AMD Ryzen 5 3600X vs. Intel Core i9-9900K
Compare the AMD Ryzen 5 3600X with the Intel Core i9-9900K in terms of core types, core counts, frequencies, and cache capacities, along with their overclocking, PCIe, and DDR support.
This article compares AMD’s Ryzen 5 3600X and Intel’s Core i9-9900K desktop CPUs. We evaluated AMD’s Ryzen 5 3600X and Intel’s Core i9-9900K desktop CPUs to determine which would be better for various use cases. We shaped our testing methodology to focus on each CPU’s attributes rather than relying solely on benchmarks.
This article helps you make an informed decision by comparing each CPU’s attributes, such as the core types, core counts, frequencies, cache capacities, overclocking capabilities, PCIe support, and DDR support. We’ve examined these attributes for each CPU to help you compare their abilities. By understanding these key factors, you can determine which CPU will best suit your needs and provide the performance you desire.
When selecting a CPU, it’s important to consider your specific needs and use case. Some people may prioritize high clock speeds and single-threaded performance for tasks like gaming, while others may require a higher core count and multi-threaded performance for tasks like video editing or rendering. We’ve analyzed the capabilities to determine which CPU performs best for each use case.
We investigated the capabilities of both CPUs to compare them objectively. Ultimately, the decision between these two CPUs will depend on your specific requirements, budget, and priorities. However, by examining the attributes of each CPU, we aim to provide you with the information needed to make an informed decision.
Ryzen 5 3600X
AMD Ryzen 5 3600X
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Core i9 9900K
Intel Core i9-9900K
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Performance of the Ryzen 5 3600X vs. Core i9-9900K
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Cores
3600X: Based on our evaluation, the 3600X’s 6 cores allow for good performance overall.
9900K: Based on our evaluation, the 9900K’s 8 cores allow for excellent performance overall.
Learn more about Core Counts below.
Our chart of the multi-core performance of the Ryzen 5 3600X CPU compared to the Core i9-9900K and other Intel and AMD CPU models. We calculated the performance score as Core Frequency × Number of Cores, with performance improvements per generation and Efficiency cores supporting a fraction of the P-core performance.
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Base Frequency
3600X: The 3600X has a 3.8 GHz base frequency, which is the speed before boosting.
9900K: The 9900K has a 3.60 GHz base frequency, which is the speed before boosting.
Learn more about CPU Clock Speeds below.
Our chart of the max base frequency of the Ryzen 5 3600X CPU compared to the Core i9-9900K and other Intel and AMD CPU models.
We based the max base frequency on the max P-core base frequency for Intel 12th Gen and newer CPUs and based it on max base frequency for other CPU models.
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Single-Core Boost Frequency
3600X: Based on our evaluation, the 3600X’s 4.4 GHz single-core max boost frequency is excellent for performance overall. You can maintain these frequencies with a high-end cooler.
9900K: Based on our evaluation, the 9900K’s 5.00 GHz single-core max turbo boost frequency is excellent for performance overall. You can maintain these frequencies with a high-end cooler.
Learn more about CPU Clock Speeds below.
Our chart of the single-core boost frequency of the Ryzen 5 3600X CPU compared to the Core i9-9900K and other Intel and AMD CPU models. We based the single-core boost frequency on the max single-core boost frequency.
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P-Core Boost Frequency
3600X: The 3600X does not have Performance cores.
9900K: The 9900K does not have Performance cores.
Learn more about CPU Clock Speeds below.
Overclocking Support
3600X: Based on our evaluation, the 3600X CPU’s support for overclocking can be excellent for performance overall.
9900K: Based on our evaluation, the 9900K CPU’s support for overclocking can be excellent for performance overall.
Learn more about Overclocking below.
DDR Support
3600X: Based on our evaluation, the 3600X CPU’s support for DDR4 with a max stock speed of 3200 MHz can be good for performance overall.
9900K: Based on our evaluation, the 9900K CPU’s support for DDR4 with a max stock speed of 2666 MHz can be mediocre for performance overall.
Learn more about DDR Support below.
PCIe
3600X: Based on our evaluation, the 3600X CPU’s support for PCIe 4.
0 can be excellent for performance overall, when using the fastest SSDs and graphics cards.
9900K: Based on our evaluation, the 9900K CPU’s support for PCIe 3.0 can be poor for performance overall, as it will limit the potential of the latest SSDs and graphics cards.
L3 Cache
3600X: Based on our evaluation, the 3600X’s impressive 32 MB of L3 cache is excellent for performance overall.
9900K: Based on our evaluation, the 9900K’s 16 MB of L3 cache is mediocre for performance overall.
Learn more about Cache Sizes below.
