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 Ryzen 5 PRO 8500GE needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 5 PRO 8500GE across 5 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (14,397 vs 21,544).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (12 MB vs 16 MB).
❌Launch MSRP is still $385 MSRP, while Ryzen 5 PRO 8500GE mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌171.4% higher power demand at 95W vs 35W.

Ryzen 5 PRO 8500GE

2024

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +27.7% higher average FPS across 5 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+33.3% larger total L3 cache (16 MB vs 12 MB).
✅Draws 35W instead of 95W, a 60W reduction.
✅Newer platform on AM5 with DDR5 support instead of LGA1151 and DDR4.

Trade-offs

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

Core i7-9700K

2018

Ryzen 5 PRO 8500GE

2024

Why buy it

✅100+% more PCIe lanes (16 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with UHD Graphics 630, while Ryzen 5 PRO 8500GE needs a discrete GPU.

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +27.7% higher average FPS across 5 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+33.3% larger total L3 cache (16 MB vs 12 MB).
✅Draws 35W instead of 95W, a 60W reduction.
✅Newer platform on AM5 with DDR5 support instead of LGA1151 and DDR4.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 5 PRO 8500GE across 5 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (14,397 vs 21,544).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (12 MB vs 16 MB).
❌Launch MSRP is still $385 MSRP, while Ryzen 5 PRO 8500GE mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌171.4% higher power demand at 95W vs 35W.

Trade-offs

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

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 5 PRO 8500GE better than Core i7-9700K?

Yes. Ryzen 5 PRO 8500GE is the better overall CPU here. You are getting a 27.7% average FPS lead across 5 shared CPU game tests in our data, 49.6% 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, Ryzen 5 PRO 8500GE is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 27.7% more average FPS across 5 shared CPU game tests.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 5 PRO 8500GE is the better fit. You are getting 49.6% better PassMark, backed by 6 cores and 12 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?

Ryzen 5 PRO 8500GE is the smarter buy by a wide margin for a fresh build. Ryzen 5 PRO 8500GE is at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus $385 MSRP, and it gives you a 27.7% average FPS lead across 5 shared CPU game tests in our data. Core i7-9700K only looks stronger on raw value math because it is extremely cheap, but that is mostly used-market pricing on an obsolete 2018 platform. Even with 100.0% better value on paper (37.4 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), 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?

Ryzen 5 PRO 8500GE is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2024 vs 2018), a healthier platform with AM5 and DDR5 instead of LGA1151, 33.3% larger total L3 cache (16 MB vs 12 MB), and more multi-core headroom with 6 cores / 12 threads instead of 8/8. 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 i7-9700K Benchmark Check

Ryzen 5 PRO 8500GE Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i7-9700K	Ryzen 5 PRO 8500GE
1080p
low	308 FPS	267 FPS
medium	278 FPS	238 FPS
high	231 FPS	203 FPS
ultra	182 FPS	173 FPS
1440p
low	270 FPS	230 FPS
medium	221 FPS	186 FPS
high	178 FPS	154 FPS
ultra	143 FPS	135 FPS
4K
low	170 FPS	159 FPS
medium	140 FPS	129 FPS
high	108 FPS	100 FPS
ultra	95 FPS	87 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open Ryzen 5 PRO 8500GE

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i7-9700K	Ryzen 5 PRO 8500GE
1080p
low	360 FPS	455 FPS
medium	321 FPS	371 FPS
high	291 FPS	321 FPS
ultra	259 FPS	279 FPS
1440p
low	324 FPS	394 FPS
medium	282 FPS	338 FPS
high	258 FPS	294 FPS
ultra	225 FPS	248 FPS
4K
low	249 FPS	287 FPS
medium	221 FPS	251 FPS
high	208 FPS	230 FPS
ultra	179 FPS	193 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open Ryzen 5 PRO 8500GE

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i7-9700K	Ryzen 5 PRO 8500GE
1080p
low	360 FPS	539 FPS
medium	360 FPS	539 FPS
high	360 FPS	539 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	539 FPS
1440p
low	360 FPS	539 FPS
medium	360 FPS	539 FPS
high	360 FPS	517 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	440 FPS
4K
low	360 FPS	497 FPS
medium	360 FPS	417 FPS
high	360 FPS	357 FPS
ultra	318 FPS	293 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open Ryzen 5 PRO 8500GE

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i7-9700K	Ryzen 5 PRO 8500GE
1080p
low	360 FPS	539 FPS
medium	360 FPS	539 FPS
high	360 FPS	539 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	539 FPS
1440p
low	360 FPS	539 FPS
medium	360 FPS	539 FPS
high	360 FPS	539 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	539 FPS
4K
low	360 FPS	539 FPS
medium	360 FPS	519 FPS
high	360 FPS	462 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	393 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open Ryzen 5 PRO 8500GE

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i7-9700K and Ryzen 5 PRO 8500GE

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 PRO 8500GE

The Ryzen 5 PRO 8500GE is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 16 April 2024 (1 year ago). It is based on the Phoenix2 (2024) architecture. It features 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 3.4 GHz, with boost up to 5 GHz. L3 cache: 16 MB (total). L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 4 nm process technology. Socket: AM5. Thermal design power (TDP): 35 Watt. Memory support: DDR5. Passmark benchmark score: 21,544 points. Launch price was $299.

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Processing Power

The Core i7-9700K packs 8 cores / 8 threads, while the Ryzen 5 PRO 8500GE 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 5 GHz on the Ryzen 5 PRO 8500GE — a 2% clock advantage for the Ryzen 5 PRO 8500GE (base: 3.6 GHz vs 3.4 GHz). The Core i7-9700K uses the Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019) architecture (14 nm), while the Ryzen 5 PRO 8500GE uses Phoenix2 (2024) (4 nm). In PassMark, the Core i7-9700K scores 14,397 against the Ryzen 5 PRO 8500GE's 21,544 — a 39.8% lead for the Ryzen 5 PRO 8500GE. L3 cache: 12 MB (total) on the Core i7-9700K vs 16 MB (total) on the Ryzen 5 PRO 8500GE.

Feature	Core i7-9700K	Ryzen 5 PRO 8500GE
Cores / Threads	8 / 8+33%	6 / 12
Boost Clock	4.9 GHz	5 GHz+2%
Base Clock	3.6 GHz+6%	3.4 GHz
L3 Cache	12 MB (total)	16 MB (total)+33%
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	1 MB (per core)+300%
Process	14 nm	4 nm-71%
Architecture	Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019)	Phoenix2 (2024)
PassMark	14,397	21,544+50%

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i7-9700K uses the LGA1151 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Ryzen 5 PRO 8500GE uses AM5 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Core i7-9700K	Ryzen 5 PRO 8500GE
Socket	LGA1151	AM5
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	—

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: VT-x, VT-d (Core i7-9700K) / not specified (Ryzen 5 PRO 8500GE). The Core i7-9700K includes integrated graphics (UHD Graphics 630), while the Ryzen 5 PRO 8500GE requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i7-9700K targets Desktop.