Ryzen 5 2600 vs Core i5-2550K

Primary details

Comparing Core i5-2550K and Ryzen 5 2600 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in performance ranking	1625	834
Place by popularity	not in top-100	24
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	1.65	19.28
Market segment	Desktop processor	Desktop processor
Series	no data	AMD Ryzen 5
Architecture codename	Sandy Bridge (2011−2013)	Pinnacle Riege (Zen+)
Release date	January 2012 (12 years ago)	19 April 2018 (6 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$189	$199
Current price	$74 (0.4x MSRP)	$147 (0.7x MSRP)

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

Ryzen 5 2600 has 1068% better value for money than i5-2550K.

Detailed specifications

Core i5-2550K and Ryzen 5 2600 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 cores	4 (Quad-Core)	6 (Hexa-Core)
Threads	4	12
Base clock speed	3.4 GHz	3.4 GHz
Boost clock speed	3.8 GHz	3.9 GHz
L1 cache	64 KB (per core)	96K (per core)
L2 cache	256 KB (per core)	3 MB
L3 cache	6144 KB (shared)	16 MB (shared)
Chip lithography	32 nm	12 nm
Die size	216 mm2	192 mm2
Maximum core temperature	73 °C	95 °C
Number of transistors	1160 million	4,800 million
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	+
Unlocked multiplier	Yes	Yes

Compatibility

Information on Core i5-2550K and Ryzen 5 2600 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 configuration	1	1 (Uniprocessor)
Socket	FCLGA1155,LGA1155	AM4
Power consumption (TDP)	95 Watt	65 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i5-2550K and Ryzen 5 2600. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX	DDR4-2933 RAM, PCIe 3, MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSSE3, SSE4A, SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX, AVX2, BMI2, ABM, FMA, ADX, SMEP, SMAP, SMT, CPB, AES-NI, RDRAND, RDSEED, SHA, SME
AES-NI	+	+
FMA	no data	+
AVX	+	+
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	no data
Turbo Boost Technology	2.0	no data
Hyper-Threading Technology	-	no data
Idle States	+	no data
Thermal Monitoring	+	no data
Flex Memory Access	+	no data
FDI	-	no data
Fast Memory Access	+	no data
Status	Discontinued	no data

Security technologies

Core i5-2550K and Ryzen 5 2600 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

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

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i5-2550K and Ryzen 5 2600 are enumerated here.

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

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i5-2550K and Ryzen 5 2600. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR3	DDR4
Maximum memory size	32 GB	128 GB
Max memory channels	2	2
Maximum memory bandwidth	21 GB/s	46.933 GB/s
ECC memory support	-	+

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Quick Sync Video	+	-
Clear Video HD	-	-
InTru 3D	-	-

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i5-2550K and Ryzen 5 2600.

PCIe version	2.0	3.0
PCI Express lanes	16	20

Synthetic benchmark performance

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

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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.

Ryzen 5 2600 outperforms Core i5-2550K by 219% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

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Pros & cons summary

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Performance score	2.67	8.53
Physical cores	4	6
Threads	4	12
Cost	$189	$199
Chip lithography	32 nm	12 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	95 Watt	65 Watt

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Should you still have questions on choice between Core i5-2550K and Ryzen 5 2600, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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