Ryzen 5 2500X vs i5-6600K

Primary details

Comparing Core i5-6600K and Ryzen 5 2500X processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking	1412	1089
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	0.77	no data
Market segment	Desktop processor	Desktop processor
Series	Intel Core i5 (Desktop)	AMD Ryzen 5
Power efficiency	4.14	8.68
Architecture codename	Skylake (2015−2016)	Zen+ (2018−2019)
Release date	5 August 2015 (9 years ago)	10 September 2018 (6 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$242	no data

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

Detailed specifications

Core i5-6600K and Ryzen 5 2500X 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	4 (Quad-Core)	4 (Quad-Core)
Threads	4	8
Base clock speed	3.5 GHz	3.6 GHz
Boost clock speed	3.9 GHz	4 GHz
Bus type	DMI 3.0	no data
Bus rate	4 × 8 GT/s	4 × 8 GT/s
Multiplier	35	36
L1 cache	64 KB (per core)	384 KB
L2 cache	256 KB (per core)	2 MB
L3 cache	6 MB (shared)	8 MB
Chip lithography	14 nm	12 nm
Die size	122 mm2	213 mm2
Maximum case temperature (TCase)	64 °C	no data
Number of transistors	no data	4800 Million
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	+
Unlocked multiplier	+	+

Compatibility

Information on Core i5-6600K and Ryzen 5 2500X 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 (Uniprocessor)	1 (Uniprocessor)
Socket	FCLGA1151	AM4
Power consumption (TDP)	91 Watt	65 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i5-6600K and Ryzen 5 2500X. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2	no data
AES-NI	+	+
AVX	+	+
vPro	+	no data
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	no data
Turbo Boost Technology	2.0	no data
Hyper-Threading Technology	-	no data
TSX	+	-
Idle States	+	no data
Thermal Monitoring	+	-
Precision Boost 2	no data	+

Security technologies

Core i5-6600K and Ryzen 5 2500X technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT	-	no data
EDB	+	no data
Secure Key	+	no data
MPX	+	-
Identity Protection	+	-
SGX	Yes with Intel® ME	no data
OS Guard	+	no data

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i5-6600K and Ryzen 5 2500X 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 i5-6600K and Ryzen 5 2500X. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR3, DDR4	DDR4 Dual-channel
Maximum memory size	64 GB	64 GB
Max memory channels	2	2
Maximum memory bandwidth	34.134 GB/s	46.933 GB/s
ECC memory support	-	+

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card	Intel HD Graphics 530	-
Max video memory	64 GB	-
Quick Sync Video	+	-
Clear Video	+	-
Clear Video HD	+	-
Graphics max frequency	1.15 GHz	-
InTru 3D	+	-

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i5-6600K and Ryzen 5 2500X integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported	3	-
eDP	+	-
DisplayPort	+	-
HDMI	+	-
DVI	+	-

Graphics image quality

Maximum display resolutions supported by Core i5-6600K and Ryzen 5 2500X integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.

4K resolution support	+	-
Max resolution over HDMI 1.4	4096x2304@24Hz	-
Max resolution over eDP	4096x2304@60Hz	-
Max resolution over DisplayPort	4096x2304@60Hz	-
Max resolution over VGA	N/A	-

Graphics API support

APIs supported by Core i5-6600K and Ryzen 5 2500X integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.

DirectX	12	-
OpenGL	4.5	-

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i5-6600K and Ryzen 5 2500X.

PCIe version	3.0	3.0
PCI Express lanes	16	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.

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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.

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Pros & cons summary

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Performance score	4.13	6.19
Recency	5 August 2015	10 September 2018
Threads	4	8
Chip lithography	14 nm	12 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	91 Watt	65 Watt

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Should you still have questions on choice between Core i5-6600K and Ryzen 5 2500X, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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