Intel Core i9-9920X vs Intel Core i5-11600K

Processor comparisons 17-03-2021

   If you are thinking about choosing a CPU, you will be able to make a choice by looking at the Intel Core i9-9920X vs Intel Core i5-11600K tests and see which is better for games or normal use for rendering, video editing, programming, machine learning, streaming. Here you can find all information from many benchmarks or real video editing and streaming tests. A thorough analysis of all the technical characteristics, so that it can be easier to understand, is summarized in the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of joint testing in synthetic type tests like Prime95, WPrime, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), DaVinci Resolve Studio, AIDA64, UserBenchmark, Handbrake, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, RealBench, Blender, SuperPi, PassMark, GeekBench 6, 5.2, Gears 5, VeraCrypt, 7zip, Blender, Furmark, 3DMark, PCMark 10, MATLAB, Dolphin Emulator.
   And how good the CPUs are in games:

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

After reading the results these benchmarks and videos, you already be able to understand which processor is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i5-11600K or Intel Core i9-9920X.

Summary benchmark results

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

Core i9-9920X

57%

Core i5-11600K

56%

The number of this parameter shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Core i9-9920X is 1% better than Core i5-11600K. The data source is several popular tests. Detailed information can be found below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i9-9920X

58%

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	102.9	95.2
Valorant	116.9	108.1
Cyberpunk 2077	65.5	60.6
Apex Legends	109.9	101.6
Call of Duty Warzone	87.7	81.1
Overwatch	94.7	87.6
Red Dead Redemption 2	80.6	74.6
DOOM Eternal	58.4	54.1
Warzone	91.2	84.3
Assassin's Creed	98.2	90.8
Valheim	97.0	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 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: 2K, FullHD 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 compare it in one assembly with the video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

Core i9-9920X

25%

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 i5-11600K is more energy efficient than the Core i9-9920X as it consumes less power: 165W vs. 125W. 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

If you plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for machine learning, streaming, programming, video rendering or video editing, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the CPU includes all threads and cores 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 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 benefit 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 i9-9920X	Intel Core i5-11600K
Cinbench 15 Single-core	197	199
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	2245	1905
Cinbench 20 Single-core	455	465
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	5179	4270
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1484	1213
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	14791	11302

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

	Intel Core i9-9920X	Intel Core i5-11600K
Single-Core	2650	2707
Multi-Core	25286	20616

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

	Intel Core i9-9920X	Intel Core i5-11600K
Single-Core	1282	1621
Multi-Core	14563	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 later. The same benefits from the presence of overclocking. When the processor can be overclocked, increasing its performance, then it will still be able to produce maximum FPS even in new games. The savings are obvious! Accordingly, you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	Intel Core i9-9920X	Intel Core i5-11600K
Announcement date	October 01, 2018	January 20, 2021
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	FCLGA2066	FCLGA1200
Core name	Skylake	Rocket Lake
Architecture	x86	x86
Generation	9	11
Turbo Frequency	4.5 MHz	4.9 MHz
Frequency	3.5 MHz	3.9 MHz
Cores	12	6
Threads	24	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)	165 W	125 W
Memory type	DDR4-2666	DDR4-3200
Max. Memory	128 Gb	128 Gb
Memory Frequency		3200
Memory bandwidth	85 GB/s	50 GB/s
L1 cache
L2 cache		3 MB
L3 cache	19.25 MB	12 MB
Overclocking	Yes	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 10% better than Core i9-9920X in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i9-9920X has 6 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 i9-9920X is better: 23
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i5-11600K is better: 11
However, it should be understood that all the figures in the table above do not mean that taking them into account you should fully trust a simple quantitative comparison. Better to watch benchmarks video and read the opinion of real owners of Intel Core i9-9920X and Intel Core i5-11600K before making a choice which CPU to buy for gaming and which not.

• Intel Core i9-9920X specs and review.

• Intel Core i5-11600K specs and review.