Intel Core i5-2500 vs AMD Ryzen 5 3600

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CPU comparison with benchmarks


Intel Core i5-2500 CPU1 vs CPU2 AMD Ryzen 5 3600
Intel Core i5-2500 AMD Ryzen 5 3600

CPU comparison

Intel Core i5-2500 or AMD Ryzen 5 3600 - which processor is faster? In this comparison we look at the differences and analyze which of these two CPUs is better. We compare the technical data and benchmark results.

The Intel Core i5-2500 has 4 cores with 4 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 3.70 GHz. Up to 32 GB of memory is supported in 2 memory channels. The Intel Core i5-2500 was released in Q1/2011.

The AMD Ryzen 5 3600 has 6 cores with 12 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 4.20 GHz. The CPU supports up to 128 GB of memory in 2 memory channels. The AMD Ryzen 5 3600 was released in Q3/2019.
Intel Core i5 (328) Family AMD Ryzen 5 (78)
Intel Core i 2000 (28) CPU group AMD Ryzen 3000 (15)
2 Generation 3
Sandy Bridge S Architecture Matisse (Zen 2)
Desktop / Server Segment Desktop / Server
-- Predecessor AMD Ryzen 5 2600
-- Successor --

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The Intel Core i5-2500 has 4 CPU cores and can calculate 4 threads in parallel. The clock frequency of the Intel Core i5-2500 is 3.30 GHz (3.70 GHz) while the AMD Ryzen 5 3600 has 6 CPU cores and 12 threads can calculate simultaneously. The clock frequency of the AMD Ryzen 5 3600 is at 3.60 GHz (4.20 GHz).

Intel Core i5-2500 Characteristic AMD Ryzen 5 3600
4 Cores 6
4 Threads 12
normal Core architecture normal
No Hyperthreading Yes
No Overclocking ? Yes
3.30 GHz Frequency 3.60 GHz
3.70 GHz Turbo Frequency (1 Core) 4.20 GHz
-- Turbo Frequency (All Cores) 4.00 GHz

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

Processors with the support of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) can process many calculations, especially audio, image and video processing, much faster than classic processors. Algorithms for ML improve their performance the more data they have collected via software. ML tasks can be processed up to 10,000 times faster than with a classic processor.

Intel Core i5-2500 Characteristic AMD Ryzen 5 3600
-- AI hardware --
-- AI specifications --

Internal Graphics

The Intel Core i5-2500 or AMD Ryzen 5 3600 has integrated graphics, called iGPU for short. The iGPU uses the system's main memory as graphics memory and sits on the processor's die.

Intel HD Graphics 2000 GPU no iGPU
0.85 GHz GPU frequency --
1.10 GHz GPU (Turbo) --
6 GPU Generation --
32 nm Technology
2 Max. displays
6 Compute units --
48 Shader --
No Hardware Raytracing No
No Frame Generation No
2 GB Max. GPU Memory --
10.1 DirectX Version --

Hardware codec support

A photo or video codec that is accelerated in hardware can greatly accelerate the working speed of a processor and extend the battery life of notebooks or smartphones when playing videos.

Intel HD Graphics 2000 GPU no iGPU
No Codec h265 / HEVC (8 bit) No
No Codec h265 / HEVC (10 bit) No
Decode / Encode Codec h264 No
No Codec VP9 No
No Codec VP8 No
No Codec AV1 No
Decode / Encode Codec AVC No
Decode Codec VC-1 No
No Codec JPEG No

Memory & PCIe

The Intel Core i5-2500 can use up to 32 GB of memory in 2 memory channels. The maximum memory bandwidth is 21.3 GB/s. The AMD Ryzen 5 3600 supports up to 128 GB of memory in 2 memory channels and achieves a memory bandwidth of up to 51.2 GB/s.

