Solved Which is best AMD Ryzen 5 2600 or Intel Core i7

Wynona · Jul 25, 2021

Ghot said:
If you're not gonna be gaming... keep the Intel machine.
You can always add a vid card to it if you want to.

I will probably do that, but only when the prices go back down. I think I paid around $200 for this NVIDIA card, but I've seen the same card as high as $500 although they seem to be going down. I think I saw one for around $300, which I'm not willing to pay. So, I wait . . .

Thank you for teaching this old do, err, ummm, cat some new tricks.

Wynona · Jul 25, 2021

Ghot said:
Then keep the Intel.

If I were a gamer, would I want to keep the AMD? Just curious.

CB · Jul 25, 2021

Wynona said:
If I were a gamer, would I want to keep the AMD? Just curious.

You might want to keep up with Ryzen 5 2600 as AMD pretty serious with its integrated GPU.
But, if you pick up discrete VGA card added to your intel desktop, the Ryzen 5 2600 will eat the dust.

Wynona · Jul 25, 2021

Kevin Ismail said:
You might want to keep up with Ryzen 5 2600 as AMD pretty serious with its integrated GPU.
But, if you pick up discrete VGA card added to your intel desktop, the Ryzen 5 2600 will eat the dust.

This particular Ryzen 5 2600 doesn't have integrated GPU.

bobkn · Jul 25, 2021

Wynona said:
Here's the desktop I bought a few months ago:

Amazon.com: HP ENVY Desktop Computer, Intel Core i7-10700, 16 GB RAM, 1 TB Hard Drive & 512 GB SSD Storage, Windows 10 Pro (TE01-1022, 2020 Model): Computers & Accessories

Amazon.com: HP ENVY Desktop Computer, Intel Core i7-10700, 16 GB RAM, 1 TB Hard Drive & 512 GB SSD Storage, Windows 10 Pro (TE01-1022, 2020 Model): Computers & Accessories

www.amazon.com

Much better than I thought.

I remembered I bought it at Amazon.com, so I just looked it up there! Silly ferret . . .

You can also identify the CPU by looking at it in Device Manager. That gives its name, and the number of cores. (X2, if the CPU supports what Intel calls hyperthreading, and hyperthreading is turned on in the BIOS.)

Not that this is very relevant, but a Ryzen 5 5600X (current generation) is approximately as powerful as an I7-10700. Its MSRP is about 2X the Ryzen 5 2600, though.

The HP would be limited as to what discrete graphics card it could use, if it really has only a 180W power supply. Some GTX 1050ti cards also require a 6 pin PCI-E auxiliary power connector. You might be able to upgrade the PSU, but that's a step onto the slippery slope. The TE01-1022 doesn't look like it was deigned for maximum upgradability.

CB · Jul 26, 2021

Wynona said:
This particular Ryzen 5 2600 doesn't have integrated GPU.

Sorry. Ryzen 5 2600 is similar to Intel F series. I was recently preoccupied with AMD APU ryzen 5 2400/3400 G which are quite good game entry level system. It hard to find nowadays.
My thought, still I personally prefer your 10th gen Core i7 but with separate VGA card.

jbcarreon123 · Jul 26, 2021

Newer generation = faster right?

Well, Ryzen 5 2600 has no APU.. so get an discrete graphics card if you decide one of that.. and Core i7 - 10700 has an APU, so you can use the integrated graphics until dGPUs is price low.

In benchmarks: (by googling)
1. UserBenchmark: AMD Ryzen 5 2600 vs Intel Core i7-10700
2. AMD Ryzen 5 2600 vs Intel Core i7-10700: What is the difference?
3. Intel Core i7 10700 vs AMD Ryzen 5 2600: performance comparison

Review it. and make sure you get the Best on your choices.

jimbo45 · Jul 26, 2021

Depends on what you want to do with it
Is a Mayerbach better than a pick up truck -- on a German no speed limit Autobahn yes, on rural off road muddy farm tracks no - the pickup is much better suited.

I'm not a gamer so those numbers don't really mean a lot -- these days even a GEN 6 intel i5 on a 2016 HP envy laptop with an SSD (or NVe type) doesn't cause me any performance hassles even running 2 VM's as well concurrently.

