PassMark CPU Mark evaluates processor speed through complex mathematical computations. It provides a reliable metric to compare multi-core performance, where higher scores indicate faster processing for multitasking, gaming, and heavy workloads.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, productivity performance, platform differences, power efficiency, pricing context, and upgrade path so you can see which CPU actually makes more sense.

Core 5 220H

2024

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +25.1% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+28.6% larger total L3 cache (18 MB vs 14 MB).
✅Draws 45W instead of 140W, a 95W reduction.
✅Newer platform on FCBGA1744 with DDR5 support instead of LGA2011 and DDR4.

Trade-offs

❌Fewer obvious downsides in this matchup outside of normal market pricing swings.

Core i9-7900X

2017

Why buy it

✅100+% more PCIe lanes (44 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core 5 220H across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (20,907 vs 21,192).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (14 MB vs 18 MB).
❌Launch MSRP is still $999 MSRP, while Core 5 220H mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌211.1% higher power demand at 140W vs 45W.

Core 5 220H

2024

Core i9-7900X

2017

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +25.1% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+28.6% larger total L3 cache (18 MB vs 14 MB).
✅Draws 45W instead of 140W, a 95W reduction.
✅Newer platform on FCBGA1744 with DDR5 support instead of LGA2011 and DDR4.

Why buy it

✅100+% more PCIe lanes (44 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Fewer obvious downsides in this matchup outside of normal market pricing swings.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core 5 220H across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (20,907 vs 21,192).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (14 MB vs 18 MB).
❌Launch MSRP is still $999 MSRP, while Core 5 220H mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌211.1% higher power demand at 140W vs 45W.

Quick Answers

So, is Core 5 220H better than Core i9-7900X?

Yes. Core 5 220H is the better overall CPU here. You are getting a 25.1% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data, 1.4% better PassMark, and the stronger long-term platform, which makes it the stronger all-around choice.

Which one is better for gaming?

If gaming is the priority, Core 5 220H is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 25.1% more average FPS across 4 shared CPU game tests.

Which one is better for streaming, content creation, and heavy multitasking?

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Core 5 220H is the better fit. You are getting 1.4% better PassMark, backed by 12 cores and 16 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 28.6% larger total L3 cache (18 MB vs 14 MB).

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper CPU?

Core 5 220H is the smarter buy by a wide margin for a fresh build. Core 5 220H is at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus $999 MSRP, and it gives you a 25.1% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. Core i9-7900X only looks stronger on raw value math because it is extremely cheap, but that is mostly used-market pricing on an obsolete 2017 platform. Even with 100.0% better value on paper (20.9 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), it really only makes sense as a very cheap stopgap or a niche existing-platform option for someone already on LGA2011.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

Core 5 220H is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2024 vs 2017), a healthier platform with FCBGA1744 and DDR5 instead of LGA2011, 28.6% larger total L3 cache (18 MB vs 14 MB), and more multi-core headroom with 12 cores / 16 threads instead of 10/20. That should give you a better long-term upgrade path for motherboard, RAM, and future CPU swaps.

Games Benchmarks

Paired with RTX 4090

To accurately isolate CPU performance, all benchmarks below use an NVIDIA RTX 4090 as the reference GPU. This eliminates GPU-side bottlenecks and highlights pure processing throughput differences between the CPUs.

Note: Real-world results may vary based on your actual GPU. CPU performance impact is more visible in processing-intensive titles and high-refresh-rate gaming scenarios.

Core 5 220H Benchmark Check

Core i9-7900X Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core 5 220H	Core i9-7900X
1080p
low	277 FPS	178 FPS
medium	249 FPS	142 FPS
high	210 FPS	114 FPS
ultra	181 FPS	94 FPS
1440p
low	230 FPS	150 FPS
medium	186 FPS	117 FPS
high	152 FPS	94 FPS
ultra	134 FPS	78 FPS
4K
low	161 FPS	82 FPS
medium	131 FPS	69 FPS
high	101 FPS	55 FPS
ultra	88 FPS	43 FPS

