Intel Core i9-13900K vs AMD Ryzen 9 7950X

Areej Syed

January 11, 2024

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.

Table of Contents

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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…

Intel Core i9-13900K vs AMD Ryzen 9 7950X Ray Tracing Benchmarks

Ray tracing increases the workload on the CPU and the GPU. Consequently, the Core i9-13900K expands its lead over the Ryzen 9 7950X in these benchmarks. For example, “A Plague Tale” sees the former average 139 FPS, up from 118 FPS on the 7950X.

Crysis Remastered runs significantly smoother on the 13900K with an average of 196.5 FPS versus 124 FPS on the Ryzen 9 7950X.

Cyberpunk 2077 is a much closer affair, with averages of 139.5 FPS and 128 FPS on the 13900K and 7950X, respectively.

Dying Light 2 extensively uses ray tracing, averaging 182 FPS on the 7950X and 155 FPS on the 13900K. This is the first win for the Raphael flagship.

F1 2022 averages 185 FPS on the Core i9-13900K and 161 FPS on the Ryzen 9 7950X at the RT Ultra preset.

Ghostwire Tokyo favors the 13900K with an average of 158 FPS, up from 124 FPS on the 7950X. The lows are also notably lower on the latter.

Hitman 3 averages close to 150 FPS on the Core i9, substantially lower than the 120 FPS delivered by the 7950X.

Hogwarts Legacy performs similarly on the two CPUs, with averages of 67.4 FPS on the 7950X and 73.5 FPS on the 13900K and nearly identical lows.

Metro Exodus runs poorly on AMD chips, averaging 125 FPS on the 7950X and 150 FPS on the 13900K. The lows are noticeably low on the former.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider averages 259.6 FPS on the Core i9, up from 236 FPS on the Ryzen 9. The lows experience a similar deficit, going from 165 FPS on the former to 125.7 FPS on the latter.

The Callisto Protocol isn’t any different. The 13900K posts an average of 109 FPS, up from 95.7 FPS on the 7950X. The lows differ by 10 FPS at the RT Ultra preset.

The Core i9-13900K beats the Ryzen 9 7950X in 9 out of 10 ray-traced titles with a definitive lead in most cases. The Raphael flagship doesn’t perform poorly. It’s just not as fast as its Raptor Lake rival.

Power and Thermals

The Ryzen 9 7950X is notably more power efficient, with an average consumption of 105W versus 110W on the 13900K. It peaks at 184W, while its Raptor Lake rival goes as high as 247W.

The thermals are directly influenced by the power draw. The 7950X averages 82C, with an upper limit of 94C. The Core i9 averages 85C, with a maximum observed limit of 100C.

Consequently, the Ryzen 9 7950X is the better choice if you’re looking to build an SFF PC or one with limited ventilation.