Our chart of the L3 cache capacity of the Ryzen 5 3600X CPU compared to the Core i9-9900K and other Intel and AMD CPU models.
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Use Cases of the Ryzen 5 3600X and Core i9-9900K
Considerations for Gaming
Based on our evaluation of using AMD’s Ryzen 5 3600X CPU for gaming, you can expect good game performance with a high-performance CPU cooler.
Based on our evaluation of using Intel’s Core i9-9900K CPU for gaming, you can expect good game performance with a high-performance CPU cooler.
While a good GPU is critical for gaming performance, your CPU will also have a significant impact. If the CPU is too slow, it can be a bottleneck for your GPU, which can reduce your framerate or cause stuttering. The most important CPU capabilities for gaming are single-core max boost frequency and the number of cores.
Depending on the game, the CPU will often handle tasks including scene management, gameplay logic, physics calculations, and asset loading. We took these factors into account when assessing the expected CPU performance for gaming.
Having multiple CPU cores can improve performance with games that utilize them. However, developers cannot split up every task to take advantage of a growing number of cores. Most modern games don’t benefit from having more than 6–8 cores.
Game performance will experience diminishing returns as you add more CPU cores.
Considerations for General Apps
Based on our evaluation of using AMD’s Ryzen 5 3600X CPU for general apps, you can expect good app performance with a high-performance CPU cooler.
Based on our evaluation of using Intel’s Core i9-9900K CPU for general apps, you can expect good app performance with a high-performance CPU cooler.
If you’re only planning to stream shows, use office apps, or browse the internet, you won’t need a top-end CPU to get good performance. The most important CPU capability for general app usage is the single-core max boost frequency.
Browsers depend on your CPU to quickly load pages and video content and manage multiple browser tabs. Higher single-core boost frequencies can speed up page load times.
Office and web applications are typically single-threaded, so running a single application won’t take advantage of a many-core CPU.
The more cores a CPU has, the more applications you can run simultaneously without noticing a performance impact.
Office and web applications rarely max out the CPU for long periods. These applications can use boost speeds when a burst of processing power is needed, returning to the more efficient base frequencies afterward.
We took all of these factors into account while assessing the expected CPU performance for general apps.
Considerations for Professional Tools
Based on our evaluation of using AMD’s Ryzen 5 3600X CPU for professional tools, you can expect good tool performance with a high-performance CPU cooler.
Based on our evaluation of using Intel’s Core i9-9900K CPU for professional tools, you can expect good tool performance with a high-performance CPU cooler.
Video editors, 2D and 3D graphics tools, software compilers, and engineering tools require high-performing CPUs.
Professional tools are often well optimized to use many cores. CPU cores allow tools to parallelize processing tasks. Increasing the number of cores can divide the time required to process a task if the tool has good multi-threading support.
To maximize performance with professional tools, you’ll want to use a CPU with a high boost frequency and many CPU cores. Good heat dissipation is needed to maintain boost frequencies for extended periods. We took these factors into account while assessing the expected CPU performance for professional tools.
While graphics applications use your GPU for some rendering tasks, most calculations and data operations are still dependent on your CPU.
Considerations for Choosing Between the 3600X and 9900K
Core Count
AMD’s Ryzen 5 3600X CPUs have 6 cores.
Intel’s Core i9-9900K CPUs have 8 cores.
We found that, in general, more cores do provide better performance in professional tools and when running multiple applications simultaneously.
Increased core counts can improve the performance of games and professional tools that use them. Most modern games don’t benefit from having more than 6–8 cores. Even general apps can benefit from many cores when numerous applications are open simultaneously. Web browsers don’t significantly take advantage of multiple cores when loading a single page. However, more CPU cores can improve performance when running demanding web apps in multiple windows.
Intel’s 12th generation and newer CPUs have performance cores (P-cores) and efficiency cores (E-cores). The P-cores are comparable to previous generation cores. E-cores are focused on adding additional threads in an energy-efficient manner. They take up much less room on the CPU and generate less heat. However, their smaller cache and minimal interconnect capabilities make them more appropriate for offloading background tasks. E-cores do not support hyper-threading.
CPU Clock Speeds
The AMD Ryzen 5 3600X has a 3.
8 GHz base frequency and supports a 4.4 GHz single-core max boost frequency.
The Intel Core i9-9900K has a 3.60 GHz base frequency and supports a 5.00 GHz single-core max turbo boost frequency.
We’ve experienced that single-core performance is essential for some games, as many don’t take full advantage of multiple cores. Similarly, we have experienced that professional tools depend on high single and multi-core boost frequencies to maximize their processing speed.
Boost frequencies are only achieved under ideal circumstances. However, with adequate cooling, you may be able to maintain speeds near the max boost frequency.
