Intel Core i7-8700K vs AMD Ryzen 9 5950X

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CPU comparison with benchmarks


Intel Core i7-8700K CPU1 vs CPU2 AMD Ryzen 9 5950X
Intel Core i7-8700K AMD Ryzen 9 5950X

CPU comparison

Intel Core i7-8700K or AMD Ryzen 9 5950X - 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 i7-8700K has 6 cores with 12 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 4.70 GHz. Up to 128 GB of memory is supported in 2 memory channels. The Intel Core i7-8700K was released in Q4/2017.

The AMD Ryzen 9 5950X has 16 cores with 32 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 4.90 GHz. The CPU supports up to 128 GB of memory in 2 memory channels. The AMD Ryzen 9 5950X was released in Q4/2020.
Intel Core i7 (293) Family AMD Ryzen 9 (34)
Intel Core i 8000 (20) CPU group AMD Ryzen 5000 (12)
8 Generation 4
Coffee Lake S Architecture Vermeer (Zen 3)
Desktop / Server Segment Desktop / Server
Intel Core i7-7700K Predecessor AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
Intel Core i7-9700K Successor AMD Ryzen 9 7950X

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The Intel Core i7-8700K has 6 CPU cores and can calculate 12 threads in parallel. The clock frequency of the Intel Core i7-8700K is 3.70 GHz (4.70 GHz) while the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X has 16 CPU cores and 32 threads can calculate simultaneously. The clock frequency of the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X is at 3.40 GHz (4.90 GHz).

Intel Core i7-8700K Characteristic AMD Ryzen 9 5950X
6 Cores 16
12 Threads 32
normal Core architecture normal
Yes Hyperthreading Yes
Yes Overclocking ? Yes
3.70 GHz Frequency 3.40 GHz
4.70 GHz Turbo Frequency (1 Core) 4.90 GHz
4.30 GHz Turbo Frequency (All Cores) 4.20 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 i7-8700K Characteristic AMD Ryzen 9 5950X
-- AI hardware --
-- AI specifications --

Internal Graphics

The Intel Core i7-8700K or AMD Ryzen 9 5950X 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 i7-8700K can use up to 128 GB of memory in 2 memory channels. The maximum memory bandwidth is 42.7 GB/s. The AMD Ryzen 9 5950X supports up to 128 GB of memory in 2 memory channels and achieves a memory bandwidth of up to 51.2 GB/s.

Intel Core i7-8700K Characteristic AMD Ryzen 9 5950X
DDR4-2666 Memory DDR4-3200
128 GB Max. Memory 128 GB
2 (Dual Channel) Memory channels 2 (Dual Channel)
42.7 GB/s Max. Bandwidth 51.2 GB/s
No ECC Yes
-- L2 Cache 8.00 MB
12.00 MB L3 Cache 64.00 MB
3.0 PCIe version 4.0
16 PCIe lanes 20
15.8 GB/s PCIe Bandwidth 39.4 GB/s

Thermal Management

The thermal design power (TDP for short) of the Intel Core i7-8700K is 95 W, while the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X has a TDP of 105 W. The TDP specifies the necessary cooling solution that is required to cool the processor sufficiently.

Intel Core i7-8700K Characteristic AMD Ryzen 9 5950X
95 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) 105 W
-- TDP (PL2) 142 W
-- TDP up --
-- TDP down --
-- Tjunction max. 95 °C

Technical details

The Intel Core i7-8700K is manufactured in 14 nm and has 12.00 MB cache. The AMD Ryzen 9 5950X is manufactured in 7 nm and has a 72.00 MB cache.

