AMD Ryzen 5 4600HS vs Intel Core i7-5960X Comparison

The AMD Ryzen 5 4600HS and Intel Core i7-5960X sit at the same 54th percentile of all CPUs and have nearly identical average benchmark scores (3444 vs 3442), but their performance profiles could hardly be more different. The Ryzen is a 2020 mobile chip built on a 7nm process, while the Core i7 is a 2014 desktop extreme processor on 22nm. The data shows a clear split: the AMD part dominates in Cinebench and single-threaded tests, while the Intel part wins decisively in Geekbench multi-core.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The Ryzen 5 4600HS wins seven of the eight head-to-head benchmark comparisons, and its margins in Cinebench are remarkably consistent. Across Cinebench R15, R20, and R23, the AMD chip leads by 5.2% to 5.5% in every test. In Cinebench R15 multi-core, the 4600HS scores 1226 versus 1165 for the i7-5960X, a 5.2% advantage. The single-core R15 result is similar: 173 versus 164, a 5.5% lead. This pattern repeats in Cinebench R20 multi-core (5111 vs 4857, +5.2%) and single-core (721 vs 685, +5.3%). In Cinebench R23, the Ryzen posts 12171 multi-core and 1718 single-core, against 11565 and 1632 for the Intel part, again with leads of 5.2% and 5.3%.

The most dramatic single-core result comes from Geekbench, where the 4600HS scores 1293 against the i7-5960X's 1010. That is a 28% advantage for the AMD chip, the largest delta in the entire comparison. The Ryzen's newer Zen 2 architecture clearly extracts far more work per clock than the older Haswell design.

However, Geekbench multi-core flips the script entirely. Here, the Intel Core i7-5960X scores 6461, while the Ryzen 5 4600HS manages only 5135. That is a 20.5% win for Intel, and it is the only benchmark where the older chip comes out ahead. The i7-5960X's extra two cores and four threads (8 cores/16 threads versus 6 cores/12 threads) likely drive this result, as Geekbench's multi-core test scales more aggressively with raw core count than Cinebench does.

Looking at the delta percentages, Cinebench results are tightly clustered around a 5% win for AMD, while the two Geekbench tests are extreme outliers in opposite directions. This suggests the i7-5960X's advantage is workload-specific rather than general. The average benchmark scores confirm the overall parity: 3444 for the Ryzen versus 3442 for the i7, with a deltaPct of 0. The nearest rivals list also shows both chips trading places with the Intel Core i7-10870H and AMD Ryzen 5 5600HS, all within a 0.1% delta of each other.

FAQ

Q: Which processor has the higher multi-core Cinebench R23 score?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 4600HS scores 12171, which is 5.2% higher than the Intel Core i7-5960X's 11565.

Q: How big is the gap in Geekbench single-core performance?

A: The Ryzen 5 4600HS leads by 28%, scoring 1293 versus 1010 for the i7-5960X. This is the largest single-core margin in the head-to-head data.

Q: Does the Intel chip win any benchmark?

A: Yes, the Intel Core i7-5960X wins Geekbench multi-core with a score of 6461, which is 20.5% higher than the Ryzen's 5135.

Q: How do the average benchmark scores compare?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 4600HS has an average benchmark score of 3444, while the Intel Core i7-5960X averages 3442. The deltaPct between them is 0, indicating statistical parity.

Q: What is the core and thread difference?

A: The Intel Core i7-5960X has 8 cores and 16 threads, while the AMD Ryzen 5 4600HS has 6 cores and 12 threads.

Q: Which chip has the higher boost clock?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 4600HS boosts to 4.00 GHz, whereas the Intel Core i7-5960X boosts to 3.50 GHz. Both have a base clock of 3.00 GHz.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Ryzen 5 4600HS is the clear winner for single-threaded and lightly-threaded workloads. Its 28% lead in Geekbench single-core and consistent 5.3-5.5% advantages in Cinebench single-core tests make it the better choice for everyday responsiveness, office work, and applications that rely on a few fast cores. The 5.2% edge in Cinebench R23 multi-core also means it handles most modern rendering tasks more efficiently, despite having fewer cores. The 4600HS wins 7 out of 8 benchmarks, so for the vast majority of applications, it is simply faster.

