PassMark CPU Mark evaluates processor speed through complex mathematical computations. It provides a reliable metric to compare multi-core performance, where higher scores indicate faster processing for multitasking, gaming, and heavy workloads.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, productivity performance, platform differences, power efficiency, pricing context, and upgrade path so you can see which CPU actually makes more sense.

Core i9-9900KS

2019

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +6.0% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (19,397 vs 21,845).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (16 MB vs 32 MB).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 37.8 vs 73.1 PassMark/$ ($513 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).
❌95.4% higher power demand at 127W vs 65W.

Ryzen 5 5600X

2020

Why buy it

✅+12.6% higher PassMark.
✅+100% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 16 MB).
✅Costs $214 less on MSRP ($299 MSRP vs $513 MSRP).
✅Delivers 93.2% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 73.1 vs 37.8 PassMark/$ ($299 MSRP vs $513 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 127W, a 62W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i9-9900KS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.

Core i9-9900KS

2019

Ryzen 5 5600X

2020

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +6.0% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.

Why buy it

✅+12.6% higher PassMark.
✅+100% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 16 MB).
✅Costs $214 less on MSRP ($299 MSRP vs $513 MSRP).
✅Delivers 93.2% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 73.1 vs 37.8 PassMark/$ ($299 MSRP vs $513 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 127W, a 62W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (19,397 vs 21,845).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (16 MB vs 32 MB).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 37.8 vs 73.1 PassMark/$ ($513 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).
❌95.4% higher power demand at 127W vs 65W.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i9-9900KS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 5 5600X better than Core i9-9900KS?

It depends on what matters more to you. For gaming, Core i9-9900KS is ahead with a 6.0% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 5 5600X pulls ahead with 12.6% better PassMark. Ryzen 5 5600X also has the bigger cache pool with 100% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 16 MB).

Which one is better for streaming, content creation, and heavy multitasking?

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 5 5600X is the better fit. You are getting 12.6% better PassMark, backed by 6 cores and 12 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 100% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 16 MB).

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper CPU?

Ryzen 5 5600X is the smarter buy today. Ryzen 5 5600X is $214 cheaper on MSRP at $299 MSRP versus $513 MSRP, and it gives you 12.6% better PassMark. The trade-off is that Core i9-9900KS is still the better pure gaming CPU with a 6.0% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 93.2% better value on MSRP (73.1 vs 37.8 PassMark/$), so the better CPU is not just faster, it is also the cleaner value play on paper.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

Ryzen 5 5600X is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2020 vs 2019), 100% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 16 MB), and more multi-core headroom with 6 cores / 12 threads instead of 8/16. That extra compute headroom should age better as games, background tasks, and creator workloads get heavier.

Games Benchmarks

Paired with RTX 4090

To accurately isolate CPU performance, all benchmarks below use an NVIDIA RTX 4090 as the reference GPU. This eliminates GPU-side bottlenecks and highlights pure processing throughput differences between the CPUs.

Note: Real-world results may vary based on your actual GPU. CPU performance impact is more visible in processing-intensive titles and high-refresh-rate gaming scenarios.

Core i9-9900KS Benchmark Check

Ryzen 5 5600X Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i9-9900KS	Ryzen 5 5600X
1080p
low	301 FPS	203 FPS
medium	273 FPS	174 FPS
high	228 FPS	140 FPS
ultra	180 FPS	107 FPS
1440p
low	266 FPS	169 FPS
medium	218 FPS	141 FPS
high	177 FPS	113 FPS
ultra	142 FPS	86 FPS
4K
low	168 FPS	85 FPS
medium	139 FPS	76 FPS
high	107 FPS	60 FPS
ultra	93 FPS	47 FPS

Open Core i9-9900KS Open Ryzen 5 5600X

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i9-9900KS	Ryzen 5 5600X
1080p
low	449 FPS	464 FPS
medium	369 FPS	387 FPS
high	322 FPS	324 FPS
ultra	286 FPS	291 FPS
1440p
low	397 FPS	397 FPS
medium	344 FPS	334 FPS
high	298 FPS	290 FPS
ultra	255 FPS	253 FPS
4K
low	267 FPS	263 FPS
medium	238 FPS	226 FPS
high	226 FPS	205 FPS
ultra	192 FPS	171 FPS