Intel Core i7-8700K Characteristic AMD Ryzen 9 5950X
14 nm Technology 7 nm
Monolithic Chip design Chiplet
x86-64 (64 bit) Instruction set (ISA) x86-64 (64 bit)
SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX2 ISA extensions SSE4a, SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX2, FMA3
LGA 1151-2 Socket AM4 (PGA 1331)
VT-x, VT-x EPT, VT-d Virtualization AMD-V, SVM
Yes AES-NI Yes
Windows 10, Windows 11, Linux Operating systems Windows 10, Windows 11, Linux
Q4/2017 Release date Q4/2020
370 $ Release price 799 $
show more data show more data


Rate these processors

Here you can rate the Intel Core i7-8700K to help other visitors make their purchasing decisions. The average rating is 4.7 stars (9 ratings). Rate now:
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Average performance in benchmarks

⌀ Single core performance in 7 CPU benchmarks
⌀ Multi core performance in 9 CPU benchmarks

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 i7-8700K Intel Core i7-8700K
6C 12T @ 4.70 GHz
72 (76%)
AMD Ryzen 9 5950X AMD Ryzen 9 5950X
16C 32T @ 4.90 GHz
95 (100%)

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 i7-8700K Intel Core i7-8700K
6C 12T @ 4.70 GHz
467 (31%)
AMD Ryzen 9 5950X AMD Ryzen 9 5950X
16C 32T @ 4.90 GHz
1494 (100%)

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 i7-8700K Intel Core i7-8700K
6C 12T @ 4.70 GHz
1209 (74%)
AMD Ryzen 9 5950X AMD Ryzen 9 5950X
16C 32T @ 4.90 GHz
1644 (100%)

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 i7-8700K Intel Core i7-8700K
6C 12T @ 4.30 GHz
8960 (31%)
AMD Ryzen 9 5950X AMD Ryzen 9 5950X
16C 32T @ 4.20 GHz
28577 (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 i7-8700K Intel Core i7-8700K
6C 12T @ 4.70 GHz
1242 (71%)
AMD Ryzen 9 5950X AMD Ryzen 9 5950X
16C 32T @ 4.90 GHz
1759 (100%)

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 i7-8700K Intel Core i7-8700K
6C 12T @ 4.30 GHz
6693 (40%)
AMD Ryzen 9 5950X AMD Ryzen 9 5950X
16C 32T @ 4.20 GHz
16606 (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 i7-8700K Intel Core i7-8700K
6C 12T @ 4.70 GHz
1486 (67%)
AMD Ryzen 9 5950X AMD Ryzen 9 5950X
16C 32T @ 4.90 GHz
2215 (100%)

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 i7-8700K Intel Core i7-8700K
6C 12T @ 4.30 GHz
6750 (51%)
AMD Ryzen 9 5950X AMD Ryzen 9 5950X
16C 32T @ 4.20 GHz
13214 (100%)

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 i7-8700K Intel Core i7-8700K
6C 12T @ 4.70 GHz
487 (75%)
AMD Ryzen 9 5950X AMD Ryzen 9 5950X
16C 32T @ 4.90 GHz
647 (100%)

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 i7-8700K Intel Core i7-8700K
6C 12T @ 4.30 GHz
3689 (35%)
AMD Ryzen 9 5950X AMD Ryzen 9 5950X
16C 32T @ 4.20 GHz
10428 (100%)

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 i7-8700K Intel Core i7-8700K
6C 12T @ 4.30 GHz
126 (27%)
AMD Ryzen 9 5950X AMD Ryzen 9 5950X
16C 32T @ 4.20 GHz
461 (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 i7-8700K Intel Core i7-8700K
6C 12T @ 4.30 GHz
13770 (30%)
AMD Ryzen 9 5950X AMD Ryzen 9 5950X
16C 32T @ 4.20 GHz
45910 (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 i7-8700K Intel Core i7-8700K
6C 12T @ 4.30 GHz
510 (76%)
AMD Ryzen 9 5950X AMD Ryzen 9 5950X
16C 32T @ 4.20 GHz
671 (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 i7-8700K Intel Core i7-8700K
6C 12T @ 3.70 GHz
3709 (30%)
AMD Ryzen 9 5950X AMD Ryzen 9 5950X
16C 32T @ 3.40 GHz
12265 (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 i7-8700K Intel Core i7-8700K
6C 12T @ 4.70 GHz
208 (75%)
AMD Ryzen 9 5950X AMD Ryzen 9 5950X
16C 32T @ 4.90 GHz
277 (100%)

