The battle between Intel and AMD is ongoing, with each introducing new competitive processors in the market. The AMD Ryzen 5 5600 and Intel Core i5 12400 are viable choices when building a decent gaming rig.
The Ryzen 5 5600 was released in the second quarter of 2022, while the i5 12400 made its entry in the first quarter. The single-core performance from Team Blue is higher and even beats the Ryzen 5 5600 in some multi-core benchmark tests. However, the lower price tag of AMD’s product may potentially attract more buyers.
Let's look at the various metrics for the AMD Ryzen 5 5600 and Intel Core i5 12400.
Note: The article is subjective and reflects the opinion of the author.
AMD Ryzen 5 5600 vs Intel Core i5 12400: everything you need to know for gaming build
Several factors can affect the choice of CPUs when comparing two value-for-money products from Team Red and Team Blue. However, the performance of a processor cannot directly be drawn from benchmarks when it comes to gaming.
This article will highlight the key features of AMD Ryzen 5 5600 and Intel Core i5 12400 alongside a few benchmark results.
Processor specs and benchmarks
The Core i5 12400 runs on Team Blue’s previous-generation architecture and uses the 10nm fabrication process. The Ryzen 5 5600 is also an older generation chipset built with the more recent 7nm process.
The i5 12400 and 5 5600 share common ground as both processors feature 6 cores and 12 threads. The differences surface with the base frequencies and dedicated cache memories.
The rated power draw for both products is 65 W, but the temperature lock is higher for Intel’s processor. The Core i5 12400 peaks at a temperature of 100°C while Team Red’s CPU sits at a limit of 90°C. AMD wins in power efficiency due to its modern fabrication process and higher base frequency.
In single and multi-core tests, the i5 12400 performs better than the Ryzen 5 5600 in the Cinebench R3. The outcome was similar when the processors were tested in Geekbench 5 for single and multi-core performances.
Conclusion: Which processor to pick?
The i5 12400 and the Ryzen 5 5600 are competitive choices for players when building a PC. Both CPUs can perform well under heavy loads and avoid bottlenecking most top-shelf graphics cards.
Despite Team Blue’s domination in the benchmarks and load tests, the Ryzen 5 5600 surprisingly runs better with some games. Some titles like Rainbow Six Siege, Cyberpunk 2077, and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive recorded higher frames per second (FPS). However, it is important to note that Team Blue has secured wins in triple-A titles like Red Dead Redemption and Far Cry 6.
Considering the small price gap between the two products, the Intel Core i5 12400 is a better option as the processor can run games smoothly and perform better under heavier computational loads.