Core i7-9700K vs Ryzen 3 5400U

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

✅Better for gaming: +47.0% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+50% larger total L3 cache (12 MB vs 8 MB).
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (16 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with UHD Graphics 630, while Ryzen 3 5400U needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Launch MSRP is still $385 MSRP, while Ryzen 3 5400U mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌533.3% higher power demand at 95W vs 15W.

Ryzen 3 5400U

2021

Why buy it

✅Draws 15W instead of 95W, a 80W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i7-9700K across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (11,002 vs 14,397).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (8 MB vs 12 MB).
❌No integrated graphics, while Core i7-9700K can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Core i7-9700K

2018

Ryzen 3 5400U

2021

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +47.0% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+50% larger total L3 cache (12 MB vs 8 MB).
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (16 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with UHD Graphics 630, while Ryzen 3 5400U needs a discrete GPU.

Why buy it

✅Draws 15W instead of 95W, a 80W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Launch MSRP is still $385 MSRP, while Ryzen 3 5400U mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌533.3% higher power demand at 95W vs 15W.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i7-9700K across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (11,002 vs 14,397).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (8 MB vs 12 MB).
❌No integrated graphics, while Core i7-9700K can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Quick Answers

So, is Core i7-9700K better than Ryzen 3 5400U?

Yes. Core i7-9700K is the better overall CPU here. You are getting a 47.0% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data and 30.9% better PassMark, which makes it the stronger all-around choice.

Which one is better for gaming?

If gaming is the priority, Core i7-9700K is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 47.0% 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 i7-9700K is the better fit. You are getting 30.9% better PassMark, backed by 8 cores and 8 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 50% larger total L3 cache (12 MB vs 8 MB).

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

Core i7-9700K is the smarter buy today. Core i7-9700K is at an unclear MSRP at $385 MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it gives you a 47.0% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (37.4 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), so the better CPU is not just faster, it is also the cleaner value play on paper.

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

Ryzen 3 5400U is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2021 vs 2018). That makes it the safer long-term pick.

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

Ryzen 3 5400U Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i7-9700K	Ryzen 3 5400U
1080p
low	308 FPS	170 FPS
medium	278 FPS	145 FPS
high	231 FPS	115 FPS
ultra	182 FPS	92 FPS
1440p
low	270 FPS	144 FPS
medium	221 FPS	122 FPS
high	178 FPS	95 FPS
ultra	143 FPS	76 FPS
4K
low	170 FPS	68 FPS
medium	140 FPS	61 FPS
high	108 FPS	48 FPS
ultra	95 FPS	38 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open Ryzen 3 5400U

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i7-9700K	Ryzen 3 5400U
1080p
low	360 FPS	244 FPS
medium	321 FPS	208 FPS
high	291 FPS	189 FPS
ultra	259 FPS	148 FPS
1440p
low	324 FPS	206 FPS
medium	282 FPS	178 FPS
high	258 FPS	163 FPS
ultra	225 FPS	133 FPS
4K
low	249 FPS	159 FPS
medium	221 FPS	143 FPS
high	208 FPS	119 FPS
ultra	179 FPS	91 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open Ryzen 3 5400U

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i7-9700K	Ryzen 3 5400U
1080p
low	360 FPS	275 FPS
medium	360 FPS	275 FPS
high	360 FPS	275 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	275 FPS
1440p
low	360 FPS	275 FPS
medium	360 FPS	275 FPS
high	360 FPS	275 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	275 FPS
4K
low	360 FPS	275 FPS
medium	360 FPS	275 FPS
high	360 FPS	256 FPS
ultra	318 FPS	204 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open Ryzen 3 5400U

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i7-9700K	Ryzen 3 5400U
1080p
low	360 FPS	275 FPS
medium	360 FPS	275 FPS
high	360 FPS	275 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	275 FPS
1440p
low	360 FPS	275 FPS
medium	360 FPS	275 FPS
high	360 FPS	275 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	275 FPS
4K
low	360 FPS	275 FPS
medium	360 FPS	275 FPS
high	360 FPS	275 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	275 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open Ryzen 3 5400U

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i7-9700K and Ryzen 3 5400U

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.

Ryzen 3 5400U

The Ryzen 3 5400U is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 12 January 2021 (4 years ago). It is based on the Cezanne-U (Zen 3) (2021) architecture. It features 4 cores and 8 threads. Base frequency is 2.6 GHz, with boost up to 4 GHz. L3 cache: 8 MB (total). L2 cache: 512K (per core). Built on 7 nm process technology. Socket: FP6. Thermal design power (TDP): 15 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 11,002 points. Launch price was $149.

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Processing Power

The Core i7-9700K packs 8 cores / 8 threads, while the Ryzen 3 5400U offers 4 cores / 8 threads — the Core i7-9700K has 4 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.9 GHz on the Core i7-9700K versus 4 GHz on the Ryzen 3 5400U — a 20.2% clock advantage for the Core i7-9700K (base: 3.6 GHz vs 2.6 GHz). The Core i7-9700K uses the Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019) architecture (14 nm), while the Ryzen 3 5400U uses Cezanne-U (Zen 3) (2021) (7 nm). In PassMark, the Core i7-9700K scores 14,397 against the Ryzen 3 5400U's 11,002 — a 26.7% lead for the Core i7-9700K. L3 cache: 12 MB (total) on the Core i7-9700K vs 8 MB (total) on the Ryzen 3 5400U.

Feature	Core i7-9700K	Ryzen 3 5400U
Cores / Threads	8 / 8+100%	4 / 8
Boost Clock	4.9 GHz+23%	4 GHz
Base Clock	3.6 GHz+38%	2.6 GHz
L3 Cache	12 MB (total)+50%	8 MB (total)
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	512K (per core)+100%
Process	14 nm	7 nm-50%
Architecture	Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019)	Cezanne-U (Zen 3) (2021)
PassMark	14,397+31%	11,002

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Memory & Platform

The Core i7-9700K uses the LGA1151 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Ryzen 3 5400U uses FP6 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Core i7-9700K	Ryzen 3 5400U
Socket	LGA1151	FP6
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 4.0+33%
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-2666	—
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB	—
RAM Channels	2	—
ECC Support	No	—
PCIe Lanes	16	—

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Advanced Features

Virtualization: VT-x, VT-d (Core i7-9700K) / not specified (Ryzen 3 5400U). The Core i7-9700K includes integrated graphics (UHD Graphics 630), while the Ryzen 3 5400U requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i7-9700K targets Desktop.