AMD Ryzen 5 3501U vs Intel Core i5-9600K Comparison

The Intel Core i5-9600K and AMD Ryzen 5 3501U occupy different corners of the processor market, yet their benchmark scores place them in a surprisingly close overall tier. The data shows a 10-to-1 win split in head-to-head tests, with the Intel part dominating nearly every workload category. However, the single AMD victory is a stark reminder that raw core counts and clock speeds do not tell the whole story. Both processors land at the 69th percentile among all CPUs, and their average benchmark scores differ by only about 2%, making this a fascinating study in architectural trade-offs rather than a simple knockout.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most lopsided result in the entire comparison is in extended instructions, where the Intel Core i5-9600K scores 12,914 against the AMD Ryzen 5 3501U's 3,274. That is a staggering 294.4% delta, indicating a massive advantage in SIMD and vectorized workloads. This is not a marginal edge; it is a generational gap in execution capability. The i5-9600K also wins prime number finding by 104.8%, scoring 43 versus 21, which points to superior integer throughput per clock. Floating-point math follows a similar pattern, with Intel leading 24,913 to 12,707, a 96.1% margin that reinforces the idea that the desktop part is simply executing more instructions per cycle.

Data compression is another Intel stronghold, with the i5-9600K posting 148,639 versus 87,380, a 70.1% advantage. Random string sorting shows a 75.8% lead for Intel, scoring 18,313 against 10,414. These are memory-latency-sensitive tasks, and the i5-9600K's larger cache and higher memory bandwidth appear to pay dividends. The multithread score of 10,636 versus 7,071 represents a 50.4% win for Intel, which is significant given that the AMD part draws only 15W. Physics simulation follows at 54.5% in Intel's favor, with scores of 746 and 483 respectively.

Single-thread performance is closer but still firmly Intel's, with 2,727 versus 2,136, a 27.7% delta. Integer math is the tightest race among the Intel wins, with 29,215 versus 26,321, an 11% margin. This suggests that for basic ALU operations, the AMD chip is not far off despite its lower clock speeds. The only AMD victory is in data encryption, where the Ryzen 5 3501U scores 5,580 against Intel's 3,269, a 41.4% reverse delta. This is a notable anomaly, as encryption workloads often benefit from dedicated AES instructions and memory-level parallelism, areas where the Picasso architecture appears to excel. The data implies that AMD's mobile chip has a specialized advantage in security-related tasks, even if it loses everywhere else.

FAQ

Q: Which processor wins the majority of benchmark comparisons?

A: The Intel Core i5-9600K wins 10 of the 11 head-to-head tests, with the AMD Ryzen 5 3501U taking only the data encryption benchmark.

Q: How large is the performance gap in multithreaded workloads?

A: The i5-9600K scores 10,636 in PassMark multithread, which is 50.4% higher than the Ryzen 5 3501U's 7,071.

Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 5 3501U competitive in any specific area?

A: Yes, the data encryption test shows the Ryzen 5 3501U leading by 41.4%, scoring 5,580 versus 3,269.

Q: What is the difference in their average benchmark scores?

A: The Intel part has an average score of 14,605, while the AMD part averages 14,320, a difference of roughly 2% in Intel's favor.

Q: Do both processors occupy the same overall performance percentile?

A: Yes, both the Intel Core i5-9600K and the AMD Ryzen 5 3501U are listed at the 69th percentile of all CPUs.

Q: What are the closest rivals for each processor based on average score?

A: The i5-9600K's nearest rival is the AMD Ryzen 5 5500U with a 0.1% delta, while the Ryzen 5 3501U's closest is the AMD Ryzen Embedded V2546 with a -0.1% delta.

Architecture Differences

The Intel Core i5-9600K is built on the Coffee Lake architecture using a 14 nm process node from Intel's own foundry. It is a desktop part with 6 cores and 6 threads, lacking simultaneous multithreading. The AMD Ryzen 5 3501U uses the Picasso codename, which is based on the Zen+ architecture, and is manufactured on a 12 nm node by GlobalFoundries. This is a mobile processor with 4 cores and 4 threads, also without SMT. The process node difference is small but meaningful, as AMD's 12 nm node is a refinement of the older 14 nm process, while Intel's 14 nm has been heavily optimized over several generations.