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 i7-8700K Intel Core i7-8700K
6C 12T @ 4.30 GHz
1447 (32%)
AMD Ryzen 9 5950X AMD Ryzen 9 5950X
16C 32T @ 4.20 GHz
4569 (100%)

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 i7-8700K Intel Core i7-8700K
Intel UHD Graphics 630 @ 1.20 GHz
461 (100%)
AMD Ryzen 9 5950X AMD Ryzen 9 5950X
@ 0.00 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 i7-8700K Intel Core i7-8700K
6C 12T @ 4.30 GHz
232.4 (100%)
AMD Ryzen 9 5950X AMD Ryzen 9 5950X
16C 32T @ 4.20 GHz
0 (0%)

CPU performance per watt (efficiency)

Efficiency of the processor under full load in the Cinebench R23 (multi-core) benchmark. The benchmark result is divided by the average energy required (CPU package power in watts). The higher the value, the more efficient the CPU is under full load.
Intel Core i7-8700K Intel Core i7-8700K
3.70 GHz
0 (0%)
AMD Ryzen 9 5950X AMD Ryzen 9 5950X
28,577 CB R23 MC @ 153 W
186 (100%)

Devices using this processor

Intel Core i7-8700K AMD Ryzen 9 5950X
PC mit Intel Core i7-8700K Unknown

News and articles for the Intel Core i7-8700K and the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X

Why the new AMD Ryzen 7000 processors for the AM5 socket are currently not a good deal
Why the new AMD Ryzen 7000 processors for the AM5 socket are currently not a good deal
Posted by Stefan on 2022-10-11
At the end of September 2022, the time had come: AMD presented its latest desktop processors called AMD Ryzen 7000. Initially, 4 processors with 6 to 16 CPU cores were released.

The new socket AM5 (LGA 1718) is used for the first time, which is intended to replace the very durable socket AM4 introduced in 2017 as AMDs mainstream platform. This includes (depending on the chipset) PCIe 5.0 support as well as the exclusive use of DDR5 memory on all AM5 mainboards.

Officially, DDR5-5200 is the maximum, but with AMDs EXPO Technology which is similar to Intel's XMP 3.0, AMD now also has a solution for easy overclocking of the main memory. AMD itself names DDR5-6000 as the sweet spot for the new AMD Ryzen 7000 processors.
The evolution of AMD Ryzen processors
The evolution of AMD Ryzen processors
Posted by Stefan on 2022-09-06
The AMD Ryzen processors are designed for the mid to high-end range and are grouped into the Ryzen 3, Ryzen 5, Ryzen 7 and Ryzen 9 classes. AMD follows the market leader Intel, which groups its Core i series (Intel Core i3, Core i5, Core i7 and Core i9) identically.

The AMD Ryzen processors were first introduced by AMD in Q1 2017. They are the successor to the not particularly successful AMD Bulldozer processors. The latter were manufactured using an outdated manufacturing process and could not keep up with the competing products from Intel. AMD lost a large portion of its desktop processor market share during this period.
AMD Ryzen 5 7600X and AMD Ryzen 7 7800X are coming in September
AMD Ryzen 5 7600X and AMD Ryzen 7 7800X are coming in September
Posted by Stefan on 2022-06-20
After we published a performance assessment of the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X last week, the well-known AMD leaker Greymon55 has now posted more informations via Twitter.

He predicts the first four models of the new Zen 4 desktop generation, which AMD would like to present at the end of 2022. There is also an alleged release date of September 15, 2022.
AMD Ryzen 9 7950X - Cinebench R23 Benchmark projection
AMD Ryzen 9 7950X - Cinebench R23 Benchmark projection
Posted by Stefan on 2022-06-10
We give you a preview of AMD's new Zen 4 desktop processors and calculate the performance of the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X top model for the new AM5 socket. The performance data and other technical details come directly from the press kit that AMD released as part of its Financial Analyst Day on June 9, 2022.

Up to 15 percent more single-core performance and 35 percent more multi-core performance of the 16-core model are realistic !

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