i5-8279U vs Ryzen 9 5900

VS

Aggregate performance score

Ryzen 9 5900
2021
12 cores / 24 threads, 65 Watt
21.73
+359%
Core i5-8279U
2019
4 cores / 8 threads, 28 Watt
4.73

Ryzen 9 5900 outperforms Core i5-8279U by a whopping 359% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing Ryzen 9 5900 and Core i5-8279U processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking2421259
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Market segmentDesktop processorLaptop
SeriesAMD Ryzen 9Intel Core i5
Power efficiency31.5115.92
Architecture codenameVermeer (2020−2024)Coffee Lake-U (2018−2019)
Release date12 January 2021 (3 years ago)3 April 2019 (5 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)no data$320

Detailed specifications

Ryzen 9 5900 and Core i5-8279U 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 cores12 (Dodeca-Core)4 (Quad-Core)
Threads248
Base clock speed3 GHz2.4 GHz
Boost clock speed4.7 GHz4.1 GHz
Bus rateno data4 GT/s
Multiplier30no data
L1 cache768 KB64K (per core)
L2 cache6 MB256K (per core)
L3 cache64 MB6 MB (shared)
Chip lithography7 nm, 12 nm14 nm
Die size81 mm2126 mm2
Maximum core temperatureno data100 °C
Maximum case temperature (TCase)95 °Cno data
Number of transistors4,150 million2,300 million
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility++
Unlocked multiplier+-

Compatibility

Information on Ryzen 9 5900 and Core i5-8279U 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 configuration11
SocketAM4FCBGA1528
Power consumption (TDP)65 Watt28 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Ryzen 9 5900 and Core i5-8279U. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensionsno dataIntel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2
AES-NI++
AVX++
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)no data+
eDRAMno data128 MB
Speed Shiftno data+
My WiFino data+
Turbo Boost Technologyno data2.0
Hyper-Threading Technologyno data+
Idle Statesno data+
Thermal Monitoring-+
Flex Memory Accessno data+

Security technologies

Ryzen 9 5900 and Core i5-8279U technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXTno data+
EDBno data+
Secure Keyno data+
MPX-+
Identity Protection-+
SGXno dataYes with Intel® ME
OS Guardno data+

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Ryzen 9 5900 and Core i5-8279U are enumerated here.

AMD-V++
VT-dno data+
VT-xno data+
EPTno data+

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Ryzen 9 5900 and Core i5-8279U. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR4-3200DDR4
Maximum memory size128 GB32 GB
Max memory channelsno data2
Maximum memory bandwidth51.196 GB/s37.5 GB/s

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card-Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655
Max video memory-32 GB
Quick Sync Video-+
Clear Video-+
Clear Video HD-+
Graphics max frequency-1.15 GHz
InTru 3D-+

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Ryzen 9 5900 and Core i5-8279U integrated GPUs.

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

Graphics image quality

Maximum display resolutions supported by Ryzen 9 5900 and Core i5-8279U integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.

4K resolution support-+
Max resolution over HDMI 1.4-4096x2304@30Hz
Max resolution over eDP-4096x2304@60Hz
Max resolution over DisplayPort-4096x2304@60Hz

Graphics API support

APIs supported by Ryzen 9 5900 and Core i5-8279U integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.

DirectX-12
OpenGL-4.5

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Ryzen 9 5900 and Core i5-8279U.

PCIe version4.03.0
PCI Express lanesno data16

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.

Ryzen 9 5900 21.73
+359%
i5-8279U 4.73

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.

Ryzen 9 5900 34384
+359%
i5-8279U 7492

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.

Ryzen 9 5900 2145
+79.3%
i5-8279U 1196

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.

Ryzen 9 5900 11139
+200%
i5-8279U 3719

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 21.73 4.73
Recency 12 January 2021 3 April 2019
Physical cores 12 4
Threads 24 8
Chip lithography 7 nm 14 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 65 Watt 28 Watt

Ryzen 9 5900 has a 359.4% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 1 year, 200% more physical cores and 200% more threads, and a 100% more advanced lithography process.

i5-8279U, on the other hand, has 132.1% lower power consumption.

The Ryzen 9 5900 is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i5-8279U in performance tests.

Note that Ryzen 9 5900 is a desktop processor while Core i5-8279U is a notebook one.


Should you still have questions on choice between Ryzen 9 5900 and Core i5-8279U, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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AMD Ryzen 9 5900
Ryzen 9 5900
Intel Core i5-8279U
Core i5-8279U

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Community ratings

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Questions & comments

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