9900K vs 3950x: AMD Ryzen 9 3950X vs Intel Core i9-9900K

AMD Ryzen 9 3950X vs Intel Core i9-9900K: The Battle for Mainstream Supremacy

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

For years, Intel’s flagships were the only solution if you wanted the most powerful processor that money could buy. AMD, while it always offered good value at the low end, simply could not compete on the high end. That is until the red team turned the tide with its Zen architecture that underpins the company’s Ryzen and Threadripper CPUs.

AMD flipped the processor world on its head two years ago, and it continues to disrupt the industry. Recently, the company launched the Ryzen 9 3950X, which is the first mainstream processor to offer 16 cores for clobbering multi-threaded workloads on a mainstream platform.

The 3950X is more expensive than Intel’s rival eight-core Core i9-9900K, but that’s expected. Intel does have its Core i9-9900KS on offer, but that limited-edition chip won’t be available after the holidays (according to Intel). Even with the $250 price disparity between the two chips, both of these processors represent the best each company has to offer on a mainstream platform.

As such, today, we’ll put the Core i9-9900K and the Ryzen 9 3950X to the test to see which processor reigns supreme on the company’s mainstream platforms.

Features

AMD’s Ryzen 9 3950X is the pinnacle of the company’s mainstream processor lineup. It’s built on the Zen 2 microarchitecture, which uses the Infinity Fabric interconnect to combine multiple chiplets to form high core-count CPUs. Zen 2 also supports the PCIe 4.0 specification, which doubles the available bandwidth for PCIe devices such as NVMe drives and graphics cards.

The Ryzen 9 3950X features two 7nm eight-core chiplets, just like the Ryzen 9 3900X. However, unlike the 3900X, this processor comes out of the factory with every core enabled. Amazingly, AMD didn’t have to lower the peak clock speeds, and it didn’t increase the 105W TDP rating. The 16-core 3950X comes out of the box with a 3.5 GHz base clock and a 4.7 GHz boost clock, although, as we recently discovered, the boost frequency isn’t necessarily consistent across all cores,

The Ryzen 9 3950X also includes 64MB of L3 cache, which is twice as much cache memory as the previous-gen Ryzen chips, and four times as much cache memory as Intel’s desktop chips.

Speaking of memory, Zen 2 processors officially support dual-channel DDR4-3200, and the Ryzen 9 3950X is no exception.

The features that the Ryzen 9 3950X brings to the table really haven’t been seen at this price point before. As we wrote in our review of the processor; “to say this chip blurs the lines between the mainstream desktop and HEDT is an understatement: In reality, it brings HEDT-class performance to the friendlier pricing of mainstream motherboards, placing it in a class of its own.“

Intel’s Core i9-9900K doesn’t move the HEDT needle closer to the mainstream in the same way that AMD’s Ryzen 9 processors do, but it is still a compelling option for certain functions because of its sheer clock speed. Intel is taking a brute-force approach to staying relevant in the enthusiast PC market. The company is struggling to shrink its designs to smaller process nodes, with several delays to its planned 10nm desktop processors preventing Intel from following AMD’s lead in terms of core counts. As such, the current CPU lineup is built on Intel’s 14nm++ process.

The Core i9-9900K is an 8-core, 16-thread processor that operates at a maximum frequency of 5 GHz. The 9900K offers a base clock of 3.6 GHz, can boost to 5 GHz on up to two cores, and up to 4.7 GHz on all eight cores. And unlike AMD’s processors, the core frequency does not waver between cores: all cores on the chip can reach the 5.0 GHz threshold.

The 9900K is rated at a 95W TDP and also includes solder TIM (sTIM), to facilitate heat dissipation.

Like the rest of Intel’s 9000-series processors, the Core i9-9900K features support for dual-channel DDR4-2666 memory. It also offers built-in UHD 630 graphics so you don’t need a discrete graphics card to build a system with this CPU, though it is noteworthy that you’ll need a discrete graphics card for even mid-range gaming. The i9 processors also include 16MB of L3 cache memory.

Process	SEP / RCP (USD)	Cores / Threads	TDP (Watts)	Base Frequency (GHz)	Total Cache (MB)	PCIe Lanes	iGPU
Ryzen 9 3950X	7nm	$749	16 / 32	105W	3. 5 / 4.7	32	24 Gen4
Core i9-9900K	14nm	$488	16-Aug	95W	3.6 / 5.0	16	16 Gen3

Winner: AMD. When it comes to features, AMD’s Ryzen 3000 series outclasses Intel’s 9th Gen Core series with a variety of modern features. The smaller 7nm process allows AMD to pack more cores and more cache memory into a single socket, and the new PCIe 4.0 standard gives you far more bandwidth for modern accessories and SSDs.

