Intel’s Core i9-13900K is one of its most successful consumer CPUs. It features 24 cores (8P +16E) and 32 threads. The P-cores have a boost clock of 5.8GHz, while the E-cores top out at 4.3GHz. It is backed by 32MB of L3 cache and 2MB of L2 cache (per P-core). The 13900K has a base TDP of 125W and a boost power limit of 253W. Today, we’ll be fielding it against AMD’s Ryzen 7 7950X.
| AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D | AMD Ryzen 9 7950X | AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D | Intel Core i9-13900K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CCDs | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Cores/Threads | 16/32 | 16/32 | 8/16 | 24/32 |
| Base Clock | 4.2GHz | 4.7GHz | 4.2GHz | 3.0GHz |
| Boost Clock | 5.7GHz | 5.7GHz | 5.0GHz | 5.8GHz |
| L3 Cache | 32MB+32MB+64MB | 32MB+32MB | 32MB+64MB | 36MB |
| Power | 120 watts | 170 watts | 120 watts | 253 watts |
| Socket | AM5 | AM5 | AM5 | LGA1700 |
| Price | $662 | $549 | $369 | $543 |
The Raphael flagship features 16 Zen 4 cores with a base and boost clock of 4.5GHz and 5.7GHz, respectively. It has a base TDP of 170W and a peak power limit of 230W.
Test Bench
- Motherboard: ASUS ROG Maximus Hero Z790/X670.
- Memory: 16GB x2 DDR5 6,000MT/s CL38.
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce 4090 24GB FE.
- Power Supply: Corsair RM1000E.
Intel Core i9-13900K vs AMD Ryzen 9 7950X Benchmarks
We tested the Core i9-13900K and the Ryzen 9 7950X at 720p to remove any possible CPU bottlenecks. Both processors were paired with a GeForce RTX 4090 and 32GB of DDR5-6000 memory for the best results. First, we have “A Plague Tale: Requiem,” where the Core i9-13900K scores 200 FPS while the Ryzen 9 7950X drops dead at 168 FPS.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla yields similar results, with an average of 228 FPS on the 13900K and 202 FPS on the Ryzen 9 7950X.
Cyberpunk 2077 is one of the most optimized PC games following the 2.0 update. The Core i9 averages 207.5 FPS, up from 180 FPS on the 7950X.
Dying Light 2 is one of the best parkour-based zombie games ever made. The Core i9-13900K once again establishes itself as one of the better chips, averaging 300 FPS versus 245 FPS on its Ryzen rival.
F1 2022 averages 323 FPS on the 13900K and 265.6 FPS on the 7950X, with similar deltas between the lows.
Ghostwire Tokyo is a repeat of the above results, averaging 229 FPS on the 13900K and 184 FPS on the 7950X.
Hitman 3 is an AMD partner title, but the Core i9 continues its winning streak, averaging 224 FPS, up from 172 FPS on the 7950X.
Hogwarts Legacy isn’t any different. The Core i9-13900K posts an average of 148 FPS, while the 7950X is limited to 112 FPS.
Shadow of the Tomb Raider averages 294 FPS on the 13900K and 266 FPS on the 7950X, favoring the former.
The Callisto Protocol performs much better on the Core i9-13900K, averaging 232 FPS. The Ryzen 9 7950X tops out at 185 FPS with 1% lows of 100 FPS.
Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands averages nearly 300 FPS on the 13900K, up from 277 FPS on the 7950X.
There’s no competition here. The Core i9-13900K is the better gaming CPU, beating the Ryzen 9 7950X is each and every title we tested. That said, the deltas are slim to moderate in most cases.
Ray tracing benchmarks on the next page…
