Intel Core i7-10700K vs Intel Core i9-10900X

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CPU comparison with benchmarks


Intel Core i7-10700K CPU1 vs CPU2 Intel Core i9-10900X
Intel Core i7-10700K Intel Core i9-10900X

CPU comparison

Intel Core i7-10700K or Intel Core i9-10900X - which processor is faster? In this comparison we look at the differences and analyze which of these two CPUs is better. We compare the technical data and benchmark results.

The Intel Core i7-10700K has 8 cores with 16 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 5.10 GHz. Up to 128 GB of memory is supported in 2 memory channels. The Intel Core i7-10700K was released in Q2/2020.

The Intel Core i9-10900X has 10 cores with 20 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 4.70 GHz. The CPU supports up to 256 GB of memory in 4 memory channels. The Intel Core i9-10900X was released in Q4/2019.
Intel Core i7 (293) Family Intel Core i9 (78)
Intel Core i 10000 (43) CPU group Intel Core i 10000X (4)
10 Generation 10
Comet Lake S Architecture Cascade Lake
Desktop / Server Segment Desktop / Server
Intel Core i7-9700K Predecessor Intel Core i9-9900X
Intel Core i7-11700K Successor --

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The Intel Core i7-10700K has 8 CPU cores and can calculate 16 threads in parallel. The clock frequency of the Intel Core i7-10700K is 3.80 GHz (5.10 GHz) while the Intel Core i9-10900X has 10 CPU cores and 20 threads can calculate simultaneously. The clock frequency of the Intel Core i9-10900X is at 3.70 GHz (4.70 GHz).

Intel Core i7-10700K Characteristic Intel Core i9-10900X
8 Cores 10
16 Threads 20
normal Core architecture normal
Yes Hyperthreading Yes
Yes Overclocking ? Yes
3.80 GHz Frequency 3.70 GHz
5.10 GHz Turbo Frequency (1 Core) 4.70 GHz
4.90 GHz Turbo Frequency (All Cores) 4.50 GHz

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

Processors with the support of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) can process many calculations, especially audio, image and video processing, much faster than classic processors. Algorithms for ML improve their performance the more data they have collected via software. ML tasks can be processed up to 10,000 times faster than with a classic processor.

Intel Core i7-10700K Characteristic Intel Core i9-10900X
-- AI hardware --
-- AI specifications --

Internal Graphics

The Intel Core i7-10700K or Intel Core i9-10900X has integrated graphics, called iGPU for short. The iGPU uses the system's main memory as graphics memory and sits on the processor's die.

Intel UHD Graphics 630 GPU no iGPU
0.35 GHz GPU frequency --
1.20 GHz GPU (Turbo) --
9.5 GPU Generation --
14 nm Technology
3 Max. displays
24 Compute units --
192 Shader --
No Hardware Raytracing No
No Frame Generation No
64 GB Max. GPU Memory --
12 DirectX Version --

Hardware codec support

A photo or video codec that is accelerated in hardware can greatly accelerate the working speed of a processor and extend the battery life of notebooks or smartphones when playing videos.

Intel UHD Graphics 630 GPU no iGPU
Decode / Encode Codec h265 / HEVC (8 bit) No
Decode / Encode Codec h265 / HEVC (10 bit) No
Decode / Encode Codec h264 No
Decode / Encode Codec VP9 No
Decode / Encode Codec VP8 No
No Codec AV1 No
Decode / Encode Codec AVC No
Decode Codec VC-1 No
Decode / Encode Codec JPEG No

Memory & PCIe

The Intel Core i7-10700K can use up to 128 GB of memory in 2 memory channels. The maximum memory bandwidth is 45.8 GB/s. The Intel Core i9-10900X supports up to 256 GB of memory in 4 memory channels and achieves a memory bandwidth of up to 93.8 GB/s.

Intel Core i7-10700K Characteristic Intel Core i9-10900X
DDR4-2933 Memory DDR4-2933
128 GB Max. Memory 256 GB
2 (Dual Channel) Memory channels 4 (Quad Channel)
45.8 GB/s Max. Bandwidth 93.8 GB/s
No ECC No
-- L2 Cache --
16.00 MB L3 Cache 19.25 MB
3.0 PCIe version 3.0
16 PCIe lanes 48
15.8 GB/s PCIe Bandwidth 47.3 GB/s

Thermal Management

The thermal design power (TDP for short) of the Intel Core i7-10700K is 125 W, while the Intel Core i9-10900X has a TDP of 165 W. The TDP specifies the necessary cooling solution that is required to cool the processor sufficiently.

Intel Core i7-10700K Characteristic Intel Core i9-10900X
125 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) 165 W
229 W @ 56 s TDP (PL2) --
-- TDP up --
95 W TDP down --
100 °C Tjunction max. 94 °C

Technical details

The Intel Core i7-10700K is manufactured in 14 nm and has 16.00 MB cache. The Intel Core i9-10900X is manufactured in 14 nm and has a 19.25 MB cache.