Cooling

AMD cranked up the core count of the Ryzen 9 3950X, but at the cost of diminished all-core clock speeds. To keep the temperatures in check with an extra four cores under the lid, AMD reduced the base core clock of the 3950X to 3.5 GHz. Under load, the flagship Ryzen can boost to 4.7 GHz, but you will need a beefy cooling solution to sustain such speeds.

Unlike other mainstream Ryzen processors, the Ryzen 9 3950X doesn’t come with a bundled cooling solution. AMD recommends using a 280mm AIO cooler to keep the cores chilled, but we found even that to be somewhat inadequate. In our tests of the 3950X, our Corsair h215i struggled to keep core temperatures low enough to maintain the factory boost frequency. To extract the full potential of a 3950X, you’re best with a custom water-cooling loop.

The story is quite different on Intel’s side of the court. Even though the Core i9-9900K’s primary advantage is its clock speeds, the chip doesn’t put off nearly as much heat as AMD’s counterpart. That said, don’t think you can skimp out on your cooling here: Liquid cooling is still a must.

The Corsair h215i that stumbled under the weight of the Ryzen 9 3950X handled the load from our Core i9-9900K and allowed the chip to run at an overclocked all-core clock speed of 5.0 GHz.

Winner: Tie. Both AMD’s Ryzen 9 3950X and Intel’s Core i9-9900K push the limits of modern CPU coolers, but Intel’s chip is a bit more forgiving. You can get away with an off-the-shelf 240mm watercooler if you run a 9900K, but if you’re looking to extract the utmost performance from a 3950X, you might consider a beefier AIO or custom water cooling loop.

However, the Ryzen 9 3950X comes with eight more cores than the 9900K, a neat doubling, and the increase in thermal dissipation isn’t linear, meaning heat output doesn’t double. Given the extra performance to be had with the 3950X, its increased thermal output is acceptable, yielding a tie in this section.

Overclocking

AMD’s Ryzen platform does many things well, but manual overclocking has never been one of them. AMD optimizes its chips so heavily to offer the highest possible out-of-the-box performance that tweaking parameters to coax more out of these high-core count chips often results in increased multi-thread performance, but decreased single-thread performance.

In our tests, we had trouble maintaining a 4.3 GHz overclock on all cores. An 800 MHz bump for multi-threaded applications is nice, but it comes at the cost of a 400 MHz decrease for single-threaded tasks. Using AMD’s automated Precision Boost Overdrive feature maintains the stock single-thread boost clock, but half the fun of overclocking is tweaking the parameters yourself.

Intel’s architecture is much better suited to overclocking enthusiasts that wish to tinker with their system’s settings. Intel also has a one-click automated Intel Performance Maximizer overclocking software that takes the elbow grease out of overclocking, which is a nice feature for less-savvy users.

In our tests, when paired with a suitable cooling solution, we were able to extract another 300 MHz out of each core, to give us an all-core clock speed of 5.0 GHz (albeit with a -2 AVX offset), with a beefy off-the-shelf Corsair h215i cooler.

Winner: Intel. AMD’s Ryzen processors have never offered much extreme overclocking potential with conventional cooling methods, and the Ryzen 9 3950X is no exception. While you can extract a bit more performance out of a Ryzen 9, Intel’s platform is obviously superior for overclocking enthusiasts.

Motherboard Options

The motherboard selection for AMD’s Ryzen 9 3950X is surprisingly vast. According to AMD, the X570, X470, and B450 chipsets all support the company’s top-dog processer. However, some X370 boards, such as the Asus Crosshair VI Hero and MSI’s X370 XPOWER Gaming Titanium are also compatible with AMD’s 16-core monster.

Not all boards with those chipsets will get support for the Ryzen 9 3950X. It’s up to the motherboard manufacturer to add support for the CPU via a firmware update. Only boards with robust power delivery systems are suited for the task, and you wouldn’t want to run this CPU on a motherboard with cheap power circuitry anyway.

If you’re shopping for a Core i9-9900K, your motherboard options will be similarly limited. The Core i9 processor can slot into any Intel 300-series motherboard, including B360, h410, h470, Z370, and Z390 chipsets. However, the power demands of the i9-9900K put a lot of stress on the motherboard VRMs, so you should not cheap out on your board selection, and you’ll need a Z-series board for overclocking. A high-end Z390 is the best pairing for such a power-hungry processor.

Winner: Tie. Whether you opt for the Ryzen 9 3950X or the Core i9-9900K, you’ll want to opt for a high-end motherboard. These processors push the boundaries of modern CPUs and they should be complemented with an equally advanced motherboard.

Gaming Performance

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AMD’s Ryzen has always been an amazing foundation for productivity machines, but they’ve never been as competitive in gaming performance as they are now. AMD’s Zen 2 architecture offers significant improvements in per-core performance over previous generations, but the changes still can’t completely counter Intel’s advantage.

