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

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 7 6800U across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (14,397 vs 20,619).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (12 MB vs 16 MB).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 37.4 vs 57.3 PassMark/$ ($385 MSRP vs $360 MSRP).
❌533.3% higher power demand at 95W vs 15W.

Ryzen 7 6800U

2022

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +10.6% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+33.3% larger total L3 cache (16 MB vs 12 MB).
✅Costs $25 less on MSRP ($360 MSRP vs $385 MSRP).
✅Delivers 53.2% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 57.3 vs 37.4 PassMark/$ ($360 MSRP vs $385 MSRP).
✅Draws 15W instead of 95W, a 80W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Fewer obvious downsides in this matchup outside of normal market pricing swings.

Core i7-9700K

2018

Ryzen 7 6800U

2022

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +10.6% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+33.3% larger total L3 cache (16 MB vs 12 MB).
✅Costs $25 less on MSRP ($360 MSRP vs $385 MSRP).
✅Delivers 53.2% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 57.3 vs 37.4 PassMark/$ ($360 MSRP vs $385 MSRP).
✅Draws 15W instead of 95W, a 80W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 7 6800U across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (14,397 vs 20,619).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (12 MB vs 16 MB).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 37.4 vs 57.3 PassMark/$ ($385 MSRP vs $360 MSRP).
❌533.3% higher power demand at 95W vs 15W.

Trade-offs

❌Fewer obvious downsides in this matchup outside of normal market pricing swings.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 7 6800U better than Core i7-9700K?

Yes. Ryzen 7 6800U is the better overall CPU here. You are getting a 10.6% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data, 43.2% 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 7 6800U is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 10.6% 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, Ryzen 7 6800U is the better fit. You are getting 43.2% 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?

Ryzen 7 6800U is the smarter buy today. Ryzen 7 6800U is $25 cheaper on MSRP at $360 MSRP versus $385 MSRP, and it gives you a 10.6% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 53.2% better value on MSRP (57.3 vs 37.4 PassMark/$), 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 7 6800U is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2022 vs 2018), a healthier platform with FP7 and DDR5 instead of LGA1151, 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 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 7 6800U Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i7-9700K	Ryzen 7 6800U
1080p
low	308 FPS	166 FPS
medium	278 FPS	147 FPS
high	231 FPS	120 FPS
ultra	182 FPS	100 FPS
1440p
low	270 FPS	142 FPS
medium	221 FPS	121 FPS
high	178 FPS	98 FPS
ultra	143 FPS	82 FPS
4K
low	170 FPS	79 FPS
medium	140 FPS	72 FPS
high	108 FPS	58 FPS
ultra	95 FPS	45 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open Ryzen 7 6800U

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i7-9700K	Ryzen 7 6800U
1080p
low	360 FPS	428 FPS
medium	321 FPS	362 FPS
high	291 FPS	316 FPS
ultra	259 FPS	281 FPS
1440p
low	324 FPS	368 FPS
medium	282 FPS	321 FPS
high	258 FPS	286 FPS
ultra	225 FPS	245 FPS
4K
low	249 FPS	253 FPS
medium	221 FPS	227 FPS
high	208 FPS	214 FPS
ultra	179 FPS	185 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open Ryzen 7 6800U

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i7-9700K	Ryzen 7 6800U
1080p
low	360 FPS	515 FPS
medium	360 FPS	515 FPS
high	360 FPS	485 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	388 FPS
1440p
low	360 FPS	515 FPS
medium	360 FPS	510 FPS
high	360 FPS	437 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	355 FPS
4K
low	360 FPS	432 FPS
medium	360 FPS	368 FPS
high	360 FPS	323 FPS
ultra	318 FPS	262 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open Ryzen 7 6800U

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i7-9700K	Ryzen 7 6800U
1080p
low	360 FPS	515 FPS
medium	360 FPS	515 FPS
high	360 FPS	515 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	515 FPS
1440p
low	360 FPS	515 FPS
medium	360 FPS	515 FPS
high	360 FPS	515 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	504 FPS
4K
low	360 FPS	515 FPS
medium	360 FPS	483 FPS
high	360 FPS	431 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	372 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open Ryzen 7 6800U

