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 7 PRO 3700 needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (14,397 vs 22,777).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (12 MB vs 32 MB).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 37.4 vs 69.2 PassMark/$ ($385 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
❌46.2% higher power demand at 95W vs 65W.

Ryzen 7 PRO 3700

2019

Why buy it

✅+58.2% higher PassMark.
✅+166.7% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 12 MB).
✅Costs $56 less on MSRP ($329 MSRP vs $385 MSRP).
✅Delivers 85.1% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 69.2 vs 37.4 PassMark/$ ($329 MSRP vs $385 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 95W, a 30W reduction.

Trade-offs

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

Core i7-9700K

2018

Ryzen 7 PRO 3700

2019

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 7 PRO 3700 needs a discrete GPU.

Why buy it

✅+58.2% higher PassMark.
✅+166.7% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 12 MB).
✅Costs $56 less on MSRP ($329 MSRP vs $385 MSRP).
✅Delivers 85.1% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 69.2 vs 37.4 PassMark/$ ($329 MSRP vs $385 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 95W, a 30W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (14,397 vs 22,777).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (12 MB vs 32 MB).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 37.4 vs 69.2 PassMark/$ ($385 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
❌46.2% higher power demand at 95W vs 65W.

Trade-offs

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

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 7 PRO 3700 better than Core i7-9700K?

It depends on what matters more to you. For gaming, Core i7-9700K is ahead with a 0.3% average FPS lead across 29 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 7 PRO 3700 pulls ahead with 58.2% better PassMark. Ryzen 7 PRO 3700 also has the bigger cache pool with 166.7% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 12 MB).

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 7 PRO 3700 is the better fit. You are getting 58.2% better PassMark, backed by 8 cores and 16 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 166.7% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 12 MB).

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

Ryzen 7 PRO 3700 is the smarter buy today. Ryzen 7 PRO 3700 is $56 cheaper on MSRP at $329 MSRP versus $385 MSRP, and it gives you 58.2% better PassMark. The trade-off is that Core i7-9700K is still the better pure gaming CPU with a 0.3% average FPS lead across 29 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 85.1% better value on MSRP (69.2 vs 37.4 PassMark/$), 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 PRO 3700 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2019 vs 2018), 166.7% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 12 MB), and more multi-core headroom with 8 cores / 16 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 7 PRO 3700 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i7-9700K	Ryzen 7 PRO 3700
1080p
low	308 FPS	163 FPS
medium	278 FPS	132 FPS
high	231 FPS	113 FPS
ultra	182 FPS	95 FPS
1440p
low	270 FPS	143 FPS
medium	221 FPS	114 FPS
high	178 FPS	95 FPS
ultra	143 FPS	79 FPS
4K
low	170 FPS	80 FPS
medium	140 FPS	69 FPS
high	108 FPS	55 FPS
ultra	95 FPS	44 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open Ryzen 7 PRO 3700

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i7-9700K	Ryzen 7 PRO 3700
1080p
low	360 FPS	484 FPS
medium	321 FPS	408 FPS
high	291 FPS	323 FPS
ultra	259 FPS	284 FPS
1440p
low	324 FPS	416 FPS
medium	282 FPS	364 FPS
high	258 FPS	298 FPS
ultra	225 FPS	250 FPS
4K
low	249 FPS	268 FPS
medium	221 FPS	236 FPS
high	208 FPS	208 FPS
ultra	179 FPS	179 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open Ryzen 7 PRO 3700

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i7-9700K	Ryzen 7 PRO 3700
1080p
low	360 FPS	569 FPS
medium	360 FPS	534 FPS
high	360 FPS	483 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	412 FPS
1440p
low	360 FPS	550 FPS
medium	360 FPS	455 FPS
high	360 FPS	414 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	353 FPS
4K
low	360 FPS	396 FPS
medium	360 FPS	320 FPS
high	360 FPS	282 FPS
ultra	318 FPS	222 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open Ryzen 7 PRO 3700

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i7-9700K	Ryzen 7 PRO 3700
1080p
low	360 FPS	569 FPS
medium	360 FPS	569 FPS
high	360 FPS	569 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	569 FPS
1440p
low	360 FPS	569 FPS
medium	360 FPS	569 FPS
high	360 FPS	552 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	481 FPS
4K
low	360 FPS	493 FPS
medium	360 FPS	442 FPS
high	360 FPS	394 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	345 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open Ryzen 7 PRO 3700

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i7-9700K and Ryzen 7 PRO 3700

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 PRO 3700

The Ryzen 7 PRO 3700 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 30 September 2019 (6 years ago). It is based on the Matisse (2019−2020) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 3.6 GHz, with boost up to 4.4 GHz. L3 cache: 32 MB. 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: 22,777 points. Launch price was $299.

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Processing Power

The Core i7-9700K packs 8 cores / 8 threads, matching the Ryzen 7 PRO 3700's 8 cores. Boost clocks reach 4.9 GHz on the Core i7-9700K versus 4.4 GHz on the Ryzen 7 PRO 3700 — a 10.8% clock advantage for the Core i7-9700K (base: 3.6 GHz vs 3.6 GHz). The Core i7-9700K uses the Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019) architecture (14 nm), while the Ryzen 7 PRO 3700 uses Matisse (2019−2020) (7 nm). In PassMark, the Core i7-9700K scores 14,397 against the Ryzen 7 PRO 3700's 22,777 — a 45.1% lead for the Ryzen 7 PRO 3700. L3 cache: 12 MB (total) on the Core i7-9700K vs 32 MB on the Ryzen 7 PRO 3700.

Feature	Core i7-9700K	Ryzen 7 PRO 3700
Cores / Threads	8 / 8	8 / 16
Boost Clock	4.9 GHz+11%	4.4 GHz
Base Clock	3.6 GHz	3.6 GHz
L3 Cache	12 MB (total)	32 MB+167%
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	512 kB (per core)+100%
Process	14 nm	7 nm-50%
Architecture	Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019)	Matisse (2019−2020)
PassMark	14,397	22,777+58%

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Memory & Platform

The Core i7-9700K uses the LGA1151 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Ryzen 7 PRO 3700 uses AM4 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Core i7-9700K	Ryzen 7 PRO 3700
Socket	LGA1151	AM4
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 7 PRO 3700). The Core i7-9700K includes integrated graphics (UHD Graphics 630), while the Ryzen 7 PRO 3700 requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i7-9700K targets Desktop.

Feature	Core i7-9700K	Ryzen 7 PRO 3700
Integrated GPU	Yes	—
IGPU Model	UHD Graphics 630	—
Unlocked	Yes	—
AVX-512	No	—
Virtualization	VT-x, VT-d	—
Target Use	Desktop	—

💰

Value Analysis

The Core i7-9700K launched at $385 MSRP, while the Ryzen 7 PRO 3700 debuted at $329. On MSRP ($385 vs $329), the Ryzen 7 PRO 3700 is $56 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Core i7-9700K delivers 37.4 pts/$ vs 69.2 pts/$ for the Ryzen 7 PRO 3700 — making the Ryzen 7 PRO 3700 the 59.7% better value option.