Don’t get us wrong; the Ryzen 9 3950X can hold its own just fine in gaming workloads. In games like Civilization VI and Ashes of the Singularity: Escalation that can address all the cores of AMD’s mainstream workhorse, the Ryzen 9 3950X with PBO enabled is one of the best performers around. But in games like Far Cry 5 and Grand Theft Auto 5, the Ryzen 9 3950X runs head to head with processors that command a much lower price tag.

However, if what you’re after is the absolute highest frame rate in the games you play, there’s no other option than to go with Intel. What the Core i9 lacks in core count; it makes up with raw clock speed.

There’s little doubt that the Core i9-9900K remains the fastest gaming processor, but we’d be remiss to say that it is the best gaming processor. Intel’s own Core i7-9700K is a much better option for someone primarily interested in gaming because it offers roughly the same level of performance at a much lower price point.

Winner: Intel. Intel’s Core i9-9900K is faster at gaming than AMD’s Ryzen 9 3950X, but if gaming performance is what you’re after, you could save yourself quite a bit of money with an i7-9700K or Ryzen 7 3900X.

Productivity Performance

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If you’re in the market for a workstation PC for general productivity and Microsoft Office related tasks, you should probably be looking for a more mid-tier CPU to save some money. However, between the Ryzen 9 3950X and the Core i9-9900K, Intel’s processor outperforms AMD’s in several Microsoft Office applications. But the 2950X has a higher overall score due to its strength in Excel, where its extra cores and large caches help close the gap, and the Edge browser test.

For compilation tasks, like our timed-llvm test, the 3950X reigns supreme on the mainstream desktop.

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Rendering is where AMD’s Ryzen processors really shine. These tasks can often be split up across as many threads as available, which really allows the Ryzen 9 3950X to stretch its legs and show us what it can really do.

In the Cinebench R20 tests, our Ryzen 9 3950X was bested only by AMD’s 32-core Threadripper 2990WX and an overclocked 18-core Core i9-9980XE in the multi-threaded test. Intel’s Core i9-9900K @ 5.0 GHz managed to squeeze out 5,239 points, whereas the 3950X with PBO enabled cranked out nearly double that score with 9534 points. The 3950X even topped the single-core test with 545 points compared to 524 from the 9900K.

Our results from the POV-RAY multi-core test are just as damning for Intel. Where the Ryzen 9 3950X cranked out 7,955 points at stock settings, the Core i9 topped out at 3,566. The single-core test gave the Ryzen 508.7 points, and the i9 scored 421.4.

In Blender, the story continues: The Ryzen 9 3950X ran the quick benchmark in 505 seconds, while the i9 took its sweet time and finished the test in 916 seconds.

The LuxMark CPU test, Corona 1.3 Ray Tracing test, V-Ray CPU Test, and the NAMD molecular dynamics simulation test all netted similar results, with the Ryzen 9 clobbering the Core i9 by significant margins.

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AMD’s Ryzen 9 3950X is an excellent choice if you convert a lot of videos from one format to another. In our handbrake .MKV to MP4 x264 test, the Ryzen 9 outshined the Core i9-9900K by a very healthy margin. Our tuned Ryzen chip performed a task in 138 seconds that took our i9 216 seconds to complete.

Compression, Decompression, Encryption, and AVX instructions are all heavily multi-threaded tasks, which lend well to AMD’s high core count. Our Ryzen 9 left our Core i9 in the dust in every test except our single thread Geekbench and y-cruncher tests. When multiple threads are at play, these two processors are in completely different leagues.

Winner: AMD. Both chips have their strengths, but the Ryzen 9 3950X offers a more balanced performance profile. While the chip isn’t as strong in some strictly lightly-threaded applications, none of the results represent a serious performance concern that would bar our recommendation. Pairing that more-than-acceptable performance in lightly-threaded workloads with the intense performance scalability in threaded productivity applications, where the 9900K frankly can’t compete, and the win goes to the 3950X.

Value Proposition

AMD’s Ryzen 9 3950X has a clear performance advantage over Intel’s Core i9-9900K in many use cases, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s a better value for all users. The price difference between these two processors is quite significant, and worth some serious consideration.

If you’re primarily a gamer, then there’s no question: The i9 is a much better deal. Not only will you save a couple of hundred dollars; but you will also get better performance in most gameplay situations.

Hobbyist creators that do video, audio, or 3D production will get better performance out of many applications if they go with the Ryzen, but they’ll still be paying a high price for that privilege that might not be worth it. Let’s be real: if you’re not making money off your work, waiting a few extra minutes for a render might not be a big concern. In those cases, you’re better served by a Ryzen 9 3900X.

Professional creators, such as YouTubers, game designers, and podcast producers will see the benefits of spending the extra $250 to save time on their production pipelines for every project. When you look at the Ryzen 9 3950X through the prism of someone who wanted but couldn’t afford a Threadripper, the Ryzen 9 starts to look like a very attractive option.

