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IntelBX80684I59600K
AMDYD1600BBAEBOX

6 Cores, 6 Threads @3.7GHz, Coffee Lake.
Release date: Q4 2018.

6 Cores, 12 Threads @3.2GHz, Zen.
Release date: Q2 2017.

Real World Speed
Performance profile from 713,447 user samples
321,194 User Benchmarks
Best Bench: 103% Base clock 3.7 GHz, turbo 5.15 GHz (avg)
Worst Bench: 82% Base clock 3.7 GHz, turbo 4.3 GHz (avg)
Poor: 82% Great: 103%
SPEED RANK: 138th / 1468
Gaming
Gaming 93%
Nuclear submarine
Desktop
Desktop 95%
Nuclear submarine
Workstation
Workstation 77%
Battleship
392,253 User Benchmarks
Best Bench: 78% Base clock 3.8 GHz
Worst Bench: 61% Base clock 3.2 GHz, turbo 3.4 GHz (avg)
Poor: 61% Great: 78%
SPEED RANK: 416th / 1468
Gaming
Gaming 70%
Battleship
Desktop
Desktop 72%
Battleship
Workstation
Workstation 63%
Destroyer
Effective Speed
Effective CPU Speed
93.2 % Much faster effective speed.
+33%
70.2 %
30 Oct19|Gamers Nexus
Intel i9-9900KS Review: Overclocki...
40 % TWarW2 36%, GTAV 48%, SotTR 36%
Memory
Avg. Memory Latency
91 Pts Lower memory latency.
+27%
71.7 Pts
1-Core
Avg. Single Core Speed
135 Pts Much faster single-core speed.
+32%
102 Pts
2-Core
Avg. Dual Core Speed
268 Pts Much faster dual-core speed.
+35%
199 Pts
4-Core
Avg. Quad Core Speed
525 Pts Much faster quad-core speed.
+42%
370 Pts
8-Core
Avg. Octa Core Speed
688 Pts Faster octa-core speed.
+15%
599 Pts
Memory
OC Memory Latency
96.5 Pts Lower OC memory latency.
+21%
79.5 Pts
1-Core
OC Single Core Speed
153 Pts Much faster OC single-core speed.
+33%
115 Pts
2-Core
OC Dual Core Speed
306 Pts Much faster OC dual-core speed.
+38%
221 Pts
4-Core
OC Quad Core Speed
604 Pts Much faster OC quad-core speed.
+43%
422 Pts
8-Core
OC Octa Core Speed
822 Pts Faster OC octa-core speed.
+23%
671 Pts
Market Share
Based on 69,048,723 CPUs tested
Market Share
Market Share (trailing 30 days)
1.15 % Hugely higher market share.
+858%
0.12 %
Value
Value For Money
115 % Better value.
+27%
90.6 %
User Rating
UBM User Rating
92 % More popular.
+30%
71 %
Price
Price (score)
$130 $110 Cheaper.
+15%
Age
Newest
73 Months More recent.
+20%
91 Months
TDP
Thermal Design Power (TDP)
95 Watts 65 Watts Much more energy efficient.
+32%
Cores
CPU Processing Cores
6 cores 6 cores
Threads
CPU Processing Threads
6 threads 12 threads Hugely higher thread count.
+100%
Lithography
Manufacturing process
14 nm 14 nm
Base Clock
Base Clock Speed
3.7 GHz Faster base frequency.
+16%
3.2 GHz
Turbo Clock
Turbo Clock Speed
4.6 GHz Faster turbo frequency.
+28%
3.6 GHz
64-Core
OC Multi Core Speed
848 Pts 863 Pts +2%
64-Core
Avg. Multi Core Speed
717 Pts 769 Pts Slightly faster 64-core speed.
+7%
Series
CPU Architecture
Coffee Lake Zen
Socket
Motherboard Socket
FCLGA1151 AM4
Graphics
Integrated Graphics
UHD 630 None

The hex-core i5-9600K is third in Intel’s line-up of 9th generation Coffee Lake CPUs. It has a TDP of 95W and requires an aftermarket cooler (such as the $20 GAMMAXX 400). The 9600K was designed to be overclocked. Once this is enabled in the BIOS (requires a Z-series motherboard), the 9600K runs 10% faster. In terms of performance, the i5-9600K is almost unbeatable for desktop users and it has sufficient multi-core performance to handle all but the most demanding workstation tasks. For CPU encoding (Cinebench, Blender, Handbrake etc.) the Ryzen 3000 series offers great 64-core performance. For example the overclocked Ryzen 3600 is approximately 13% worse for gaming, desktop and normal consumer workloads but it is 27% faster for 64-core processing. CPU encoding is akin to using hair clippers on a lawn, encoding tasks are far better performed by dedicated hardware such an NVENC or QuickSync. At stock clocks the i5-9600K is around 8% slower than Intel’s flagship i9-9900K but when both are overclocked, the 9600K closes the gaming gap to within two or three percent. Considering that the 9900K is the fastest gaming processor available, and almost twice the price of the 9600K, this is no small feat. The i5-9600K is aimed squarely at gamers who are not willing to compromise on performance but don't want to pay more than they need to. [Oct '18 CPUPro]

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The Ryzen 5 1600 is one of four new Ryzen 5 processors released this month. Based on the AMD Zen architecture, which is comparable to Intel in terms of IPC, the Ryzen 5 1600 has six cores which is more than the vast majority of games are able to use (most games cannot use more than four cores). Ryzen 5 CPUs offer gamers better value for money than the eight core Ryzen 7 models released last month. With six cores the 1600 is approximately 75% better at multi-threaded tasks than Intel's quad core i5 flagship – the similarly priced i5-7600K, the 1600 however, has 25% lower single and 33% lower quad core scores. The 1600 has stock base/boost clock speeds of 3.2/3.6 GHz and its price tag of $219 includes a cooler. Assuming a modest overclock of 10% brings the 1600 within striking range of the 1600X which is the Ryzen 5 flagship. The 1600X sports stock base/boost clocks of 3.6/4.0 GHz but costs $30 more than the 1600 and ships without a cooler included in the box. The Ryzen 5 1600 is the best value for money six core CPU we have seen to date. [Apr '17 CPUPro]

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Processor Rankings (Price vs Performance) November 2024 CPU Rankings

We calculate effective speed which measures real world performance for typical users. Effective speed is adjusted by current prices to yield a value for money rating. Our calculated values are checked against thousands of individual user ratings. The customizable table below combines these factors to bring you the definitive list of top CPUs. [CPUPro]

Group Test Results

  • Best user rated - User sentiment trumps benchmarks for this comparison.
  • Best value for money - Value for money is based on real world performance.
  • Fastest real world speed - Real World Speed measures performance for typical consumers.
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