Open Core i9-9900KS Open Ryzen 5 5600X

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i9-9900KS	Ryzen 5 5600X
1080p
low	485 FPS	546 FPS
medium	485 FPS	473 FPS
high	485 FPS	432 FPS
ultra	429 FPS	358 FPS
1440p
low	485 FPS	508 FPS
medium	485 FPS	413 FPS
high	454 FPS	375 FPS
ultra	373 FPS	312 FPS
4K
low	462 FPS	348 FPS
medium	401 FPS	292 FPS
high	351 FPS	255 FPS
ultra	283 FPS	199 FPS

Open Core i9-9900KS Open Ryzen 5 5600X

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i9-9900KS	Ryzen 5 5600X
1080p
low	485 FPS	546 FPS
medium	485 FPS	546 FPS
high	485 FPS	546 FPS
ultra	485 FPS	546 FPS
1440p
low	485 FPS	546 FPS
medium	485 FPS	546 FPS
high	485 FPS	546 FPS
ultra	485 FPS	524 FPS
4K
low	485 FPS	529 FPS
medium	485 FPS	484 FPS
high	440 FPS	435 FPS
ultra	380 FPS	379 FPS

Open Core i9-9900KS Open Ryzen 5 5600X

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i9-9900KS and Ryzen 5 5600X

Core i9-9900KS

The Core i9-9900KS is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 28 October 2019 (6 years ago). It is based on the Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 4 GHz, with boost up to 5 GHz. L3 cache: 16 MB (total). L2 cache: 256 kB (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1151. Thermal design power (TDP): 127 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 19,397 points. Launch price was $513.

Ryzen 5 5600X

The Ryzen 5 5600X is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 5 November 2020 (5 years ago). It is based on the Vermeer (Zen 3) (2020−2022) architecture. It features 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 3.7 GHz, with boost up to 4.6 GHz. L3 cache: 32 MB. L2 cache: 512K (per core). Built on 7 nm, 12 nm process technology. Socket: AM4. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 21,845 points. Launch price was $299.

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Processing Power

The Core i9-9900KS packs 8 cores / 16 threads, while the Ryzen 5 5600X offers 6 cores / 12 threads — the Core i9-9900KS has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 5 GHz on the Core i9-9900KS versus 4.6 GHz on the Ryzen 5 5600X — a 8.3% clock advantage for the Core i9-9900KS (base: 4 GHz vs 3.7 GHz). The Core i9-9900KS uses the Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019) architecture (14 nm), while the Ryzen 5 5600X uses Vermeer (Zen 3) (2020−2022) (7 nm, 12 nm). In PassMark, the Core i9-9900KS scores 19,397 against the Ryzen 5 5600X's 21,845 — a 11.9% lead for the Ryzen 5 5600X. L3 cache: 16 MB (total) on the Core i9-9900KS vs 32 MB on the Ryzen 5 5600X.

Feature	Core i9-9900KS	Ryzen 5 5600X
Cores / Threads	8 / 16+33%	6 / 12
Boost Clock	5 GHz+9%	4.6 GHz
Base Clock	4 GHz+8%	3.7 GHz
L3 Cache	16 MB (total)	32 MB+100%
L2 Cache	256 kB (per core)	512K (per core)+100%
Process	14 nm	7 nm, 12 nm-50%
Architecture	Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019)	Vermeer (Zen 3) (2020−2022)
PassMark	19,397	21,845+13%

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i9-9900KS uses the LGA1151 socket (PCIe 4.0), while the Ryzen 5 5600X uses AM4 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Core i9-9900KS	Ryzen 5 5600X
Socket	LGA1151	AM4
PCIe Generation	PCIe 4.0	PCIe 4.0
Max RAM Speed	—	DDR4-3200
Max RAM Capacity	—	128 GB
RAM Channels	—	2
ECC Support	—	Yes
PCIe Lanes	—	24

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: not specified (Core i9-9900KS) / AMD-V (Ryzen 5 5600X). Primary use case: Ryzen 5 5600X targets Desktop.

Feature	Core i9-9900KS	Ryzen 5 5600X
Integrated GPU	—	No
Unlocked	—	Yes
AVX-512	—	No
Virtualization	—	AMD-V
Target Use	—	Desktop

💰

Value Analysis

The Core i9-9900KS launched at $513 MSRP, while the Ryzen 5 5600X debuted at $299. On MSRP ($513 vs $299), the Ryzen 5 5600X is $214 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Core i9-9900KS delivers 37.8 pts/$ vs 73.1 pts/$ for the Ryzen 5 5600X — making the Ryzen 5 5600X the 63.6% better value option.