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

✅+50% larger total L3 cache (12 MB vs 8 MB).
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (16 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with UHD Graphics 630, while Ryzen AI 5 340 needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (14,397 vs 19,776).
❌Launch MSRP is still $385 MSRP, while Ryzen AI 5 340 mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌239.3% higher power demand at 95W vs 28W.
❌Older platform position on LGA1151 with DDR4, while Ryzen AI 5 340 moves to FP8 and DDR5.

Ryzen AI 5 340

2025

Why buy it

✅+37.4% higher PassMark.
✅Draws 28W instead of 95W, a 67W reduction.
✅Newer platform on FP8 with DDR5 support instead of LGA1151 and DDR4.

Trade-offs

❌Smaller total L3 cache (8 MB vs 12 MB).
❌No integrated graphics, while Core i7-9700K can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Core i7-9700K

2018

Ryzen AI 5 340

2025

Why buy it

✅+50% larger total L3 cache (12 MB vs 8 MB).
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (16 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with UHD Graphics 630, while Ryzen AI 5 340 needs a discrete GPU.

Why buy it

✅+37.4% higher PassMark.
✅Draws 28W instead of 95W, a 67W reduction.
✅Newer platform on FP8 with DDR5 support instead of LGA1151 and DDR4.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (14,397 vs 19,776).
❌Launch MSRP is still $385 MSRP, while Ryzen AI 5 340 mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌239.3% higher power demand at 95W vs 28W.
❌Older platform position on LGA1151 with DDR4, while Ryzen AI 5 340 moves to FP8 and DDR5.

Trade-offs

❌Smaller total L3 cache (8 MB vs 12 MB).
❌No integrated graphics, while Core i7-9700K can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen AI 5 340 better than Core i7-9700K?

It depends on what matters more to you. For gaming, Core i7-9700K is ahead with a 1.5% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen AI 5 340 pulls ahead with 37.4% 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 AI 5 340 is the better fit. You are getting 37.4% better PassMark, backed by 6 cores and 12 threads.

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

Ryzen AI 5 340 is the smarter buy by a wide margin for a fresh build. Ryzen AI 5 340 is at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus $385 MSRP, and it gives you 37.4% better PassMark. Core i7-9700K only looks stronger on raw value math because it is extremely cheap, but that is mostly used-market pricing on an obsolete 2018 platform. Even with 100.0% better value on paper (37.4 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), 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 AI 5 340 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2025 vs 2018), a healthier platform with FP8 and DDR5 instead of LGA1151, 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 AI 5 340 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i7-9700K	Ryzen AI 5 340
1080p
low	308 FPS	245 FPS
medium	278 FPS	227 FPS
high	231 FPS	192 FPS
ultra	182 FPS	165 FPS
1440p
low	270 FPS	215 FPS
medium	221 FPS	181 FPS
high	178 FPS	149 FPS
ultra	143 FPS	131 FPS
4K
low	170 FPS	149 FPS
medium	140 FPS	126 FPS
high	108 FPS	98 FPS
ultra	95 FPS	85 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open Ryzen AI 5 340

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i7-9700K	Ryzen AI 5 340
1080p
low	360 FPS	173 FPS
medium	321 FPS	146 FPS
high	291 FPS	132 FPS
ultra	259 FPS	116 FPS
1440p
low	324 FPS	146 FPS
medium	282 FPS	126 FPS
high	258 FPS	117 FPS
ultra	225 FPS	101 FPS
4K
low	249 FPS	121 FPS
medium	221 FPS	107 FPS
high	208 FPS	99 FPS
ultra	179 FPS	83 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open Ryzen AI 5 340

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i7-9700K	Ryzen AI 5 340
1080p
low	360 FPS	494 FPS
medium	360 FPS	494 FPS
high	360 FPS	494 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	403 FPS
1440p
low	360 FPS	494 FPS
medium	360 FPS	483 FPS
high	360 FPS	418 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	340 FPS
4K
low	360 FPS	399 FPS
medium	360 FPS	337 FPS
high	360 FPS	290 FPS
ultra	318 FPS	230 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open Ryzen AI 5 340

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i7-9700K	Ryzen AI 5 340
1080p
low	360 FPS	494 FPS
medium	360 FPS	494 FPS
high	360 FPS	494 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	494 FPS
1440p
low	360 FPS	494 FPS
medium	360 FPS	494 FPS
high	360 FPS	494 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	494 FPS
4K
low	360 FPS	494 FPS
medium	360 FPS	473 FPS
high	360 FPS	419 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	363 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open Ryzen AI 5 340

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i7-9700K and Ryzen AI 5 340

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 AI 5 340

The Ryzen AI 5 340 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 6 January 2025 (less than a year ago). It is based on the Krackan Point (2025) architecture. It features 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 2 GHz, with boost up to 4.8 GHz. L3 cache: 8 MB. L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 4 nm process technology. Socket: FP8. Thermal design power (TDP): 28 Watt. Memory support: DDR5. Passmark benchmark score: 19,776 points. Launch price was $299.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core i7-9700K packs 8 cores / 8 threads, while the Ryzen AI 5 340 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 4.8 GHz on the Ryzen AI 5 340 — a 2.1% clock advantage for the Core i7-9700K (base: 3.6 GHz vs 2 GHz). The Core i7-9700K uses the Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019) architecture (14 nm), while the Ryzen AI 5 340 uses Krackan Point (2025) (4 nm). In PassMark, the Core i7-9700K scores 14,397 against the Ryzen AI 5 340's 19,776 — a 31.5% lead for the Ryzen AI 5 340. L3 cache: 12 MB (total) on the Core i7-9700K vs 8 MB on the Ryzen AI 5 340.

Feature	Core i7-9700K	Ryzen AI 5 340
Cores / Threads	8 / 8+33%	6 / 12
Boost Clock	4.9 GHz+2%	4.8 GHz
Base Clock	3.6 GHz+80%	2 GHz
L3 Cache	12 MB (total)+50%	8 MB
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	1 MB (per core)+300%
Process	14 nm	4 nm-71%
Architecture	Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019)	Krackan Point (2025)
PassMark	14,397	19,776+37%

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i7-9700K uses the LGA1151 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Ryzen AI 5 340 uses FP8 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Core i7-9700K	Ryzen AI 5 340
Socket	LGA1151	FP8
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 3.0
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 AI 5 340). The Core i7-9700K includes integrated graphics (UHD Graphics 630), while the Ryzen AI 5 340 requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i7-9700K targets Desktop.