Winner: AMD. Given the big price disparities between the chips, a lot of the value will boil down to what type of applications you use frequently. A 50% price premium for the 3950X is a lot to ask if you’re a gamer or enthusiast, but for its target market, the Ryzen 9 3950X offers unprecedented value. You’ll pay ~$23 per thread for the 3950X, which stands in stark contrast to the ~$61 per-thread asking price for the 9900K. Considering that the 3950X offers huge gains in threaded workloads for roughly a third of the cost-per-thread, that equates to a solid value proposition if you need that level of computing horsepower. It also offers more than acceptable performance in lightly-threaded applications and gaming.

That said, most casual enthusiasts will be better served looking downstream to AMD’s Ryzen 9 3900X for mainstream performance, while the Ryzen 9 3950X really is on a level of its own.

Given the pricing disparity between the two chips, this is a bit of an odd comparison, but the fact remains: We’re comparing the best of the mainstream desktop from each company’s arsenal, and AMD’s Ryzen 9 3950X comes out ahead.

Intel is still the king for gamers looking for the highest gaming performance possible, and AMD continues to leverage the benefits of its core-heavy architecture. Intel’s strengths remain in its speed in lightly-threaded workloads where its high core frequencies provide a tangible benefit, but there is a limit to its scalability in heavily-threaded applications.

In contrast, the Ryzen 9 3950X offers a balanced performance profile with solid, but not always leading, performance in most lightly-threaded apps, but delivers an absolutely crushing amount of performance in threaded workloads.

Ultimately, what we said about these processors during their reviews still stands true today: “Intel’s eight-core Core i9-9900K comes with everything to satisfy enthusiasts, like more cores, higher frequencies, and performance-boosting Solder TIM. Those improvements make the chip the fastest mainstream processor on the market, but the $500 asking price relegates it to the most extreme performance enthusiasts,” and “The Ryzen 9 3950X lets you jam highly threaded horsepower into an affordable motherboard, creating a new CPU class all its own. Its 16 cores and 32 threads redefine what’s possible for the mainstream, and its comparatively affordable price-per-core is a great value.”

Round	Intel Core i9-9900K	AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
Features		✗
Overclocking	✗
Cooling	✗	✗
Motherboards	✗	✗
Gaming Performance	✗
Productivity Performance		✗
Value		✗
Total	4	5

Kevin Carbotte is a contributing writer for Tom’s Hardware who primarily covers VR and AR hardware. He has been writing for us for more than four years.

AMD Ryzen 9 3950X vs Intel Core i9-9900K: What is the difference?

72points

AMD Ryzen 9 3950X

67points

Intel Core i9-9900K

Comparison winner

64 facts in comparison

AMD Ryzen 9 3950X

Intel Core i9-9900K

Why is AMD Ryzen 9 3950X better than Intel Core i9-9900K?

1.94x faster CPU speed?
16 x 3.5GHzvs8 x 3.6GHz
534MHz higher ram speed?
3200MHzvs2666MHz
16 more CPU threads?
32vs16
7nm smaller semiconductor size?
7nmvs14nm
6.1MB bigger L2 cache?
8.1MBvs2MB
2.07x higher PassMark result?
39068vs18898
56MB bigger L3 cache?
72MBvs16MB
1 newer version of PCI Express (PCIe)?
4vs3

Why is Intel Core i9-9900K better than AMD Ryzen 9 3950X?

5°C higher maximum operating temperature?
100°Cvs95°C
0. 3GHz higher turbo clock speed?
5GHzvs4.7GHz
10W lower TDP?
95Wvs105W
Has integrated graphics?
10.18% higher PassMark result (single)?
2986vs2710
Has NX bit?

Which are the most popular comparisons?

AMD Ryzen 9 3950X

AMD Ryzen 9 5950X

Intel Core i9-9900K

Apple M1 Pro (10-core)

