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 $2,014 less on MSRP ($385 MSRP vs $2,399 MSRP).
✅Delivers 34.7% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 37.4 vs 27.8 PassMark/$ ($385 MSRP vs $2,399 MSRP).
✅Draws 95W instead of 280W, a 185W reduction.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with UHD Graphics 630, while Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5965WX needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5965WX across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (14,397 vs 66,614).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5965WX, which brings 24 cores / 48 threads and 128 PCIe lanes.

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5965WX

2022

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +67.0% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 24 cores / 48 threads, plus 128 PCIe lanes vs 16.
✅700% more PCIe lanes (128 vs 16) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 27.8 vs 37.4 PassMark/$ ($2,399 MSRP vs $385 MSRP).
❌194.7% higher power demand at 280W vs 95W.
❌No integrated graphics, while Core i7-9700K can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Core i7-9700K

2018

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5965WX

2022

Why buy it

✅Costs $2,014 less on MSRP ($385 MSRP vs $2,399 MSRP).
✅Delivers 34.7% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 37.4 vs 27.8 PassMark/$ ($385 MSRP vs $2,399 MSRP).
✅Draws 95W instead of 280W, a 185W reduction.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with UHD Graphics 630, while Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5965WX needs a discrete GPU.

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +67.0% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 24 cores / 48 threads, plus 128 PCIe lanes vs 16.
✅700% more PCIe lanes (128 vs 16) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5965WX across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (14,397 vs 66,614).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5965WX, which brings 24 cores / 48 threads and 128 PCIe lanes.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 27.8 vs 37.4 PassMark/$ ($2,399 MSRP vs $385 MSRP).
❌194.7% higher power demand at 280W vs 95W.
❌No integrated graphics, while Core i7-9700K can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5965WX better than Core i7-9700K?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5965WX makes more sense for workstation-style multi-core throughput, while Core i7-9700K is the better mainstream desktop choice for gaming, platform cost, and day-to-day practicality.

Which one is better for gaming?

If gaming is the priority, Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5965WX is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 67.0% more average FPS across 4 shared CPU game tests. It also has a big cache advantage at 128 MB vs 12 MB.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5965WX is the better fit. You are getting 362.7% better PassMark, backed by 24 cores and 48 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 966.7% larger total L3 cache (128 MB vs 12 MB).

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

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5965WX is the smarter buy by a wide margin for a fresh build. Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5965WX is 523.1% more expensive on MSRP at $2,399 MSRP versus $385 MSRP, and it gives you a 67.0% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. Core i7-9700K only looks stronger on raw value math because it is extremely cheap, but that is mostly used-market pricing on an obsolete 2018 platform. Even with 34.7% better value on paper (37.4 vs 27.8 PassMark/$), 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 Threadripper PRO 5965WX is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2022 vs 2018), 3D V-Cache and a much larger 128 MB L3 cache instead of 12 MB, and more multi-core headroom with 24 cores / 48 threads instead of 8/8. That extra cache should hold up really well in CPU-limited games and high-refresh builds.

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 Threadripper PRO 5965WX Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i7-9700K	Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5965WX
1080p
low	308 FPS	224 FPS
medium	278 FPS	184 FPS
high	231 FPS	156 FPS
ultra	182 FPS	115 FPS
1440p
low	270 FPS	194 FPS
medium	221 FPS	156 FPS
high	178 FPS	126 FPS
ultra	143 FPS	94 FPS
4K
low	170 FPS	94 FPS
medium	140 FPS	81 FPS
high	108 FPS	63 FPS
ultra	95 FPS	51 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5965WX

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i7-9700K	Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5965WX
1080p
low	360 FPS	806 FPS
medium	321 FPS	684 FPS
high	291 FPS	535 FPS
ultra	259 FPS	464 FPS
1440p
low	324 FPS	655 FPS
medium	282 FPS	569 FPS
high	258 FPS	465 FPS
ultra	225 FPS	378 FPS
4K
low	249 FPS	383 FPS
medium	221 FPS	335 FPS
high	208 FPS	300 FPS
ultra	179 FPS	265 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5965WX

