Ryzen 9 9950X vs Core i9-14900K: We Tested Both

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Shehryar Khan

Senior Editor and Content Writer:

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Pros And Cons 

Comparison Table

Architectural Differences

1. Core Count: The Core i9-14900K utilizes 8 performance and 16 efficiency cores, totaling 24 threads. The Ryzen 9 9950X has 16 cores, adding up to 32 threads.
2. Clock Speed: Intel’s newest i9 has a base frequency of 3.2GHz(P cores), and the 9950X sits at 4.3GHz at its base. The boost clocks reach 6GHz and 5.7GHz for the i9 and the Ryzen 9, respectively.
3. Process Node: The 14900K has a 10nm manufacturing process, which seems ancient compared to the 9950X’s 4nm process size.
4. TDP: The maximum TDP of the 14900K is advertised as 253 watts, while the Ryzen 9 9950X had an advertised TDP of 170 watts.
5. L3 Cache: The 9950X takes the cake with its L3 cache as well, with 64MB of shared memory instead of the 36MB of the 14900K.

AMD’s new Ryzen 9000 series, powered by Zen 5, is set to challenge Intel in the realm of gaming performance. Today, we’ll test the Ryzen 9 9950X vs Core i9-14900K to see if AMD has finally forced Intel to step up its game in the desktop market!

Gaming Benchmarks

Technical specs are important, but nothing shows what a chip can do better than its performance in games. The tests below of the Core i9-14900K vs Ryzen 9 9950X will be done in a controlled environment using a test bench, the specifications of which are as follows:

Test Bench

• OS – Windows 11 
• RAM – G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB 32GB DDR5-6600
• CPU Cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 5
• Graphics Card – GIGABYTE RTX 4090 Gaming OC 24G
• SSD – Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus G 2TB
• Power Supply – be quiet! Dark Power Pro 13 1300W 

Ghost Of Tsushima

• Our first game surprised us, with an average of 179 FPS on the 14900K, while the 9950X had an average closer to 171 FPS, constituting a lead of 4.7% for the 14900K.
• The 1% lows in Ghost Of Tsushima using the Intel processor were 9.6% in the lead with a performance of 114 FPS, while the 9950X had lows of around 104 FPS.

Cyberpunk 2077

• The 9950X also trailed behind in Cyberpunk with RT on, with an average framerate of 124 FPS, around 9.6% lower than the 136 FPS we saw from the 14900K.
• Coming to the lows, the 9950X hovered around 87 FPS in our testing, which was a whole 17% lower than the 102 FPS that the 14900K could pump out.

Forza Horizon 5

• The margin was much less apparent in Forza, with the 14900K getting an average framerate of 248 FPS, around 4.6% higher than the 237 FPS that the 9950X maintained.
• The 1% lows showed a difference of around 6.2% in our tests, with the Ryzen having a framerate of 175 FPS, whereas the 14900K had a framerate closer to 186 FPS.

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020

• Our fight in Flight Sim resulted in a tie between the two processors, with an average framerate of around 78 FPS.
• The 1% lows had a bit of a difference, with the 14900K hovering around 66 FPS, 8% higher than the 9950X’s 61 FPS.

Starfield

• The gap widened in Starfield, with the 14900K getting an average framerate of 145 FPS, whereas the 9950X was 14% behind with an average framerate of 127 FPS.
• The 14900 K’s 1% lows hung around 90 FPS in our testing, while our 9950X dropped the ball by being 21% behind with a framerate of 74 FPS.

The Witcher 3 (Next Gen)

• The differences were timid in The Witcher 3, with the 14900K getting an average of around 110 FPS, while the 9950X had an average framerate of around 105 FPS, leading to a difference of around 4.6%.
• The 4.6% delta carried over to the 1% lows, with the 9950X hitting around 87 FPS in our testing, whereas the 14900K hung closer to 91 FPS with RT enabled.

Hogwarts Legacy

• This game showed a smaller 6.5% gap, with the 14900K getting an average framerate of 81 FPS, while the 9950X had an average of around 76 FPS.
• The 1% lows fell to around 71 FPS for the 14900K, around 11% higher than the disappointingly low 64 FPS that the 9950X could muster.

Horizon: Forbidden West

• Finally, this PS port’s average framerate was 209 FPS on the Core i9 14900K, which was 6.6% higher than the Ryzen 9 9950X’s 196 FPS.
• The 1% lows had a framerate of 145 FPS on the 14900K, while the 9950X had a framerate around 5.8% lower at 137 FPS.

Overall Gaming Performance

Average Framerate

Much to our disappointment, the 9950X was lost in terms of pure performance in our testing. Across all of our games, it had an average framerate of 148 FPS, around 6.5% higher on average than the 9950X’s 139 FPS.

1% Lows

The minimum frame rates showed a bigger distinction between the two chips, with the 9950X being behind by around 9.6%.

These performance dips were more noticeable than the higher average framerates that we saw, as both CPUs could crank out smooth framerates when it came to averages, though to varying degrees.

Editor`s Note

Though the Ryzen 9 9950X let us down in terms of gaming performance, there is still hope for the Ryzen 9000 series to come out on top with their upcoming X3D processors. Check out the Ryzen 7 7800X3D vs Core i9-14900K to see how the last generation compared!

– Shehryar Khan

Power Consumption

As expected, the 14900K took around 20% more power from the wall than our 9950X, though it also performed significantly better. Our findings show that the older 10nm process nodes on the 14900K are less efficient than those seen on the 9950X.

Temperatures

Higher power readings also lead to higher temperatures, though the difference was not large because of the robust coolers we had attached to these processors. The 14900K had a temperature of about 6.5% higher than the 14900K.

Price And Availability

Being a newer processor, the 9950X is a bit pricier than the 14900K as of writing this article. The current price of this chip is around 17% higher than that of the 14900K, which doesn’t help its case of slightly underperforming.

Final Verdict – What Do We Recommend?

Intel Core i9-14900K: Though it is clinging on to its ancient ways, the 14900K still performs amazing, beating out the newer Ryzen processor while costing less. If power consumption is not an issue for you, get this processor.

AMD Ryzen 9 9950X: Our testing of this processor was disappointing, but realistically, someone going for this chip would not risk bottlenecking at 1080p. This processor performs great while having better power efficiency.

This Core i9-14900K vs Ryzen 9 9950X comparison tugged on our hearts with the disappointment the latter created, but there is still competition between these two behemoths. Keep visiting to see how this comparison shapes when the X3D chips come out!

Shehryar Khan

[Comparisons Expert]

Shehryar Khan, a seasoned PC hardware expert, brings over three years of extensive experience and a deep passion for the world of technology. With a love for building PCs and a genuine enthusiasm for exploring the latest advancements in components, his expertise shines through his work and dedication towards this field. Currently, Shehryar is rocking a custom loop setup for his built.

Get In Touch: shehryar@tech4gamers.com