AMD Ryzen 9 3950X

AMD Ryzen 9 5900X

Intel Core i9-9900K

AMD Ryzen 9 3900X

AMD Ryzen 9 3950X

AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3990X

Intel Core i9-9900K

Intel Core i9-9900

AMD Ryzen 9 3950X

Intel Core i9-12900K

Intel Core i9-9900K

Intel Core i5-12600K

AMD Ryzen 9 3950X

AMD Ryzen 7 5800X

Intel Core i9-9900K

AMD Ryzen 7 5800X

AMD Ryzen 9 3950X

AMD Ryzen 9 3900X

Intel Core i9-9900K

Intel Core i7-9700K

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AMD Ryzen 5 5600X

Intel Core i9-9900K

Intel Core i9-9900KF

AMD Ryzen 9 3950X

AMD Ryzen 7 3700X

Intel Core i9-9900K

AMD Ryzen 5 5600X

AMD Ryzen 9 3950X

Intel Core i9-9900X

Intel Core i9-9900K

Intel Core i7-10700K

Intel Core i9-9900K

Intel Core i7-8700K

Price comparison

Cheap alternatives

User reviews

Overall Rating

AMD Ryzen 9 3950X

2 User reviews

AMD Ryzen 9 3950X

10. 0/10

2 User reviews

Intel Core i9-9900K

4 User reviews

Intel Core i9-9900K

8.8/10

4 User reviews

Features

Value for money

8.5/10

2 votes

8.5/10

4 votes

Gaming

9.0/10

2 votes

9.3/10

4 votes

Performance

10.0/10

2 votes

9.5/10

4 votes

Reliability

10.0/10

2 votes

9.0/10

4 votes

Energy efficiency

10.0/10

2 votes

8.8/10

4 votes

Performance

1.CPU speed

16 x 3.5GHz

8 x 3.6GHz

The CPU speed indicates how many processing cycles per second can be executed by a CPU, considering all of its cores (processing units). It is calculated by adding the clock rates of each core or, in the case of multi-core processors employing different microarchitectures, of each group of cores.

2.CPU threads

More threads result in faster performance and better multitasking.

3.turbo clock speed

4.7GHz

When the CPU is running below its limitations, it can boost to a higher clock speed in order to give increased performance.

4.Has an unlocked multiplier

✔AMD Ryzen 9 3950X

✔Intel Core i9-9900K

Some processors come with an unlocked multiplier which makes them easy to overclock, allowing you to gain increased performance in games and other apps.

5.L2 cache

A larger L2 cache results in faster CPU and system-wide performance.

6.L3 cache

A larger L3 cache results in faster CPU and system-wide performance.

7.L1 cache

1536KB

A larger L1 cache results in faster CPU and system-wide performance.

8. L2 core

0.5MB/core

0.25MB/core

More data can be stored in the L2 cache for access by each core of the CPU.

9.L3 core

4.5MB/core

2MB/core

More data can be stored in the L3 cache for access by each core of the CPU.

Memory

1.RAM speed

3200MHz

2666MHz

It can support faster memory, which will give quicker system performance.

2.maximum memory bandwidth

47.68GB/s

41.6GB/s

This is the maximum rate that data can be read from or stored into memory.

3.DDR memory version

DDR (Double Data Rate) memory is the most common type of RAM. Newer versions of DDR memory support higher maximum speeds and are more energy-efficient.

4.memory channels

More memory channels increases the speed of data transfer between the memory and the CPU.

5. maximum memory amount

The maximum amount of memory (RAM) supported.

6.bus transfer rate

Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. (AMD Ryzen 9 3950X)

The bus is responsible for transferring data between different components of a computer or device.

7.Supports ECC memory

✔AMD Ryzen 9 3950X

✖Intel Core i9-9900K

Error-correcting code memory can detect and correct data corruption. It is used when is it essential to avoid corruption, such as scientific computing or when running a server.

8.eMMC version

Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. (AMD Ryzen 9 3950X)

Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. (Intel Core i9-9900K)

A higher version of eMMC allows faster memory interfaces, having a positive effect on the performance of a device. For example, when transferring files from your computer to the internal storage over USB.

9. bus speed

Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. (AMD Ryzen 9 3950X)

Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. (Intel Core i9-9900K)

The bus is responsible for transferring data between different components of a computer or device.

Benchmarks

1.PassMark result

This benchmark measures the performance of the CPU using multiple threads.

2.PassMark result (single)

This benchmark measures the performance of the CPU using a single thread.

3.Geekbench 5 result (multi)

Geekbench 5 is a cross-platform benchmark that measures a processor’s multi-core performance. (Source: Primate Labs, 2022)

4.Cinebench R20 (multi) result

Cinebench R20 is a benchmark tool that measures a CPU’s multi-core performance by rendering a 3D scene.

5.Cinebench R20 (single) result

Cinebench R20 is a benchmark tool that measures a CPU’s single-core performance by rendering a 3D scene.

6.Geekbench 5 result (single)

Geekbench 5 is a cross-platform benchmark that measures a processor’s single-core performance. (Source: Primate Labs, 2022)

7.Blender (bmw27) result

90.8seconds

164.2seconds

The Blender (bmw27) benchmark measures the performance of a processor by rendering a 3D scene. More powerful processors can render the scene in less time.

8.Blender (classroom) result

270.7seconds

544seconds

The Blender (classroom) benchmark measures the performance of a processor by rendering a 3D scene. More powerful processors can render the scene in less time.

9.performance per watt

This means the CPU is more efficient, giving a greater amount of performance for each watt of power used.

Features

1.uses multithreading

✔AMD Ryzen 9 3950X

✔Intel Core i9-9900K

Multithreading technology (such as Intel’s Hyperthreading or AMD’s Simultaneous Multithreading) provides increased performance by splitting each of the processor’s physical cores into virtual cores, also known as threads. This way, each core can run two instruction streams at once.

2.Has AES

✔AMD Ryzen 9 3950X

✔Intel Core i9-9900K

AES is used to speed up encryption and decryption.

3.Has AVX

✔AMD Ryzen 9 3950X

✔Intel Core i9-9900K

AVX is used to help speed up calculations in multimedia, scientific and financial apps, as well as improving Linux RAID software performance.

