Intel Core i9-9900 vs Intel Core i5-11500

Processor comparisons   24-03-2021
   If you have difficulties with the choice of a processor, you will solve them by reading the comprehensive tests Intel Core i9-9900 vs Intel Core i5-11500 and understand which is better for games or normal use for rendering, streaming, machine learning, programming, video editing. Here is all information from many benchmarks or real streaming and video editing tests. A thorough review of all the specifications, to make it easier to read, is made by the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of parallel examination in software tests like MATLAB, VeraCrypt, Dolphin Emulator, 7zip, AIDA64, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), RealBench, SuperPi, Gears 5, 3DMark, WPrime, Handbrake, Prime95, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, Blender, PCMark 10, Blender, UserBenchmark, GeekBench 6, 5.2, Furmark, PassMark.
   And how good the CPUs are in games:

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

After reading the results these benchmarks and videos, you already be able to understand which processor is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i5-11500 or Intel Core i9-9900.

Summary benchmark results

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

Core i9-9900

55%

Core i5-11500

55%

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i9-9900

55%

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	97.1	95.7
Valorant	110.4	108.8
Cyberpunk 2077	61.8	60.9
Apex Legends	103.7	102.3
Call of Duty Warzone	82.8	81.6
Overwatch	89.4	88.1
Red Dead Redemption 2	76.1	75.1
DOOM Eternal	55.2	54.4
Warzone	86.1	84.9
Assassin's Creed	92.7	91.4
Valheim	91.6	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 amounts of RAM and different video cards. 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. 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 i9-9900

74%

Core i5-11500

81%

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 Core i5-11500 is more energy efficient than the Core i9-9900 as it consumes less power: 65W vs. 65W. Power consumption is particularly important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, it will be useful to know its TDP. 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

Let's say you plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for machine learning, programming, streaming, video editing or video rendering, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to reach maximum performance, the processor includes all threads and cores that it has. 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 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 i9-9900	Intel Core i5-11500
Cinbench 15 Single-core	219	186
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1931	1783
Cinbench 20 Single-core	518	435
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	4346	3994
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1284	1135
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	12205	10572

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

	Intel Core i9-9900	Intel Core i5-11500
Single-Core	2864	2532
Multi-Core	17110	19286

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

	Intel Core i9-9900	Intel Core i5-11500
Single-Core	1454	1584
Multi-Core	8933	7583

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the most helpful will be the release date of the processor and the possibility of overclocking it. The newer the processor, the longer it will last in your computer. 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 still be able to produce maximum FPS even in new games. The economy are obvious! Accordingly, you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	Intel Core i9-9900	Intel Core i5-11500
Announcement date	April 01, 2019	January 20, 2021
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	FCLGA1151-2	FCLGA1200
Core name	Coffee Lake	Rocket Lake
Architecture	x86	x86
Generation	9	11
Turbo Frequency	5 MHz	4.6 MHz
Frequency	3.1 MHz	2.7 MHz
Cores	8	6
Threads	16	12
Bus rate	8 GT/s	8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	14 nm	14 nm
Transistors count	8600 millions	5400 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	65 W	65 W
Memory type	DDR4-2666	DDR4-3200
Max. Memory	128 Gb	128 Gb
Memory Frequency		3200
Memory bandwidth	41.6 GB/s	50 GB/s
L1 cache
L2 cache		3 MB
L3 cache	16 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 i9-9900 is 12% better than Core i5-11500 in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i9-9900 has 2 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 i9-9900 is better: 25
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i5-11500 is better: 7
However, it should be understood that all the number in the article 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 reviews of real owners of Intel Core i9-9900 and Intel Core i5-11500 before making a choice which CPU to buy for gaming and which not.

Intel Core i9-9900 - all data

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

• Intel Core i9-9900 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.