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InnoReviews

AMD Ryzen 5 9600X vs Intel Core i5-8600K

WINNER
AMD Ryzen 5 9600X
65.7Inno Score
VS
Intel Core i5-8600K
31.1Inno Score
84.7Single-core34.5
52.5Multi-core30
66.6Gamingspec-based29.1
14 spec wins — AMD Ryzen 5 9600X0 spec wins — Intel Core i5-8600K

InnoReviews verdict

AMD Ryzen 5 9600X wins this desktop processor face-off, 65.7 to 31.1, pulling ahead mainly in single-core (+50) and multi-core (+23). Intel Core i5-8600K still makes sense if its price or standout specs fit your needs better.

Which would you pick?

Key differences

Reasons to pick the AMD Ryzen 5 9600X

  • Stronger single-core score: 85 vs 35
  • Stronger multi-core score: 53 vs 30
  • 300% higher L2 cache: 6 MB vs 2 MB
  • 300% higher Max memory: 256 GB vs 64 GB
  • 256% higher L3 cache: 32 MB vs 9 MB

Reasons to pick the Intel Core i5-8600K

No decisive spec advantages — this side competes on price and preference.

General

General comparison: AMD Ryzen 5 9600X versus Intel Core i5-8600K
SpecAMD Ryzen 5 9600XIntel Core i5-8600K
Announced20242017
SocketAM5LGA1151-v2
Process4 nm+71%14 nm
Base TDP65 W+32%95 W
Max turbo power88 W—
Unlocked multiplierYesYes
Cooler includedNoNo

Cores & Clocks

Cores & Clocks comparison: AMD Ryzen 5 9600X versus Intel Core i5-8600K
SpecAMD Ryzen 5 9600XIntel Core i5-8600K
Cores66
Performance cores66
Efficiency cores00
Threads12+100%6
Base clock3.9 GHz+8%3.6 GHz
Boost clock5.4 GHz+26%4.3 GHz
L2 cache6 MB+300%2 MB
L3 cache32 MB+256%9 MB

Integrated GPU

Integrated GPU comparison: AMD Ryzen 5 9600X versus Intel Core i5-8600K
SpecAMD Ryzen 5 9600XIntel Core i5-8600K
iGPUAMD Radeon Graphics (2 CU RDNA 2)Intel UHD Graphics 630
iGPU clock2,200 MHz1,150 MHz

Memory

Memory comparison: AMD Ryzen 5 9600X versus Intel Core i5-8600K
SpecAMD Ryzen 5 9600XIntel Core i5-8600K
Memory supportDDR5-5600DDR4-2666
Max memory256 GB+300%64 GB
Memory channels22

Platform

Platform comparison: AMD Ryzen 5 9600X versus Intel Core i5-8600K
SpecAMD Ryzen 5 9600XIntel Core i5-8600K
PCIe version5+67%3
CPU PCIe lanes28+75%16

Benchmarks

Benchmarks comparison: AMD Ryzen 5 9600X versus Intel Core i5-8600K
SpecAMD Ryzen 5 9600XIntel Core i5-8600K
Geekbench 6 (single)—1,480Bottom 27%
Geekbench 6 (multi)—5,400Bottom 26%
Cinebench R23 (single)2,180+80%Top 13%1,210Bottom 25%
Cinebench R23 (multi)17,176+153%Top 35%6,800Bottom 22%
PassMark30,047+183%Top 40%10,600Bottom 16%

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