Intel Core i5-2500 Characteristic AMD Ryzen 5 3600
DDR3-1333 Memory DDR4-3200
32 GB Max. Memory 128 GB
2 (Dual Channel) Memory channels 2 (Dual Channel)
21.3 GB/s Max. Bandwidth 51.2 GB/s
No ECC Yes
-- L2 Cache --
6.00 MB L3 Cache 32.00 MB
2.0 PCIe version 4.0
16 PCIe lanes 20
8.0 GB/s PCIe Bandwidth 39.4 GB/s

Thermal Management

The thermal design power (TDP for short) of the Intel Core i5-2500 is 95 W, while the AMD Ryzen 5 3600 has a TDP of 65 W. The TDP specifies the necessary cooling solution that is required to cool the processor sufficiently.

Intel Core i5-2500 Characteristic AMD Ryzen 5 3600
95 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) 65 W
-- TDP (PL2) --
-- TDP up --
-- TDP down --
-- Tjunction max. 95 °C

Technical details

The Intel Core i5-2500 is manufactured in 32 nm and has 6.00 MB cache. The AMD Ryzen 5 3600 is manufactured in 7 nm and has a 32.00 MB cache.

Intel Core i5-2500 Characteristic AMD Ryzen 5 3600
32 nm Technology 7 nm
Monolithic Chip design Chiplet
x86-64 (64 bit) Instruction set (ISA) x86-64 (64 bit)
SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX ISA extensions SSE4a, SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX2, FMA3
LGA 1155 Socket AM4 (PGA 1331)
VT-x, VT-x EPT Virtualization AMD-V, SVM
Yes AES-NI Yes
Windows 10, Linux Operating systems Windows 10, Windows 11, Linux
Q1/2011 Release date Q3/2019
-- Release price 185 $
show more data show more data


Rate these processors

Here you can rate the Intel Core i5-2500 to help other visitors make their purchasing decisions. The average rating is 4.0 stars (1 ratings). Rate now:
Here you can rate the AMD Ryzen 5 3600 to help other visitors make their purchasing decisions. The average rating is 4.3 stars (13 ratings). Rate now:


Average performance in benchmarks

⌀ Single core performance in 4 CPU benchmarks
⌀ Multi core performance in 5 CPU benchmarks

Cinebench R23 (Single-Core)

Cinebench R23 is the successor of Cinebench R20 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The single-core test only uses one CPU core, the amount of cores or hyperthreading ability doesn't count.
Intel Core i5-2500 Intel Core i5-2500
4C 4T @ 3.70 GHz
697 (56%)
AMD Ryzen 5 3600 AMD Ryzen 5 3600
6C 12T @ 4.20 GHz
1250 (100%)

Cinebench R23 (Multi-Core)

Cinebench R23 is the successor of Cinebench R20 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The multi-core test involves all CPU cores and taks a big advantage of hyperthreading.
Intel Core i5-2500 Intel Core i5-2500
4C 4T @ 3.30 GHz
2531 (28%)
AMD Ryzen 5 3600 AMD Ryzen 5 3600
6C 12T @ 4.00 GHz
9150 (100%)

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Single-Core)

Geekbench 5 is a cross plattform benchmark that heavily uses the systems memory. A fast memory will push the result a lot. The single-core test only uses one CPU core, the amount of cores or hyperthreading ability doesn't count.
Intel Core i5-2500 Intel Core i5-2500
4C 4T @ 3.70 GHz
737 (62%)
AMD Ryzen 5 3600 AMD Ryzen 5 3600
6C 12T @ 4.20 GHz
1183 (100%)

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Multi-Core)

Geekbench 5 is a cross plattform benchmark that heavily uses the systems memory. A fast memory will push the result a lot. The multi-core test involves all CPU cores and taks a big advantage of hyperthreading.
Intel Core i5-2500 Intel Core i5-2500
4C 4T @ 3.30 GHz
2425 (36%)
AMD Ryzen 5 3600 AMD Ryzen 5 3600
6C 12T @ 4.00 GHz
6821 (100%)

Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)

Geekbench 6 is a benchmark for modern computers, notebooks and smartphones. What is new is an optimized utilization of newer CPU architectures, e.g. based on the big.LITTLE concept and combining CPU cores of different sizes. The single-core benchmark only evaluates the performance of the fastest CPU core, the number of CPU cores in a processor is irrelevant here.
Intel Core i5-2500 Intel Core i5-2500
4C 4T @ 3.70 GHz
633 (41%)
AMD Ryzen 5 3600 AMD Ryzen 5 3600
6C 12T @ 4.20 GHz
1541 (100%)

Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)

Geekbench 6 is a benchmark for modern computers, notebooks and smartphones. What is new is an optimized utilization of newer CPU architectures, e.g. based on the big.LITTLE concept and combining CPU cores of different sizes. The multi-core benchmark evaluates the performance of all of the processor's CPU cores. Virtual thread improvements such as AMD SMT or Intel's Hyper-Threading have a positive impact on the benchmark result.
Intel Core i5-2500 Intel Core i5-2500
4C 4T @ 3.30 GHz
1845 (27%)
AMD Ryzen 5 3600 AMD Ryzen 5 3600
6C 12T @ 4.00 GHz
6784 (100%)

Estimated results for PassMark CPU Mark

Some of the CPUs listed below have been benchmarked by CPU-monkey. However the majority of CPUs have not been tested and the results have been estimated by a CPU-monkey’s secret proprietary formula. As such they do not accurately reflect the actual Passmark CPU mark values and are not endorsed by PassMark Software Pty Ltd.
Intel Core i5-2500 Intel Core i5-2500
4C 4T @ 3.30 GHz
4150 (23%)
AMD Ryzen 5 3600 AMD Ryzen 5 3600
6C 12T @ 4.00 GHz
17803 (100%)

CPU-Z Benchmark 17 (Single-Core)

The CPU-Z benchmark measures a processor's performance by measuring the time it takes the system to complete all benchmark calculations. The faster the benchmark is completed, the higher the score.
Intel Core i5-2500 Intel Core i5-2500
4C 4T @ 3.30 GHz
340 (70%)
AMD Ryzen 5 3600 AMD Ryzen 5 3600
6C 12T @ 4.00 GHz
488 (100%)

CPU-Z Benchmark 17 (Multi-Core)

The CPU-Z benchmark measures a processor's performance by measuring the time it takes the system to complete all benchmark calculations. The faster the benchmark is completed, the higher the score.
Intel Core i5-2500 Intel Core i5-2500
4C 4T @ 3.30 GHz
1313 (33%)
AMD Ryzen 5 3600 AMD Ryzen 5 3600
6C 12T @ 3.60 GHz
3990 (100%)

Cinebench 2024 (Single-Core)

The Cinebench 2024 benchmark is based on the Redshift rendering engine, which is also used in Maxon's 3D program Cinema 4D. The benchmark runs are each 10 minutes long to test whether the processor is limited by its heat generation.
Intel Core i5-2500 Intel Core i5-2500
4C 4T @ 3.70 GHz
0 (0%)
AMD Ryzen 5 3600 AMD Ryzen 5 3600
6C 12T @ 4.20 GHz
75 (100%)

Cinebench 2024 (Multi-Core)

The Multi-Core test of the Cinebench 2024 benchmark uses all cpu cores to render using the Redshift rendering engine, which is also used in Maxons Cinema 4D. The benchmark run is 10 minutes long to test whether the processor is limited by its heat generation.
Intel Core i5-2500 Intel Core i5-2500
4C 4T @ 3.70 GHz
0 (0%)
AMD Ryzen 5 3600 AMD Ryzen 5 3600
6C 12T @ 4.20 GHz
568 (100%)

Cinebench R20 (Single-Core)