The Intel Core i7-5960X wins specifically in Geekbench multi-core, where its 20.5% advantage (6461 vs 5135) suggests it excels in workloads that Geekbench's multi-core test emphasizes—likely those that scale well with 16 threads. If a user's primary application produces Geekbench-like multi-core scores, the i7-5960X would be the stronger part. However, this appears to be an isolated case, as the same 8-core/16-thread configuration loses by 5.2% in Cinebench R23 multi-core, indicating that the Intel chip's advantage does not translate across all multi-threaded tests.

For a practical builder, the choice depends on whether the target software resembles Cinebench (AMD wins) or Geekbench multi-core (Intel wins). Given that Cinebench is a standard for rendering and content creation, the Ryzen's broad consistency makes it the safer bet for most real-world tasks. The i7-5960X is a niche pick for Geekbench-favoring workloads.

Specification Differences

The two processors differ in nearly every physical and platform specification. The AMD Ryzen 5 4600HS has 6 cores and 12 threads, while the Intel Core i7-5960X has 8 cores and 16 threads. Both share a 3.00 GHz base clock, but the Ryzen boosts to 4.00 GHz versus the i7's 3.50 GHz. The most dramatic difference is TDP: the Ryzen draws 35W, while the i7 consumes 140W—a four-fold gap.

Memory support is identical in type (DDR4) and bandwidth (68.3 GB/s), but the bus width differs: the Ryzen uses dual-channel, while the i7 uses quad-channel. The Intel chip offers more PCIe lanes (40 lanes) compared to the Ryzen's standard Gen 3, though both are PCIe Gen 3. The Ryzen includes integrated Radeon RX Vega 6 graphics; the i7 has no integrated graphics. The Ryzen uses AMD Socket FP6, while the i7 fits Intel Socket 2011-3. The i7 has an unlocked multiplier, whereas the Ryzen's is locked. The Ryzen is active in production; the i7 is end-of-life. The release dates are 2020-01-05 for AMD and 2014-08-31 for Intel.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap is fundamental. The AMD Ryzen 5 4600HS is built on Zen 2 architecture (codename Renoir) using a 7nm process from TSMC, with 9,800 million transistors on a 156 mm² die. The Intel Core i7-5960X uses Haswell architecture (codename Haswell-E) on Intel's 22nm process, with 2,600 million transistors on a 356 mm² die. The Ryzen packs nearly four times as many transistors into less than half the die area, explaining its efficiency advantage.

Cache configurations also differ significantly. Both have 64 KB L1 per core, but the Ryzen has 512 KB L2 per core versus 256 KB for the i7. The L3 cache is the biggest difference: the Ryzen has 8 MB shared, while the i7 has 20 MB shared. The i7's larger L3 may help in some cache-heavy workloads, but the Ryzen's smaller per-core footprint and superior IPC from Zen 2 appear to compensate.

The Ryzen's integrated Radeon RX Vega 6 GPU is a major architectural addition absent from the i7. The Intel part relies on discrete graphics entirely. The Ryzen is a mobile part (Socket FP6) designed for power efficiency, while the i7 is a desktop extreme part (Socket 2011-3) built for maximum throughput at the cost of power. The i7's unlocked multiplier allows overclocking, which could close some gaps, but the data here reflects stock performance.

The Verdict

The data points to a straightforward conclusion: the AMD Ryzen 5 4600HS is the superior processor for nearly every scenario measured. It wins 7 of 8 benchmarks, including all Cinebench tests and Geekbench single-core. Its 5.2% lead in Cinebench R23 multi-core is particularly telling, as that workload is a modern standard for CPU rendering performance. The 28% Geekbench single-core advantage makes it the obvious pick for general-purpose computing where single-thread speed matters.

The Intel Core i7-5960X should only be chosen if the target application specifically matches its Geekbench multi-core strength, where it leads by 20.5%. That single win, however, cannot offset six Cinebench losses and one Geekbench single-core loss. The i7's 140W TDP versus the Ryzen's 35W also makes it a far more power-hungry choice, which is relevant for system cooling and energy costs.

For a builder choosing today, the Ryzen 5 4600HS offers better performance per watt, a modern architecture, and integrated graphics. The i7-5960X is an end-of-life desktop part with no production status, making it a legacy option at best. The benchmark parity in average scores (3444 vs 3442) is misleading; the distribution of wins heavily favors AMD. Pick the Ryzen for its consistency, efficiency, and single-core dominance. Pick the i7 only if a specific Geekbench-heavy workload is the sole priority.