The only time there's a performance issue is in messing around with Video editing / handbrake converting formats etc but I don't do a lot of that these days so I'd imagine any "bog standard" computer - even "off the shelf" would be more than adequate for my needs. For Home builders who are gamers I'd suggest look at the GPU, and faster RAM as more and more of that type of stuff will be off loaded from the main CPU('s) .

Cheers
jimbo

Wynona · Jul 26, 2021

bobkn said:
You can also identify the CPU by looking at it in Device Manager. That gives its name, and the number of cores. (X2, if the CPU supports what Intel calls hyperthreading, and hyperthreading is turned on in the BIOS.)

Not that this is very relevant, but a Ryzen 5 5600X (current generation) is approximately as powerful as an I7-10700. Its MSRP is about 2X the Ryzen 5 2600, though.

The HP would be limited as to what discrete graphics card it could use, if it really has only a 180W power supply. Some GTX 1050ti cards also require a 6 pin PCI-E auxiliary power connector. You might be able to upgrade the PSU, but that's a step onto the slippery slope. The TE01-1022 doesn't look like it was deigned for maximum upgradability.

True, but since Amazon keeps a record of what I have, much more understandable info there.

Wynona · Jul 26, 2021

Oops! I think I must not have made it clear that both of the computers I'm comparing are already in existence and both have been set up.

The Ryzen 5 2600 (upgraded from Ryzen 5 2300) is the first of my current computers and the one I've been using daily at home.
The Intel i7 (10th gen) is the second of my current computers and the one I've been using for teaching once weekly at the Senior Center.

And as stated originally, I'm trying to decide which would be the best one to keep for my daily use at home. It will in essence be the workhorse of the two.

OK, now that that's out of the way . . .

Bree · Jul 26, 2021

Wynona said:
And as stated originally, I'm trying to decide which would be the best one to keep for my daily use at home. It will in essence be the workhorse of the two.

As Ghot has said earlier, your Intel has higher benchmarks than the AMD - and it's a newer device, and it has more cores.

Ghot said:
Then keep the Intel.

I'd agree.

Here's yet another benchmark comparison.

Intel Core i7-10700 @ 2.90GHz vs AMD Ryzen 5 2600 [cpubenchmark.net] by PassMark Software

Superfly · Jul 26, 2021

Aunty @Wynona You know AMD is best right? :)

Wynona · Jul 26, 2021

bobkn said:
1. You can also identify the CPU by looking at it in Device Manager. That gives its name, and the number of cores. (X2, if the CPU supports what Intel calls hyperthreading, and hyperthreading is turned on in the BIOS.)

2, Not that this is very relevant, but a Ryzen 5 5600X (current generation) is approximately as powerful as an I7-10700. Its MSRP is about 2X the Ryzen 5 2600, though.

3. The HP would be limited as to what discrete graphics card it could use, if it really has only a 180W power supply. Some GTX 1050ti cards also require a 6 pin PCI-E auxiliary power connector. You might be able to upgrade the PSU, but that's a step onto the slippery slope. The TE01-1022 doesn't look like it was deigned for maximum upgradability.

1. Thanks, Bob. I hadn't thought of that.

2. The AMD Ryzen 5 has been upgraded as far as I can go processor-wise. The system is nice enough, and I really don't see the "need-for-speed" that some have. And if it was in my budget, I would most likely join the N-F-S folks! :)

3. Currently I have an NVIDIA GTX 1050 Ti inside. It's left over from the former system, and gives me what I need. As an aside, I've also had it in the Intel i7 system and it works fine there too.

johnlgalt · Jul 26, 2021

@Wynona - A few questions that, when answered, will help better resolve your dilemma.

What sort of teaching are you doing with the seniors, easy peasy basic stuff, dealing with novice-level training on how to use a computer, apps, tips and tricks to using Windows, etc? Or are you delving into more complicated topics (like running a VM to keep financial data and access clean from possible malicious actors)?
Are both of these units desktops, or is one a laptop?
Besides playing with us on Windows 11, and dual booting, what other kinds of things do you do at home?
Where you you really need the speed and power - when teaching or when at home?

The Ryzen 5 2600 CPU is, for all intents and purposes, now over 3 years old, and and the Intel Core i7 10700 is just over 1 year old, so the Intel is obviously the newer CPU.

