AMD Ryzen 9 5950X vs Core i5 14600K: Which Is the Better CPU?

Ryzen 9 5950X meets Core i5 14600K. Find out which one is better in gaming, benchmarks, and multithreading.

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The Ryzen 9 5950X is the socket AM4’s most powerful CPU on the market. Back in its time, it was the fastest (multicore) and most efficient CPU you could buy, and Intel had no outright answer to it. The 10900K was arguably better in certain games, but it still lagged behind in multicore performance. After 2021, with the launch of Alderlake, this changed, and then with the 14600K, the CPU, Raptor Lake refresh, Intel has a multi-core advantage. But the 5950X is still an excellent CPU if you already have an AM4 setup. That said, the comparison is stated below.

Also Read: Intel Core i9-14900K vs AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D Specs, Price, Performance, and More Compared

AMD Ryzen 9 5950X vs Core i5 14600K: Detailed Comparison

Specs Comparison

Here are the specs of the Ryzen 9 5950X and the Intel Core i5 14600K:

Specifications	Ryzen 9 5950x	Core I5 14600K
Architecture	Zen 3	Raptorlake Refresh
Core/Thread count	16/32	14 (6P+8E)/20
Max clock speed	5.05 GHz (XFR)	5.3 GHz
L3 cache	64 MB	24 MB
RAM support	DDR4-3200	DDR5-5600
PCIe Gen support	Gen 4	Gen 5
Platform Socket	AM4	LGA 1700
Thermal design power (TDP)	105-142W	125-181W
Manufacturing nodes	7nm	10nm

Going by core counts, the 5950X has the edge, and considering its release period, of 2020, it shows how advanced AMD was in contrast to Intel. Even being older, the 5950X uses an advanced node. As for the Raptor Lake Refresh CPU, it’s a much-improved iteration of Alderlake. It has improved power management, higher clocks, and better thread scheduling. Intel has also reduced the E-core latency and improved the overall responsiveness that the platform offers. However, there is a latency penalty between P-cores and E-cores, and this hasn’t been eliminated. As of now, it’s less of a bottleneck than it was during Alder Lake’s debut.

Performance Comparison

Comparing raw performance between these CPUs, the Ryzen 9 5950X, albeit with tuning, still holds a multicore lead in older benchmarks like Cinebench R23, thanks to its 16 performance cores. However, in Geekbench 6 — which reflects newer workloads and mixed-thread use cases — the Intel Core i5-14600K pulls ahead.

When it comes to professional use cases, such as rendering and video editing, the difference will vary to an extent: The 5950X will excel in raw CPU rendering tasks, such as Blender and V-Ray, due to its 16 physical cores. The 14600K will perform better in video editing apps like Adobe Premiere due to the Quick Sync hardware, offering better real-time playback and smoother timeline scrubbing.

As for gaming, the 14600K will lead in most cases, and that too at 1080p only, but the difference won’t be that much, around 5 to max 10%. If you play at 1440p or higher, there won’t be any difference. However, if you are using path tracing, the story changes. Intel will go further due to the CPU-bound nature.

Benchmark	AMD Ryzen 9 5950x	Core I5 14600K
Cinebench R23 Single-Core	1650	2150
Cinebench R23 Multi-Core	30,600 (PBO)	23,500
Geekbench 6 Single-Core	2,220	2,750
Geekbench 6 Multi-Core	12,082	15,543

Price Comparison

The Ryzen 9 5950X currently retails at Amazon.com for $300, and the Core i5 14600K for $197. Pricing information is accurate as of August 2 and can change without notice. For both CPUs, especially the 5950X, you can buy them at a fraction of the cost on the used market, and the same can be said for the motherboard, DDR4 memory, and so on.

Final Verdict on AMD Ryzen 9 5950X vs Core i5 14600K

If you are looking for new parts, the 14600K is the most sensible choice, as it’s newer, offers slightly better gaming performance, supports QuickSync for those who value it, and also works with DDR4 memory. But things get very interesting if you are buying used or already own an AMD platform. Jumping the gun on the new AM5 platform isn’t worth it, especially since AM4 and Zen 3 (Ryzen 5000) series were this good to begin with. If you already own a Ryzen 2700X or lower, slapping in a 5950X will save you the cost of a new motherboard, memory sticks, and maybe even a PSU or CPU cooler.

Also Read: Intel Core Ultra 9 285K vs AMD Ryzen 9 9950 X3D: Specs, Price, Performance, and More Compared

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AMD Ryzen 9 5950X vs Core i5 14600K: Which Is the Better CPU?