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

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 5 8640U across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (14,397 vs 20,274).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (12 MB vs 16 MB).
❌Launch MSRP is still $385 MSRP, while Ryzen 5 8640U mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌239.3% higher power demand at 95W vs 28W.

Ryzen 5 8640U

2023

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +22.4% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+33.3% larger total L3 cache (16 MB vs 12 MB).
✅Draws 28W instead of 95W, a 67W reduction.
✅Newer platform on FP8 with DDR5 support instead of LGA1151 and DDR4.
✅25% more PCIe lanes (20 vs 16) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Fewer obvious downsides in this matchup outside of normal market pricing swings.

Core i7-9700K

2018

Ryzen 5 8640U

2023

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +22.4% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+33.3% larger total L3 cache (16 MB vs 12 MB).
✅Draws 28W instead of 95W, a 67W reduction.
✅Newer platform on FP8 with DDR5 support instead of LGA1151 and DDR4.
✅25% more PCIe lanes (20 vs 16) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 5 8640U across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (14,397 vs 20,274).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (12 MB vs 16 MB).
❌Launch MSRP is still $385 MSRP, while Ryzen 5 8640U mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌239.3% higher power demand at 95W vs 28W.

Trade-offs

❌Fewer obvious downsides in this matchup outside of normal market pricing swings.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 5 8640U better than Core i7-9700K?

Yes. Ryzen 5 8640U is the better overall CPU here. You are getting a 22.4% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data, 40.8% better PassMark, and the stronger long-term platform, which makes it the stronger all-around choice.

Which one is better for gaming?

If gaming is the priority, Ryzen 5 8640U is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 22.4% more average FPS across 4 shared CPU game tests.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 5 8640U is the better fit. You are getting 40.8% better PassMark, backed by 6 cores and 12 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 33.3% larger total L3 cache (16 MB vs 12 MB).

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

Ryzen 5 8640U is the smarter buy by a wide margin for a fresh build. Ryzen 5 8640U is at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus $385 MSRP, and it gives you a 22.4% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. Core i7-9700K only looks stronger on raw value math because it is extremely cheap, but that is mostly used-market pricing on an obsolete 2018 platform. Even with 100.0% better value on paper (37.4 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), 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 5 8640U is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2023 vs 2018), a healthier platform with FP8 and DDR5 instead of LGA1151, 33.3% larger total L3 cache (16 MB vs 12 MB), and more multi-core headroom with 6 cores / 12 threads instead of 8/8. That should give you a better long-term upgrade path for motherboard, RAM, and future CPU swaps.

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 5 8640U Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i7-9700K	Ryzen 5 8640U
1080p
low	308 FPS	261 FPS
medium	278 FPS	237 FPS
high	231 FPS	199 FPS
ultra	182 FPS	171 FPS
1440p
low	270 FPS	230 FPS
medium	221 FPS	190 FPS
high	178 FPS	155 FPS
ultra	143 FPS	137 FPS
4K
low	170 FPS	159 FPS
medium	140 FPS	133 FPS
high	108 FPS	103 FPS
ultra	95 FPS	91 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open Ryzen 5 8640U

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i7-9700K	Ryzen 5 8640U
1080p
low	360 FPS	371 FPS
medium	321 FPS	309 FPS
high	291 FPS	272 FPS
ultra	259 FPS	236 FPS
1440p
low	324 FPS	313 FPS
medium	282 FPS	270 FPS
high	258 FPS	244 FPS
ultra	225 FPS	207 FPS
4K
low	249 FPS	234 FPS
medium	221 FPS	206 FPS
high	208 FPS	191 FPS
ultra	179 FPS	161 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open Ryzen 5 8640U

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i7-9700K	Ryzen 5 8640U
1080p
low	360 FPS	507 FPS
medium	360 FPS	507 FPS
high	360 FPS	507 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	507 FPS
1440p
low	360 FPS	507 FPS
medium	360 FPS	507 FPS
high	360 FPS	507 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	443 FPS
4K
low	360 FPS	493 FPS
medium	360 FPS	435 FPS
high	360 FPS	372 FPS
ultra	318 FPS	308 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open Ryzen 5 8640U

