Intel Core i5-4590 vs AMD Ryzen 5 5600HS vs AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX

Intel Core i5-4590

The Intel Core i5-4590 is a desktop processor with 4 core and 4 threads (no HyperThreading / SMT) based on the Haswell architecture. The cores clock from 3.3. - 3.7 GHz and the SoC integrates 6 MB level 3 cache. The integrated Intel HD graphics 4600 GPU clocks from 350 - 1150 MHz and the integrated memory controller supports up to 32 GB of DDR3-1600.

AMD Ryzen 5 5600HS

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600HS is a processor for big (gaming) laptops based on the Cezanne generation. The R5 5600H integrates six of the eight cores based on the Zen 3 microarchitecture. They are clocked at 3 GHz (guaranteed base clock) to 4.2 GHz (Turbo) and support SMT / Hyperthreading (12 threads). The chip is manufactured in the modern 7 nm process at TSMC. Compared to the 5600H (up to 52 W), the 5600HS is configured to a TDP of 35W.

The new Zen 3 microarchitecture offers a significantly higher IPC (instructions per clock) compared to Zen 2. For desktop processors AMD claims 19 percent on average and in applications reviews showed around 12% gains at the same clock speed.

With the increased clock speed and IPC improvements thanks to Zen 3, the Ryzen 5 5600H should be clearly faster than the lower clocked Ryzen 7 4600H.

In addition to the six CPU cores, the APU also integrates a Radeon RX Vega 6  integrated graphics card with 6 CUs and up to 1800 MHz. The dual channel memory controller supports DDR4-3200 and energy efficient LPDDR4-4266 RAM. Furthermore, 16 MB level 3 cache can be found on the chip.

The TDP of the APU is specified at 35 Watt and therefore also suited for thin gaming laptops.

AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX

The AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX is a processor for big (gaming) laptops based on the Cezanne generation. The R9 5900H integrates all eight cores based on the Zen 3 microarchitecture. They are clocked at 3.3 (guaranteed base clock) to 4.6 GHz (Turbo) and support SMT for a total of 16 threads. The chip is manufactured on the modern 7 nm TSMC process. The "X" in the name indicates the overclocking capabilities of the CPU.

The new Zen 3 microarchitecture offers a significantly higher IPC (instructions per clock) compared to Zen 2. For desktop processors AMD claims 19 percent on average and in applications reviews showed around 12% gains at the same clock speed.

In addition to the eight CPU cores, the APU also integrates a Radeon RX Vega 8 integrated graphics adapter with 8 CUs and up to 2100 MHz. The dual channel memory controller supports DDR4-3200 and energy efficient LPDDR4-4266 RAM. Furthermore, 16 MB level 3 cache can be found on the chip.

Performance

The average 5900HX in our database trades blows with Intel's Core i9-11980HK, as far as multi-thread benchmark scores are concerned. While not much faster than the less power-hungry Ryzen 9 5900HS, this is still a great CPU for quality gaming laptops as well as DTRs and high-performance mini-PCs, as of mid 2022.

Thanks to its decent cooling solution and a long-term CPU power limit of 80 W, the Strix Scar 17 G733QSA-XS99 is among the fastest laptops powered by the 5900HX that we know of. It can be roughly 15% faster in CPU-bound workloads than the slowest system featuring the same chip in our database, as of August 2023.

Power consumption

This Ryzen 9 series chip has a default TDP (also known as the long-term power limit) of 45 W, a value that laptop makers are allowed to change to anything between 35 W and 54 W with clock speeds and performance changing accordingly as a result. Either way, a high-performance cooling solution is a must for a CPU like this.

The R9 5900HX is built with the 7 nm TSMC manufacturing process resulting in decent, as of late 2022, energy efficiency.