Core i9-9900KF vs Ryzen 7 5825U

Core i9-9900KF vs Ryzen 7 5825U Performance Spectrum

Core i9-9900KF

8 / 16

18,029

0.0%

18,050

+0.1%

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5975WX

Ryzen Threadripper 9960X

About PassMark

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.

Core i9-9900KF vs Ryzen 7 5825U FPS Benchmarks

Predicted gaming performance across popular games. Tested paired with GeForce RTX 5090 to isolate CPU performance.

Search any supported game below to compare 1080p FPS for both components.

Core i9-9900KF vs Ryzen 7 5825U: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

See where each CPU makes more sense in practice: gaming, heavier work, platform cost, power draw, and upgrade path.

Core i9-9900KF

2019

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +17.8% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (16 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (18,029 vs 18,050).
❌Launch MSRP is still $488 MSRP, while Ryzen 7 5825U mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌533.3% higher power demand at 95W vs 15W.

Ryzen 7 5825U

2022

Why buy it

✅+0.1% higher PassMark.
✅Draws 15W instead of 95W, a 80W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i9-9900KF across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 7 5825U better than Core i9-9900KF?

It depends on what you want from the system. For gaming, Core i9-9900KF is ahead with a 17.8% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 7 5825U pulls ahead with 0.1% better PassMark.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 7 5825U is the stronger fit. You are getting 0.1% better PassMark, backed by 8 cores and 16 threads.

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

Ryzen 7 5825U is still the faster CPU overall, but Core i9-9900KF is easier to justify if budget matters more than peak performance. Ryzen 7 5825U comes in at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus $488 MSRP, and it still gives you 0.1% better PassMark. The compromise is that Core i9-9900KF is still the better pure gaming CPU with a 17.8% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. Core i9-9900KF is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (36.9 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), which is why it can still make sense for tighter-budget builds on paper.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

Ryzen 7 5825U makes more sense long term for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2022 vs 2019) and more multi-core headroom with 8 cores / 16 threads instead of 8/16. That extra compute headroom is more likely to matter as games, background tasks, and creator workloads get heavier.

Core i9-9900KF vs Ryzen 7 5825U Technical Specifications

Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.

Core i9-9900KF

The Core i9-9900KF is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 8 January 2019 (6 years ago). It is based on the Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 3.6 GHz, with boost up to 5 GHz. L3 cache: 16 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1151. Thermal design power (TDP): 95 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2666. Passmark benchmark score: 18,029 points. Launch price was $488.

Ryzen 7 5825U

The Ryzen 7 5825U is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 6 January 2022 (3 years ago). It is based on the Barcelo-U (Zen 3) (2022−2023) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 2 GHz, with boost up to 4.5 GHz. L3 cache: 16 MB (total). L2 cache: 512K (per core). Built on 7 nm process technology. Socket: FP6. Thermal design power (TDP): 15 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 18,050 points. Launch price was $299.

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Processing Power

Both the Core i9-9900KF and Ryzen 7 5825U share an identical 8-core/16-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 5 GHz on the Core i9-9900KF versus 4.5 GHz on the Ryzen 7 5825U — a 10.5% clock advantage for the Core i9-9900KF (base: 3.6 GHz vs 2 GHz). The Core i9-9900KF uses the Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019) architecture (14 nm), while the Ryzen 7 5825U uses Barcelo-U (Zen 3) (2022−2023) (7 nm). In PassMark, the Core i9-9900KF scores 18,029 against the Ryzen 7 5825U's 18,050 — a 0.1% lead for the Ryzen 7 5825U. Both processors carry 16 MB (total) of L3 cache.

Feature	Core i9-9900KF	Ryzen 7 5825U
Cores / Threads	8 / 16	8 / 16
Boost Clock	5 GHz+11%	4.5 GHz
Base Clock	3.6 GHz+80%	2 GHz
L3 Cache	16 MB (total)	16 MB (total)
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	512K (per core)+100%
Process	14 nm	7 nm-50%
Architecture	Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019)	Barcelo-U (Zen 3) (2022−2023)
PassMark	18,029	18,050
Cinebench R23 Multi	12,812	—
Geekbench 6 Single	1,720	—
Geekbench 6 Multi	8,150	—

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Memory & Platform

The Core i9-9900KF uses the LGA1151 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Ryzen 7 5825U uses FP6 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.