Intel Core i5-14400 vs AMD Ryzen 5 7600X: Which is the best budget CPU for gaming in 2024?

The Intel Core i5-14400 and the AMD Ryzen 5 7600X are some of the latest capable mid-range processors in the market. They have been designed from the ground up to deliver top-notch gaming experiences when paired with new GPUs from Nvidia and AMD. Both chips target the $200-250 price bracket and bundle the newest innovations in CPU technology.

Choosing between the chips can be a bit overwhelming, especially if you are new to computer hardware stuff. To help you get the best bang for the buck, we will review the differences between the mid-range processors in this article. We will go over everything, from on-paper specs to performance.

Note: Some aspects of this article are subjective and reflect the opinions of the writer

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Both the Core i5-14400 and Ryzen 5 7600X are superb chips for mid-range gaming

The Laminar RM1 cooler is bundled with the i5-14400F chip (Image via Amazon)

The Core i5-14400 and Ryzen 5 7600X are quite close to each other in terms of what they bring to the table. Let's go over the on-paper specs of the processors before delving into the performance differences.

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Specs comparison

For starters, it isn't possible to make an apples-to-apples comparison between an Intel and an AMD processor because they are based on completely different architectures.

On paper, the i5-14400 bundles 10 cores, while the 7600X has six. However, the Intel chip is based on a hybrid architecture with six high-performance 'P' cores, and the rest are rated efficient 'E.' The 7600X, on the other hand, has six cores, all of which are high-performance ones.

The two chips also differ in their operating clock speeds and power draw ratings. The detailed specs of the two processors are as follows:

	Intel Core i5-14400	AMD Ryzen 5 7600X
Processor family	Raptor Lake Refresh	Ryzen 7000
Lithography	Intel 7 (10 nm)	Zen 4 (5 nm)
Core count	10 (6P+4E)	6
Thread count	16	12
Max. turbo frequency	4.7 GHz	up to 5.3 GHz
RAM support	Up to DDR5 4800 MT/s, Up to DDR4 3200 MT/s	Up to DDR5 5200 MT/s
iGPU	Intel UHD 730	RDNA 3-based 2-core iGPU
Power draw	65W (148W turbo power)	105W
Price	$234 for i5-14400, $209 for i5-14400F	$239

Also, check out the differences between the Core i5-14400 and the Core i5-14600K.

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Performance comparison

The AMD Ryzen 5 7600X is a superb mid-range processor for gaming (Image via Amazon)

The i5-14400 and the Ryzen 5 7600X differ quite significantly in terms of their performance levels. The AMD processor has a significant lead in terms of single-core performance thanks to it being a higher-end offering in the $200-250 range.

Given below are the performance metrics of the processors in some leading single and multi-core benchmarks. The data has been sourced from the online benchmark score aggregator, Nanoreview.

	Intel Core i5-14400	AMD Ryzen 5 7600X
Cinebench R23 single-core	1,806	1,944
Cinebench R23 multi-core	17,771	15,071
Geekbench 5 single-core	2,538	2,971
Geekbench 5 multi-core	13,464	14,142

The i5-14400 takes the lead in terms of multi-core performance. The extra 'E' cores in the processor help it score more in these benchmarks. Thus, if you are building a budget workstation, the Intel chip can prove to be a better option.

The Core i5-14400 and the Ryzen 5 7600X are nearly priced the same. You'll have to choose depending on what you'll use your setup for. If you are building a gaming rig, the 7600X is a better option. However, for a budget workstation, the Intel processor is the best bet.

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Check out Sportskeeda's other CPU comparisons:

Intel Core i5-14600K vs Ryzen 5 7600X || Intel Core i9-14900K vs Ryzen 9 7950X || Intel Core i9-14900K vs Ryzen 9 7900X || Intel Core i5-14600K vs Ryzen 5 7600