I have compared the two best CPUs that Intel and AMD have right now in 6 games and 5 applications to find out which processor is the best!
Specifications
| Ryzen 9 7950X | i9-13900K | |
| CORES/THREADS | 16C / 32T | 24C (8P+16E) / 32T |
| BASE CLOCK | 4.5GHZ | 3.4GHZ |
| BOOST CLOCK | 5.7GHZ | 4.9GHZ |
| CACHE (L2/L3) | 16MB/64MB | 32MB/36MB |
| MEMORY | DDR5 | DDR4 / DDR5 |
| INTERGRATED GPU | YES | YES |
| LAUNCH DATE | SEP 2022 | OCT 2022 |
While both processors support 32 threads, the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X has 16 cores and the Intel Core i9-13900K has 24 cores. This is due to the i9’s 8P hyperthreaded cores and 16E non-hyperthreaded cores. While both processors have similar maximum single core boost clock speeds, Intel has more L2 cache and AMD has more L3.
Pricing
While writing, the 7950X costs $700 USD, while the 13900K costs $800. If you don’t need integrated graphics, you can save an additional $30 by choosing the 13900KF.
Performance
Now I will show you the Application and Gaming Benchmarks I have tested, but before that, take a look at My System Specifications:
- Motherboard (AMD): Gigabyte Aorus X670E Master
- Motherboard (Intel): MSI Z690 Unify
- DDR5 RAM: 32GB 6000MHZ
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090
Application Benchmarks
To get a general idea of where single and multi threaded performance stands, let’s start with Cinebench R23. With a larger 9% increase in single core score, the 13900K came out on top in both tests. On the other hand, Intel’s multi-core score was 4.9% better, so it was still a victory.
As you can see, there is no difference in Corona Benchmark. So let’s move to another application.
Compression and decompression tests were performed using 7-Zip. While AMD had a larger 18% advantage over Intel when it came to decompression, Intel was only about 2.5% better at compression.
Adobe Premiere doesn’t differ in any way, which surprised me. Both CPUs have Intergrated GPU and Intel also has a benefit of quicksync, but still there is no difference
In Adobe Photoshop, the differences were a little more noticeable. This test favours single core performance, and since the 13900K had a 10% advantage in Cinebench earlier, this explains why Intel achieved a 7% higher score in Photoshop.
Game Benchmarks
Let’s start out with Red Dead Redemption 2. Here, AMD was superior in every way, but not in every game. So let’s see next game.
Intel was ahead in Spider-Man Remastered, at least at 1080p and 1440p. But at 4K, Ryzen was beating Intel by 8FPS.
Halo Infinite was back to favouring the 13900K, with an increase in average frame rate of 15% at 1080p, 17% at 1440p, and then again with much smaller differences at the higher 4K resolution.
With Forza Horizon 5, AMD won in all three resolutions. Although the average FPS differences were only modest.
Far Cry 6 had above average gains with Intel.
Speaking of eSports games, the 7950X had a slight advantage in Fortnite, though it was unlikely that most players would actually notice it while playing.
Final Thoughts
In the end, either of these two processors will be able to handle any workload you put at them. However, Intel’s Core i9-13900K typically outperformed the competition. Whether we’re talking about games or applications, it wasn’t always ahead, but it was usually the case. But keep in mind that it does require more power to win in multicore workloads.
Now, in all honesty, I believe the 7950X easily prevails in terms of future upgradeability. For their current CPU socket, Intel’s 13th generation platform represents the end of the line. A new motherboard would be required for a 14th generation CPU. However, AMD has promised to support the new AM5 socket through 2025 despite its recent launch. So if you choose AM5 today, upgrading in the future will be much simpler because it only requires replacing the CPU. The 7950X does cost a little more, but in terms of performance, there isn’t much of a difference. This depends on the particular workload, though. Additionally, it uses less energy, and electricity doesn’t just increase the capacity of batteries.
I personally have been holding off on conducting this comparison while I consider whether to purchase the 7950X or 13900K for my next PC. And yes, now that I’ve seen that the performance gap isn’t particularly significant in the workloads I use personally, I believe I’ll choose the 7950X, mainly because of its future upgradeability.