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i7-9700K and Ryzen 7 6800U

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 7 6800U

The Ryzen 7 6800U is manufactured by AMD. It was released in Janeiro 2022 (3 years ago). It is based on the Rembrandt-U (Zen 3+) (2022) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 2.7 GHz, with boost up to 4.7 GHz. L3 cache: 16 MB (total). L2 cache: 512K (per core). Built on 6 nm process technology. Socket: FP7. Thermal design power (TDP): 15 Watt. Memory support: DDR5. Passmark benchmark score: 20,619 points. Launch price was $299.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core i7-9700K packs 8 cores / 8 threads, matching the Ryzen 7 6800U's 8 cores. Boost clocks reach 4.9 GHz on the Core i7-9700K versus 4.7 GHz on the Ryzen 7 6800U — a 4.2% clock advantage for the Core i7-9700K (base: 3.6 GHz vs 2.7 GHz). The Core i7-9700K uses the Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019) architecture (14 nm), while the Ryzen 7 6800U uses Rembrandt-U (Zen 3+) (2022) (6 nm). In PassMark, the Core i7-9700K scores 14,397 against the Ryzen 7 6800U's 20,619 — a 35.5% lead for the Ryzen 7 6800U. L3 cache: 12 MB (total) on the Core i7-9700K vs 16 MB (total) on the Ryzen 7 6800U.

Feature	Core i7-9700K	Ryzen 7 6800U
Cores / Threads	8 / 8	8 / 16
Boost Clock	4.9 GHz+4%	4.7 GHz
Base Clock	3.6 GHz+33%	2.7 GHz
L3 Cache	12 MB (total)	16 MB (total)+33%
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	512K (per core)+100%
Process	14 nm	6 nm-57%
Architecture	Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019)	Rembrandt-U (Zen 3+) (2022)
PassMark	14,397	20,619+43%
Cinebench R23 Multi	—	11,741
Geekbench 6 Single	—	1,713
Geekbench 6 Multi	—	7,397

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i7-9700K uses the LGA1151 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Ryzen 7 6800U uses FP7 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR4-2666 on the Core i7-9700K versus LPDDR5-6400 on the Ryzen 7 6800U — the Ryzen 7 6800U supports 22.2% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. The Core i7-9700K supports up to 128 GB of RAM compared to 64 GB — 66.7% more capacity for professional workloads. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 16 (Core i7-9700K) vs 20 (Ryzen 7 6800U) — the Ryzen 7 6800U offers 4 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: Intel 300 series (Core i7-9700K) and SoC (Ryzen 7 6800U).

Feature	Core i7-9700K	Ryzen 7 6800U
Socket	LGA1151	FP7
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 4.0+33%
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-2666	LPDDR5-6400+25%
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB+100%	64 GB
RAM Channels	2	2
ECC Support	No	Yes
PCIe Lanes	16	20+25%

🔧

Advanced Features

Only the Core i7-9700K has an unlocked multiplier for overclocking — a significant advantage for enthusiasts seeking extra performance. Virtualization support: VT-x, VT-d (Core i7-9700K) vs AMD-V (SVM) (Ryzen 7 6800U). Both include integrated graphics — UHD Graphics 630 (Core i7-9700K) and Radeon 680M (Ryzen 7 6800U) — useful as a fallback for troubleshooting or display output without a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i7-9700K targets Desktop, Ryzen 7 6800U targets Productivity. Direct competitor: Ryzen 7 6800U rivals Core i7-1255U.

Feature	Core i7-9700K	Ryzen 7 6800U
Integrated GPU	Yes	Yes
IGPU Model	UHD Graphics 630	Radeon 680M
Unlocked	Yes	No
AVX-512	No	No
Virtualization	VT-x, VT-d	AMD-V (SVM)
Target Use	Desktop	Productivity

💰

Value Analysis

The Core i7-9700K launched at $385 MSRP, while the Ryzen 7 6800U debuted at $360. On MSRP ($385 vs $360), the Ryzen 7 6800U is $25 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Core i7-9700K delivers 37.4 pts/$ vs 57.3 pts/$ for the Ryzen 7 6800U — making the Ryzen 7 6800U the 42% better value option.