Cinebench R20 is the successor of Cinebench R15 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The single-core test only uses one CPU core, the amount of cores or hyperthreading ability doesn't count.
Intel Core i5-2500 Intel Core i5-2500
4C 4T @ 3.70 GHz
0 (0%)
AMD Ryzen 5 3600 AMD Ryzen 5 3600
6C 12T @ 4.20 GHz
472 (100%)

Cinebench R20 (Multi-Core)

Cinebench R20 is the successor of Cinebench R15 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The multi-core test involves all CPU cores and taks a big advantage of hyperthreading.
Intel Core i5-2500 Intel Core i5-2500
4C 4T @ 3.30 GHz
0 (0%)
AMD Ryzen 5 3600 AMD Ryzen 5 3600
6C 12T @ 4.00 GHz
3570 (100%)

iGPU - FP32 Performance (Single-precision GFLOPS)

The theoretical computing performance of the internal graphics unit of the processor with simple accuracy (32 bit) in GFLOPS. GFLOPS indicates how many billion floating point operations the iGPU can perform per second.
Intel Core i5-2500 Intel Core i5-2500
Intel HD Graphics 2000 @ 1.10 GHz
106 (100%)
AMD Ryzen 5 3600 AMD Ryzen 5 3600
@ 0.00 GHz
0 (0%)

Blender 3.1 Benchmark

In the Blender Benchmark 3.1, the scenes "monster", "junkshop" and "classroom" are rendered and the time required by the system is measured. In our benchmark we test the CPU and not the graphics card. Blender 3.1 was presented as a standalone version in March 2022.
Intel Core i5-2500 Intel Core i5-2500
4C 4T @ 3.30 GHz
0 (0%)
AMD Ryzen 5 3600 AMD Ryzen 5 3600
6C 12T @ 4.00 GHz
140 (100%)

Blender 2.81 (bmw27)

Blender is a free 3D graphics software for rendering (creating) 3D bodies, which can also be textured and animated in the software. The Blender benchmark creates predefined scenes and measures the time (s) required for the entire scene. The shorter the time required, the better. We selected bmw27 as the benchmark scene.
Intel Core i5-2500 Intel Core i5-2500
4C 4T @ 3.30 GHz
0 (0%)
AMD Ryzen 5 3600 AMD Ryzen 5 3600
6C 12T @ 4.00 GHz
235.7 (100%)

Cinebench R15 (Single-Core)

Cinebench R15 is the successor of Cinebench 11.5 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The single-core test only uses one CPU core, the amount of cores or hyperthreading ability doesn't count.
Intel Core i5-2500 Intel Core i5-2500
4C 4T @ 3.70 GHz
0 (0%)
AMD Ryzen 5 3600 AMD Ryzen 5 3600
6C 12T @ 4.20 GHz
197 (100%)

Cinebench R15 (Multi-Core)

Cinebench R15 is the successor of Cinebench 11.5 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The multi-core test involves all CPU cores and taks a big advantage of hyperthreading.
Intel Core i5-2500 Intel Core i5-2500
4C 4T @ 3.30 GHz
0 (0%)
AMD Ryzen 5 3600 AMD Ryzen 5 3600
6C 12T @ 4.00 GHz
1578 (100%)

CPU performance per watt (efficiency)

Efficiency of the processor under full load in the Cinebench R23 (multi-core) benchmark. The benchmark result is divided by the average energy required (CPU package power in watts). The higher the value, the more efficient the CPU is under full load.
Intel Core i5-2500 Intel Core i5-2500
3.30 GHz
0 (0%)
AMD Ryzen 5 3600 AMD Ryzen 5 3600
9,150 CB R23 MC @ 87 W
105 (100%)

Devices using this processor

Intel Core i5-2500 AMD Ryzen 5 3600
Unknown One Gaming PC Ryzen 5 3600
Lenono IdeaCentre T540-15AMA G
HP Pavilion Gaming TG01-0201ng schwarz (9HP03EA#ABD)

News and articles for the Intel Core i5-2500 and the AMD Ryzen 5 3600


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