AMD Ryzen 7 5800X vs. Intel Core i7-11700K

Today we've got a classic head to head CPU boxing in our hands, with a comparing between the Ryzen 7 5800X and Core i7-11700K, both of which are 8-core, sixteen-thread CPUs that cost around $400. Timing couldn't be better for this comparison, since Intel's 11th-gen Core is readily available and from what we've heard AMD is finally flooding the market with Zen 3 CPUs, so buying a 5800X should be a lot easier than information technology's been since release.

As of writing, the Ryzen 5800X is selling for around $420 and it appears to be in stock just about everywhere, and so things are looking promising. Then nosotros have the Cadre i7-11700K which is a brand new product and has only been available for near two months at present, currently selling for $399.

For the price, the Core i7-11700K should offer more than than decent value and certainly nada like the i9-11900K, which in this generation is essentially a binned version of the same bit to be sold for $600. There'southward as well the discounted previous generation 10700K at $330, though we won't exist looking at that today.

Earlier we go to the results, a few quick words on today'due south test setup...

Both CPUs have been tested using DDR4-3800 CL14 memory. Nosotros've got our easily on a high quality M.Skill TridentZ Neo 32GB kit and information technology's very impressive. That'south the retention, and that ways we won't be using the typical CL14 3200 kit for this benchmark.

For the GPU, we're not using a GeForce RTX 3090 either, and the reason is that the Radeon RX 6900 XT is only much faster at 1080p.

Although nosotros've also tested at 1440p and 4K, 1080p is really where we're able to compare CPU performance as information technology helps to reduce the GPU bottleneck.

Our motherboards of pick, for the AM4 platform we have the MSI X570 Unify running the latest BIOS and for the LGA1200 platform the Gigabyte Z590 Aorus Master, using the latest BIOS, and of form, the latest display drivers and Windows 10.

In total, nosotros tested 32 games at 1080p, 1440p and 4K. We'll look at detailed data for about a dozen titles and and then get into the usual performance breakdown with all the games.

Benchmarks

To start things off, nosotros'll look at a few games that represent the kind of performance margins we typically see betwixt these ii processors when gaming. That is to say, for the about office they're really close.

Playing Horizon Zero Dawn, the 5800X was two% faster at 1080p, which is a negligible departure, peculiarly with both CPUs enabling well over 100 fps at all times.

Watch Dogs: Legion is another game where the Ryzen processor is faster but by a meaningless ii% margin. Interestingly, a similar delta is seen at all three tested resolutions, even at 4K.

Of course, nosotros're talking about a disparity of just 1 fps. Though it was highly repeatable, so the Intel processor is somehow imposing a tiny performance penalty, though in bodily gameplay the divergence is meaningless.

We tested with the new Metro Exodus Enhanced version and found that despite beingness able to push well over 100 fps even at 1440p, thanks to variable rate shading, the CPU played about no part here, or rather, these two 8-core CPUs are powerful plenty that it makes no difference.

Nosotros've heard that the new 11th-gen CPUs perform really well in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2022, leaving their Zen 3 competitors in the dust. However, that's not what I constitute in our testing, rather functioning was one time over again similar.

Even in the CPU-heavy Cyberpunk 2077, we find very piddling difference between these AMD and Intel processors. The 11700K was 2% faster at 1080p while the opposite was true at 1440p and so identical results were seen at 4K. Overall, some other game where frame rates are much the same using either CPU.

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is a practiced example of a game that wasn't designed with high frame rates in mind and nosotros actually see this a lot, specially with unmarried histrion titles. The 6900 XT maxed out at simply over 100 fps using either CPU, resulting in very similar 1080p and 1440p data.

Conversely, Fortnite was developed with high refresh charge per unit gaming in mind, though the game can withal be clunky at times. Anyway, here we're looking at similar 1% low performance using either CPU, while the 5800X was upwards to 6% faster when comparing the average frame rate. Though nosotros'd debate this is a negligible deviation equally both were pushing upward around 200 fps.

Death Stranding is a game that certainly doesn't require 200 fps, simply if you lot have either of these CPUs with a 6900 XT, that's exactly what y'all'll get at 1080p and fifty-fifty 1440p.

Ryzen was ~6% faster, so technically the superior performer here, just with both CPUs pushing over 160 fps at all times in this test, you lot have to wonder if information technology matters.

Resident Evil Hamlet is the newest game featured in this battery of benchmarks and every bit good every bit it looks, the Radeon RX 6900 XT had no upshot delivering extreme frame rates in this single player title. That said, if yous're afterward maximum operation the 5800X was 12% faster at 1080p, though that margin is nearly eliminated at 1440p.

One of the biggest issues we saw with Intel's 11th gen Core series was the regression in performance seen in some games. 1 such example is Tom Clancy's Rainbow Half-dozen Siege. We saw in our 11900K review that the new flagship was 7% slower than the part it was replacing, and that handed AMD the win.

The 11700K doesn't fare specially well here, at to the lowest degree relative to the 5800X every bit the Ryzen bit is eighteen% faster when comparing the average frame charge per unit and 33% faster for the 1% depression. Those are large margins simply with well over 300 fps, how many of y'all will notice the difference?

Also, for those gaming at 1440p the 5800X is merely ~7% faster and and then five% a 4K.

