Ryzen 5 3600 vs i5-2500K

Aggregate performance score

Core i5-2500K
2011
4 cores / 4 threads, 95 Watt
2.60
Ryzen 5 3600
2019
6 cores / 12 threads, 65 Watt
11.17
+330%

Ryzen 5 3600 outperforms Core i5-2500K by a whopping 330% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing Core i5-2500K and Ryzen 5 3600 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking1734702
Place by popularitynot in top-1008
Cost-effectiveness evaluation0.3922.81
Market segmentDesktop processorDesktop processor
SeriesCore i5 (Desktop)AMD Ryzen 5
Power efficiency2.5916.26
Architecture codenameSandy Bridge (2011−2013)Matisse (2019−2020)
Release date9 January 2011 (13 years ago)7 July 2019 (5 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$216$199

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

Ryzen 5 3600 has 5749% better value for money than i5-2500K.

Detailed specifications

Core i5-2500K and Ryzen 5 3600 basic parameters such as number of cores, number of threads, base frequency and turbo boost clock, lithography, cache size and multiplier lock state. These parameters indirectly say of CPU speed, though for more precise assessment you have to consider their test results.

Physical cores4 (Quad-Core)6 (Hexa-Core)
Threads412
Base clock speed3.3 GHz3.6 GHz
Boost clock speed3.7 GHz4.2 GHz
Bus rate5 GT/sno data
L1 cache64 KB (per core)96K (per core)
L2 cache256K (per core)512K (per core)
L3 cache6 MB (shared)32 MB (shared)
Chip lithography32 nm7 nm, 12 nm
Die size216 mm2no data
Maximum core temperature73 °Cno data
Number of transistors1,160 million4,800 million
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility-+
Unlocked multiplier++

Compatibility

Information on Core i5-2500K and Ryzen 5 3600 compatibility with other computer components: motherboard (look for socket type), power supply unit (look for power consumption) etc. Useful when planning a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. Note that power consumption of some processors can well exceed their nominal TDP, even without overclocking. Some can even double their declared thermals given that the motherboard allows to tune the CPU power parameters.

Number of CPUs in a configuration11 (Uniprocessor)
SocketLGA1155AM4
Power consumption (TDP)95 Watt65 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i5-2500K and Ryzen 5 3600. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensionsIntel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVXno data
AES-NI++
AVX++
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)+no data
Turbo Boost Technology2.0no data
Hyper-Threading Technology-no data
Idle States+no data
Thermal Monitoring+-
Flex Memory Access+no data
FDI+no data
Fast Memory Access+no data
Precision Boost 2no data+

Security technologies

Core i5-2500K and Ryzen 5 3600 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT-no data
EDB+no data
Identity Protection+-

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i5-2500K and Ryzen 5 3600 are enumerated here.

AMD-V-+
VT-d-no data
VT-x+no data
EPT+no data

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i5-2500K and Ryzen 5 3600. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR3DDR4 Dual-channel
Maximum memory size32 GB128 GB
Max memory channels22
Maximum memory bandwidth21 GB/s51.196 GB/s

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics cardIntel HD Graphics 3000-
Quick Sync Video+-
Clear Video HD+-
Graphics max frequency1.1 GHz-
InTru 3D+-

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i5-2500K and Ryzen 5 3600 integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported2-

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i5-2500K and Ryzen 5 3600.

PCIe version2.0no data
PCI Express lanes16no data

Synthetic benchmark performance

Various benchmark results of the processors in comparison. Overall score is measured in points in 0-100 range, higher is better.


Combined synthetic benchmark score

This is our combined benchmark performance rating. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly.

i5-2500K 2.60
Ryzen 5 3600 11.17
+330%

Passmark

Passmark CPU Mark is a widespread benchmark, consisting of 8 different types of workload, including integer and floating point math, extended instructions, compression, encryption and physics calculation. There is also one separate single-threaded scenario measuring single-core performance.

i5-2500K 4123
Ryzen 5 3600 17742
+330%

GeekBench 5 Single-Core

GeekBench 5 Single-Core is a cross-platform application developed in the form of CPU tests that independently recreate certain real-world tasks with which to accurately measure performance. This version uses only a single CPU core.

i5-2500K 653
Ryzen 5 3600 1614
+147%

GeekBench 5 Multi-Core

GeekBench 5 Multi-Core is a cross-platform application developed in the form of CPU tests that independently recreate certain real-world tasks with which to accurately measure performance. This version uses all available CPU cores.

i5-2500K 1924
Ryzen 5 3600 6912
+259%

Cinebench 15 64-bit multi-core

Cinebench Release 15 Multi Core is a variant of Cinebench R15 which uses all the processor threads.

i5-2500K 470
Ryzen 5 3600 1568
+234%

Cinebench 15 64-bit single-core

Cinebench R15 (standing for Release 15) is a benchmark made by Maxon, authors of Cinema 4D. It was superseded by later versions of Cinebench, which use more modern variants of Cinema 4D engine. The Single Core version (sometimes called Single-Thread) only uses a single processor thread to render a room full of reflective spheres and light sources.

i5-2500K 122
Ryzen 5 3600 192
+57.4%

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 2.60 11.17
Recency 9 January 2011 7 July 2019
Physical cores 4 6
Threads 4 12
Chip lithography 32 nm 7 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 95 Watt 65 Watt

Ryzen 5 3600 has a 329.6% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 8 years, 50% more physical cores and 200% more threads, a 357.1% more advanced lithography process, and 46.2% lower power consumption.

The Ryzen 5 3600 is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i5-2500K in performance tests.


Should you still have questions on choice between Core i5-2500K and Ryzen 5 3600, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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Intel Core i5-2500K
Core i5-2500K
AMD Ryzen 5 3600
Ryzen 5 3600

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Community ratings

Here you can see how users rate the processors, as well as rate them yourself.


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Questions & comments

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