Intel Core i5-6600K vs AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 7730U

Intel Core i5-6600K

The Intel Core i5-6600K is a high-end quad-core desktop processor based on the Skylake architecture, which was announced in August 2015. The CPU, which is manufactured in a 14 nm process, runs at 3.5 up to 3.9 GHz (2 cores: 3.8 GHz, 3 cores: 3.7 GHz, 4 cores: 3.6 GHz) and – contrary to the i7-series – does not support Hyperthreading. Being a so called "K"-model, the Core i5-6600K has a free multiplier and can be easily overclocked. 

Performance

Because of the slightly slower clocks, the smaller L3-cache (6 instead of 8 MB) as well as the missing Hyperthreading support, the Core i5-6600K is about 10-30 percent slower than the top model i7-6700K. The CPU will still handle demanding applications and games without any problems.

Graphics

Graphics are handled by the integrated Intel HD Graphics 530 with 24 EUs (Execution Units), which is clocked at 350 - 1150 MHz. Compared to the HD Graphics 4600 (Haswell, 20 EUs), the performance is increased by around 25 percent. The overall GPU performance is still low-end, so modern games can, if at all, only be played smoothly with low settings. 

Power Consumption

The TDP was slightly raised from 88 to 91 Watts compared to the predecessor.

AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 7730U

The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 7730U is a processor for thin and light laptops based on the Cezanne generation. It is part of the second "Barcelo" refresh in early 2023 and offers the same specifications as the old Ryzen 7 5825U. The CPU integrates all eight cores based on the Zen 3 microarchitecture clocked at 2 (guaranteed base clock) to 4.5 GHz (Turbo) and support SMT / Hyperthreading (16 threads). The chip is manufactured in 7nm at TSMC. In comparison to the similar Ryzen 7 7730U, the PRO variant is aimed at business use and supports additional manageability and security features.

The Zen 3 microarchitecture offers significantly higher IPC (instructions per clock) compared to Zen 2 but falls behind the current Zen 4-based CPUs (e.g., 7040HS series).

Performance

The average 7730U in our database performs similarly to the Ryzen 7 5825U, Ryzen 7 6800U, Ryzen 7 PRO 6850U, and also the Core i7-1360P concerning multi-thread benchmark scores.

In addition to the eight CPU cores, the APU also integrates a Radeon RX Vega 8 GPU with 8 CUs operating at up to 2000 MHz. The dual-channel memory controller supports DDR4-3200 and energy-efficient LPDDR4-4266 RAM. Furthermore, a 16 MB level 3 cache (up from 8 MB on the 4800U) can be found on the chip.

The TDP of the APU is specified at 15 Watts (compared to the 5825U, which was specified between 10 and 25W).