Intel Core i5-13400 vs AMD Ryzen 5 5600: Which is the best budget CPU in 2024?

The Intel Core i5-13400 and Ryzen 5 5600 are budget last-gen processors designed for sub-$1,000 rigs. The chips can be easily powered with the latest graphics cards like the RTX 3070 and 4060 Ti without losing a ton of performance to bottlenecks. Given they have been replaced by newer alternatives, both chips have been handsomely discounted, making them lucrative options for the latest titles.

Choosing between the i5-13400 and Ryzen 5 5600 can be difficult. To help you choose the best CPU without major difficulties, we will review the on-paper specs and performance of the chips in this article.

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Intel Core i5-13400 vs Ryzen 5 5600: Both processors bring some of the best budget gaming performances

A brief look into the specs of the Core i5-13400 (Image via Amazon)

The Intel Core i5-13400 and Ryzen 5 5600 are based on wildly different architectures. While the Team Blue chip is part of the Raptor Lake family and is based on the monolithic design, the Ryzen chip is based on the Zen 3 architecture and utilizes a chipset-based design.

Let's review the specs of the two chips to see what they bring to the table.

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Specs comparison

The 13400 is based on a hybrid design. It bundles six high-performance P-rated cores, and the rest are efficient E-rated. The Ryzen chip, on the other hand, packs six high-performance cores.

Besides this, the two cores differ slightly in total cache size and operating clock speeds. The P cores of the 13400 clock 200 MHz faster than the Ryzen 5 5600.

Here is a brief overview of the chips:

	Intel Core i5-13400	AMD Ryzen 5 5600
Architecture	Raptor Lake	Zen 3
Core count	10 (6P+4E)	6
Thread count	16	12
Base clock	2.50 GHz	3.5 GHz
Boost clock	4.60 GHz	4.4 GHz
Cache	29.5 MB	35 MB
TDP	65W (148W maximum turbo power)	65W
Price	$204	$149

Although both chips have been discounted following the launch of the new Raptor Lake Refresh and Ryzen 7000 lineups, the 5600 is currently the cheaper option, coming in at just $149 compared to the $200 i5-13400.

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Performance comparison

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600 continues to be a powerful CPU for budget gamers (Image via Amazon)

The performance differences between the two chips can be the final answer for many. The Core i5-13400 is significantly faster than the Ryzen processor thanks to its extra cores and improved architecture. In both single and multi-core performance metrics, the processor wins as compared to Team Red's offering.

This makes it the better choice for gaming and multi-core heavy workloads like video editing, rendering, etc.

Benchmark scores of the two chips in some popular testing software are as follows:

	Intel Core i5-13400	AMD Ryzen 5 5600
Cinebench R23 single-core	1787	1505
Cinebench R23 multi-core	15957	10678
Geekbench 6 single-core	2441	2034
Geekbench 6 multi-core	10950	8955

Although the Ryzen 5 5600 is slower, it is also worth noting that the processor is significantly cheaper. At about $150, it offers significant value for cash-strapped gamers. Therefore, if you don't have the extra budget, opt for the cheaper Ryzen processor.

We recommend, however, to spend slightly extra cash and get the Intel chip if you have an extra $70-80 spare.

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Check out other CPU comparisons from Sportskeeda:

Intel Core i9-14900K vs Ryzen 9 7900X || Intel Core i5-14600K vs Ryzen 5 7600X || Intel Core i9-14900K vs Ryzen 9 7950X || Intel Core i5-13400 vs Ryzen 5 5600X