Ryzen 5 3600 vs i5-9400F: Which is Best? – Performance in comparison – The days when Intel had full control of the CPU market seem long gone, in recent years, AMD has made up a lot of ground by offering competitive products both on the price and performance side.
Today we compare the Ryzen 5 3600 and the i5 9400F, the two processors that compete for the price range that goes from 150 to 200 euros, to find out which is the best between the AMD proposal, more expensive and performing, and that Intel, cheaper and less performing.
Ryzen 5 3600 vs i5-9400F: Comparison of datasheets
Let’s start by putting a comparison of the data sheets of the two processors:
| Ryzen 5 3600 | i5 9400F | |
| Architecture: | Zen 2 | Coffee Lake |
| Socket: | AM4 | LGA 1151 |
| Core: | 6 | 6 |
| Threads: | 12 | 6 |
| L3 Cache: | 32 MB | 9 MB |
| Base frequency: | 3.6 GHz | 2.9 GHz |
| Maximum turbo frequency: | 4.2 GHz | 4.1 GHz |
| TDP: | 65 W | 65 W |
| Overclock: | And | No |
As you can see, the Ryzen 5 3600 features more threads and a higher base frequency than the i5 9400F, this makes it an excellent processor in any field, if you use the PC for something else besides gaming, the Ryzen 5 3600 will surely be able to satisfy you. Unlike AMD processors, which are all overclockable, not all Intel processors can be overclocked, the i5 9400F is one of the non-overclockable ones.
The two CPUs also have two different sockets: the AM4 for the Ryzen 5 and LGA1151 for the i5 9400F, always remember, before buying a processor, to check which socket is supported by your motherboard, not all processors and motherboards are compatible with each other. As is obvious, the architectures are also different, with the i5 9400F based on Coffee Lake and the Ryzen 5 3600 on the new Zen 2.
Ryzen 5 3600 vs i5-9400F: Benchmark
After seeing the hardware differences between the two processors, let’s go now and see how they behave in gaming e in all others areas of use with a direct comparison. At the end of all the benchmarks we will sum up the results telling you which of the two we recommend.
Cinebench R20
In both tests with Cinebench, the Ryzen 5 3600 is significantly faster compared to the i5 9400F, with a difference of up to 35%.
Adobe Premiere Pro
The Ryzen 5 3600 also wins in tests on Adobe Premiere Pro needing more than 100 seconds less to export a project, a difference that you will surely notice if you use this type of program often.
WinRAR
The WinRAR test results are quite surprising, with the Ryzen 5 3600 that it is 46% faster than the i5 9400F, much more than what we expected.
Video games
In in-game performance the two processors are not that far apart, the difference depends a lot on the game: in some the Ryzen outperforms the i5 9400F, in others, as you can see, the situation is more balanced or the Intel solution manages to be the best.
Ryzen 5 3600 vs i5-9400F – Conclusion: Which is Best?
Benchmarks essentially tell us two things: in gaming the i5 9400F can hold its own to the Ryzen 5 3600, doing even better than its competitor in several games, in all other applicationsinstead the AMD solution is clearly the master, with a net performance difference to the i5 9400F. The Ryzen 5 costs a little more, but the performance difference outweighs the difference in cost between the two processors. We must also consider the future of the two platforms: the i5 9400F is part of the latest generation that will use this socket, on the contrary the Ryzen 5 3600 offers an excellent possibility for future upgrades and this is a very important element when going to buy a processor and a motherboard.
Summing up, which of the two do we recommend? The smartest choice for us is definitely the Ryzen 5 3600, it costs a few tens of euros more, but we believe it is worth spending a few euros more to have a much more powerful processor with a greater possibility of future upgrade. With this we are clearly not saying that the i5 9400F is to be thrown away, the price at which it is offered makes it a good product, but if you can spend more we recommend that you do it and get the Ryzen 5 3600.
Where to buy them at the best price
To conclude, we leave you below some links from where you can buy both the Ryzen 5 3600 and the i5 9400F at the best possible price
Ryzen 5 3600
i5-9400F
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