However, the rest of the hardware in the machines will also make a difference overall, not just the CPU. And, while not guaranteed, usually newer machines with newer CPUs also tend to have more up-to-date hardware to support that CPU.

IOW, with the Intel, being a newer machine, you probably have newer hardware in it as well, which means that, overall, it's also more valuable than that Ryzen-based machine, and that will probably also help determine which one you want to take to a site that you don't have total control over regarding physical security.

In your shoes, I'd keep the newer machine at home, unless it was specifically necessary for having a faster machine to teach something (like VMs, for example) where the added RAM in the older machine might come into play.

HTH

Wynona · Jul 26, 2021

Kevin Ismail said:
Sorry. Ryzen 5 2600 is similar to Intel F series. I was recently preoccupied with AMD APU ryzen 5 2400/3400 G which are quite good game entry level system. It hard to find nowadays.
My thought, still I personally prefer your 10th gen Core i7 but with separate VGA card.

No problem, Kevin. I've mostly used AMD systems before, but I kinda like this i7 jobbie. Once prices stabilize downward, I will definitely add a video card to the i7.

Wynona · Jul 26, 2021

Bree said:
As Ghot has said earlier, your Intel has higher benchmarks than the AMD - and it's a newer device, and it has more cores.

I'd agree.

Here's yet another benchmark comparison.

Intel Core i7-10700 @ 2.90GHz vs AMD Ryzen 5 2600 [cpubenchmark.net] by PassMark Software

Thank you, Bree. Another one this dense (dunce) can understand.

Wynona · Jul 26, 2021

Superfly said:
Aunty @Wynona You know AMD is best right? :)

When I was building systems, I always used AMD because it was comparable to and cheaper than Intel.

Shhhhhhhhhhh . . . Don't tell anyone but when I upgraded the AMD i5 2300 to the 2600, I got frustrated with the process and ordered what I thought was a new HP AMD system . . . turned out to be Intel, but I'm OK with the mistake now. I think I got more than I thought I'd get!

iko22 · Jul 26, 2021

Just a thought - The Ryzen draws half as much power, at base Clock speed, compared to the i7. Could be a desirable feature, could be not.

Wynona · Jul 26, 2021

johnlgalt said:
@Wynona - A few questions that, when answered, will help better resolve your dilemma.

What sort of teaching are you doing with the seniors, easy peasy basic stuff, dealing with novice-level training on how to use a computer, apps, tips and tricks to using Windows, etc? Or are you delving into more complicated topics (like running a VM to keep financial data and access clean from possible malicious actors)?

Are both of these units desktops, or is one a laptop?

Besides playing with us on Windows 11, and dual booting, what other kinds of things do you do at home?

Where you you really need the speed and power - when teaching or when at home?

The Ryzen 5 2600 CPU is, for all intents and purposes, now over 3 years old, and and the Intel Core i7 10700 is just over 1 year old, so the Intel is obviously the newer CPU.

However, the rest of the hardware in the machines will also make a difference overall, not just the CPU. And, while not guaranteed, usually newer machines with newer CPUs also tend to have more up-to-date hardware to support that CPU.

IOW, with the Intel, being a newer machine, you probably have newer hardware in it as well, which means that, overall, it's also more valuable than that Ryzen-based machine, and that will probably also help determine which one you want to take to a site that you don't have total control over regarding physical security.

In your shoes, I'd keep the newer machine at home, unless it was specifically necessary for having a faster machine to teach something (like VMs, for example) where the added RAM in the older machine might come into play.

HTH

Thank you, John. Another piece of info to put into my bag of tricks! :)

1. I can only think of one of my students who would understand how to run a VM for financial data. I'm not too sure I know how to do that, but it's something to think about! [Also, this makes me realize I will need to remove all my financial info before taking the AMD (most likely from advice here) to the Senior Center.

2. Both are desktops I can use on a 40" Vizio TV at the Center. BTW, I also hooked my Windows 11 laptop to the TV in the Center last Wednesday.

3. I will be doing a few graphics things (edit photos I take, etc.), writing, creating tutorials, and a few other things.

4. There is no speed at the Center; the Internet connections we have (two) are slower than molasses in January. And, the AMD system has proven adequate here at home, so I don't doubt it will be much faster than the system I just took down. The system being replaced is much lower on the food chain . . .