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i7-9700K	Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5965WX
1080p
low	360 FPS	812 FPS
medium	360 FPS	680 FPS
high	360 FPS	620 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	540 FPS
1440p
low	360 FPS	622 FPS
medium	360 FPS	521 FPS
high	360 FPS	470 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	405 FPS
4K
low	360 FPS	451 FPS
medium	360 FPS	360 FPS
high	360 FPS	326 FPS
ultra	318 FPS	259 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5965WX

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i7-9700K	Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5965WX
1080p
low	360 FPS	1215 FPS
medium	360 FPS	1015 FPS
high	360 FPS	926 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	820 FPS
1440p
low	360 FPS	951 FPS
medium	360 FPS	828 FPS
high	360 FPS	715 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	611 FPS
4K
low	360 FPS	674 FPS
medium	360 FPS	605 FPS
high	360 FPS	529 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	437 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5965WX

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i7-9700K and Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5965WX

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 Threadripper PRO 5965WX

The Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5965WX is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 2022-03-08. It is based on the Chagall PRO (2022) architecture. It features 24 cores and 48 threads. Base frequency is 3.8 GHz, with boost up to 4.5 GHz. L3 cache: 128 MB. L2 cache: 512K (per core). Built on 7 nm process technology. Socket: sWRX8. Thermal design power (TDP): 280 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-3200. Passmark benchmark score: 66,614 points. Launch price was $2,399.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core i7-9700K packs 8 cores / 8 threads, while the Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5965WX offers 24 cores / 48 threads — the Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5965WX has 16 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.9 GHz on the Core i7-9700K versus 4.5 GHz on the Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5965WX — a 8.5% clock advantage for the Core i7-9700K (base: 3.6 GHz vs 3.8 GHz). The Core i7-9700K uses the Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019) architecture (14 nm), while the Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5965WX uses Chagall PRO (2022) (7 nm). In PassMark, the Core i7-9700K scores 14,397 against the Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5965WX's 66,614 — a 128.9% lead for the Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5965WX. L3 cache: 12 MB (total) on the Core i7-9700K vs 128 MB on the Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5965WX.

Feature	Core i7-9700K	Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5965WX
Cores / Threads	8 / 8	24 / 48+200%
Boost Clock	4.9 GHz+9%	4.5 GHz
Base Clock	3.6 GHz	3.8 GHz+6%
L3 Cache	12 MB (total)	128 MB+967%
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	512K (per core)+100%
Process	14 nm	7 nm-50%
Architecture	Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019)	Chagall PRO (2022)
PassMark	14,397	66,614+363%
Cinebench R23 Multi	—	45,000
Geekbench 6 Single	—	1,550
Geekbench 6 Multi	—	15,500

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i7-9700K uses the LGA1151 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5965WX uses sWRX8 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Both support up to DDR4-2666 memory speed. The Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5965WX supports up to 2048 GB of RAM compared to 128 GB — 176.5% more capacity for professional workloads. Memory channels: 2 (Core i7-9700K) vs 8 (Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5965WX). PCIe lanes: 16 (Core i7-9700K) vs 128 (Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5965WX) — the Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5965WX offers 112 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: Intel 300 series (Core i7-9700K) and WRX80 (Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5965WX).

Feature	Core i7-9700K	Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5965WX
Socket	LGA1151	sWRX8
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 4.0+33%
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-2666	DDR4-3200
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB	2048 GB+1500%
RAM Channels	2	8+300%
ECC Support	No	Yes
PCIe Lanes	16	128+700%

🔧

Advanced Features

Both processors feature an unlocked multiplier for overclocking. Virtualization support: VT-x, VT-d (Core i7-9700K) vs AMD-V (Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5965WX). The Core i7-9700K includes integrated graphics (UHD Graphics 630), while the Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5965WX requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i7-9700K targets Desktop, Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5965WX targets Professional Workstation. Direct competitor: Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5965WX rivals Xeon Gold 6430.

Feature	Core i7-9700K	Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5965WX
Integrated GPU	Yes	No
IGPU Model	UHD Graphics 630	None
Unlocked	Yes	Yes
AVX-512	No	No
Virtualization	VT-x, VT-d	AMD-V
Target Use	Desktop	Professional Workstation

💰

Value Analysis

The Core i7-9700K launched at $385 MSRP, while the Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5965WX debuted at $2399. On MSRP ($385 vs $2399), the Core i7-9700K is $2014 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Core i7-9700K delivers 37.4 pts/$ vs 27.8 pts/$ for the Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5965WX — making the Core i7-9700K the 29.5% better value option.