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 i7-9700K

2018

Why buy it

✅100+% more PCIe lanes (16 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with UHD Graphics 630, while Core i9-10980HK needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i9-10980HK across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (14,397 vs 17,037).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (12 MB vs 16 MB).
❌Launch MSRP is still $385 MSRP, while Core i9-10980HK mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌111.1% higher power demand at 95W vs 45W.

Core i9-10980HK

2020

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +11.8% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+33.3% larger total L3 cache (16 MB vs 12 MB).
✅Draws 45W instead of 95W, a 50W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌No integrated graphics, while Core i7-9700K can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Core i7-9700K

2018

Core i9-10980HK

2020

Why buy it

✅100+% more PCIe lanes (16 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with UHD Graphics 630, while Core i9-10980HK needs a discrete GPU.

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +11.8% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+33.3% larger total L3 cache (16 MB vs 12 MB).
✅Draws 45W instead of 95W, a 50W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i9-10980HK across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (14,397 vs 17,037).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (12 MB vs 16 MB).
❌Launch MSRP is still $385 MSRP, while Core i9-10980HK mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌111.1% higher power demand at 95W vs 45W.

Trade-offs

❌No integrated graphics, while Core i7-9700K can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Quick Answers

So, is Core i9-10980HK better than Core i7-9700K?

Yes. Core i9-10980HK is the better overall CPU here. You are getting a 11.8% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data, 18.3% 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 i9-10980HK is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 11.8% 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 i9-10980HK is the better fit. You are getting 18.3% better PassMark, backed by 8 cores and 16 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 33.3% larger total L3 cache (16 MB vs 12 MB).

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

Core i9-10980HK is the smarter buy by a wide margin for a fresh build. Core i9-10980HK is at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus $385 MSRP, and it gives you a 11.8% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. Core i7-9700K only looks stronger on raw value math because it is extremely cheap, but that is mostly used-market pricing on an obsolete 2018 platform. Even with 100.0% better value on paper (37.4 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), it really only makes sense as a very cheap stopgap or a niche existing-platform option for someone already on LGA1151.

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

Core i9-10980HK is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2020 vs 2018), 33.3% larger total L3 cache (16 MB vs 12 MB), and more multi-core headroom with 8 cores / 16 threads instead of 8/8. That extra compute headroom should age better as games, background tasks, and creator workloads get heavier.

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 i7-9700K Benchmark Check

Core i9-10980HK Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i7-9700K	Core i9-10980HK
1080p
low	308 FPS	267 FPS
medium	278 FPS	239 FPS
high	231 FPS	201 FPS
ultra	182 FPS	173 FPS
1440p
low	270 FPS	229 FPS
medium	221 FPS	185 FPS
high	178 FPS	151 FPS
ultra	143 FPS	133 FPS
4K
low	170 FPS	160 FPS
medium	140 FPS	130 FPS
high	108 FPS	100 FPS
ultra	95 FPS	88 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open Core i9-10980HK

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i7-9700K	Core i9-10980HK
1080p
low	360 FPS	426 FPS
medium	321 FPS	359 FPS
high	291 FPS	312 FPS
ultra	259 FPS	273 FPS
1440p
low	324 FPS	402 FPS
medium	282 FPS	335 FPS
high	258 FPS	288 FPS
ultra	225 FPS	243 FPS
4K
low	249 FPS	268 FPS
medium	221 FPS	232 FPS
high	208 FPS	219 FPS
ultra	179 FPS	184 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open Core i9-10980HK

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i7-9700K	Core i9-10980HK
1080p
low	360 FPS	426 FPS
medium	360 FPS	426 FPS
high	360 FPS	426 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	426 FPS
1440p
low	360 FPS	426 FPS
medium	360 FPS	426 FPS
high	360 FPS	426 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	426 FPS
4K
low	360 FPS	426 FPS
medium	360 FPS	426 FPS
high	360 FPS	393 FPS
ultra	318 FPS	329 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open Core i9-10980HK

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i7-9700K	Core i9-10980HK
1080p
low	360 FPS	426 FPS
medium	360 FPS	426 FPS
high	360 FPS	426 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	426 FPS
1440p
low	360 FPS	426 FPS
medium	360 FPS	426 FPS
high	360 FPS	426 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	426 FPS
4K
low	360 FPS	426 FPS
medium	360 FPS	426 FPS
high	360 FPS	426 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	426 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open Core i9-10980HK

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i7-9700K and Core i9-10980HK

Core i7-9700K

The Core i7-9700K is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 19 October 2018 (7 years ago). It is based on the Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019) architecture. It features 8 cores and 8 threads. Base frequency is 3.6 GHz, with boost up to 4.9 GHz. L3 cache: 12 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1151. Thermal design power (TDP): 95 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 14,397 points. Launch price was $374.

Core i9-10980HK

The Core i9-10980HK is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2 April 2020 (5 years ago). It is based on the Comet Lake-H (2020) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 2.4 GHz, with boost up to 5.1 GHz. L3 cache: 16 MB (total). L2 cache: 256 kB (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: BGA1440. Thermal design power (TDP): 45 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 17,037 points. Launch price was $583.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core i7-9700K packs 8 cores / 8 threads, matching the Core i9-10980HK's 8 cores. Boost clocks reach 4.9 GHz on the Core i7-9700K versus 5.1 GHz on the Core i9-10980HK — a 4% clock advantage for the Core i9-10980HK (base: 3.6 GHz vs 2.4 GHz). The Core i7-9700K uses the Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019) architecture (14 nm), while the Core i9-10980HK uses Comet Lake-H (2020) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Core i7-9700K scores 14,397 against the Core i9-10980HK's 17,037 — a 16.8% lead for the Core i9-10980HK. L3 cache: 12 MB (total) on the Core i7-9700K vs 16 MB (total) on the Core i9-10980HK.

Feature	Core i7-9700K	Core i9-10980HK
Cores / Threads	8 / 8	8 / 16
Boost Clock	4.9 GHz	5.1 GHz+4%
Base Clock	3.6 GHz+50%	2.4 GHz
L3 Cache	12 MB (total)	16 MB (total)+33%
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	256 kB (per core)
Process	14 nm	14 nm
Architecture	Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019)	Comet Lake-H (2020)
PassMark	14,397	17,037+18%

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i7-9700K uses the LGA1151 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Core i9-10980HK uses BGA1440 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Core i7-9700K	Core i9-10980HK
Socket	LGA1151	BGA1440
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-2666	—
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB	—
RAM Channels	2	—
ECC Support	No	—
PCIe Lanes	16	—

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: VT-x, VT-d (Core i7-9700K) / not specified (Core i9-10980HK). The Core i7-9700K includes integrated graphics (UHD Graphics 630), while the Core i9-10980HK requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i7-9700K targets Desktop.