Intel Core i5-9600K vs AMD Ryzen 5 1600 (12nm refresh)
The Intel Core i5-9600K and AMD Ryzen 5 1600 (12nm refresh) sit within a few percent of each other on our index. Treat them as equivalent in raw performance and decide on price, power draw and — for graphics cards — video memory instead.
| Specification | Intel Core i5-9600K | AMD Ryzen 5 1600 (12nm refresh) |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Intel | AMD |
| Generation | 9th Gen (Coffee Lake Refresh) | Zen+ |
| Multi-thread index | 66 (better) | 64 |
| Single-thread index | 91 (better) | 76 |
| Cores | 6 | 6 |
| Threads | 6 | 12 (better) |
| Base clock | 3.7 GHz (better) | 3.2 GHz |
| Boost clock | 4.6 GHz (better) | 3.6 GHz |
| Socket | LGA1151 | AM4 |
| TDP | 95 W | 65 W (better) |
| Release year | 2018 | 2019 (better) |
| Integrated graphics | Yes | No |
Green marks the stronger figure for that row only — for power draw and PSU requirement, lower is treated as better. Performance indexes are CanMyPcPlay estimates; read how they are derived.
Which should you pick?
- Games follow single-thread. For gaming, the single-thread index matters more than core count.
- Creative work follows multi-thread. Rendering, compiling and encoding scale with cores.
- Sockets differ. Moving between platforms usually means a new motherboard and often new memory.