Moving on, the Core i7-11700K stumbles in State of war Thunder, handing the 5800X a big 22% victory at 1080p and 1440p. For some reason the Intel CPU limits arrangement operation much earlier than the 5800X and we can't tell if this is an 11th-gen issue equally we haven't tested the 10700K notwithstanding. Simply this isn't the only game where Intel came up well brusk.

Performance as well took a hit in Globe State of war Z and again while nosotros are talking about seriously high frame rates, it was interesting to see the 5800X offering about 30% more than functioning at 1080p. Again, nosotros don't know if this is another 11th-gen gremlin, or if Zen 3 is only specially punchy hither. Nosotros'll have to retest the 10700K or maybe Intel is missing some optimization in their stack.

At to the lowest degree for this comparison, AMD is style faster, whether or non yous need more than 200 fps in World War Z is hard to say though.

Functioning Summary

Now it'south time to compare these ii CPUs across all 32 games, starting with the 1080p information.

The showtime matter that jumps out from these numbers is how the Ryzen vii 5800X is the more than consistent performer. This is contrast to previous Ryzen generations, and clearly the path AMD has taken the past few years with Zen, Zen+ and Zen 2. When information technology comes to gaming performance they've been a bit all over the place, until now where Zen 3 just delivers.

Nosotros tin can see that at worst the 5800X is ii% slower than the 11700K. As nosotros've said countless times in the past when comparing CPUs and GPUs, nosotros deem whatsoever margin that's five% or less to exist a describe. Basically the margins are and so small y'all won't realize the difference, and therefore it doesn't matter.

Sticking with that guideline, we encounter that for 75% of the games tested, the margins are meaningless as both CPUs enabled the aforementioned gaming feel. That leaves viii games where Ryzen did offering meaning performance gains, though you lot'd need to evaluate each championship individually as in some instances nosotros're talking almost games where y'all're in the hundreds of FPS, like World War Z for example.

It's worth keeping in listen that those margins were seen at 1080p using a Radeon RX 6900 XT.

For those gaming at 1440p or 4K, the margins in near of these games shrink with few exceptions. Overall, the Ryzen 7 5800X was just 3% faster on average, and then for the vast majority of games you'll exist looking at near identical performance using either of these CPUs.

A Match for Gaming, Only Which CPU is Ameliorate?

When information technology comes to gaming, information technology doesn't matter which of these CPUs you utilise, Ryzen 7 5800X or Cadre i7-11700K, performance is going to be much the same. For a list of different reasons though, ane of these is better than the other, but nosotros just wanted to arrive clear and establish that if gaming is the only parameter and need to exist considered, and so both are great solutions and a true performance lucifer.

With that disclaimer out of the manner, which is the better CPU?

I'k sure it won't surprise many of you to hear that AMD wins this comparing. The Ryzen vii 5800X is the improve choice for a number of reasons, including significantly ameliorate ability efficiency and a better upgrade path, thanks to what is overall a superior platform.

Every bit we run into it, there's no advantage to ownership the Core i7-11700K except for the rare scenario where you need integrated graphics (e.1000. you can't find a GPU at a decent price and don't accept an older graphics card to use in a new build).

For other aspects, some might point to overclocking, but there's piffling to no headroom left, peculiarly if you're already running without power limits in identify as we were for this testing. The tunability of both CPUs is adequately similar and most of the gains will come from memory tuning.

The large effect with the 11700K is ability consumption, and while we didn't show power data in this article as the focus was on gaming performance, you can simply look at any 11700K review to become that information. At that place are a few reasons why increased ability usage is an outcome: it ways motherboard pricing goes up as a more robust VRM is required, and that certainly is the case for Intel motherboards. It also ways you demand to invest more than in cooling, otherwise yous'll face high operating temperatures.

Speaking of which, the Ryzen 7 5800X is known to be a bit of a hot CPU despite using far less power than a office similar the 11700K. Just it's truthful, with a quality libation yous're still looking at load temperatures of around 80C with the Ryzen vii processor.

Practice note nonetheless y'all tin can't compare operating temperatures between brands, so y'all can't directly compare the 5800X and 11700K, only like you can compare GPUs, say the 6800 XT and RTX 3080. The reason is that they aren't necessarily reporting the same thing, depending on offsets and probe locations, the readouts tin can exist very different and therefore don't make for an apples to apples comparison.

At the terminate of the day, it's power consumption that matters the nigh, as long equally the CPU is performing every bit expected and is able to maintain 100% stability.

In our book, the biggest win for AMD though is the AM4 platform. While it's true that both LGA1200 and AM4 are at the end of their life, or at to the lowest degree that's the expectation, you lot withal accept many more options with AMD.

Should you invest in the Cadre i7-11700K on a shiny new Z590 motherboard, that'due south it you lot're done, the system is effectively set in rock. There's no future upgrade to exist had, the Cadre i9-11900K has nothing to offering y'all as it's essentially the verbal same CPU. On the other hand, the 5800X has real upgrade paths on offering. You could move to the 12-core 5900X or fifty-fifty the 16-core 5950X, so the ability to double the core count and processing power exists on this platform.

But going dorsum to gaming performance, as we opened with that, performance overall is much the same. The Ryzen 5800X costs a fiddling more than the Core i7, currently at $420-430 depending on the retailer, mayhap almost importantly it's in stock almost everywhere we checked. The Core i7-11700K is also readily available for $399, though you'll typically make up the difference betwixt these two on motherboard pricing.