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: +13.6% higher average FPS across 24 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+50% larger total L3 cache (12 MB vs 8 MB).

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (14,397 vs 15,985).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 37.4 vs 103.8 PassMark/$ ($385 MSRP vs $154 MSRP).
❌46.2% higher power demand at 95W vs 65W.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Ryzen 5 4600G.

Ryzen 5 4600G

2020

Why buy it

✅+11% higher PassMark.
✅Costs $231 less on MSRP ($154 MSRP vs $385 MSRP).
✅Delivers 177.6% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 103.8 vs 37.4 PassMark/$ ($154 MSRP vs $385 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 95W, a 30W reduction.
✅50% more PCIe lanes (24 vs 16) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i7-9700K across 24 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Smaller total L3 cache (8 MB vs 12 MB).

Core i7-9700K

2018

Ryzen 5 4600G

2020

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +13.6% higher average FPS across 24 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+50% larger total L3 cache (12 MB vs 8 MB).

Why buy it

✅+11% higher PassMark.
✅Costs $231 less on MSRP ($154 MSRP vs $385 MSRP).
✅Delivers 177.6% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 103.8 vs 37.4 PassMark/$ ($154 MSRP vs $385 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 95W, a 30W reduction.
✅50% more PCIe lanes (24 vs 16) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (14,397 vs 15,985).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 37.4 vs 103.8 PassMark/$ ($385 MSRP vs $154 MSRP).
❌46.2% higher power demand at 95W vs 65W.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Ryzen 5 4600G.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i7-9700K across 24 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Smaller total L3 cache (8 MB vs 12 MB).

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 5 4600G better than Core i7-9700K?

It depends on what matters more to you. For gaming, Core i7-9700K is ahead with a 13.6% average FPS lead across 24 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 5 4600G pulls ahead with 11% better PassMark. Core i7-9700K also has the bigger cache pool with 50% larger total L3 cache (12 MB vs 8 MB).

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 5 4600G is the better fit. You are getting 11% better PassMark, backed by 6 cores and 12 threads.

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

Ryzen 5 4600G is the smarter buy today. Ryzen 5 4600G is $231 cheaper on MSRP at $154 MSRP versus $385 MSRP, and it gives you 11% better PassMark. The trade-off is that Core i7-9700K is still the better pure gaming CPU with a 13.6% average FPS lead across 24 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 177.6% better value on MSRP (103.8 vs 37.4 PassMark/$), 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 5 4600G is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2020 vs 2018) and more multi-core headroom with 6 cores / 12 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

Ryzen 5 4600G Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i7-9700K	Ryzen 5 4600G
1080p
low	308 FPS	214 FPS
medium	278 FPS	171 FPS
high	231 FPS	136 FPS
ultra	182 FPS	99 FPS
1440p
low	270 FPS	183 FPS
medium	221 FPS	145 FPS
high	178 FPS	113 FPS
ultra	143 FPS	82 FPS
4K
low	170 FPS	74 FPS
medium	140 FPS	63 FPS
high	108 FPS	49 FPS
ultra	95 FPS	39 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open Ryzen 5 4600G

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i7-9700K	Ryzen 5 4600G
1080p
low	360 FPS	308 FPS
medium	321 FPS	263 FPS
high	291 FPS	232 FPS
ultra	259 FPS	199 FPS
1440p
low	324 FPS	268 FPS
medium	282 FPS	234 FPS
high	258 FPS	211 FPS
ultra	225 FPS	180 FPS
4K
low	249 FPS	231 FPS
medium	221 FPS	207 FPS
high	208 FPS	184 FPS
ultra	179 FPS	157 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open Ryzen 5 4600G

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i7-9700K	Ryzen 5 4600G
1080p
low	360 FPS	400 FPS
medium	360 FPS	400 FPS
high	360 FPS	400 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	400 FPS
1440p
low	360 FPS	400 FPS
medium	360 FPS	400 FPS
high	360 FPS	400 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	372 FPS
4K
low	360 FPS	400 FPS
medium	360 FPS	341 FPS
high	360 FPS	293 FPS
ultra	318 FPS	232 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open Ryzen 5 4600G

