Intel and AMD are at it again. Intel recently released its flagship desktop processor Intel i9-11900K, which is said to unseat AMD Ryzen 9 5950X (or 5900X) from the top spot. Over the last few years, the chip race between Intel and AMD has gotten pretty intense, especially after AMD made a stellar comeback with its Zen architecture. The two behemoths are still pretty much in the race, trying to outperform each other. So without further ado, let’s find out how the recently announced Intel i9-11900K vs AMD Ryzen 9 5950X desktop processors compare.
Here, we have enlisted all the sections that we have covered in this article. You can directly jump to the desired section by clicking on the links below.
- Specs Comparison
- Intel i9-11900K: Detailed
- AMD Ryzen 9 5950X: Detailed
- Benchmark Tests: Intel i9-11900K vs AMD Ryzen 9 5950X
Specs Comparison
Intel i9-11900K: Detailed
While the specs comparison gives you a good overview of the chip, we will discuss a bit more about Intel’s new microarchitecture here. First of all, the Intel i9-11900K chip is built on the 14nm process node, which is quite disappointing. Consumers were hoping to see Intel finally move to a 7nm or at least 10nm fabrication process for desktop chips this year. But it did not happen, and we are still stuck with an aging 14nm process node. Intel’s new microarchitecture, Cypress Cove, might capture your interest, but it’s not as revolutionary as AMD’s Zen 3 architecture.
That is why Intel i9-11900K has a lower core count (8 cores, 16 threads) than last year’s Intel i9-10900K (10 cores, 20 threads) because of their design limitation. Having said that, Intel still boasts a 19% IPC (instructions per cycle) improvement from last year’s chip. In summation, the Cypress Cove microarchitecture is not a new design built from scratch. Intel continues to rely on existing technologies to churn out powerful new desktop chips in 2021 instead of moving to a more efficient process node.
Coming to AMD Ryzen 9 5950X, it has 16 cores and 32 threads, which is double the number of cores and threads that the Intel i9-11900K has to offer. Ryzen 9 5950X was released in October 2020 with AMD’s brand new Zen 3 architecture built on the 7nm process node. AMD also saw a 19% jump in IPC from its last-gen flagship processor. In terms of maximum frequency, it seems Intel is still beating AMD. While Intel i9-11900K can go up to 5.3GHz, AMD Ryzen 9 5950X can muster up to 4.9GHz maximum clock speed. But keep in mind, to attain the max boost frequency of 5.3GHz on Intel’s processor, you need to overclock the processor using the Extreme Tuning Utility (XTU) tool.
Benchmark Tests: Intel i9-11900K vs AMD Ryzen 9 5950X
Since the Intel i9-11900K is was announced a few days ago, reviewers and enthusiasts have not got their hands on the processor just yet. Until some users run various intensive tests, we won’t know which is a better processor among the two. However, Intel claimed that the 11th-Gen Core i9-11900K processor is better than AMD’s Ryzen 9 5900X (12 cores, 24 threads). The American chipmaker shared some comparison numbers in public, and you can check them out right here:
Looking at these numbers, it seems Intel i9-11900K outperformed AMD Ryzen 9 5900X. But, I would ask you to take these figures with a pinch of salt. Companies tend to show selective numbers, so we cannot pass any judgment before reviewers run some extensive third-party benchmark tests. Also, keep in mind, Intel has pitted its flagship desktop processor against AMD Ryzen 9 5900X, which has lower cores and threads than the Ryzen 9 5950X. Perhaps, it’s because of the similar pricing bracket that both the processors share.
Well, looking solely at the spec sheet, AMD Ryzen 9 5950X seems like a better desktop processor than the latest 11th-Gen Intel Core i9-11900K. However, if you consider the benchmark numbers shared by Intel, the i9-11900K seems to be leading the race here. Well, we can’t come to a conclusive judgment at this point. But there is something that begs our attention.