4.SSE version

SSE is used to speed up multimedia tasks such as editing an image or adjusting audio volume. Each new version contains new instructions and improvements.

5.Has F16C

✔AMD Ryzen 9 3950X

✔Intel Core i9-9900K

F16C is used to speed up tasks such as adjusting the contrast of an image or adjusting volume.

6.bits executed at a time

Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. (AMD Ryzen 9 3950X)

Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. (Intel Core i9-9900K)

NEON provides acceleration for media processing, such as listening to MP3s.

7.Has MMX

✔AMD Ryzen 9 3950X

✔Intel Core i9-9900K

MMX is used to speed up tasks such as adjusting the contrast of an image or adjusting volume.

8.Has TrustZone

✖AMD Ryzen 9 3950X

✖Intel Core i9-9900K

A technology integrated into the processor to secure the device for use with features such as mobile payments and streaming video using digital rights management (DRM).

9.front-end width

Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. (AMD Ryzen 9 3950X)

Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. (Intel Core i9-9900K)

The CPU can decode more instructions per clock (IPC), meaning that the CPU performs better

Price comparison

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Which are the best CPUs?

AMD Ryzen 9 3950X vs Intel Core i9-9900K: What is the difference?

72 Ballla

AMD Ryzen 9 3950x

67 Ballla

Intel Core i9-9900k

Winter when comparing

64 Facts compared to

AMD RYZEN 9 3950X 9000 Is Ryzen 9 3950X better than Intel Core i9-9900K?

1. 94x higher CPU speed?
16 x 3.5GHz vs 8 x 3.6GHz
534MHz higher RAM speed?
3200MHz vs 2666MHz
16 more CPU threads?
32 vs 16
Smaller 7nm semiconductors?
7nm vs 14nm
6.1MB more L2 cache?
8.1MB vs 2MB
2.07x higher PassMark score?
39068 vs 18898
56MB more L3 cache?
72MB vs 16MB
1 newer PCI Express (PCIe) version?
4 vs 3

Why is Intel Core i9-9900K better than AMD Ryzen 9 3950X?

5°C higher than maximum operating temperature?
100°C vs 95°C
0.3GHz higher turbo clock speed?
5GHz vs 4.7GHz
10W below TDP?
95W vs 105W
Has integrated graphics?
10.18% higher PassMark score (single)?
2986 vs 2710
Has NX bit?

What are the most popular comparisons?

AMD RYZEN 9 3950X

AMD Ryzen 9 5950x

Intel Core i9-9900k

Apple M1 Pro (10-Core)

AMD Ryzen 9 3950x

VS 9000 AMD

Intel Core i9-9900K

AMD Ryzen 9 3900X

AMD Ryzen 9 3950X

AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3990X

Intel Core i9-9900K

Intel Core i9-9900

AMD Ryzen 9 3950X

Intel Core i9-12900K

Intel Core i9-9900k

Intel Core i5-12600k

AMD Ryzen 9 3950x

AMD Ryzen 7 5800x

Intel Core INTEL CORE INTEL CORE INTEL CORE INTEL CORE INTEL CORE0003

AMD RYZEN 7 5800X

AMD RYZEN 9 3950X

AMD Ryzen 9 3900x

Intel Core i9-9900K

AMD Ryzen 9 39503 AMD Ryzen 9 39503

AMD Ryzen 9 Ryzen 5 5600x

Intel Core i9-9900k

Intel Core i9-9900KF

AMD Ryzen 9 3950x

AMD Ryzen 7 3700X

VS AMICE 9000 VS AM 5600X

AMD RYZEN 9 3950X

Intel Core i9-9900x

Intel Core i9-9900k

Intel Core i7-10700k

VS 9000 9000 9000 9000 9000 9000 9000 9000)

Comparison of prices

cheaper

users reviews

total rating

AMD Ryzen 9 3950x

2 Reviews of users

AMD Ryzen 9 3950x

10. 0 /10 9000 9000 9000 9000 9000 9000 9000 9000 9000 9000 9000 9000.0003

Intel Core i9-9900k

4 reviews of users

Intel Core i9-9900k

8.8 /10

4 Reviews of users

Functions

9000 VOTES

8.5 /10

4 Votes

Games

/10

2 VOTES

9.3 /10

4 VOTES

003

10.0 /10

2 Votes

/10

4 Votes

Reliability

10.0 /10

2 VOTES

/10 9000 VOTS

10.0 /10

2 VOTES

8.8 /10

4 Votes

PROCESSITY

1. Sprayer of the central processor

16 X 3.5GHZ

8 x 3.6GHz

CPU speed indicates how many processing cycles per second the processor can perform, considering all its cores (processors). It is calculated by adding the clock speeds of each core or, in the case of multi-core processors, each group of cores.

2nd processor thread

More threads result in better performance and better multitasking.

