Intel Core i9-11900K vs. AMD Ryzen 9 5900X. Who’s the winner?

2× Core i9 (11900K + 10900K) and Ryzen 9 5900X

Have you already created a perfect picture of the current generation of desktop processors or are you still willing to reconsider some things? For the start of HWC processor tests, we’ve picked the hottest hardware from Intel’s mainstream offer – the Core i9-11900K, which is going to compete against the AMD Ryzen 9 5900X in 40 chapters full of information. The older Core i9-10900K has also successfully been re-tested by the new methodology.

Today’s menu: 2× Core i9 (11900K + 10900K) and Ryzen 9 5900X

After relatively long preparations, we’ve finally managed to complete a detailed methodology for testing processors, which could provide a good baseline for the next few years.

Of course, we will not avoid making adjustments to the announced operating system Windows 11 over time, and we also know about the new 3DMark extension designed specifically for processor testing and the new F1 2021 coming out next month. We will incorporate these updates sooner or later. The date depends on when these get more stable and updates don’t significantly affect performance or performance metrics. We want to dedicate our time to processor testing in detail in the coming years. That is, in the case you’re interested, naturally.

We’ve also included your tests on request in the methodology. Whether it’s monitoring key parameters over longer periods of time under load, performance testing in DaVinci Resolve Studio and intergenerational comparison of the Core i5-11400F with the Core i5-10400F is coming soon as well. This time, however, we focus on the higher class.

We tested the latest Intel Core i9 desktop processor (11900K) not only against the Ryzen 9 5900X, but also a generation older Ci9-10900K. Although Rocket Lake is still being produced at 14 nm, it even has a two-core deficit compared to Comet Lak, but is already based on the Cypress Cove architecture with higher IPC, better performing single-core boost and support for the AVX-512 instruction set, which is missing in AMD Vermeer.

A complete overview of all specifications in the table below will be more useful than a hundred sentences. And before studying the tests themselves, do not miss the chapters with the methodology, where we describe the testing principles. The results may be more attractive than boring documentation, but in order not to get confused it is always good to know how the author achieved them.

• Contents
• 2× Core i9 (11900K + 10900K) and Ryzen 9 5900X
• Methodology: performance tests
• Methodology: how we measure power draw
• Methodology: temperature and clock speed tests
• Test setup
• 3DMark
• Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla
• Borderlands 3
• Counter-Strike: GO
• Cyberpunk 2077
• DOOM Eternal
• F1 2020
• Metro Exodus
• Microsoft Flight Simulator
• Shadow of the Tomb Raider
• Total War Saga: Troy
• Overall gaming performance
• Gaming performance per euro
• PCMark and Geekbench
• Web performance
• 3D rendering: Cinebench, Blender, …
• Video 1/2: Adobe Premiere Pro
• Video 2/2: DaVinci Resolve Studio
• Graphics effects: Adobe After Effects
• Video encoding
• Audio encoding
• Broadcasting (OBS and Xsplit)
• Fotky 1/2: Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom
• Fotky 2/2: Affinity Photo, Topaz Labs AI apps, ZPS X, …
• (De)compression
• (De)cryption
• Numerical computing
• Simulations
• Memory and cache tests
• Processor power draw trend
• Average processor power draw
• Performance per watt
• Achieved CPU clock speed
• CPU temperature
• Conclusion