Intel Core i7-10700K Characteristic Intel Core i9-10900X
14 nm Technology 14 nm
Monolithic Chip design Monolithic
x86-64 (64 bit) Instruction set (ISA) x86-64 (64 bit)
SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX2 ISA extensions SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX2, AVX-512
LGA 1200 Socket LGA 2066
VT-x, VT-x EPT, VT-d Virtualization VT-x, VT-x EPT, VT-d
Yes AES-NI Yes
Windows 10, Windows 11, Linux Operating systems Windows 10, Windows 11, Linux
Q2/2020 Release date Q4/2019
374 $ Release price 590 $
show more data show more data


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Average performance in benchmarks

⌀ Single core performance in 4 CPU benchmarks
⌀ Multi core performance in 6 CPU benchmarks

Cinebench R23 (Single-Core)

Cinebench R23 is the successor of Cinebench R20 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The single-core test only uses one CPU core, the amount of cores or hyperthreading ability doesn't count.
Intel Core i7-10700K Intel Core i7-10700K
8C 16T @ 5.10 GHz
1309 (100%)
Intel Core i9-10900X Intel Core i9-10900X
10C 20T @ 4.70 GHz
1143 (87%)

Cinebench R23 (Multi-Core)

Cinebench R23 is the successor of Cinebench R20 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The multi-core test involves all CPU cores and taks a big advantage of hyperthreading.
Intel Core i7-10700K Intel Core i7-10700K
8C 16T @ 4.90 GHz
12678 (89%)
Intel Core i9-10900X Intel Core i9-10900X
10C 20T @ 4.50 GHz
14301 (100%)

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Single-Core)

Geekbench 5 is a cross plattform benchmark that heavily uses the systems memory. A fast memory will push the result a lot. The single-core test only uses one CPU core, the amount of cores or hyperthreading ability doesn't count.
Intel Core i7-10700K Intel Core i7-10700K
8C 16T @ 5.10 GHz
1347 (100%)
Intel Core i9-10900X Intel Core i9-10900X
10C 20T @ 4.70 GHz
1171 (87%)

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Multi-Core)

Geekbench 5 is a cross plattform benchmark that heavily uses the systems memory. A fast memory will push the result a lot. The multi-core test involves all CPU cores and taks a big advantage of hyperthreading.
Intel Core i7-10700K Intel Core i7-10700K
8C 16T @ 4.90 GHz
9268 (87%)
Intel Core i9-10900X Intel Core i9-10900X
10C 20T @ 4.50 GHz
10651 (100%)

Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)

Geekbench 6 is a benchmark for modern computers, notebooks and smartphones. What is new is an optimized utilization of newer CPU architectures, e.g. based on the big.LITTLE concept and combining CPU cores of different sizes. The single-core benchmark only evaluates the performance of the fastest CPU core, the number of CPU cores in a processor is irrelevant here.
Intel Core i7-10700K Intel Core i7-10700K
8C 16T @ 5.10 GHz
1636 (100%)
Intel Core i9-10900X Intel Core i9-10900X
10C 20T @ 4.70 GHz
1445 (88%)

Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)

Geekbench 6 is a benchmark for modern computers, notebooks and smartphones. What is new is an optimized utilization of newer CPU architectures, e.g. based on the big.LITTLE concept and combining CPU cores of different sizes. The multi-core benchmark evaluates the performance of all of the processor's CPU cores. Virtual thread improvements such as AMD SMT or Intel's Hyper-Threading have a positive impact on the benchmark result.
Intel Core i7-10700K Intel Core i7-10700K
8C 16T @ 4.90 GHz
8629 (99%)
Intel Core i9-10900X Intel Core i9-10900X
10C 20T @ 4.50 GHz
8727 (100%)

Estimated results for PassMark CPU Mark

Some of the CPUs listed below have been benchmarked by CPU-monkey. However the majority of CPUs have not been tested and the results have been estimated by a CPU-monkey’s secret proprietary formula. As such they do not accurately reflect the actual Passmark CPU mark values and are not endorsed by PassMark Software Pty Ltd.
Intel Core i7-10700K Intel Core i7-10700K
8C 16T @ 4.90 GHz
19094 (85%)
Intel Core i9-10900X Intel Core i9-10900X
10C 20T @ 4.50 GHz
22510 (100%)

CPU-Z Benchmark 17 (Multi-Core)

The CPU-Z benchmark measures a processor's performance by measuring the time it takes the system to complete all benchmark calculations. The faster the benchmark is completed, the higher the score.
Intel Core i7-10700K Intel Core i7-10700K
8C 16T @ 3.80 GHz
5614 (94%)
Intel Core i9-10900X Intel Core i9-10900X
10C 20T @ 3.70 GHz
5948 (100%)

