Intel Core i7-9700K vs AMD Ryzen 7 3700X

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CPU comparison with benchmarks


Intel Core i7-9700K CPU1 vs CPU2 AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
Intel Core i7-9700K AMD Ryzen 7 3700X

CPU comparison

Intel Core i7-9700K or AMD Ryzen 7 3700X - 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 i7-9700K has 8 cores with 8 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 4.90 GHz. Up to 128 GB of memory is supported in 2 memory channels. The Intel Core i7-9700K was released in Q4/2018.

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X has 8 cores with 16 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 4.40 GHz. The CPU supports up to 128 GB of memory in 2 memory channels. The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X was released in Q3/2019.
Intel Core i7 (293) Family AMD Ryzen 7 (63)
Intel Core i 9000 (34) CPU group AMD Ryzen 3000 (15)
9 Generation 3
Coffee Lake S Refresh Architecture Matisse (Zen 2)
Desktop / Server Segment Desktop / Server
Intel Core i7-8700K Predecessor AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
Intel Core i7-10700K Successor AMD Ryzen 7 5700X

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The Intel Core i7-9700K is a 8 core processor with a clock frequency of 3.60 GHz (4.90 GHz). The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X has 8 CPU cores with a clock frequency of 3.60 GHz (4.40 GHz).

Intel Core i7-9700K Characteristic AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
8 Cores 8
8 Threads 16
normal Core architecture normal
No Hyperthreading Yes
Yes Overclocking ? Yes
3.60 GHz Frequency 3.60 GHz
4.90 GHz Turbo Frequency (1 Core) 4.40 GHz
4.60 GHz Turbo Frequency (All Cores) 4.00 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 i7-9700K Characteristic AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
-- AI hardware --
-- AI specifications --

Internal Graphics

The integrated graphics unit of a processor is not only responsible for the pure image output on the system, but can also significantly increase the efficiency of the system with the support of modern video codecs.

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 i7-9700K supports a maximum of 128 GB of memory in 2 memory channels. The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X can connect up to 128 GB of memory in 2 memory channels.

Intel Core i7-9700K Characteristic AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
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 4.00 MB
12.00 MB L3 Cache 32.00 MB
3.0 PCIe version 4.0
16 PCIe lanes 20
15.8 GB/s PCIe Bandwidth 39.4 GB/s

Thermal Management

The TDP (Thermal Design Power) of a processor specifies the required cooling solution. The Intel Core i7-9700K has a TDP of 95 W, that of the AMD Ryzen 7 3700X is 65 W.

Intel Core i7-9700K Characteristic AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
95 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) 65 W
-- TDP (PL2) --
-- TDP up --
-- TDP down --
100 °C Tjunction max. 95 °C

Technical details

The Intel Core i7-9700K has a 12.00 MB cache, while the AMD Ryzen 7 3700X cache has a total of 36.00 MB.

Intel Core i7-9700K Characteristic AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
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
Q4/2018 Release date Q3/2019
520 $ Release price 330 $
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Rate these processors

Here you can rate the Intel Core i7-9700K to help other visitors make their purchasing decisions. The average rating is 4.0 stars (4 ratings). Rate now:
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Average performance in benchmarks

⌀ Single core performance in 7 CPU benchmarks
⌀ Multi core performance in 10 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 i7-9700K Intel Core i7-9700K
8C 8T @ 4.90 GHz
74 (97%)
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
8C 16T @ 4.40 GHz
76 (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 i7-9700K Intel Core i7-9700K
8C 8T @ 4.90 GHz
532 (72%)
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
8C 16T @ 4.40 GHz
736 (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 i7-9700K Intel Core i7-9700K
8C 8T @ 4.90 GHz
1336 (100%)
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
8C 16T @ 4.40 GHz
1294 (97%)

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 i7-9700K Intel Core i7-9700K
8C 8T @ 4.60 GHz
10326 (84%)
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
8C 16T @ 4.00 GHz
12355 (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 i7-9700K Intel Core i7-9700K
8C 8T @ 4.90 GHz
1302 (100%)
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
8C 16T @ 4.40 GHz
1252 (96%)