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i7-9700K	Ryzen 5 4600G
1080p
low	360 FPS	400 FPS
medium	360 FPS	400 FPS
high	360 FPS	400 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	400 FPS
1440p
low	360 FPS	400 FPS
medium	360 FPS	400 FPS
high	360 FPS	400 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	400 FPS
4K
low	360 FPS	400 FPS
medium	360 FPS	400 FPS
high	360 FPS	400 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	338 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open Ryzen 5 4600G

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i7-9700K and Ryzen 5 4600G

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 5 4600G

The Ryzen 5 4600G 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 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 3.7 GHz, with boost up to 4.2 GHz. L3 cache: 8 MB (total). L2 cache: 512 kB (per core). Built on 7 nm process technology. Socket: AM4. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-3200. Passmark benchmark score: 15,985 points. Launch price was $154.

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Processing Power

The Core i7-9700K packs 8 cores / 8 threads, while the Ryzen 5 4600G offers 6 cores / 12 threads — the Core i7-9700K has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.9 GHz on the Core i7-9700K versus 4.2 GHz on the Ryzen 5 4600G — a 15.4% clock advantage for the Core i7-9700K (base: 3.6 GHz vs 3.7 GHz). The Core i7-9700K uses the Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019) architecture (14 nm), while the Ryzen 5 4600G uses Renoir (2020−2023) (7 nm). In PassMark, the Core i7-9700K scores 14,397 against the Ryzen 5 4600G's 15,985 — a 10.5% lead for the Ryzen 5 4600G. L3 cache: 12 MB (total) on the Core i7-9700K vs 8 MB (total) on the Ryzen 5 4600G.

Feature	Core i7-9700K	Ryzen 5 4600G
Cores / Threads	8 / 8+33%	6 / 12
Boost Clock	4.9 GHz+17%	4.2 GHz
Base Clock	3.6 GHz	3.7 GHz+3%
L3 Cache	12 MB (total)+50%	8 MB (total)
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	512 kB (per core)+100%
Process	14 nm	7 nm-50%
Architecture	Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019)	Renoir (2020−2023)
PassMark	14,397	15,985+11%
Cinebench R23 Multi	—	9,348
Geekbench 6 Single	—	1,578
Geekbench 6 Multi	—	6,619

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i7-9700K uses the LGA1151 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Ryzen 5 4600G 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 24 (Ryzen 5 4600G) — the Ryzen 5 4600G offers 8 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: Intel 300 series (Core i7-9700K) and B450,X470,B550,X570,A520 (Ryzen 5 4600G).

Feature	Core i7-9700K	Ryzen 5 4600G
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	No
PCIe Lanes	16	24+50%

🔧

Advanced Features

Both processors feature an unlocked multiplier for overclocking. Virtualization support: VT-x, VT-d (Core i7-9700K) vs AMD-V (Ryzen 5 4600G). Both include integrated graphics — UHD Graphics 630 (Core i7-9700K) and Radeon Vega 7 (Ryzen 5 4600G) — useful as a fallback for troubleshooting or display output without a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i7-9700K targets Desktop, Ryzen 5 4600G targets Entry Gaming. Direct competitor: Ryzen 5 4600G rivals Core i5-10400.

Feature	Core i7-9700K	Ryzen 5 4600G
Integrated GPU	Yes	Yes
IGPU Model	UHD Graphics 630	Radeon Vega 7
Unlocked	Yes	Yes
AVX-512	No	No
Virtualization	VT-x, VT-d	AMD-V
Target Use	Desktop	Entry Gaming

💰

Value Analysis

The Core i7-9700K launched at $385 MSRP, while the Ryzen 5 4600G debuted at $154. On MSRP ($385 vs $154), the Ryzen 5 4600G is $231 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Core i7-9700K delivers 37.4 pts/$ vs 103.8 pts/$ for the Ryzen 5 4600G — making the Ryzen 5 4600G the 94.1% better value option.