3.speed turbo clock

4.7GHz

When the processor is running below its limits, it can jump to a higher clock speed to increase performance.

4. Unlocked

✔AMD Ryzen 9 3950X

✔Intel Core i9-9900K

Some processors come with an unlocked multiplier and can be easily overclocked for better performance in games and other applications.

5.L2 Cache

More L2 scratchpad memory results in faster results in CPU and system performance tuning.

6.L3 cache

More L3 scratchpad memory results in faster results in CPU and system performance tuning.

7.L1 cache

1536KB

More L1 scratchpad memory results in faster results in CPU and system performance tuning.

8.core L2

0.5MB/core

0.25MB/core

More data can be stored in the L2 scratchpad for access by each processor core.

9.core L3

4.5MB/core

2MB/core

More data can be stored in the L3 scratchpad for access by each processor core.

Memory

1.RAM speed

3200MHz

2666MHz

Can support faster memory which speeds up system performance.

2.max memory bandwidth

47.68GB/s

41.6GB/s

This is the maximum rate at which data can be read from or stored in memory.

3. DDR version

DDR (Double Data Rate Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory) is the most common type of RAM. New versions of DDR memory support higher maximum speeds and are more energy efficient.

4 memory channels

More memory channels increase the speed of data transfer between memory and processor.

5.max memory

Maximum amount of memory (RAM).

6.bus baud rate

Unknown. Help us offer a price. (AMD Ryzen 9 3950X)

The bus is responsible for transferring data between various components of a computer or device.

7. Supports memory troubleshooting code

✔AMD Ryzen 9 3950X

✖Intel Core i9-9900K

Memory troubleshooting code can detect and fix data corruption. It is used when necessary to avoid distortion, such as in scientific computing or when starting a server.

8.eMMC version

Unknown. Help us offer a price. (AMD Ryzen 9 3950X)

Unknown. Help us offer a price. (Intel Core i9-9900K)

The newer version of eMMC — built-in flash memory card — speeds up the memory interface, has a positive effect on device performance, for example, when transferring files from a computer to internal memory via USB.

9.bus frequency

Unknown. Help us offer a price. (AMD Ryzen 93950X)

Unknown. Help us offer a price. (Intel Core i9-9900K)

The bus is responsible for transferring data between various components of a computer or device

Geotagging

1. PassMark result

This test measures processor performance using multi-threading.

2. PassMark result (single)

This test measures processor performance using a thread of execution.

3.Geekbench 5 result (multi-core)

Geekbench 5 is a cross-platform benchmark that measures the performance of a multi-core processor. (Source: Primate Labs,2022)

4.Cinebench R20 result (multi-core)

Cinebench R20 is a test that measures the performance of a multi-core processor by rendering a 3D scene.

5. Result Cinebench R20 (single core)

Cinebench R20 is a test to evaluate the performance of a single core processor when rendering a 3D scene.

6.Geekbench 5 result (single core)

Geekbench 5 is a cross-platform test that measures the single core performance of a processor. (Source: Primate Labs, 2022)

7.Blender test result (bmw27)

90.8seconds

164.2seconds

The Blender test (bmw27) measures CPU performance by rendering a 3D scene. More powerful processors can render a scene in a shorter time.

8.Blender result (classroom)

270.7seconds

544seconds

The Blender (classroom) benchmark measures CPU performance by rendering a 3D scene. More powerful processors can render a scene in a shorter time.

9.performance per watt

This means that the processor is more efficient, giving more performance per watt of power used.

Features

1.uses multithreading

✔AMD Ryzen 93950X

✔Intel Core i9-9900K

Multithreading technology (such as Intel’s Hyperthreading or AMD’s Simultaneous Multithreading) delivers faster performance by dividing each physical processor core into logical cores, also known as threads. Thus, each core can run two instruction streams at the same time.

2. Has AES

✔AMD Ryzen 9 3950X

✔Intel Core i9-9900K

AES is used to speed up encryption and decryption.

3. Has AVX

✔AMD Ryzen 9 3950X

✔Intel Core i9-9900K

AVX is used to help speed up calculations in multimedia, scientific and financial applications, and to improve the performance of the Linux RAID program.

4.Version SSE

SSE is used to speed up multimedia tasks such as editing images or adjusting audio volume. Each new version contains new instructions and improvements.

5. Has F16C

✔AMD Ryzen 9 3950X

✔Intel Core i9-9900K

F16C is used to speed up tasks such as image contrast adjustment or volume control.

6.bits transmitted at the same time

Unknown. Help us offer a price. (AMD Ryzen 9 3950X)

Unknown. Help us offer a price. (Intel Core i9-9900K)

NEON provides faster media processing such as MP3 listening.

7. Has MMX

✔AMD Ryzen 9 3950X

✔Intel Core i9-9900K

MMX is used to speed up tasks such as adjusting image contrast or adjusting volume.