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 i7-9700K Intel Core i7-9700K
8C 8T @ 4.60 GHz
7421 (85%)
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
8C 16T @ 4.00 GHz
8732 (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 i7-9700K Intel Core i7-9700K
8C 8T @ 4.90 GHz
1589 (97%)
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
8C 16T @ 4.40 GHz
1637 (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 i7-9700K Intel Core i7-9700K
8C 8T @ 4.60 GHz
7361 (85%)
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
8C 16T @ 4.00 GHz
8693 (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 i7-9700K Intel Core i7-9700K
8C 8T @ 4.90 GHz
481 (96%)
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
8C 16T @ 4.40 GHz
501 (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 i7-9700K Intel Core i7-9700K
8C 8T @ 4.60 GHz
3656 (76%)
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
8C 16T @ 4.00 GHz
4834 (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 i7-9700K Intel Core i7-9700K
8C 8T @ 4.60 GHz
134 (77%)
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
8C 16T @ 4.00 GHz
173 (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 i7-9700K Intel Core i7-9700K
8C 8T @ 4.60 GHz
14555 (64%)
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
8C 16T @ 4.00 GHz
22674 (100%)

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 i7-9700K Intel Core i7-9700K
8C 8T @ 4.60 GHz
217.1 (100%)
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
8C 16T @ 4.00 GHz
160.8 (74%)

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 i7-9700K Intel Core i7-9700K
8C 8T @ 4.60 GHz
549 (100%)
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
8C 16T @ 4.00 GHz
509 (93%)

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 i7-9700K Intel Core i7-9700K
8C 8T @ 3.60 GHz
4167 (77%)
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
8C 16T @ 3.60 GHz
5447 (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 i7-9700K Intel Core i7-9700K
8C 8T @ 4.90 GHz
214 (100%)
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
8C 16T @ 4.40 GHz
204 (95%)

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 i7-9700K Intel Core i7-9700K
8C 8T @ 4.60 GHz
1520 (72%)
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
8C 16T @ 4.00 GHz
2114 (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 i7-9700K Intel Core i7-9700K
Intel UHD Graphics 630 @ 1.20 GHz
461 (100%)
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
@ 0.00 GHz
0 (0%)

Devices using this processor

Intel Core i7-9700K AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
Memory PC Intel i7-9700K
Memory PC Aufrüst-Kit Bundle i7-9700K
Megaport High End Gaming-PC Intel Core i7-9700K
One Gaming PC Ryzen 7 3700X
HP Pavilion TP01-0007ng silber (8BS43EA#ABD)
HP Omen PC Obelisk 875-0255ng (8FH42EA#ABD)

Comparison of the two processors

The Intel Core i7-9700K is an 8-core processor that can process up to 16 threads simultaneously thanks to Hyper-Threading. It is based on the Coffee-Lake Refresh architecture, which has only slightly increased clock frequencies compared to Coffee-Lake. The processor clocks its 8 cores with up to 4.9 GHz with single-core load or 4.6 GHz when all cores are loaded.

The maximum clock frequencies of the AMD Ryzen 7 3700X are slightly lower at 4.4 GHz (single core) and 4.0 GHz (multi-core). On the other hand, the processor scores with a higher computing power per clock. The CPU cores are based on AMD's Zen-2 design and are superior to the Coffee Lake cores of the Intel Core i7-9700K in terms of computing power and energy consumption. While the AMD Ryzen 7 3700X can set itself apart from the Intel processor by approx. 5 percent in single-core load scenarios, it is up to 25 percent in applications that can distribute the computing power over several cores.

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X benefits from the modern 7 nm manufacturing technology from TSMC, which enables high clock frequencies to be achieved with reduced energy consumption at the same time. Intel, on the other hand, still manufactures the Intel Core i7-9700K using the 14 nm process. Coffee Lake is also based on the architecture introduced with Sandy Lake, which Intel has been refining over and over again for 6 years. The Zen architecture of the AMD Ryzen 7 3700X, on the other hand, is apparently still good for larger leaps in performance.

Both processors support 128 GB of RAM in two memory channels. The Intel Core i7-9700K supports up to DDR4-2666, while the newer AMD processor also officially supports DDR4-3200 memory. Higher clock frequencies of the main memory are possible by overclocking.

Another plus point of the AMD Ryzen 7 3700X is that it already supports PCIe 4.0 with up to 20 lines. In addition to dedicated graphics cards, fast PCIe 4.0 M.2 SSDs, which can achieve transfer rates of up to 7.5 GB per second, also benefit from this.

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