AMD Ryzen 9 PRO 5945 vs Intel Core i5-14600K Comparison

The Intel Core i5-14600K and the AMD Ryzen 9 PRO 5945 are both desktop processors that sit in the 90th percentile of all CPUs according to average benchmark scores. The Intel part holds a higher average benchmark score of 48618, with a 0.8% lead over the AMD Ryzen 9 PRO 5945, which records an average score of 47527. The data shows a clear split in workload types each processor dominates, with Intel winning 12 head-to-head tests against the AMD’s five wins in the recorded database comparisons.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most dominant performance edge for the Intel Core i5-14600K appears in passmark floating point math, where it posts a score of 92794, a full 32% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 PRO 5945's score of 70291. This trend continues in cinebench r15 multicore testing, where the Intel chip delivers a score of 3640 against the AMD Ryzen 9 PRO 5945's 2959, a 23% advantage. The Intel processor shows a 39.6% advantage in passmark physics with a score of 2473 compared to the AMD's 1772, and a 22% lead in passmark single thread with a score of 4270 over the AMD's 3499.

The Intel Core i5-14600K also wins in data compression tests, scoring 482020 against the AMD's 416599 for a 15.7% edge, and in random string sorting with a score of 51949 over the AMD's 43447 for a 19.6% gain. Smaller but notable wins for Intel include a 12% lead in passmark multithread, a score of 38682 versus 34549, an 11.2% win in cinebench r20 multicore with a score of 13709 against the AMD's 12333, a 5.6% win in extended instructions, and a 4.6% win in data encryption with a score of 27533 over the AMD's 26313.

The AMD Ryzen 9 PRO 5945, conversely, has its most significant win in cinebench r23 multicore, where it posts a score of 29366 versus the Intel's 24491, a 16.6% advantage. AMD also wins the cinebench r23 singlecore test with a huge 50.2% margin, scoring 4145 against Intel's 2064, and in cinebench r15 singlecore with a 28.8% lead, scoring 417 versus the Intel's 297. The AMD chip wins passmark find prime numbers with a score of 228 against the Intel's 162, a 28.9% edge, and in integer math with a score of 129768 versus the Intel's 125737 for a 3.1% win.

Where Each One Wins

The Intel Core i5-14600K is the stronger option for workloads that stress floating point calculations and physics simulations. The data shows it leads by 32% in floating point math, and by 39.6% in the physics test, making it the clear choice for those compute types. The Intel processor also demonstrates a consistent edge across general productivity tasks, with wins in data compression at 15.7%, random string sorting at 19.6%, and data encryption at 4.6%, alongside a 22% lead in single-thread performance. For users running multithreaded workloads like video encoding, the Intel chip's 12% win in passmark multithread and its 11.2% win in cinebench r20 multicore show that it can handle mixed parallel work well.

The AMD Ryzen 9 PRO 5945 wins in integer math with a score of 129768, and it has a massive 50.2% lead in cinebench r23 singlecore, which points to a very efficient single-thread execution for specific rendering tasks. Its 28.9% win in find prime numbers and 28.8% lead in cinebench r15 singlecore indicate a strength in certain algorithmic workloads. Most importantly, the AMD chip beats the Intel part in the demanding cinebench r23 multicore test by 16.6%, which shows it can pull ahead in sustained all-core rendering loads despite losing the other multicore tests.

Architecture Differences

The two processors are built on fundamentally different architectures and process nodes. The Intel Core i5-14600K uses the Raptor Lake-R architecture on a 10 nm process from Intel, with a die size of 257 mm². The AMD Ryzen 9 PRO 5945 uses the Zen 3 architecture, codenamed Vermeer, on a 7 nm process from TSMC, with a die size of 2x 74 mm². The Intel chip has 14 cores with 20 threads, while the AMD chip has 12 cores with 24 threads, so AMD has more threads despite fewer physical cores. The Intel chip has a higher base clock at 3.50 GHz and a higher boost clock at 5.30 GHz, compared to the AMD's 3.00 GHz base and 4.70 GHz boost.

