Intel Core i9-9990XE vs AMD Ryzen 5 3600

Processor comparisons 17-03-2021

   Let's say you have difficulties with the choice of a CPU, you will solve them by reading the comprehensive tests Intel Core i9-9990XE vs AMD Ryzen 5 3600 and decide which is better for games or simple use for rendering, video editing, programming, streaming, machine learning. Here you can find all information from many benchmarks or real streaming and video editing tests. A thorough analysis of all the technical characteristics, to make it easier to understand, is summarized in the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of parallel examination in synthetic type tests like 3DMark, Prime95, Furmark, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, VeraCrypt, Gears 5, WPrime, RealBench, Blender, Handbrake, Blender, AIDA64, DaVinci Resolve Studio, SuperPi, PassMark, UserBenchmark, GeekBench 6, 5.2, MATLAB, 7zip, PCMark 10, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), Dolphin Emulator.
   Gaming performance of processors in:

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

After reading the results of all benchmarks and videos, you can already make an briefed decision about which processor is better to buy for gaming AMD Ryzen 5 3600 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 3600

55%

This value shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Core i9-9990XE is 6% better than Ryzen 5 3600. 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 3600

53%

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	104.6	94.7
Valorant	118.9	107.6
Cyberpunk 2077	66.6	60.3
Apex Legends	111.7	101.2
Call of Duty Warzone	89.1	80.7
Overwatch	96.3	87.2
Red Dead Redemption 2	82.0	74.3
DOOM Eternal	59.4	53.8
Warzone	92.7	83.9
Assassin's Creed	99.8	90.4
Valheim	98.6	89.3

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 participating in the comparing not only were the equipped with 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. 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 3600

63%

To make a final resolution 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 3600 is more energy efficient than the Core i9-9990XE as it consumes less power: 260W vs. 65W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, you need 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

For example you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for programming, video rendering or video editing, streaming, machine learning, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to achieve maximum efficiency, the CPU includes all threads and cores that it has. You will learn this data from the benchmark tables below. Before you take into account the data from these tests, be sure to check whether the program you are going to use on your computer supports multi-threaded mode. Because 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 i9-9990XE	AMD Ryzen 5 3600
Cinbench 15 Single-core	199
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	3215	1578
Cinbench 20 Single-core	455	472
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	7457	3689
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1115	1253
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	22765	9412

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

	Intel Core i9-9990XE	AMD Ryzen 5 3600
Single-Core	3072	2611
Multi-Core	31845	17872

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

	Intel Core i9-9990XE	AMD Ryzen 5 3600
Single-Core	1308	1238
Multi-Core	16263	6578

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 you. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system later. The same can be said about overclocking. When the processor can be overclocked, increasing its performance, then it will continue to maintain maximum FPS in new games. Accordingly, there is no longer a need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The economy are obvious!

	Intel Core i9-9990XE	AMD Ryzen 5 3600
Announcement date	April 01, 2020	July 07, 2019
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	LGA2066	AM4
Core name	Skylake	Matisse
Architecture	x86	Zen 2
Generation	9	3
Turbo Frequency	5.2 MHz	4.2 MHz
Frequency	4.2 MHz	3.6 MHz
Cores	14	6
Threads	28	12
Bus rate	8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	14 nm	7 nm
Transistors count	8600 millions	4200 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	260 W	65 W
Memory type	DDR4-2666	DDR4
Max. Memory	128 Gb
Memory Frequency		3200
Memory bandwidth	85 GB/s
L1 cache		384KB
L2 cache		3MB
L3 cache	32 MB	32MB
Overclocking	Yes	No
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number		100-000000031 100-100000031BOX 100-100000031MPK

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Core i9-9990XE is 14% better than Ryzen 5 3600 in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i9-9990XE has 8 more core than Ryzen 5 3600. 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: 30
The number of parameters for which AMD Ryzen 5 3600 is better: 8
However, it should be understood that the summary data in the article above do not mean that taking them into account you should completely trust a simple comparison of these numbers. Better to watch benchmarks video and read the opinion of of people who bought Intel Core i9-9990XE and AMD Ryzen 5 3600 before making a choice which of the processors to buy for gaming.

• Intel Core i9-9990XE specs and review.

• AMD Ryzen 5 3600 specs and review.