Core i7-8086K vs Ryzen 5 4600H

Core i7-8086K vs Ryzen 5 4600H Performance Spectrum

Core i7-8086K

6 / 12

14,069

0.0%

14,173

+0.7%

Ryzen Threadripper 9960X

About PassMark

PassMark CPU Mark evaluates processor speed through complex mathematical computations. It provides a reliable metric to compare multi-core performance, where higher scores indicate faster processing for multitasking, gaming, and heavy workloads.

Core i7-8086K vs Ryzen 5 4600H FPS Benchmarks

Predicted gaming performance across popular games. Tested paired with GeForce RTX 5090 to isolate CPU performance.

Search any supported game below to compare 1080p FPS for both components.

Core i7-8086K vs Ryzen 5 4600H: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

See where each CPU makes more sense in practice: gaming, heavier work, platform cost, power draw, and upgrade path.

Core i7-8086K

2018

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +42.4% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+50% larger total L3 cache (12 MB vs 8 MB).

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (14,069 vs 14,173).
❌Launch MSRP is still $425 MSRP, while Ryzen 5 4600H mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌111.1% higher power demand at 95W vs 45W.

Ryzen 5 4600H

2020

Why buy it

✅+0.7% higher PassMark.
✅Draws 45W instead of 95W, a 50W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i7-8086K across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Smaller total L3 cache (8 MB vs 12 MB).

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 5 4600H better than Core i7-8086K?

It depends on what you want from the system. For gaming, Core i7-8086K is ahead with a 42.4% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 5 4600H pulls ahead with 0.7% better PassMark. Core i7-8086K also has the bigger cache pool with 50% larger total L3 cache (12 MB vs 8 MB).

Which one is better for streaming, content creation, and heavy multitasking?

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 5 4600H is the stronger fit. You are getting 0.7% better PassMark, backed by 6 cores and 12 threads.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper CPU?

Ryzen 5 4600H is still the much better call for a fresh build. Ryzen 5 4600H comes in at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus $425 MSRP, and it still gives you 0.7% better PassMark. Core i7-8086K only looks stronger on raw value math because it is extremely cheap, but that usually means used-market pricing on an obsolete 2018 platform. Even with 100.0% better value on paper (33.1 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), it really only makes sense as a cheap stopgap or a niche existing-platform option for someone already on LGA1151.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

Ryzen 5 4600H makes more sense long term for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2020 vs 2018) and more multi-core headroom with 6 cores / 12 threads instead of 6/12. That extra compute headroom is more likely to matter as games, background tasks, and creator workloads get heavier.

Core i7-8086K vs Ryzen 5 4600H Technical Specifications

Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.

Core i7-8086K

The Core i7-8086K is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 5 June 2018 (7 years ago). It is based on the Coffee Lake-S (2017−2018) architecture. It features 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 4 GHz, with boost up to 5 GHz. L3 cache: 12 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1151. Thermal design power (TDP): 95 Watt. Memory support: DDR3, DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 14,069 points. Launch price was $425.

Ryzen 5 4600H

The Ryzen 5 4600H is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 6 January 2020 (5 years ago). It is based on the Renoir-H (Zen 2) (2020) architecture. It features 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 3 GHz, with boost up to 4 GHz. L3 cache: 8 MB (total). L2 cache: 512 kB (per core). Built on 7 nm process technology. Socket: FP6. Thermal design power (TDP): 45 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 14,173 points. Launch price was $149.

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Processing Power

Both the Core i7-8086K and Ryzen 5 4600H share an identical 6-core/12-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 5 GHz on the Core i7-8086K versus 4 GHz on the Ryzen 5 4600H — a 22.2% clock advantage for the Core i7-8086K (base: 4 GHz vs 3 GHz). The Core i7-8086K uses the Coffee Lake-S (2017−2018) architecture (14 nm), while the Ryzen 5 4600H uses Renoir-H (Zen 2) (2020) (7 nm). In PassMark, the Core i7-8086K scores 14,069 against the Ryzen 5 4600H's 14,173 — a 0.7% lead for the Ryzen 5 4600H. L3 cache: 12 MB (total) on the Core i7-8086K vs 8 MB (total) on the Ryzen 5 4600H.

Feature	Core i7-8086K	Ryzen 5 4600H
Cores / Threads	6 / 12	6 / 12
Boost Clock	5 GHz+25%	4 GHz
Base Clock	4 GHz+33%	3 GHz
L3 Cache	12 MB (total)+50%	8 MB (total)
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	512 kB (per core)+100%
Process	14 nm	7 nm-50%
Architecture	Coffee Lake-S (2017−2018)	Renoir-H (Zen 2) (2020)
PassMark	14,069	14,173

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Memory & Platform

The Core i7-8086K uses the LGA1151 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Ryzen 5 4600H uses FP6 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.