Intel Core i5-6500 vs AMD Ryzen 7 1700

These two processors score identically for gaming. Core count, power draw and platform cost decide it.

Dead heat — both processors score 41/100
Specification Intel Core i5-6500 AMD Ryzen 7 1700
Gaming score 41/100 41/100
Tier D D
Manufacturer Intel AMD
Cores 4 8
Threads 4 16
Base clock 3.2 GHz 3 GHz
Boost clock 3.6 GHz 3.7 GHz
Power draw (TDP) 65 W 65 W
Release year 2015 2017

Which should you buy?

Gaming performance is a tie between these two, so the decision comes down to the factors below. The AMD Ryzen 7 1700 has more cores (8 vs 4), which helps if you stream, compile or render alongside playing. Either way, pair it with a graphics card of similar standing — check the bottleneck calculator before you buy.