Cache configurations differ substantially. The Intel Core i5-14600K uses 80 KB of L1 cache per core, 2 MB of L2 cache per core, and 24 MB of shared L3 cache. The AMD Ryzen 9 PRO 5945 uses 64 KB of L1 cache per core, 512 KB of L2 cache per core, and a much larger 64 MB of L3 cache. The transistor counts also differ, with the AMD chip containing 8,300 million transistors, while the Intel chip's transistor count is not recorded in the database. Memory support differs as well: the Intel part supports both DDR4 and DDR5 with dual-channel memory, while the AMD part supports only DDR4 with dual-channel memory and has a recorded memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s. The Intel chip features integrated graphics with UHD Graphics 770, while the AMD chip has no integrated graphics. The Intel chip uses PCIe Gen 5 with 16 lanes, the AMD chip uses PCIe Gen 4 with 20 lanes, and both support ECC memory. The Intel chip has an unlocked multiplier, the AMD chip does not, and the Intel chip has a higher TDP of 125 watts compared to the AMD's 65 watts.

FAQ

Q: Which processor has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The Intel Core i5-14600K has an average benchmark score of 48618, which is 0.8% higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 PRO 5945's average score of 47527.

Q: Which CPU wins the most head-to-head tests?

A: The Intel Core i5-14600K wins 12 of the 17 recorded head-to-head benchmark tests, while the AMD Ryzen 9 PRO 5945 wins 5.

Q: Where does the AMD Ryzen 9 PRO 5945 show its biggest advantage?

A: The AMD Ryzen 9 PRO 5945 is 50.2% ahead of the Intel Core i5-14600K in the cinebench r23 singlecore test, with a score of 4145 versus 2064.

Q: Does the AMD chip have more cores than the Intel chip?

A: No, the Intel Core i5-14600K has 14 cores, while the AMD Ryzen 9 PRO 5945 has 12 cores, but the AMD chip has more threads with 24 threads versus the Intel's 20.

Q: What is the difference in the L3 cache sizes?

A: The AMD Ryzen 9 PRO 5945 has a much larger L3 cache at 64 MB, while the Intel Core i5-14600K has 24 MB of shared L3 cache.

Q: Which processor has integrated graphics?

A: The Intel Core i5-14600K includes UHD Graphics 770, while the AMD Ryzen 9 PRO 5945 has no integrated graphics.

Specification Differences

The Intel Core i5-14600K and AMD Ryzen 9 PRO 5945 differ in several key specifications. The Intel chip has 14 cores and 20 threads, while the AMD chip has 12 cores and 24 threads. The base clock is 3.50 GHz on the Intel part versus 3.00 GHz on the AMD part, and the boost clock is 5.30 GHz on the Intel part versus 4.70 GHz on the AMD part. The TDP is 125 watts for the Intel chip and 65 watts for the AMD chip. The Intel chip uses the Intel Socket 1700, and the AMD chip uses the AMD Socket AM4. The process node is 10 nm for Intel and 7 nm for AMD, with the AMD chip made by TSMC and the Intel chip by Intel. The die size is 257 mm² for Intel and 2x 74 mm² for AMD. The Intel chip has 80 KB of L1 cache per core, 2 MB of L2 cache per core, and 24 MB of shared L3 cache, while the AMD chip has 64 KB of L1 cache per core, 512 KB of L2 cache per core, and 64 MB of L3 cache. The AMD chip has 8,300 million transistors, and the Intel chip's count is not recorded. Memory support is DDR4 and DDR5 for Intel and DDR4 only for AMD, with a recorded memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s for the AMD chip. The Intel chip has PCIe Gen 5 with 16 lanes, and the AMD chip has PCIe Gen 4 with 20 lanes. The Intel chip has integrated graphics, the AMD chip does not. The Intel chip has an unlocked multiplier, the AMD chip does not. The Intel chip has a launch MSRP of $319, and the AMD chip has no recorded launch MSRP. The Intel chip was released on 2023-10-16, and the AMD chip on 2022-04-03.

The Verdict

For users prioritizing floating point math, physics simulations, and general single-threaded responsiveness, the data makes the Intel Core i5-14600K the clear choice. The Intel chip's 32% lead in floating point math and its 39.6% lead in physics, combined with a 22% win in single-thread performance, show it handles these workloads with a significant margin. The Intel chip also covers a broad range of everyday tasks, winning in data compression, encryption, and random string sorting, and it offers integrated graphics for systems without a dedicated GPU.

For users running sustained all-core rendering workloads, the AMD Ryzen 9 PRO 5945 is the stronger pick. Its 16.6% win in cinebench r23 multicore, along with a 50.2% lead in cinebench r23 singlecore, indicates a powerful rendering performance profile. The AMD chip is also the better option for integer math and prime number finding, with wins of 3.1% and 28.9% respectively, and it does this with a 65-watt TDP. The choice between the two comes down to the specific workload: Intel for float-heavy and mixed productivity tasks, AMD for rendering and integer-focused calculations.