AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 4450U vs Intel Core i5-9600 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data shows a clean sweep for the AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 4450U across all six shared benchmark tests, though the margins are consistently narrow. In Cinebench R15 multicore, the Ryzen scores 829 against 820 for the Intel Core i5-9600, a 1.1% advantage. The single-core R15 result follows the same pattern: 116 versus 115, a 0.9% edge for AMD. These are small deltas, but they are uniform across every workload.

Moving to Cinebench R20, the multicore test shows the Ryzen at 3456 and the Intel at 3419, again a 1.1% gap. The single-core R20 result is 487 versus 482, a 1% lead for the AMD part. The newest Cinebench R23 iteration repeats the story: 8230 versus 8141 in multicore (1.1% delta) and 1161 versus 1149 in single-core (1% delta). No Intel win appears in any test, so the Ryzen 3 PRO 4450U takes all six head-to-head matchups.

The practical takeaway is that the AMD chip edges ahead in both lightly threaded and fully threaded rendering workloads. The margins are small enough that they might not be noticeable in everyday use, but the direction is consistent. For Cinebench specifically, the Ryzen leads by roughly one point per hundred in every run, which suggests a slight architectural efficiency advantage rather than a single outlier test.

FAQ

Q: Which processor wins in multi-core performance?

A: The AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 4450U wins all three multi-core Cinebench tests. It scores 829, 3456, and 8230 in R15, R20, and R23 respectively, versus 820, 3419, and 8141 for the Intel Core i5-9600. The delta is 1.1% in each case.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-9600 better in single-core performance?

A: No. The AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 4450U also leads in every single-core test: 116 versus 115 in R15, 487 versus 482 in R20, and 1161 versus 1149 in R23. The advantage ranges from 0.9% to 1%.

Q: How do their overall benchmark averages compare?

A: The Ryzen 3 PRO 4450U has an average benchmark score of 2413, while the Core i5-9600 averages 2354. Both sit at the 48th percentile among all CPUs in the database.

Q: Which CPU has more cores and threads?

A: The Intel Core i5-9600 has 6 cores and 6 threads. The AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 4450U has 4 cores and 8 threads. Despite fewer physical cores, the AMD part still wins every multi-core benchmark in the comparison.

Q: What generation and architecture does each use?

A: The AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 4450U is a Ryzen 3 from the 4000 series, built on Zen 2 (Renoir) at 7 nm. The Intel Core i5-9600 is a Coffee Lake Refresh part from the Core i5 generation, built on 14 nm.

Q: Which CPU is still in production?

A: The AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 4450U is listed as Active. The Intel Core i5-9600 is listed as End-of-life.

The Verdict

The data points to the AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 4450U as the stronger processor in this direct comparison. It wins all six shared benchmarks, and its average benchmark score of 2413 sits above the Intel part's 2354. The Intel Core i5-9600 does not win a single recorded test, so there is no benchmark-based argument for choosing it over the AMD chip.

However, the margins are tight. A 1.1% multicore lead and a 1% single-core lead are not transformative differences. The Ryzen achieves this with lower power consumption and a smaller process node, but the raw performance gap between the two is minor. For users who already own a Socket 1151 platform, the Core i5-9600 remains a capable desktop processor. For anyone choosing between these two specifically, the recorded benchmarks favor the Ryzen 3 PRO 4450U across the board.

Specification Differences

The two processors differ substantially in core configuration. The Intel Core i5-9600 offers 6 cores and 6 threads, while the AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 4450U offers 4 cores and 8 threads. The Intel part has higher clock speeds: a base clock of 3.10 GHz and a boost clock of 4.50 GHz, compared to 2.40 GHz base and 3.70 GHz boost for the AMD chip.

Power and platform targets diverge clearly. The AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 4450U is a 15 W mobile part on AMD Socket FP6, while the Intel Core i5-9600 is a 65 W desktop part on Intel Socket 1151. The AMD chip uses DDR4 memory with a dual-channel bus and 68.3 GB/s bandwidth; the Intel chip also uses dual-channel DDR4 but with 42.7 GB/s bandwidth. Both support PCIe Gen 3, though the Intel part specifies 16 lanes from the CPU.

Memory bandwidth favors AMD by a wide margin: 68.3 GB/s versus 42.7 GB/s. The AMD chip uses Radeon Graphics with 320 SPs as its integrated GPU, while the Intel chip uses UHD 630. The Ryzen is a 2020 release and remains Active in production; the Core i5-9600 launched in 2018 and is End-of-life. Neither processor has an unlocked multiplier.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap is significant. The AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 4450U is built on Zen 2 with the Renoir codename, fabricated by TSMC at 7 nm. It packs 9,800 million transistors into a 156 mm² die. The Intel Core i5-9600 uses the Coffee Lake architecture with the Coffee Lake Refresh codename, fabricated by Intel at 14 nm. No transistor count or die size is recorded for the Intel chip.

Cache hierarchies differ in structure. Both have 64 KB of L1 per core, but the AMD chip has 512 KB of L2 per core versus 256 KB per core for Intel. The L3 cache is 4 MB shared on the AMD part, while the Intel part has 9 MB shared. That gives the Intel chip a larger total L3 pool, but the AMD chip has a larger per-core L2 allocation.

The process node advantage is substantial: 7 nm versus 14 nm. This helps explain how the Ryzen achieves competitive or better performance while operating at a 15 W TDP compared to the Intel part's 65 W TDP. The AMD chip also uses a newer memory controller, delivering 68.3 GB/s of bandwidth versus 42.7 GB/s for Intel, which likely contributes to its consistent benchmark wins despite having fewer physical cores.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 4450U wins every benchmark category in this comparison. It leads in Cinebench R15, R20, and R23, both multicore and single-core. Its edge is consistent at around 1% in most tests. The Ryzen also has the higher average benchmark score at 2413 versus 2354 for Intel.

Its wins come despite a 4-core, 8-thread configuration facing a 6-core, 6-thread design. The combination of Zen 2 efficiency, a 7 nm process, and significantly higher memory bandwidth appears to overcome the Intel chip's extra two physical cores and higher clock speeds. For rendering workloads in Cinebench, the AMD chip is the better pick.

The Intel Core i5-9600 does not record a single benchmark win in this dataset. Its strengths lie outside the tested metrics: it has a higher base clock (3.10 GHz versus 2.40 GHz) and boost clock (4.50 GHz versus 3.70 GHz), plus a larger shared L3 cache at 9 MB versus 4 MB. For workloads that are highly clock-sensitive and not captured in these Cinebench runs, the Intel part could still be competitive. But based on the recorded benchmarks alone, the AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 4450U is the clear choice for both single-threaded and multi-threaded rendering tasks.

For a mobile or low-power build, the Ryzen is the obvious pick given its 15 W TDP and Active production status. For a desktop platform where the Socket 1151 board is already in place, the Core i5-9600 remains a functional option, but the data does not show it beating the Ryzen in any measured workload.