is better: 26
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i5-11500 is better: 7
Although it should be realized that all the number in the text above do not mean that taking them into account you should entirely trust a simple quantitative comparison. Better to watch the testing video and read the opinion of of people who bought Intel Core i9-10900KF and Intel Core i5-11500 before making a selection which processor to buy for gaming and which not.

Intel Core i9-10900KF - all data

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

• Intel Core i9-10900KF specs and review.

Intel Core i5-11500 - all data

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

• Intel Core i5-11500 specs and review.