Intel Core i5-14600K vs AMD Ryzen 9 9900X

Intel Core i5-14600K

The Intel Core i5-14600K is a modern desktop processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, which inherits the 13th generation of Intel Core processors with minor improvements. The processor offers a base clock of 3.5 GHz and reaches up to 5.3 GHz in Turbo. The basic CPU structure remains unchanged. This means that the Intel Core i5-14600K also has 6 P-cores and 8 E-cores, which means that up to 20 threads can be processed in parallel. The Intel Core i5-14600K still offers a freely selectable multiplier, which makes overclocking much easier. The LGA 1700 socket, which was already introduced with Alder-Lake, is also used as the basis.

Performance

Compared to the Intel Core i5-13600K , the IPC of the new Core i5-14600K has only been increased slightly. This means that the difference in performance is also only slight. The hybrid architecture relies on the Intel Thread Director, which is responsible for the correct allocation of tasks. As a further innovation, the manufacturer is increasingly relying on AI, which is also used for overclocking. With one click in the Intel Extreme Utility, the tool checks the entire system and makes the necessary settings.

Graphics unit

Like the Intel Core i5-13600K, the Intel Core i5-14600K also has an integrated graphics unit. The Intel Iris Xe architecture continues to serve as the basis. In terms of performance, however, nothing has changed with the Intel UHD Graphics 770.

Power consumption

The TDP of the Intel Core i5-14600K is 125 watts, with the option of consuming up to 181 watts in Turbo mode. If all limits are removed, the energy requirement rises to up to 240 watts. For cooling, we recommend a powerful air cooler or a 240 AiO.

AMD Ryzen 9 9900X

The Ryzen 9 9900X is fast desktop processor of the Granite Ridge product family that sports 12 Zen 5 cores (24 threads) running at 4.4 GHz to 5.6 GHz, PCIe 5 support and a basic RDNA 2 architecture iGPU. The Ryzen was launched in June 2024, with sales slated to start some time in August.

Architecture and Features

Like Strix Point APUs, Granite Ridge processors make use of the new Zen 5 microarchitecture. However, there are no efficient cores here; all of 9900X's cores are full Zen 5 cores. Furthermore, Granite Ridge is a multi-die design with only the CPU cores produced using a fairly modern 4 nm TSMC process. Strix Point processors are a single-die design, from what we know.

According to AMD, Zen 5 delivers a 16% IPC improvement over Zen 4 thanks to branch prediction improvements and other refinements.

Elsewhere, the 9900X has 64 MB of L3 cache and 24 direct PCIe 5 lanes (3.93 GB/s throughput per lane) with up to 12 additional PCIe 4 lanes available depending on the motherboard. It supports DDR5 RAM as fast as fast as 5,600 MT/s (up to 8,000 MT/s if overclocked).

The 9900X is unlocked for overclocking. Naturally, the AM5 socket CPU fully supports Windows 11, 64-bit Windows 10 as well as many Linux distros.

Performance

If early July leaks are any indication, the CPU delivers multi-thread performance on par with the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X and the Intel Core i7-14700K. We'll update this section once we get our hands on a system powered by the 9900X.

Graphics

The Radeon 610M comes equipped with just 128 unified shaders running at up to 2,200 MHz. Its gaming performance is slated to be extremely low and only just sufficient for pre-2020 games in resolutions such as 1024x768.

Power consumption

The CPU cores are built with TSMC's N4P process for good, as of mid 2024, power efficiency. (Apple is the leader in this regard with the second-generation 3 nm process.)

The Ryzen 7's long-term TDP is 120 W. It'll probably consume at least 170 W when under heavy short-term loads. If overclocked, the power consumption figures will increase significantly.