AMD recently released its Ryzen 5 desktop processors, offering superior multi-threaded performance at a competitive price.
While the company’s Ryzen 7 line-up is aimed at high-end desktop users, boasting eight physical cores with 16 threads, Ryzen 5 processors compete slightly lower on the performance ladder.
The processors feature an impressive number of CPU cores, and compete squarely in the mainstream gaming market alongside Intel’s Core i5 processors.
Intel’s new 7th-gen Core i5 desktop processors all feature four physical cores and the same number of threads, while the Ryzen 5 chips boast up to 6 cores with 12 threads.
AMD’s new chips are based on the company’s Zen microarchitecture, while Intel’s newest line-up of desktop processors is built on its Kaby Lake architecture.
Specifications and Pricing
The specifications and local pricing of the AMD and Intel CPUs are detailed below.
Pricing information for all products was taken from Wootware.
|
Processor
|
Cores | Threads | Base Clock | Boost Clock | TDP | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AMD Ryzen 5 1400 | 4 | 8 | 3.2GHz | 3.4GHz | 65W | R2,749 |
| AMD Ryzen 5 1500X | 4 | 8 | 3.5GHz | 3.7GHz | 65W | R3,099 |
| AMD Ryzen 5 1600 | 6 | 12 | 3.2GHz | 3.6GHz | 65W | R3,579 |
| AMD Ryzen 5 1600X | 6 | 12 | 3.6GHz | 4.0GHz | 95W | R4,099 |
| Intel Core i5 7400 | 4 | 4 | 3.0GHz | 3.5GHz | 65W | R3,062 |
| Intel Core i5 7500 | 4 | 4 | 3.4GHz | 3.8GHz | 65W | R3,399 |
| Intel Core i5 7600 | 4 | 4 | 3.5GHz | 4.1GHz | 65W | R3,844 |
| Intel Core i5 7600K | 4 | 4 | 3.8GHz | 4.2GHz | 91W | R3,999 |
Comparison
The two desktop processor ranges are similar in terms of pricing, despite the increased core/thread count of the Ryzen chips.
However, performance comparisons between Intel’s Core i7 line-up and AMD’s Ryzen 7 octa-core processors found that while AMD’s chips were superior in multi-threaded tasks, Intel’s Kaby Lake processors had the edge in single-core benchmarks.
Intel’s Core i7 chips also featured better gaming performance, although this could be an indicator of better driver support and Zen’s inclination towards DirectX 12 and Vulkan performance.
AMD’s Ryzen processors could be the better buy for certain users, such as gamers looking for a CPU that can breeze through streaming and playing simultaneously.
Intel’s processors remain a good choice for regular gamers and professional users, as they offer better IPC and single-core performance.
Intel chips also include integrated graphics, making them a valuable option for users with no need for discrete graphics hardware.
This article first appeared on MyBroadband and is republished with permission.
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