AMD Ryzen 5 5600HS vs Intel Core i7-9700F Comparison

The Intel Core i7-9700F and AMD Ryzen 5 5600HS present a fascinating contrast in CPU design philosophy, with the final verdict depending entirely on which benchmark suite is consulted. The data shows a perfect split: each processor claims three wins in the six head-to-head tests, yet the margins of victory tell a more nuanced story. The Intel part, an 8-core, 8-thread desktop chip from the Coffee Lake era, and the AMD part, a 6-core, 12-thread mobile processor from the Zen 3 lineup, achieve nearly identical average benchmark scores (3464 vs 3447), placing them within 0.5% of each other in overall performance.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most dramatic divergence appears in the Cinebench R15 results, where the AMD Ryzen 5 5600HS delivers a decisive victory. In the multicore test, the AMD scores 1563 against Intel's 1126, a 28% advantage. The single-core R15 test shows a similar gap, with AMD leading 223 to 158, a 29.1% difference. These are the largest deltas in the entire comparison, and they suggest that in this particular workload, the Zen 3 architecture's efficiency provides a substantial edge. The Ryzen 5 5600HS also wins the Geekbench single-core test, though by a much narrower margin: 1569 against 1509, a 3.8% difference.

The Intel Core i7-9700F fights back decisively in the newer Cinebench R23 suite. Here, the Intel chip scores 11176 in multicore against AMD's 9564, a 16.9% advantage. The single-core R23 test also favors Intel, with 1577 against 1367, a 15.4% lead. The Geekbench multicore test completes Intel's wins, showing 6807 against AMD's 6395, a 6.4% margin. This pattern—AMD winning the older R15 tests and Intel winning the newer R23 tests—suggests that the two processors respond very differently to workload evolution, with Intel's additional two physical cores providing a structural advantage in certain multithreaded scenarios despite the AMD's superior thread count.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600HS clearly dominates in the Cinebench R15 benchmarks, both multicore and single-core. For applications that resemble this workload, the AMD chip offers a substantial performance uplift, exceeding Intel's scores by roughly 28-29%. The Geekbench single-core test also falls to AMD, indicating that in certain latency-sensitive, lightly threaded tasks, the Zen 3 architecture's higher instructions-per-clock is beneficial. This makes the 5600HS a strong candidate for scenarios prioritizing responsiveness in legacy or specific single-threaded applications.

The Intel Core i7-9700F is the clear winner in the Cinebench R23 suite, both multicore and single-core, and in the Geekbench multicore test. The R23 multicore victory is particularly significant, as the 16.9% margin demonstrates that Intel's eight physical cores can outperform AMD's six cores plus SMT in this modern rendering workload. The Geekbench multicore win, while smaller at 6.4%, reinforces this pattern. The i7-9700F appears better suited for contemporary multithreaded rendering tasks and general multi-core productivity workloads that scale with physical core count.

The Verdict

The data indicates that the choice between these two processors depends heavily on the target application environment. For users running older Cinebench R15-based workloads or specific single-threaded tasks where AMD wins, the Ryzen 5 5600HS is the superior option, offering up to 29.1% better performance. The AMD chip also benefits from a much lower 35W TDP compared to Intel's 65W, making it significantly more power-efficient, which is a critical factor for mobile platforms.

For users working with modern Cinebench R23 workloads or Geekbench multicore applications, the Intel Core i7-9700F is the stronger performer, with a 16.9% lead in the R23 multicore test. The Intel chip also boasts a higher boost clock of 4.70 GHz against AMD's 4.20 GHz, which contributes to its wins in the newer single-core tests. The i7-9700F is an end-of-life desktop part, while the Ryzen 5 5600HS is an active mobile processor, which should inform platform decisions. Ultimately, benchmark results indicate that the Intel chip wins in the majority of the modern workloads tested, but the AMD chip offers a compelling combination of efficiency and legacy performance.

FAQ

Q: Which processor has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The Intel Core i7-9700F has an average benchmark score of 3464, while the AMD Ryzen 5 5600HS has an average score of 3447, placing the Intel part 0.5% ahead.

Q: How do the two processors compare in Cinebench R23 multicore performance?

A: The Intel Core i7-9700F scores 11176, which is 16.9% higher than the AMD Ryzen 5 5600HS's score of 9564.

Q: What is the TDP difference between the two chips?

A: The Intel Core i7-9700F has a TDP of 65 watts, while the AMD Ryzen 5 5600HS has a TDP of 35 watts.

Q: Which processor has more physical cores and threads?

A: The Intel Core i7-9700F has 8 cores and 8 threads, whereas the AMD Ryzen 5 5600HS has 6 cores and 12 threads.

Q: In which benchmark does the AMD Ryzen 5 5600HS have its largest win over Intel?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 5600HS's largest win is in the Cinebench R15 single-core test, where it scores 223 against Intel's 158, a 29.1% difference.

Q: What are the release dates for these processors?

A: The Intel Core i7-9700F was released on 2019-04-22, and the AMD Ryzen 5 5600HS was released on 2021-01-11.

Architecture Differences

The two processors are built on fundamentally different architectures and manufacturing processes. The Intel Core i7-9700F uses the Coffee Lake architecture, specifically the Coffee Lake Refresh generation, fabricated on Intel's 14 nm process node with a die size of 180.3 mm². The AMD Ryzen 5 5600HS uses the Zen 3 architecture, codenamed Cezanne, fabricated on TSMC's 7 nm process node with a die size of 180 mm². The AMD chip integrates 10,700 million transistors, while the Intel chip's transistor count is not specified in the data. The Intel processor is built for the desktop market with an Intel Socket 1151, while the AMD processor targets the mobile market with an AMD Socket FP6.

The cache hierarchies also differ notably. Both have 64 KB of L1 cache per core, but the Intel chip has 256 KB of L2 cache per core, while the AMD chip has 512 KB per core. For L3 cache, the Intel Core i7-9700F has 12 MB shared, whereas the AMD Ryzen 5 5600HS has 16 MB shared. The AMD processor includes integrated Radeon Vega 7 graphics, while the Intel chip has no integrated graphics specified. Both support DDR4 memory with dual-channel buses, but the AMD chip has a higher memory bandwidth of 68.3 GB/s compared to Intel's 42.7 GB/s. The Intel chip uses PCIe Gen 3 with 16 lanes (CPU only), while the AMD chip uses PCIe Gen 3 without a lane count specified. Neither processor supports ECC memory, and both have locked multipliers.

Specification Differences

The core and thread counts differ significantly: the Intel Core i7-9700F has 8 cores and 8 threads, while the AMD Ryzen 5 5600HS has 6 cores and 12 threads. The base clocks are identical at 3.00 GHz, but the boost clocks differ, with Intel reaching 4.70 GHz and AMD reaching 4.20 GHz. The TDP also differs substantially, with Intel at 65 watts and AMD at 35 watts. The Intel chip supports DDR4 memory with a maximum bandwidth of 42.7 GB/s, while the AMD chip also supports DDR4 but with a higher bandwidth of 68.3 GB/s. The Intel processor has a launch MSRP of $333, while the AMD processor has no listed launch MSRP. The production status differs, with the Intel chip being end-of-life and the AMD chip being active. The sockets are completely different, with the Intel using Intel Socket 1151 and the AMD using AMD Socket FP6, making them incompatible with each other's platforms. The process nodes and foundries differ as well: Intel uses 14 nm from its own foundry, while AMD uses 7 nm from TSMC. The market segments are distinct, with the Intel part aimed at desktop and the AMD part aimed at mobile. The part numbers are SRG14 for Intel and 100-000000296 for AMD.