Cinebench R15 (Single-Core)

Cinebench R15 is the successor of Cinebench 11.5 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The single-core test only uses one CPU core, the amount of cores or hyperthreading ability doesn't count.
Intel Core i7-10700K Intel Core i7-10700K
8C 16T @ 5.10 GHz
228 (100%)
Intel Core i9-10900X Intel Core i9-10900X
10C 20T @ 4.70 GHz
198 (87%)

Cinebench R15 (Multi-Core)

Cinebench R15 is the successor of Cinebench 11.5 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The multi-core test involves all CPU cores and taks a big advantage of hyperthreading.
Intel Core i7-10700K Intel Core i7-10700K
8C 16T @ 4.90 GHz
2344 (99%)
Intel Core i9-10900X Intel Core i9-10900X
10C 20T @ 4.50 GHz
2358 (100%)

Cinebench 2024 (Single-Core)

The Cinebench 2024 benchmark is based on the Redshift rendering engine, which is also used in Maxon's 3D program Cinema 4D. The benchmark runs are each 10 minutes long to test whether the processor is limited by its heat generation.
Intel Core i7-10700K Intel Core i7-10700K
8C 16T @ 5.10 GHz
74 (100%)
Intel Core i9-10900X Intel Core i9-10900X
10C 20T @ 4.70 GHz
0 (0%)

Cinebench 2024 (Multi-Core)

The Multi-Core test of the Cinebench 2024 benchmark uses all cpu cores to render using the Redshift rendering engine, which is also used in Maxons Cinema 4D. The benchmark run is 10 minutes long to test whether the processor is limited by its heat generation.
Intel Core i7-10700K Intel Core i7-10700K
8C 16T @ 5.10 GHz
618 (100%)
Intel Core i9-10900X Intel Core i9-10900X
10C 20T @ 4.70 GHz
0 (0%)

Cinebench R20 (Single-Core)

Cinebench R20 is the successor of Cinebench R15 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The single-core test only uses one CPU core, the amount of cores or hyperthreading ability doesn't count.
Intel Core i7-10700K Intel Core i7-10700K
8C 16T @ 5.10 GHz
524 (100%)
Intel Core i9-10900X Intel Core i9-10900X
10C 20T @ 4.70 GHz
0 (0%)

Cinebench R20 (Multi-Core)

Cinebench R20 is the successor of Cinebench R15 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The multi-core test involves all CPU cores and taks a big advantage of hyperthreading.
Intel Core i7-10700K Intel Core i7-10700K
8C 16T @ 4.90 GHz
5292 (100%)
Intel Core i9-10900X Intel Core i9-10900X
10C 20T @ 4.50 GHz
0 (0%)

iGPU - FP32 Performance (Single-precision GFLOPS)

The theoretical computing performance of the internal graphics unit of the processor with simple accuracy (32 bit) in GFLOPS. GFLOPS indicates how many billion floating point operations the iGPU can perform per second.
Intel Core i7-10700K Intel Core i7-10700K
Intel UHD Graphics 630 @ 1.20 GHz
461 (100%)
Intel Core i9-10900X Intel Core i9-10900X
@ 0.00 GHz
0 (0%)

Blender 3.1 Benchmark

In the Blender Benchmark 3.1, the scenes "monster", "junkshop" and "classroom" are rendered and the time required by the system is measured. In our benchmark we test the CPU and not the graphics card. Blender 3.1 was presented as a standalone version in March 2022.
Intel Core i7-10700K Intel Core i7-10700K
8C 16T @ 4.90 GHz
192 (100%)
Intel Core i9-10900X Intel Core i9-10900X
10C 20T @ 4.50 GHz
0 (0%)

Blender 2.81 (bmw27)

Blender is a free 3D graphics software for rendering (creating) 3D bodies, which can also be textured and animated in the software. The Blender benchmark creates predefined scenes and measures the time (s) required for the entire scene. The shorter the time required, the better. We selected bmw27 as the benchmark scene.
Intel Core i7-10700K Intel Core i7-10700K
8C 16T @ 4.90 GHz
0 (0%)
Intel Core i9-10900X Intel Core i9-10900X
10C 20T @ 4.50 GHz
135.4 (100%)

CPU-Z Benchmark 17 (Single-Core)

The CPU-Z benchmark measures a processor's performance by measuring the time it takes the system to complete all benchmark calculations. The faster the benchmark is completed, the higher the score.
Intel Core i7-10700K Intel Core i7-10700K
8C 16T @ 4.90 GHz
555 (100%)
Intel Core i9-10900X Intel Core i9-10900X
10C 20T @ 4.50 GHz
0 (0%)

Devices using this processor

Intel Core i7-10700K Intel Core i9-10900X
Unknown Unknown

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