AMD Ryzen 5 1600X vs Intel Core i7-5960X

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Combined performance score

i7-5960X
8.28

Ryzen 5 1600X outperforms Core i7-5960X by 3% in our combined benchmark results.

General info

Comparing Core i7-5960X and Ryzen 5 1600X processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in performance ranking823802
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Value for money5.4814.87
Market segmentDesktop processorDesktop processor
SeriesCore i7 (Desktop)AMD Ryzen 5
Architecture codenameHaswell-E (2014)Zen (2017−2020)
Release date1 September 2014 (9 years old)11 April 2017 (6 years old)
Launch price (MSRP)$999$249
Current price$177 (0.2x MSRP)$140 (0.6x MSRP)
Value for money

Performance per price, higher is better.

Ryzen 5 1600X has 171% better value for money than i7-5960X.

Technical specs

Core i7-5960X 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 cores8 (Octa-Core)6 (Hexa-Core)
Threads1612
Base clock speed3 GHz3.6 GHz
Boost clock speed3.5 GHz4 GHz
Bus supportno data4 × 8 GT/s
L1 cache64K (per core)96K (per core)
L2 cache256K (per core)512K (per core)
L3 cache20 MB (shared)16 MB (shared)
Chip lithography22 nm14 nm
Die size356 mm2192 mm2
Maximum core temperature67 °Cno data
Number of transistors2,600 million4,800 million
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility--
Unlocked multiplierYesYes

Compatibility

Information on Core i7-5960X 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 configuration11 (Uniprocessor)
SocketFCLGA2011AM4
Power consumption (TDP)140 Watt95 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-5960X and Ryzen 5 1600X. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensionsIntel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2no data
AES-NI++
AVX++
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)+no data
Turbo Boost Technology2.0no data
Hyper-Threading Technology+no data
TSX+no data
Idle States+no data
Thermal Monitoring+no data
Smart Response+no data
Demand Based Switching-no data
StatusDiscontinuedno data

Security technologies

Core i7-5960X and Ryzen 5 1600X 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 i7-5960X and Ryzen 5 1600X are enumerated here.

AMD-Vno 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 i7-5960X and Ryzen 5 1600X. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR4DDR4
Maximum memory size64 GB64 GB
Max memory channels42
Maximum memory bandwidth68 GB/s42.671 GB/s
ECC memory support-+

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-5960X and Ryzen 5 1600X.

PCIe version3.03.0
PCI Express lanes4024

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.

i7-5960X 8.28
Ryzen 5 1600X 8.51
+2.8%

Ryzen 5 1600X outperforms Core i7-5960X by 3% in our combined benchmark results.


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.

Benchmark coverage: 68%

i7-5960X 12714
Ryzen 5 1600X 13068
+2.8%

Ryzen 5 1600X outperforms Core i7-5960X by 3% in Passmark.

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.

Benchmark coverage: 42%

i7-5960X 1273
+13.3%
Ryzen 5 1600X 1124

Core i7-5960X outperforms Ryzen 5 1600X by 13% in GeekBench 5 Single-Core.

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.

Benchmark coverage: 42%

i7-5960X 7377
+55.1%
Ryzen 5 1600X 4757

Core i7-5960X outperforms Ryzen 5 1600X by 55% in GeekBench 5 Multi-Core.

Gaming performance

Advantages and disadvantages


Performance score 8.28 8.51
Recency 1 September 2014 11 April 2017
Physical cores 8 6
Threads 16 12
Cost $999 $249
Chip lithography 22 nm 14 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 140 Watt 95 Watt

We couldn't decide between Core i7-5960X and Ryzen 5 1600X. The differences in performance seem too small.


Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-5960X and Ryzen 5 1600X, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

User ratings

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


Intel Core i7-5960X
Core i7-5960X
AMD Ryzen 5 1600X
Ryzen 5 1600X

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Questions and comments

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