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i7-9700K	Ryzen 5 8640U
1080p
low	360 FPS	507 FPS
medium	360 FPS	507 FPS
high	360 FPS	507 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	507 FPS
1440p
low	360 FPS	507 FPS
medium	360 FPS	507 FPS
high	360 FPS	507 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	507 FPS
4K
low	360 FPS	507 FPS
medium	360 FPS	501 FPS
high	360 FPS	442 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	380 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open Ryzen 5 8640U

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i7-9700K and Ryzen 5 8640U

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 5 8640U

The Ryzen 5 8640U is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 6 December 2023 (1 year ago). It is based on the Hawk Point-U (Zen 4) (2023−2025) architecture. It features 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 3.5 GHz, with boost up to 4.9 GHz. L3 cache: 16 MB (total). L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 4 nm process technology. Socket: FP8. Thermal design power (TDP): 28 Watt. Memory support: DDR5. Passmark benchmark score: 20,274 points. Launch price was $299.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core i7-9700K packs 8 cores / 8 threads, while the Ryzen 5 8640U offers 6 cores / 12 threads — the Core i7-9700K has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.9 GHz on the Core i7-9700K versus 4.9 GHz on the Ryzen 5 8640U — identical boost frequencies (base: 3.6 GHz vs 3.5 GHz). The Core i7-9700K uses the Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019) architecture (14 nm), while the Ryzen 5 8640U uses Hawk Point-U (Zen 4) (2023−2025) (4 nm). In PassMark, the Core i7-9700K scores 14,397 against the Ryzen 5 8640U's 20,274 — a 33.9% lead for the Ryzen 5 8640U. L3 cache: 12 MB (total) on the Core i7-9700K vs 16 MB (total) on the Ryzen 5 8640U.

Feature	Core i7-9700K	Ryzen 5 8640U
Cores / Threads	8 / 8+33%	6 / 12
Boost Clock	4.9 GHz	4.9 GHz
Base Clock	3.6 GHz+3%	3.5 GHz
L3 Cache	12 MB (total)	16 MB (total)+33%
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	1 MB (per core)+300%
Process	14 nm	4 nm-71%
Architecture	Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019)	Hawk Point-U (Zen 4) (2023−2025)
PassMark	14,397	20,274+41%
Cinebench R23 Multi	—	10,675
Geekbench 6 Single	—	2,519
Geekbench 6 Multi	—	10,308

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i7-9700K uses the LGA1151 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Ryzen 5 8640U uses FP8 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR4-2666 on the Core i7-9700K versus LPDDR5x-7500 on the Ryzen 5 8640U — the Ryzen 5 8640U supports 22.2% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. The Ryzen 5 8640U supports up to 256 GB of RAM compared to 128 GB — 66.7% more capacity for professional workloads. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 16 (Core i7-9700K) vs 20 (Ryzen 5 8640U) — the Ryzen 5 8640U offers 4 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: Intel 300 series (Core i7-9700K) and SoC (Ryzen 5 8640U).

Feature	Core i7-9700K	Ryzen 5 8640U
Socket	LGA1151	FP8
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 4.0+33%
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-2666	LPDDR5x-7500+25%
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB	256 GB+100%
RAM Channels	2	2
ECC Support	No	Yes
PCIe Lanes	16	20+25%

🔧

Advanced Features

Only the Core i7-9700K has an unlocked multiplier for overclocking — a significant advantage for enthusiasts seeking extra performance. Only the Ryzen 5 8640U supports AVX-512 instructions — important for machine learning and scientific applications. Virtualization support: VT-x, VT-d (Core i7-9700K) vs AMD-V (SVM) (Ryzen 5 8640U). Both include integrated graphics — UHD Graphics 630 (Core i7-9700K) and Radeon 760M (Ryzen 5 8640U) — useful as a fallback for troubleshooting or display output without a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i7-9700K targets Desktop, Ryzen 5 8640U targets Productivity. Direct competitor: Ryzen 5 8640U rivals Core i5-1335U.