Ryzen 5 2600X vs i5-4278U
Aggregate performance score
Ryzen 5 2600X outperforms Core i5-4278U by a whopping 392% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
Comparing Core i5-4278U and Ryzen 5 2600X processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 2014 | 865 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | no data | 9.21 |
| Market segment | Laptop | Desktop processor |
| Series | Intel Core i5 | AMD Ryzen 5 |
| Power efficiency | 6.02 | 8.73 |
| Architecture codename | Haswell (2013−2015) | Zen+ (2018−2019) |
| Release date | 21 July 2014 (10 years ago) | 19 April 2018 (6 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $315 | $229 |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
Detailed specifications
Core i5-4278U and Ryzen 5 2600X 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 cores | 2 (Dual-core) | 6 (Hexa-Core) |
| Threads | 4 | 12 |
| Base clock speed | 2.6 GHz | 3.6 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 3.1 GHz | 4.25 GHz |
| Bus rate | 5 GT/s | 4 × 8 GT/s |
| Multiplier | no data | 36 |
| L1 cache | 128 KB | 96K (per core) |
| L2 cache | 512 KB | 512K (per core) |
| L3 cache | 3 MB | 16 MB (shared) |
| Chip lithography | 22 nm | 12 nm |
| Die size | 181 mm2 | 192 mm2 |
| Maximum core temperature | 100 °C | no data |
| Number of transistors | 1300 Million | 4,800 million |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | - | + |
| Unlocked multiplier | - | + |
Compatibility
Information on Core i5-4278U and Ryzen 5 2600X 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 configuration | 1 | 1 (Uniprocessor) |
| Socket | FCBGA1168 | AM4 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 28 Watt | 95 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i5-4278U and Ryzen 5 2600X. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| Instruction set extensions | Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2 | SSE4.2, SSE4A, AMD-V, AES, AVX2, FMA3, SHA |
| AES-NI | + | + |
| AVX | + | + |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | + | no data |
| Turbo Boost Technology | 2.0 | no data |
| Hyper-Threading Technology | + | no data |
| Idle States | + | no data |
| Thermal Monitoring | + | - |
| Precision Boost 2 | no data | + |
Security technologies
Core i5-4278U and Ryzen 5 2600X technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.
| TXT | - | no data |
| EDB | + | no data |
| Secure Key | + | no data |
| Identity Protection | + | - |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i5-4278U and Ryzen 5 2600X are enumerated here.
| AMD-V | + | + |
| VT-d | + | no data |
| VT-x | + | no data |
| EPT | + | no data |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i5-4278U and Ryzen 5 2600X. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | DDR3 | DDR4 Dual-channel |
| Maximum memory size | 16 GB | 64 GB |
| Max memory channels | 2 | 2 |
| Maximum memory bandwidth | 25.6 GB/s | 46.933 GB/s |
| ECC memory support | - | + |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card | Intel Iris Graphics 5100 | - |
| Max video memory | 2 GB | - |
| Quick Sync Video | + | - |
| Clear Video HD | + | - |
| Graphics max frequency | 1.1 GHz | - |
| InTru 3D | + | - |
Graphics interfaces
Available interfaces and connections of Core i5-4278U and Ryzen 5 2600X integrated GPUs.
| Number of displays supported | 3 | - |
| eDP | + | - |
| DisplayPort | + | - |
| HDMI | + | - |
Graphics image quality
Maximum display resolutions supported by Core i5-4278U and Ryzen 5 2600X integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.
| Max resolution over HDMI 1.4 | 3280x2000@60Hz | - |
| Max resolution over DisplayPort | 3200x2000@60Hz | - |
Graphics API support
APIs supported by Core i5-4278U and Ryzen 5 2600X integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.
| DirectX | 11.2/12 | - |
| OpenGL | 4.3 | - |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i5-4278U and Ryzen 5 2600X.
| PCIe version | 2 | 3.0 |
| PCI Express lanes | 12 | 20 |
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.
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.
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.
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.
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 1.78 | 8.76 |
| Recency | 21 July 2014 | 19 April 2018 |
| Physical cores | 2 | 6 |
| Threads | 4 | 12 |
| Chip lithography | 22 nm | 12 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 28 Watt | 95 Watt |
i5-4278U has 239.3% lower power consumption.
Ryzen 5 2600X, on the other hand, has a 392.1% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 3 years, 200% more physical cores and 200% more threads, and a 83.3% more advanced lithography process.
The Ryzen 5 2600X is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i5-4278U in performance tests.
Be aware that Core i5-4278U is a notebook processor while Ryzen 5 2600X is a desktop one.
Should you still have questions on choice between Core i5-4278U and Ryzen 5 2600X, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
Similar processor comparisons
We picked several similar comparisons of processors in the same market segment and performance relatively close to those reviewed on this page.
