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: +36.6% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+200% larger total L3 cache (12 MB vs 4 MB).

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 37.4 vs 73.4 PassMark/$ ($385 MSRP vs $149 MSRP).
❌46.2% higher power demand at 95W vs 65W.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Ryzen 3 PRO 4350G.

Ryzen 3 PRO 4350G

2020

Why buy it

✅Costs $236 less on MSRP ($149 MSRP vs $385 MSRP).
✅Delivers 96.4% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 73.4 vs 37.4 PassMark/$ ($149 MSRP vs $385 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 95W, a 30W reduction.
✅25% more PCIe lanes (20 vs 16) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike Core i7-9700K.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i7-9700K across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (10,942 vs 14,397).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (4 MB vs 12 MB).

Core i7-9700K

2018

Ryzen 3 PRO 4350G

2020

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +36.6% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+200% larger total L3 cache (12 MB vs 4 MB).

Why buy it

✅Costs $236 less on MSRP ($149 MSRP vs $385 MSRP).
✅Delivers 96.4% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 73.4 vs 37.4 PassMark/$ ($149 MSRP vs $385 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 95W, a 30W reduction.
✅25% more PCIe lanes (20 vs 16) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike Core i7-9700K.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 37.4 vs 73.4 PassMark/$ ($385 MSRP vs $149 MSRP).
❌46.2% higher power demand at 95W vs 65W.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Ryzen 3 PRO 4350G.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i7-9700K across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (10,942 vs 14,397).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (4 MB vs 12 MB).

Quick Answers

So, is Core i7-9700K better than Ryzen 3 PRO 4350G?

Yes. Core i7-9700K is the better overall CPU here. You are getting a 36.6% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data and 31.6% 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 36.6% 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 31.6% better PassMark, backed by 8 cores and 8 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 200% larger total L3 cache (12 MB vs 4 MB).

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

Core i7-9700K is the smarter buy by a wide margin for a fresh build. Core i7-9700K is 158.4% more expensive on MSRP at $385 MSRP versus $149 MSRP, and it gives you a 36.6% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. Ryzen 3 PRO 4350G only looks stronger on raw value math because it is so cheap, but its absolute performance tier is too low to be the smarter recommendation now. At roughly 10,942 PassMark with 4 cores and 8 threads, it only makes sense as a bare-minimum stopgap or a very constrained existing-platform upgrade.

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

Ryzen 3 PRO 4350G is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2020 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 PRO 4350G Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i7-9700K	Ryzen 3 PRO 4350G
1080p
low	308 FPS	217 FPS
medium	278 FPS	173 FPS
high	231 FPS	139 FPS
ultra	182 FPS	96 FPS
1440p
low	270 FPS	186 FPS
medium	221 FPS	147 FPS
high	178 FPS	115 FPS
ultra	143 FPS	80 FPS
4K
low	170 FPS	73 FPS
medium	140 FPS	61 FPS
high	108 FPS	47 FPS
ultra	95 FPS	37 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open Ryzen 3 PRO 4350G

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i7-9700K	Ryzen 3 PRO 4350G
1080p
low	360 FPS	272 FPS
medium	321 FPS	227 FPS
high	291 FPS	198 FPS
ultra	259 FPS	153 FPS
1440p
low	324 FPS	225 FPS
medium	282 FPS	194 FPS
high	258 FPS	171 FPS
ultra	225 FPS	137 FPS
4K
low	249 FPS	166 FPS
medium	221 FPS	150 FPS
high	208 FPS	121 FPS
ultra	179 FPS	92 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open Ryzen 3 PRO 4350G

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i7-9700K	Ryzen 3 PRO 4350G
1080p
low	360 FPS	274 FPS
medium	360 FPS	274 FPS
high	360 FPS	274 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	274 FPS
1440p
low	360 FPS	274 FPS
medium	360 FPS	274 FPS
high	360 FPS	274 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	274 FPS
4K
low	360 FPS	274 FPS
medium	360 FPS	274 FPS
high	360 FPS	274 FPS
ultra	318 FPS	248 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open Ryzen 3 PRO 4350G