Check out my article, Choosing the Best CPU Cooler for AMD’s Ryzen 5 3600X, for recommended coolers that can maintain these boost frequencies on the 3600X.
Check out my article, Choosing the Best CPU Cooler for Intel’s Core i9-9900K, for recommended coolers that can maintain these boost frequencies on the 9900K.
Higher vs. Lower Base Frequencies
We’ve found that lower base clock speeds result in lower power consumption.
A CPU’s base frequency refers to the clock speed at which its cores run under normal operating conditions. However, the actual clock speed of the CPU can vary depending on the workload and the system power state.
A lower base frequency can lead to better power savings overall since the clock speed decreases when the load is low, resulting in lower power consumption. However, a CPU may run slower than the base frequency to conserve power or reduce heat generation. For example, modern CPUs use technologies like Intel SpeedStep or AMD Cool’n’Quiet to dynamically adjust the CPU’s clock speed based on the system’s workload and power state.
A CPU with a lower base frequency may generate less heat under normal operating conditions, enabling it to boost some cores to higher frequencies while remaining within its thermal limits. This lower base frequency results in better performance than a CPU with a higher base frequency, which may not be able to sustain its boost frequency for long periods due to thermal throttling.
However, this is mostly only relevant if your system’s cooling solution can only partially dissipate the heat produced by all cores being fully boosted.
DDR Support
The 3600X CPU’s fastest supported DDR memory type is DDR4, with a max stock speed of 3200 MHz.
The 9900K CPU’s fastest supported DDR memory type is DDR4, with a max stock speed of 2666 MHz.
You can exceed these stock speeds officially supported by CPUs when overclocking memory, such as with an XMP profile. Motherboard specifications will indicate their supported overclocked-memory speeds. To be able to overclock DDR memory, your motherboard chipset needs to support memory overclocking.
Faster PC memory can improve game and professional tool performance by reducing the time it takes to perform calculations and data operations.
We’ve experienced that using the quickest RAM may not have as much of an impact as upgrading your CPU and graphics card or adding more RAM.
Learn about our recommended RAM for the 3600X in Best RAM for the AMD Ryzen 5 3600X CPU.
Learn about our recommended RAM for the 9900K in Best RAM for the Intel Core i9-9900K CPU.
Cache Size
The AMD Ryzen 5 3600X has an L3 cache capacity of 32 MB.
The Intel Core i9-9900K has an L3 cache capacity of 16 MB.
A CPU’s cache is a small amount of memory, close to the CPU cores, containing recently used data. An L3 cache capacity of at least 20 MB is ideal for games and professional tool performance.
Games and professional tool performance can improve as cache size increases, as it can reduce delays when retrieving commonly used assets from memory. While nearly any task will use a CPU’s cache, our research indicates that a large cache becomes less impactful for general PC usage, such as browsing webpages.
Remember that cache sizes often increase with core counts, so if you want to increase your L3 cache, you may need to get a CPU with more cores.
Overclocking
The 3600X supports overclocking.
The 9900K supports overclocking.
Overclocking is mainly relevant for PC gamers who want to maximize their game framerates. CPU overclocking increases frequencies past their default limits. Excellent heat dissipation via fans or another solution is required to maintain system stability while overclocking. While we felt a sense of excitement and anticipation when we pushed the limits of our CPU’s performance, it’s essential to remember that overclocking comes with the risk of damaging your system components or voiding warranties.
Professional tools can benefit from overclocked frequencies. However, overclocking may introduce some possibility of system instability, which may be less acceptable in business scenarios. We’ve found out the hard way that losing work due to system instability is a pain.
Where to Buy the Ryzen 5 3600X and Core i9-9900K
Ryzen 5 3600X
AMD Ryzen 5 3600X
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Core i9 9900K
Intel Core i9-9900K
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Find the Ryzen 5 3600X at Best Buy.
Find the Core i9-9900K at Best Buy.
Find the Ryzen 5 3600X at Newegg. Find the Core i9-9900K at Newegg.
Learn More About the AMD Ryzen 5 3600X
- Motherboard: Choosing the Best Motherboard for AMD’s Ryzen 5 3600X
- Chipset: Which Chipsets Work With AMD’s Ryzen 5 3600X CPU?
- Cooler: Choosing the Best CPU Cooler for AMD’s Ryzen 5 3600X
- Power Supply: Choosing the Best Power Supply for AMD’s Ryzen 5 3600X CPU
- RAM: Best RAM for the AMD Ryzen 5 3600X CPU
- TDP: What Is the TDP of the Ryzen 5 3600X CPU?
- Gaming: Is the Ryzen 5 3600X CPU Good for Gaming?
