Ryzen 5 1600X vs i5-9600K

#ad 
Buy on Amazon
VS

Aggregate performance score

Core i5-9600K
2018
6 cores / 6 threads, 95 Watt
6.71
Ryzen 5 1600X
2017
6 cores / 12 threads, 95 Watt
8.22
+22.5%

Ryzen 5 1600X outperforms Core i5-9600K by a significant 23% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing Core i5-9600K and Ryzen 5 1600X processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking1038925
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation7.044.51
Market segmentDesktop processorDesktop processor
SeriesIntel Core i5AMD Ryzen 5
Power efficiency6.698.19
Architecture codenameCoffee Lake-R (2018−2019)Zen (2017−2020)
Release date19 October 2018 (6 years ago)11 April 2017 (7 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$262$249

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

i5-9600K has 56% better value for money than Ryzen 5 1600X.

Detailed specifications

Core i5-9600K and Ryzen 5 1600X 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 cores6 (Hexa-Core)6 (Hexa-Core)
Threads612
Base clock speed3.7 GHz3.6 GHz
Boost clock speed4.6 GHz4 GHz
Bus typeDMI 3.0no data
Bus rate4 × 8 GT/s4 × 8 GT/s
Multiplier3736
L1 cache64K (per core)96K (per core)
L2 cache256K (per core)512K (per core)
L3 cache9 MB (shared)16 MB (shared)
Chip lithography14 nm14 nm
Die size149 mm2192 mm2
Maximum core temperature100 °Cno data
Maximum case temperature (TCase)72 °Cno data
Number of transistorsno data4,800 million
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility+-
Unlocked multiplier++

Compatibility

Information on Core i5-9600K and Ryzen 5 1600X 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 configuration1 (Uniprocessor)1 (Uniprocessor)
SocketFCLGA1151AM4
Power consumption (TDP)95 Watt95 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i5-9600K and Ryzen 5 1600X. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensionsIntel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2no data
AES-NI++
AVX++
vPro+no data
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)+no data
Turbo Boost Technology2.0no data
Hyper-Threading Technology-no data
TSX+-
Idle States+no data
Thermal Monitoring+-
SIPP+-

Security technologies

Core i5-9600K and Ryzen 5 1600X technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT+no data
EDB+no data
Secure Key+no data
MPX+-
Identity Protection+-
SGXYes with Intel® MEno data
OS Guard+no data

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i5-9600K and Ryzen 5 1600X 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 i5-9600K and Ryzen 5 1600X. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR4-2666DDR4
Maximum memory size128 GB64 GB
Max memory channels22
Maximum memory bandwidth42.671 GB/s42.671 GB/s
ECC memory support-+

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics cardIntel UHD Graphics 630-
Max video memory64 GB-
Quick Sync Video+-
Clear Video+-
Clear Video HD+-
Graphics max frequency1.15 GHz-
InTru 3D+-

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i5-9600K and Ryzen 5 1600X integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported3-

Graphics image quality

Maximum display resolutions supported by Core i5-9600K and Ryzen 5 1600X integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.

4K resolution support+-
Max resolution over HDMI 1.44096 x 2304@24Hz-
Max resolution over eDP4096 x 2304@60Hz-
Max resolution over DisplayPort4096 x 2304@60Hz-

Graphics API support

APIs supported by Core i5-9600K and Ryzen 5 1600X integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.

DirectX12-
OpenGL4.5-

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i5-9600K and Ryzen 5 1600X.

PCIe version3.03.0
PCI Express lanes1624

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.

i5-9600K 6.71
Ryzen 5 1600X 8.22
+22.5%

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.

i5-9600K 10663
Ryzen 5 1600X 13056
+22.4%

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.

i5-9600K 1709
+50.6%
Ryzen 5 1600X 1135

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.

i5-9600K 6377
+34%
Ryzen 5 1600X 4760

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 6.71 8.22
Recency 19 October 2018 11 April 2017
Threads 6 12

i5-9600K has an age advantage of 1 year.

Ryzen 5 1600X, on the other hand, has a 22.5% higher aggregate performance score, and 100% more threads.

The Ryzen 5 1600X is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i5-9600K in performance tests.


Should you still have questions on choice between Core i5-9600K and Ryzen 5 1600X, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

Vote for your favorite

Do you think we are right or mistaken in our choice? Vote by clicking "Like" button near your favorite CPU.


Intel Core i5-9600K
Core i5-9600K
AMD Ryzen 5 1600X
Ryzen 5 1600X

Similar processor comparisons

We picked several similar comparisons of processors in the same market segment and performance relatively close to those reviewed on this page.

Community ratings

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


4 1829 votes

Rate Core i5-9600K on a scale of 1 to 5:

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
4.2 922 votes

Rate Ryzen 5 1600X on a scale of 1 to 5:

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5

Questions & comments

Here you can ask a question about Core i5-9600K or Ryzen 5 1600X, agree or disagree with our judgements, or report an error or mismatch.