If you are thinking about trying AMD and want to get an equivalent to the i5 series CPU, then you should consider the Ryzen 5 series.
While this is a really generic answer, and there are a lot of different characteristics that define which AMD is equivalent to the i5, the Ryzen 5 series chips are the closest you can get for both in price and performance.
So below, we are going to talk more in-depth about Ryzen 5, and how it stacks up against the Intel i5.
WHAT IS The AMD EQUIVALENT TO INTEL CORE I5?
As already mentioned, the Ryzen 5 series is AMD equivalent to Intel Core i5. A good thing about Ryzen 5 processors is that they not only have a good price but also perform really well in tasks such as video editing, gaming, and multitasking.
Compared to the i5, Ryzen 5 does better in multi-core tasks, and since the Ryzen 5 uses 8 cores in its top model, this can be a huge advantage in certain situations. On the other hand, i5 is better at single-core performance, which is the reason why it performs better in MMO games.
Related Article: What Is AMD Equivalent To Intel Core I7?
AMD Ryzen 5 Vs Intel i5
While both these CPUs are in the mid-range, they can be used for all kinds of tasks, and if you are not planning on doing anything exceptionally demanding but want a fast CPU at a lower price, then you can choose either of these two.
But let’s talk about the performance difference and what you can expect.
In general, the Intel i5s are considered more powerful than the Ryzen 5 CPUs when it comes to raw performance, but the Ryzen chips also perform extremely well.
The max clock speed of the i5 is 4.9 GHz, while Ryzen 5’s 4.6 GHz. While this might seem like a big difference, it is not that much in reality, and both CPUs can perform extremely well when doing demanding tasks.
When it comes to the number of cores and threads, both the i5 and the Ryzen 5 have 6 cores and 12 threads on their top models.
Finally, when it comes to power consumption, both of them use pretty much the same amount of power, ranging from 65 to 95 watts depending on the model.
But let’s go deeper and see some of the top Ryzen 5 CPUs and some of the best i5 CPUs.
Related Article: Can I Upgrade My Laptop Processor?
Top Ryzen 5 Processors
As already mentioned, the Ryzen 5 lineup offers a great performance for a lower price, and below we have listed some top models from this series. Keep in mind that at the time of writing this article, Ryzen just released the 6th generation CPUs for laptops, but there is no information about when the 6th gen desktop CPUs will be released.
Ryzen 5 5600X
The Ryzen 5 5600x is one of the most powerful AMD CPUs in this lineup, and it comes with 6 cores and 12 threads. It has a base clock speed of 3.7 GHz, but thanks to AMD’s XFR (eXtended Frequency Range) technology, you can get the CPU running at speeds of up to 4.6GHz on all 6 cores.
The L3 cache of the Ryzen 5 5600x is 32MB, and it has up to 20 PCIe lanes, which is pretty good. Finally, the TDP of this CPU is 65 watts, but you can expect to heat up to 95W when using all the cores (which you should not do).
Related Article: 9 Best Motherboards For Ryzen 5 5600x
AMD Ryzen 5 3600X
The Ryzen 5 3600x is pretty similar to the 5600x, which means that it has 6 cores and 12 threads. The base clock speed of this CPU is 3.8 GHz, but thanks to AMD’s XFR technology, you can get it running at up to 4.4GHz on all cores.
The L3 cache is at the same level as the Ryzen 5 5600x, which is 32MB. The number of PCIe lanes is higher than the 5600X, up to 24.
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
An older generation CPU from the Ryzen 5 lineup is the 2600X, which has 6 cores and 12 threads. The base clock speed of this CPU is 3.6 GHz, but you can get it running at up to 4.2GHz.
The L3 cache memory of this 2nd generation CPU is lower than that of the Ryzen 5 CPUs mentioned above, at 16MB. There are also fewer PCIe lanes, up to 20.
AMD Ryzen 5 1500X
Finally, the Ryzen 5 1500X is a first-generation Ryzen CPU with 4 cores and 8 threads. As with the CPUs mentioned above, this one also comes with a base clock speed of 3.5 GHz and can be boosted to 3.7GHz.
The L3 cache is lower than most Ryzen 5 processors, as it only has a 16MB memory cache. There are 24 PCIe lanes, but they are PCIe 3.0.
Related Article: Does Ryzen Have Integrated Graphics?
Top i5 CPUs
The i5 processors offer great performance for an affordable price compared to other Intel series like the i7, and below, we have listed some of these CPUs.
i5-12600K
The Intel i5-12600K is a monster when it comes to performance and was released a few months ago. This CPU has 10 cores and 16 threads, the base clock speed is 2.8 GHz, but thanks to Intel’s Turbo Boost, you can get it running at speeds of up to 4.9 GHz.
The L3 cache memory is 20MB, and the number of PCIe lanes is 20, with 16 of them being PCIe 5.0.
The TDP is 125W, so you will need a strong cooling system to keep the temperatures down.