Learn More About the Intel Core i9-9900K
- Motherboard: Choosing the Best Motherboard for Intel’s Core i9-9900K
- Chipset: Which Chipsets Work With Intel’s Core i9-9900K CPU?
- Cooler: Choosing the Best CPU Cooler for Intel’s Core i9-9900K
- Power Supply: Choosing the Best Power Supply for Intel’s Core i9-9900K
- RAM: Best RAM for the Intel Core i9-9900K CPU
- TDP: What Is the TDP of the Core i9-9900K CPU?
- Gaming: Is the Core i9-9900K CPU Good for Gaming?
A Note From the Authors
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AMD Ryzen 5 3600 Benchmark Leaked, Dominates Intel’s i9 9900K in Single-threaded Performance
We’re almost exactly a week away from the official launch of AMD’s highly anticipated Ryzen 3000 series processors on July 7, and yet the leaks just keep pouring in from all over the techsphere.
And this time around we’ve got another absolute whopper for ya. So let’s dig in!
AMD Ryzen 5 3600 Benchmark Leaked, Dominates Intel’s i9 9900K in Single-threaded Performance
This leak comes via the official CPUBenchmark.net database, which lists the Ryzen 5 3600 clear as day leading every single other CPU on the market on the database’s single-threaded performance leaderboard, including Intel’s 5GHz i9 9900K speed demon.
This is especially shocking because as of today the Ryzen 5 3600 is AMD’s entry level Ryzen 3000 series processor priced at a modest $199, and it’s giving Intel’s $489 i9 9900K — the highest clocked and fastest single-threaded performance Intel chip on the market — a run for its money.
AMD Ryzen 5 3600 Leaked Benchmark Shows It Leading Intel’s i7 9700K in Multi-threaded Performance
Moving on to multi-threaded performance, the six core Ryzen 5 3600 puts on a mightily impressive showing, handily outpacing Intel’s 8 core, 8 thread i7 9700K and coming within a whisper’s distance from Intel’s 8 core, 16 thread i9 9900K.
While these results are out of this world impressive, It’s of paramount importance to point out that the leaked performance figures for the Ryzen 5 3600 are based on just three runs of the chip. And whilst CPUMark does not indicate that these were overclocked runs, we simply cannot rule it out.
Passmark has a separate «Overclocked CPU» performance leaderboard and it does not have the Ryzen 5 3600 listed, which tells us that these figures should be for a stock clocked Ryzen 5 3600. But again, we simply cannot know for certain until we have an actual Ryzen 5 3600 sample in our labs and run the CPUMark test on it at stock to verify these figures.
This Little $199 AMD CPU Will Put a Smile on so Many People’s Faces
At any rate, either way you slice these results they come out as extraordinarily impressive. Even if we’re talking about an oveclocked Ryzen 5 3600 the figures are still very impressive. Overclocked or not, I’d never thought the day will come when I report on an AMD CPU actually outperforming an Intel chip in single-threaded performance, let alone Intel’s fastest single-threaded performing chip.
With that being said synthetics are just that, synthetic. What we’re really looking forward to, and what most of you reading this I’m sure are excited to see, is how well these new Ryzen chips perform in games. Truly, 7/7 cannot come soon enough.
AMD Ryzen 3000 Series CPU Lineup
| CPU Name | Ryzen 5 3500 | Ryzen 5 3500X | Ryzen 5 3600 | Ryzen 5 3600X | Ryzen 7 3700X | Ryzen 7 3800X | Ryzen 9 3900X | Ryzen 9 3950X |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cores/Threads | 6/6 | 6/6 | 6/12 | 6/12 | 8/16 | 8/16 | 12/24 | 16/32 |
| Base Clock | 3.6 GHz | 3.6 GHz | 3.6 GHz | 3.8 GHz | 3.6 GHz | 3.9 GHz | 3.8 GHz | 3.5 GHz |
| Boost Clock | 4.1 GHz | 4.1 GHz | 4.2 GHz | 4.4 GHz | 4.4 GHz | 4.5 GHz | 4.6 GHz | 4. 7 GHz |
| Cache (L2+L3) | 16 MB | 32 MB | 35 MB | 35 MB | 36 MB | 36 MB | 70 MB | 72 MB |
| PCIe Lanes (Gen 4 CPU+PCH) | 40 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 40 |
| TDP | 65W | 65W | 65W | 95W | 65W | 105W | 105W | 105W |
| Price | $149 US | $179 US | $199 US | $249 US | $329 US | $399 US | $499 US | $749 US |
Which AMD Ryzen 3000 Series CPU Are You Planning to Buy?
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Ryzen 9 3950X
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Ryzen 9 3900X
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Ryzen 7 3800X
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Ryzen 7 3700X
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Ryzen 5 3600X
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Ryzen 5 3600
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I’m sticking with Intel
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