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

✅Costs $115 less on MSRP ($385 MSRP vs $500 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 370 across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (14,397 vs 32,841).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (12 MB vs 16 MB).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 37.4 vs 65.7 PassMark/$ ($385 MSRP vs $500 MSRP).
❌239.3% higher power demand at 95W vs 28W.

Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 370

2025

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +28.7% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+33.3% larger total L3 cache (16 MB vs 12 MB).
✅Delivers 75.6% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 65.7 vs 37.4 PassMark/$ ($500 MSRP vs $385 MSRP).
✅Draws 28W instead of 95W, a 67W reduction.
✅Newer platform on FP8 with DDR5 support instead of LGA1151 and DDR4.

Trade-offs

❌
29.9% HIGHER MSRP
$500 MSRPvs$385 MSRP

Core i7-9700K

2018

Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 370

2025

Why buy it

✅Costs $115 less on MSRP ($385 MSRP vs $500 MSRP).

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +28.7% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+33.3% larger total L3 cache (16 MB vs 12 MB).
✅Delivers 75.6% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 65.7 vs 37.4 PassMark/$ ($500 MSRP vs $385 MSRP).
✅Draws 28W instead of 95W, a 67W reduction.
✅Newer platform on FP8 with DDR5 support instead of LGA1151 and DDR4.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 370 across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (14,397 vs 32,841).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (12 MB vs 16 MB).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 37.4 vs 65.7 PassMark/$ ($385 MSRP vs $500 MSRP).
❌239.3% higher power demand at 95W vs 28W.

Trade-offs

❌
29.9% HIGHER MSRP
$500 MSRPvs$385 MSRP

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 370 better than Core i7-9700K?

Yes. Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 370 is the better overall CPU here. You are getting a 28.7% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data, 128.1% 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 AI 9 HX PRO 370 is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 28.7% 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 AI 9 HX PRO 370 is the better fit. You are getting 128.1% better PassMark, backed by 12 cores and 24 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 AI 9 HX PRO 370 is the smarter buy today. Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 370 is 29.9% more expensive on MSRP at $500 MSRP versus $385 MSRP, and it gives you a 28.7% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 75.6% better value on MSRP (65.7 vs 37.4 PassMark/$), 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 AI 9 HX PRO 370 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, 33.3% larger total L3 cache (16 MB vs 12 MB), and more multi-core headroom with 12 cores / 24 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 9 HX PRO 370 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i7-9700K	Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 370
1080p
low	308 FPS	245 FPS
medium	278 FPS	230 FPS
high	231 FPS	195 FPS
ultra	182 FPS	167 FPS
1440p
low	270 FPS	213 FPS
medium	221 FPS	181 FPS
high	178 FPS	148 FPS
ultra	143 FPS	130 FPS
4K
low	170 FPS	146 FPS
medium	140 FPS	124 FPS
high	108 FPS	96 FPS
ultra	95 FPS	84 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 370

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i7-9700K	Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 370
1080p
low	360 FPS	278 FPS
medium	321 FPS	234 FPS
high	291 FPS	207 FPS
ultra	259 FPS	182 FPS
1440p
low	324 FPS	246 FPS
medium	282 FPS	215 FPS
high	258 FPS	189 FPS
ultra	225 FPS	159 FPS
4K
low	249 FPS	164 FPS
medium	221 FPS	149 FPS
high	208 FPS	143 FPS
ultra	179 FPS	121 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 370

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i7-9700K	Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 370
1080p
low	360 FPS	813 FPS
medium	360 FPS	641 FPS
high	360 FPS	559 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	463 FPS
1440p
low	360 FPS	712 FPS
medium	360 FPS	570 FPS
high	360 FPS	491 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	412 FPS
4K
low	360 FPS	508 FPS
medium	360 FPS	418 FPS
high	360 FPS	374 FPS
ultra	318 FPS	314 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 370

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i7-9700K	Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 370
1080p
low	360 FPS	821 FPS
medium	360 FPS	821 FPS
high	360 FPS	751 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	682 FPS
1440p
low	360 FPS	796 FPS
medium	360 FPS	715 FPS
high	360 FPS	615 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	547 FPS
4K
low	360 FPS	544 FPS
medium	360 FPS	496 FPS
high	360 FPS	442 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	390 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 370

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i7-9700K and Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 370

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 9 HX PRO 370

The Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 370 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 6 January 2025 (less than a year ago). It is based on the Strix Point-HX PRO (Zen 5/5c) (2025) architecture. It features 12 cores and 24 threads. Base frequency is 2 GHz, with boost up to 5.1 GHz. L3 cache: 16 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: 32,841 points. Launch price was $499.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core i7-9700K packs 8 cores / 8 threads, while the Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 370 offers 12 cores / 24 threads — the Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 370 has 4 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.9 GHz on the Core i7-9700K versus 5.1 GHz on the Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 370 — a 4% clock advantage for the Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 370 (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 9 HX PRO 370 uses Strix Point-HX PRO (Zen 5/5c) (2025) (4 nm). In PassMark, the Core i7-9700K scores 14,397 against the Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 370's 32,841 — a 78.1% lead for the Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 370. L3 cache: 12 MB (total) on the Core i7-9700K vs 16 MB on the Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 370.

Feature	Core i7-9700K	Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 370
Cores / Threads	8 / 8	12 / 24+50%
Boost Clock	4.9 GHz	5.1 GHz+4%
Base Clock	3.6 GHz+80%	2 GHz
L3 Cache	12 MB (total)	16 MB+33%
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	1 MB (per core)+300%
Process	14 nm	4 nm-71%
Architecture	Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019)	Strix Point-HX PRO (Zen 5/5c) (2025)
PassMark	14,397	32,841+128%

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i7-9700K uses the LGA1151 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 370 uses FP8 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR4-2666 on the Core i7-9700K versus LPDDR5X-8000 on the Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 370 — the Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 370 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 AI 9 HX PRO 370) — the Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 370 offers 4 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives.

Feature	Core i7-9700K	Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 370
Socket	LGA1151	FP8
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 4.0+33%
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-2666	LPDDR5X-8000+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. Only the Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 370 supports AVX-512 instructions — important for machine learning and scientific applications. Virtualization support: VT-x, VT-d (Core i7-9700K) vs AMD-V (Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 370). Both include integrated graphics — UHD Graphics 630 (Core i7-9700K) and Radeon 890M (Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 370) — useful as a fallback for troubleshooting or display output without a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i7-9700K targets Desktop, Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 370 targets Mobile Workstation / AI.

Feature	Core i7-9700K	Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 370
Integrated GPU	Yes	Yes
IGPU Model	UHD Graphics 630	Radeon 890M
Unlocked	Yes	No
AVX-512	No	Yes
Virtualization	VT-x, VT-d	AMD-V
Target Use	Desktop	Mobile Workstation / AI

💰

Value Analysis

The Core i7-9700K launched at $385 MSRP, while the Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 370 debuted at $500. On MSRP ($385 vs $500), the Core i7-9700K is $115 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Core i7-9700K delivers 37.4 pts/$ vs 65.7 pts/$ for the Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 370 — making the Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 370 the 54.9% better value option.