Core i9-11900 vs Ryzen 7 3700X

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 i9-11900

2021

Why buy it

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 7 3700X across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (22,422 vs 22,430).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (16 MB vs 32 MB).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 51.1 vs 68.2 PassMark/$ ($439 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).

Ryzen 7 3700X

2019

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +4.4% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+100% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 16 MB).
✅Costs $110 less on MSRP ($329 MSRP vs $439 MSRP).
✅Delivers 33.5% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 68.2 vs 51.1 PassMark/$ ($329 MSRP vs $439 MSRP).
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (24 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

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

Core i9-11900

2021

Ryzen 7 3700X

2019

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +4.4% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+100% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 16 MB).
✅Costs $110 less on MSRP ($329 MSRP vs $439 MSRP).
✅Delivers 33.5% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 68.2 vs 51.1 PassMark/$ ($329 MSRP vs $439 MSRP).
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (24 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 7 3700X across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (22,422 vs 22,430).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (16 MB vs 32 MB).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 51.1 vs 68.2 PassMark/$ ($439 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).

Trade-offs

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

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 7 3700X better than Core i9-11900?

Yes. Ryzen 7 3700X is the better overall CPU here. You are getting a 4.4% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data and 0% better PassMark, which makes it the stronger all-around choice.

Which one is better for gaming?

If gaming is the priority, Ryzen 7 3700X is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 4.4% more average FPS across 50 shared CPU game tests.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 7 3700X is the better fit. You are getting 0% better PassMark, backed by 8 cores and 16 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 100% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 16 MB).

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

Ryzen 7 3700X is the smarter buy today. Ryzen 7 3700X is $110 cheaper on MSRP at $329 MSRP versus $439 MSRP, and it gives you a 4.4% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 33.5% better value on MSRP (68.2 vs 51.1 PassMark/$), so the better CPU is not just faster, it is also the cleaner value play on paper. That said, if you already own a compatible LGA1200 + DDR4 setup, Core i9-11900 can still make sense as a platform-matched option because it avoids a motherboard and RAM swap, but on MSRP alone you would want to find it meaningfully cheaper in real-world listings before that path becomes easy to justify.

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

Core i9-11900 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2021 vs 2019). That makes it the safer long-term pick.

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 i9-11900 Benchmark Check

Ryzen 7 3700X Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i9-11900	Ryzen 7 3700X
1080p
low	286 FPS	200 FPS
medium	256 FPS	163 FPS
high	217 FPS	137 FPS
ultra	187 FPS	110 FPS
1440p
low	235 FPS	156 FPS
medium	189 FPS	121 FPS
high	155 FPS	100 FPS
ultra	137 FPS	80 FPS
4K
low	164 FPS	84 FPS
medium	133 FPS	71 FPS
high	103 FPS	56 FPS
ultra	91 FPS	44 FPS

Open Core i9-11900 Open Ryzen 7 3700X

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i9-11900	Ryzen 7 3700X
1080p
low	561 FPS	561 FPS
medium	507 FPS	525 FPS
high	442 FPS	428 FPS
ultra	390 FPS	383 FPS
1440p
low	561 FPS	545 FPS
medium	473 FPS	471 FPS
high	407 FPS	394 FPS
ultra	346 FPS	337 FPS
4K
low	386 FPS	350 FPS
medium	328 FPS	304 FPS
high	309 FPS	274 FPS
ultra	263 FPS	242 FPS

Open Core i9-11900 Open Ryzen 7 3700X

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i9-11900	Ryzen 7 3700X
1080p
low	561 FPS	561 FPS
medium	561 FPS	561 FPS
high	561 FPS	561 FPS
ultra	521 FPS	561 FPS
1440p
low	561 FPS	561 FPS
medium	561 FPS	561 FPS
high	504 FPS	538 FPS
ultra	433 FPS	470 FPS
4K
low	535 FPS	499 FPS
medium	445 FPS	394 FPS
high	396 FPS	343 FPS
ultra	332 FPS	275 FPS

Open Core i9-11900 Open Ryzen 7 3700X

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i9-11900	Ryzen 7 3700X
1080p
low	561 FPS	561 FPS
medium	561 FPS	561 FPS
high	561 FPS	561 FPS
ultra	561 FPS	561 FPS
1440p
low	561 FPS	561 FPS
medium	561 FPS	561 FPS
high	561 FPS	561 FPS
ultra	561 FPS	555 FPS
4K
low	561 FPS	561 FPS
medium	557 FPS	501 FPS
high	503 FPS	447 FPS
ultra	435 FPS	396 FPS

Open Core i9-11900 Open Ryzen 7 3700X

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i9-11900 and Ryzen 7 3700X

Core i9-11900

The Core i9-11900 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 16 March 2021 (4 years ago). It is based on the Rocket Lake (2021) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 2.5 GHz, with boost up to 5.1 GHz. L3 cache: 16 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1200. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-3200. Passmark benchmark score: 22,422 points. Launch price was $299.

Ryzen 7 3700X

The Ryzen 7 3700X is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 7 July 2019 (6 years ago). It is based on the Matisse (Zen 2) (2019−2020) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 3.6 GHz, with boost up to 4.4 GHz. L3 cache: 32 MB. L2 cache: 512K (per core). Built on 7 nm, 12 nm process technology. Socket: AM4. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR4 Dual-channel. Passmark benchmark score: 22,430 points. Launch price was $329.

⚡

Processing Power

Both the Core i9-11900 and Ryzen 7 3700X share an identical 8-core/16-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 5.1 GHz on the Core i9-11900 versus 4.4 GHz on the Ryzen 7 3700X — a 14.7% clock advantage for the Core i9-11900 (base: 2.5 GHz vs 3.6 GHz). The Core i9-11900 uses the Rocket Lake (2021) architecture (14 nm), while the Ryzen 7 3700X uses Matisse (Zen 2) (2019−2020) (7 nm, 12 nm). In PassMark, the Core i9-11900 scores 22,422 against the Ryzen 7 3700X's 22,430 — a 0% lead for the Ryzen 7 3700X. L3 cache: 16 MB (total) on the Core i9-11900 vs 32 MB on the Ryzen 7 3700X.

Feature	Core i9-11900	Ryzen 7 3700X
Cores / Threads	8 / 16	8 / 16
Boost Clock	5.1 GHz+16%	4.4 GHz
Base Clock	2.5 GHz	3.6 GHz+44%
L3 Cache	16 MB (total)	32 MB+100%
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	512K (per core)+100%
Process	14 nm	7 nm, 12 nm-50%
Architecture	Rocket Lake (2021)	Matisse (Zen 2) (2019−2020)
PassMark	22,422	22,430

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i9-11900 uses the LGA1200 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Ryzen 7 3700X uses AM4 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Core i9-11900	Ryzen 7 3700X
Socket	LGA1200	AM4
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 4.0+33%
Max RAM Speed	—	DDR4-3200
Max RAM Capacity	—	128 GB
RAM Channels	—	2
ECC Support	—	Yes
PCIe Lanes	—	24

💰

Value Analysis

The Core i9-11900 launched at $439 MSRP, while the Ryzen 7 3700X debuted at $329. On MSRP ($439 vs $329), the Ryzen 7 3700X is $110 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Core i9-11900 delivers 51.1 pts/$ vs 68.2 pts/$ for the Ryzen 7 3700X — making the Ryzen 7 3700X the 28.7% better value option.