Intel Core i9-9990XE vs AMD Ryzen 5 2600

Processor comparisons 17-03-2021

   For example you can't decide which CPU to buy, you can make a choice by looking at the Intel Core i9-9990XE vs AMD Ryzen 5 2600 tests and decide which is better for games or normal use for video editing, streaming, rendering, programming, machine learning. Here is useful information from different benchmarks or real video editing and streaming tests. A thorough review of all the specifications, to make it easier to understand, is made by the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of parallel examination in software tests such as SuperPi, Gears 5, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Handbrake, Furmark, PassMark, PCMark 10, WPrime, 7zip, Dolphin Emulator, Prime95, Blender, RealBench, Blender, 3DMark, VeraCrypt, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), MATLAB, AIDA64, UserBenchmark, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, GeekBench 6, 5.2.
   Gaming performance of CPUs in:

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

After reading the results of all benchmarks and videos, you already be able to figure out which CPU is better to buy for gaming AMD Ryzen 5 2600 or Intel Core i9-9990XE.

Summary benchmark results

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

Core i9-9990XE

59%

Ryzen 5 2600

54%

This value shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Core i9-9990XE is 8% better than Ryzen 5 2600. The data source is several popular tests. More detailed information of the benchmarks is below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i9-9990XE

59%

Ryzen 5 2600

53%

For the maximum in this test, the results of the most powerful processor in the site database are taken. And of course, 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 small game result, just look at the FPS that it produces in real games in the final table below.
List of less popular games in which processors were compared: Hitman 3, League of Legends (LOL), NBA 2K20, Half-Life: Alyx, DOTA 2A, Monster Hunter World, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Battlefield V, Horizon Zero Dawn, Metro Exodus, Ghostrunner, Forza Horizon 4, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Control, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Shadow of the Tomb Raider.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	104.6	94.8
Valorant	118.9	107.8
Cyberpunk 2077	66.6	60.4
Apex Legends	111.7	101.3
Call of Duty Warzone	89.1	80.8
Overwatch	96.3	87.3
Red Dead Redemption 2	82.0	74.4
DOOM Eternal	59.4	53.9
Warzone	92.7	84.1
Assassin's Creed	99.8	90.5
Valheim	98.6	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 computers participating in the comparing not only were the equipped with different amounts of RAM and different video cards. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: 2K, FullHD or 4K. So the game benchmark data is approximate. But all video cards met the average system requirements of games. To be sure exactly how much performance 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 i9-9990XE

16%

Ryzen 5 2600

56%

To make a finishing choice 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 Ryzen 5 2600 is more energy efficient than the Core i9-9990XE since it has less power consumption: 260W vs. 65W. Power consumption is especially 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

If you plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for machine learning, streaming, video editing or video rendering, programming, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to reach maximum performance, the CPU includes all cores and threads that it has. You will learn this data from the benchmark tables below. Before using the data from these tests, be sure to find out whether the program 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 work, and all the benefit 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 i9-9990XE	AMD Ryzen 5 2600
Cinbench 15 Single-core	199	164
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	3215	1310
Cinbench 20 Single-core	455	374
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	7457	2736
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1115	1024
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	22765	7220

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

	Intel Core i9-9990XE	AMD Ryzen 5 2600
Single-Core	3072	2280
Multi-Core	31845	13255

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

	Intel Core i9-9990XE	AMD Ryzen 5 2600
Single-Core	1308	1104
Multi-Core	16263	6712

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the processor release date and overclocking capability will be the most useful. The newer the processor, the longer it will last you. 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 even in new games. The economy are obvious! Accordingly, there is no longer a need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	Intel Core i9-9990XE	AMD Ryzen 5 2600
Announcement date	April 01, 2020	April 19, 2018
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	LGA2066	AM4
Core name	Skylake	Pinnacle Ridge
Architecture	x86	Zen+
Generation	9	2
Turbo Frequency	5.2 MHz	3.9 MHz
Frequency	4.2 MHz	3.4 MHz
Cores	14	6
Threads	28	12
Bus rate	8 GT/s	4 Ã— 8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	14 nm	12 nm
Transistors count	8600 millions	3600 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	260 W	65 W
Memory type	DDR4-2666	DDR4
Max. Memory	128 Gb
Memory Frequency		2933
Memory bandwidth	85 GB/s
L1 cache		576KB
L2 cache		3MB
L3 cache	32 MB	16MB
Overclocking	Yes	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 i9-9990XE is 19% better than Ryzen 5 2600 in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i9-9990XE has 8 more core than Ryzen 5 2600. 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 i9-9990XE is better: 32
The number of parameters for which AMD Ryzen 5 2600 is better: 5
Although it should be realized that all the figures in the text above do not mean that taking them into account you should totally trust a simple quantitative comparison. Be sure to watch the video tests and read the opinion of real owners of Intel Core i9-9990XE and AMD Ryzen 5 2600 before making a decision which processor to buy for gaming and which not.

• Intel Core i9-9990XE specs and review.

• AMD Ryzen 5 2600 specs and review.