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i7-9700K	Ryzen 3 PRO 4350G
1080p
low	360 FPS	274 FPS
medium	360 FPS	274 FPS
high	360 FPS	274 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	274 FPS
1440p
low	360 FPS	274 FPS
medium	360 FPS	274 FPS
high	360 FPS	274 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	274 FPS
4K
low	360 FPS	274 FPS
medium	360 FPS	274 FPS
high	360 FPS	274 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	274 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open Ryzen 3 PRO 4350G

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i7-9700K and Ryzen 3 PRO 4350G

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 PRO 4350G

The Ryzen 3 PRO 4350G is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 21 July 2020 (5 years ago). It is based on the Renoir (2020−2023) architecture. It features 4 cores and 8 threads. Base frequency is 3.8 GHz, with boost up to 4 GHz. L3 cache: 4 MB (total). L2 cache: 2 MB. Built on 7 nm process technology. Socket: AM4. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-3200. Passmark benchmark score: 10,942 points. Launch price was $149.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core i7-9700K packs 8 cores / 8 threads, while the Ryzen 3 PRO 4350G 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 PRO 4350G — a 20.2% clock advantage for the Core i7-9700K (base: 3.6 GHz vs 3.8 GHz). The Core i7-9700K uses the Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019) architecture (14 nm), while the Ryzen 3 PRO 4350G uses Renoir (2020−2023) (7 nm). In PassMark, the Core i7-9700K scores 14,397 against the Ryzen 3 PRO 4350G's 10,942 — a 27.3% lead for the Core i7-9700K. L3 cache: 12 MB (total) on the Core i7-9700K vs 4 MB (total) on the Ryzen 3 PRO 4350G.

Feature	Core i7-9700K	Ryzen 3 PRO 4350G
Cores / Threads	8 / 8+100%	4 / 8
Boost Clock	4.9 GHz+23%	4 GHz
Base Clock	3.6 GHz	3.8 GHz+6%
L3 Cache	12 MB (total)+200%	4 MB (total)
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	2 MB+700%
Process	14 nm	7 nm-50%
Architecture	Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019)	Renoir (2020−2023)
PassMark	14,397+32%	10,942
Cinebench R23 Multi	—	5,995
Geekbench 6 Single	—	1,516
Geekbench 6 Multi	—	5,334

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i7-9700K uses the LGA1151 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Ryzen 3 PRO 4350G uses AM4 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Both support up to DDR4-2666 memory speed. Both support up to 128 GB of RAM. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 16 (Core i7-9700K) vs 20 (Ryzen 3 PRO 4350G) — the Ryzen 3 PRO 4350G offers 4 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: Intel 300 series (Core i7-9700K) and A320,B350,X370,B450,X470,A520,B550,X570 (Ryzen 3 PRO 4350G).

Feature	Core i7-9700K	Ryzen 3 PRO 4350G
Socket	LGA1151	AM4
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-2666	DDR4-3200
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB	128 GB
RAM Channels	2	2
ECC Support	No	Yes
PCIe Lanes	16	20+25%

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization support: VT-x, VT-d (Core i7-9700K) vs Yes (Ryzen 3 PRO 4350G). Both include integrated graphics — UHD Graphics 630 (Core i7-9700K) and Radeon Vega 6 (Ryzen 3 PRO 4350G) — useful as a fallback for troubleshooting or display output without a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i7-9700K targets Desktop.

Feature	Core i7-9700K	Ryzen 3 PRO 4350G
Integrated GPU	Yes	Yes
IGPU Model	UHD Graphics 630	Radeon Vega 6
Unlocked	Yes	—
AVX-512	No	No
Virtualization	VT-x, VT-d	Yes
Target Use	Desktop	—

💰

Value Analysis

The Core i7-9700K launched at $385 MSRP, while the Ryzen 3 PRO 4350G debuted at $149. On MSRP ($385 vs $149), the Ryzen 3 PRO 4350G is $236 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Core i7-9700K delivers 37.4 pts/$ vs 73.4 pts/$ for the Ryzen 3 PRO 4350G — making the Ryzen 3 PRO 4350G the 65% better value option.