Open Core 5 220H Open Core i9-7900X

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core 5 220H	Core i9-7900X
1080p
low	530 FPS	332 FPS
medium	521 FPS	277 FPS
high	427 FPS	250 FPS
ultra	385 FPS	222 FPS
1440p
low	530 FPS	297 FPS
medium	449 FPS	253 FPS
high	376 FPS	230 FPS
ultra	323 FPS	200 FPS
4K
low	330 FPS	234 FPS
medium	279 FPS	203 FPS
high	256 FPS	189 FPS
ultra	225 FPS	163 FPS

Open Core 5 220H Open Core i9-7900X

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core 5 220H	Core i9-7900X
1080p
low	530 FPS	523 FPS
medium	530 FPS	523 FPS
high	530 FPS	523 FPS
ultra	530 FPS	461 FPS
1440p
low	530 FPS	523 FPS
medium	530 FPS	478 FPS
high	530 FPS	429 FPS
ultra	496 FPS	372 FPS
4K
low	530 FPS	429 FPS
medium	492 FPS	345 FPS
high	439 FPS	310 FPS
ultra	370 FPS	248 FPS

Open Core 5 220H Open Core i9-7900X

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core 5 220H	Core i9-7900X
1080p
low	530 FPS	523 FPS
medium	530 FPS	523 FPS
high	530 FPS	523 FPS
ultra	530 FPS	523 FPS
1440p
low	530 FPS	523 FPS
medium	530 FPS	523 FPS
high	530 FPS	523 FPS
ultra	530 FPS	523 FPS
4K
low	530 FPS	523 FPS
medium	530 FPS	523 FPS
high	500 FPS	484 FPS
ultra	431 FPS	423 FPS

Open Core 5 220H Open Core i9-7900X

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core 5 220H and Core i9-7900X

Core 5 220H

The Core 5 220H is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 18 December 2024 (less than a year ago). It is based on the Raptor Lake-H (2023−2024) architecture. It features 12 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 2.7 GHz, with boost up to 4.9 GHz. L3 cache: 18 MB (total). L2 cache: 2 MB (per core). Built on 10 nm process technology. Socket: FCBGA1744. Thermal design power (TDP): 45 Watt. Memory support: DDR5-5200, DDR4-3200, LPDDR4X-4267. Passmark benchmark score: 21,192 points. Launch price was $342.

Core i9-7900X

The Core i9-7900X is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 26 June 2017 (8 years ago). It is based on the Skylake (server) (2017−2018) architecture. It features 10 cores and 20 threads. Base frequency is 3.3 GHz, with boost up to 4.5 GHz. L3 cache: 14 MB (total). L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA2011. Thermal design power (TDP): 140 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 20,907 points. Launch price was $999.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core 5 220H packs 12 cores / 16 threads, while the Core i9-7900X offers 10 cores / 20 threads — the Core 5 220H has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.9 GHz on the Core 5 220H versus 4.5 GHz on the Core i9-7900X — a 8.5% clock advantage for the Core 5 220H (base: 2.7 GHz vs 3.3 GHz). The Core 5 220H uses the Raptor Lake-H (2023−2024) architecture (10 nm), while the Core i9-7900X uses Skylake (server) (2017−2018) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Core 5 220H scores 21,192 against the Core i9-7900X's 20,907 — a 1.4% lead for the Core 5 220H. L3 cache: 18 MB (total) on the Core 5 220H vs 14 MB (total) on the Core i9-7900X.

Feature	Core 5 220H	Core i9-7900X
Cores / Threads	12 / 16+20%	10 / 20
Boost Clock	4.9 GHz+9%	4.5 GHz
Base Clock	2.7 GHz	3.3 GHz+22%
L3 Cache	18 MB (total)+29%	14 MB (total)
L2 Cache	2 MB (per core)+100%	1 MB (per core)
Process	10 nm-29%	14 nm
Architecture	Raptor Lake-H (2023−2024)	Skylake (server) (2017−2018)
PassMark	21,192+1%	20,907
Geekbench 6 Single	—	1,323
Geekbench 6 Multi	—	8,536

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Memory & Platform

The Core 5 220H uses the FCBGA1744 socket (PCIe 5.0), while the Core i9-7900X uses LGA2011 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Core 5 220H	Core i9-7900X
Socket	FCBGA1744	LGA2011
PCIe Generation	PCIe 5.0+67%	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	—	DDR4-2666
Max RAM Capacity	—	128 GB
RAM Channels	—	4
ECC Support	—	No
PCIe Lanes	—	44