Core i5-11600K
This is Intel’s 11th generation desktop CPU, and it has 6 cores and 12 threads. The base clock speed is 4.1 GHz with a Turbo Boost of up to 4.8GHz, which is very impressive compared to the CPUs mentioned above.
The L3 cache is 12MB, which is less than the Ryzen 5s. Finally, the number of PCIe lanes is 20, with all 16 being PCIe 4.0.
Core i5-10600K
This is another good CPU from Intel, and it has 6 cores and 12 threads. The base clock speed of this one is 4.1 GHz with a Turbo Boost of up to 4.8GHz, which is pretty cool.
The L3 cache memory of this 10th-generation CPU is 12M. The number of PCIe lanes is 16, with all being PCIe 3.0. Finally, the TDP is 125W, so you need to pay special attention to your cooling system.
Core i5-9600K
Finally, the last i5 processor of this article is the 9th generation CPU, which has 6 cores and 6 threads. The base clock speed of this one is 3.7 GHz with a Turbo Boost of up to 4.6GHz.
The L3 cache memory of this CPU is 9MB which is relatively small for this series. There are 16 PCIe 3.0. Finally, the TDP of this CPU is 95W, which is lower than the other i5 CPUs mentioned above.
Related Article: What Is AMD Equivalent To Intel Core i3
Comparison between the AMD Ryzen 5 and Intel i5 (Benchmarks)
As you can see below, there is a table with the single-core performance and multicore performance benchmarks and the clock speed of all the CPUs mentioned above.
| CPU MODEL | Clock Speed (Base/ O.C.) | Single-Core Score (Cinebench) | Multi-Core Score (Cinebench) |
| Ryzen 5 5600X | 3.7Ghz/ 4.6Ghz | 1,593 | 10,998 |
| Core i5-11600K | 3.9Ghz/ 4.9Ghz | 1,564 | 11,277 |
| AMD Ryzen 5 3600X | 3.8Ghz/ 4.4Ghz | 1,301 | 9,704 |
| Core i5-10600K | 4.1Ghz/ 4.8Ghz | 1,391 | 10,489 |
| AMD Ryzen 5 2600X | 3.6Ghz/ 4.2Ghz | 1,074 | 7,514 |
| Core i5-9600K | 3.7Ghz/ 4.6Ghz | 1,276 | 7,301 |
The scores are pretty close to each other, so you can use this table to make an easier choice.
* All benchmark scores are taken from CPU-Monkey Cinebench R-23 scoring system
** I didn’t include intel’s 12th Gen CPU at the table as there is no AMD equivalent yet, so I decided to include Intel processors of the current generation.
Related Article: Is Intel Core i7 Good For Gaming?
Single-Core Performance vs. Multi-Core Performance vs Clock Speed
As you already saw in the above table, I have compared the single-core performance, multicore performance, and clock speed of all the CPUs mentioned above.
I chose to use these three parameters to compare the CPUs because they are all very important when it comes to choosing a CPU.
If you don’t know what all of that means, here is a brief explanation:
Single-core performance
The single-core CPU performance is how well it performs when you have only one core activated. This is a really important parameter when it comes to the overall performance of the CPU because there are many applications that are only using one core to get the job done.
Multicore performance
The multicore performance of a CPU is how well it performs when more than one core is activated. This parameter is also very important because the tasks running on the CPU are split up on different cores, so the CPU can run them at the same time on different cores.
Clock speed
The clock speed of a CPU is how quickly it can process information and therefore complete an operation. It is very important when it comes to performance because having a high clock speed means you can complete operations faster.
Related Article: What Is A Good Processor Speed For A Laptop?
Core Performance vs. Clock Speed
In a perfect world, you could choose a CPU with a high core count and a high clock speed.
Unfortunately, you can’t most of the time because you either have to choose between a high core count and a lower clock speed or vice versa.
So, what should you do?
It depends on what you will be using your PC for.
Having a CPU with a high core count but a low clock speed means that you can complete many tasks simultaneously, but it will take more time because of the lower clock speed.
On the other hand, having a CPU with a high clock speed but a low core count means that you will be able to complete a single faster because of the higher clock speed, but you won’t be able to do as many things at the same time.
Conclusion
I have answered the question of what the AMD equivalent to the Intel i5 is (it is the AMD Ryzen 5, in case you forgot it).
I also got into the details of the comparison between the Ryzen 5 and the i5 CPUs, so you will have an easier time choosing the one that is better for your needs.
There is no black and white when it comes to AMD processors vs. Intel Core processors because they are both very good in what they do, and you should choose the one that is better for your specific needs and budget.
I hope this article helped you better understand the Ryzen 5 and intel i5 family. If you have any questions regarding any of these CPUs, feel free to ask them in the comment section below.
Nick Ryley is a computer architect and the owner of The Pc Geekz.
His love for playing games got him interested in computers in the first place. He wanted to be able to build a gaming PC that could run all the latest games at max settings, and this has him pursuing a major in computer architecture!
He started this blog to help people out and answer some of the most common questions about computer building