8.Has TrustZone

✖AMD Ryzen 9 3950X

✖Intel Core i9-9900K

Technology is integrated into the processor to ensure device security when using features such as mobile payments and streaming video using Digital Rights Management (DRM) technology ).

9.interface width

Unknown. Help us offer a price. (AMD Ryzen 9 3950X)

Unknown. Help us offer a price. (Intel Core i9-9900K)

The processor can decode more instructions per clock (IPC), which means that the processor performs better

Price comparison

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Which CPUs are better?

Intel Core i9 9900K vs AMD Ryzen 9 3950X:

performance comparison

Intel Core i9 9900K

AMD Ryzen 9 3950X

Which is better: 8-core Intel Core i9 9900K at 3.6 GHz or AMD Ryzen 9 3950X with 16 cores at 3.5 GHz? To find out, read our comparative testing of these desktop processors in popular benchmarks, games and heavy applications.

Overview
Differences
Performance
Features
Comments

Overview

Overview and comparison of the main metrics from NanoReview

Single -flow performance

Rating in tests using one core

Core I9 9900K

Ryzen 9 3950x

Multi -flow performance

Tests in benchmars where all nucleus

Core Core Core Core 9000 55

Ryzen 9 3950X

Energy efficiency

Efficiency of energy consumption by chip

Core i9 9900k

Ryzen 9 3950x

Rating NanoreView

Final rating of the processor

Core 9900K

58 9000 9000 Ryzen 9,000 3000

Key differences

What are the main differences between 3950X and 9900K

Reasons to choose Intel Core i9 9900K

Integrated graphics accelerator Intel UHD Graphics 630
10% lower than Ryzen 9 3950X peak power consumption — 95 vs 105 Watts
6% higher Turbo Boost frequency (5 GHz vs 4. 7 GHz)

Reasons to choose AMD Ryzen 9 3950X

Has 48 MB more L3 cache
More modern process technology — 7 vs. 14 nanometers
Has 8 more physical cores
A rival appeared 1 year and 2 months later
New PCI Express — 4.0 standard
6.08 GB/s (15%) higher maximum memory bandwidth

Benchmark tests

Compare the results of processor tests in benchmarks

Cinebench R23 (single core)

Core i9 9900K
+4%

1334

Ryzen 9 3950X

1284

Cinebench R23 (multi-core)

Core i9 9900K

90X905 90X95 90
+84%

22670

Passmark CPU (single core)

Core i9 9900K
+8%

2940

Ryzen 9 3950X

2731

Passmark CPU (multi-core)

Core i9 9900K

18598

Ryzen 9 3950X
+109%

38782

Geekbench 5 (single core)

Core i9 9900K

1268

Ryzen 9 3950X
+1%

1275

Geekbench 5 (multi-core)

Core i9 9900K

8413

Ryzen 9 3950X
+71%

14363

▶️ Add your score to Cinebench R23

Specifications

List of full specifications for Intel Core i9 9900K and AMD Ryzen 9 3950X

General Information

Manufacturer	Intel	AMD
Release date	October 8, 2018	November 25, 2019
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Instruction set architecture	x86-64	x86-64
Codename	Coffee Lake	Zen 2
Model number	i9-9900K	—
Socket	LGA-1151	AM4
Integrated graphics	UHD Graphics 630	No

Performance

Number of cores	8	16
Number of threads	16	32
Frequency	3. 6 GHz	3.5 GHz
Max. frequency in Turbo Boost	5 GHz	4.7 GHz
Bus frequency	100 MHz	100 MHz
Multiplier	36x	35x
Tire speed	8 GT/s	—
Level 1 cache	64KB (per core)	64KB (per core)
Level 2 cache	256KB (per core)	512KB (per core)
Level 3 cache	16MB (shared)	64MB (shared)
Unlocked multiplier	Yes	Yes

Power consumption

Number of transistors	—	3.8 billion
Process	14 nanometers	7 nanometers
Power consumption (TDP)	95 W	105 W
Critical temperature	100°C	—

Integrated graphics	Intel UHD Graphics 630	—
GPU frequency	350 MHz	—
Boost GPU frequency	1200 MHz	—
Shader blocks	192	—
TMUs	24	—
ROPs	3	—
Computer units	24	—
TGP	15W	—
Max. resolution	4096×2304 — 60Hz	—

iGPU FLOPS

Core i9 9900K

0.38 teraflops

Ryzen 9 3950X

n/a

901 memory support0117

Memory type	DDR4-2666	DDR4-3200
Max. size	128 GB	128 GB
Number of channels	2	2
Max. bandwidth	41.6 GB/s	47.68 GB/s
ECC 9 support0764	No	Yes

Other

Official site	Site Intel Core i9 9900K	AMD Ryzen 9 3950X website
PCI Express Version	3.0	4.0
Max. PCI Express lanes	16	16
Extended instructions	SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX-2	—

Poll

What processor do you think is the best?

Core i9 9900K

9 (24.