Cache layouts diverge significantly. The i5-9600K has 64 KB of L1 per core, 256 KB of L2 per core, and 9 MB of shared L3 cache. The Ryzen 5 3501U offers 96 KB of L1 per core and 512 KB of L2 per core, but only 4 MB of shared L3. The AMD part's larger per-core caches are balanced by a much smaller total L3 pool, which likely explains its deficits in cache-sensitive benchmarks like data compression. The transistor count and die size also differ: the AMD chip has 4,940 million transistors on a 210 mm² die, while the Intel data does not list these figures.

The integrated graphics are a major architectural split. Intel uses the UHD 630, while AMD includes Radeon Vega 8. Neither is a gaming powerhouse, but the Vega 8 is generally considered more capable, though the benchmark data does not include graphics tests. The i5-9600K supports PCIe Gen 3 with 16 lanes from the CPU, while the Ryzen 5 3501U lists PCIe Gen 3 without a lane count, typical of a mobile chip with fewer available lanes. The Intel part has an unlocked multiplier, enabling overclocking, while the AMD chip is locked.

Specification Differences

The most obvious specification difference is core count: the i5-9600K has 6 cores versus 4 on the Ryzen 5 3501U. Base clocks are far apart, with Intel at 3.70 GHz and AMD at 2.10 GHz. Boost clocks show the same pattern, with Intel reaching 4.60 GHz and AMD stopping at 3.70 GHz. Thermal design power is a stark contrast: the Intel part draws 95W, while the AMD part is rated at just 15W. This is a 6.3x difference in power envelope, explaining why the Intel chip can sustain much higher clock speeds.

Memory bandwidth favors Intel at 42.7 GB/s versus AMD's 38.4 GB/s, both using dual-channel DDR4. The socket types are incompatible: Intel uses Socket 1151, while AMD uses Socket FP5. The production statuses differ, with Intel listed as end-of-life and AMD as active. Release dates are also distinct, with Intel launching in October 2018 and AMD dated for May 2026 in the data. The AMD part has a specific part number (YM3501C4T4MFG) and belongs to the 3000 series, while Intel's part number is SR3WZ. Neither has a launch MSRP listed.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous for performance-focused users: the Intel Core i5-9600K is the superior processor in almost every measurable way. It wins 10 of 11 benchmarks, often by wide margins, and its average score of 14,605 edges out the Ryzen 5 3501U's 14,320. The Intel part's 6 cores, higher clocks, and larger L3 cache translate directly into wins across multithread, single-thread, and math-heavy workloads. For anyone building a desktop that prioritizes raw compute, the i5-9600K is the clear choice, provided the 95W power draw and end-of-life status are acceptable.

The Ryzen 5 3501U is not without merit, however. Its 15W TDP makes it suitable for thin-and-light laptops where battery life and thermals matter more than peak performance. The single encryption win suggests it has a specialized strength, and its active production status means it remains available for new designs. The data does not support choosing the AMD part for general performance, but for mobile platforms where power efficiency is paramount, the Ryzen 5 3501U's modest performance is a reasonable trade-off. The verdict is not a tie, but it is a split decision based on use case.

Where Each One Wins

The Intel Core i5-9600K wins in every category except one. For content creation, the 50.4% multithread advantage and 96.1% floating-point lead make it the better choice for rendering, video encoding, and scientific computation. The 294.4% extended instructions win is critical for software that leverages AVX or similar instruction sets, such as digital signal processing or certain physics simulations. The 70.1% data compression lead benefits database workloads and file archiving. The 27.7% single-thread advantage helps in older games and applications that rely on one or two fast cores. The 104.8% prime number lead indicates stronger integer logic, useful in cryptography and hashing outside of the AES-specific path.

The AMD Ryzen 5 3501U wins only the data encryption test, and that is where it should be deployed. This makes it suitable for security-focused mobile tasks, such as VPN endpoints, encrypted storage solutions, or any workload that heavily utilizes AES-NI. Its 15W TDP also makes it the only viable option for fanless or ultra-portable designs. The data suggests that for a laptop primarily used for encrypted communications or secure data processing, the Ryzen 5 3501U offers a measurable advantage over the Intel part, despite losing elsewhere. For every other task, the i5-9600K's benchmark dominance is the deciding factor.