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 i9-9900

2019

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +35.7% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+100% larger total L3 cache (16 MB vs 8 MB).
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (16 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with UHD Graphics 630, while Ryzen 7 4800U needs a discrete GPU.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike Ryzen 7 4800U.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (16,238 vs 16,427).
❌Launch MSRP is still $423 MSRP, while Ryzen 7 4800U mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌333.3% higher power demand at 65W vs 15W.

Ryzen 7 4800U

2020

Why buy it

✅+1.2% higher PassMark.
✅Draws 15W instead of 65W, a 50W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i9-9900 across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Smaller total L3 cache (8 MB vs 16 MB).
❌No integrated graphics, while Core i9-9900 can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Core i9-9900.

Core i9-9900

2019

Ryzen 7 4800U

2020

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +35.7% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+100% larger total L3 cache (16 MB vs 8 MB).
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (16 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with UHD Graphics 630, while Ryzen 7 4800U needs a discrete GPU.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike Ryzen 7 4800U.

Why buy it

✅+1.2% higher PassMark.
✅Draws 15W instead of 65W, a 50W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (16,238 vs 16,427).
❌Launch MSRP is still $423 MSRP, while Ryzen 7 4800U mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌333.3% higher power demand at 65W vs 15W.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i9-9900 across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Smaller total L3 cache (8 MB vs 16 MB).
❌No integrated graphics, while Core i9-9900 can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Core i9-9900.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 7 4800U better than Core i9-9900?

It depends on what matters more to you. For gaming, Core i9-9900 is ahead with a 35.7% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 7 4800U pulls ahead with 1.2% better PassMark. Core i9-9900 also has the bigger cache pool with 100% larger total L3 cache (16 MB vs 8 MB).

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 7 4800U is the better fit. You are getting 1.2% better PassMark, backed by 8 cores and 16 threads.

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

Ryzen 7 4800U is still the faster CPU overall, but Core i9-9900 makes more sense if price matters more than absolute performance. Ryzen 7 4800U is at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus $423 MSRP, and it gives you 1.2% better PassMark. The trade-off is that Core i9-9900 is still the better pure gaming CPU with a 35.7% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. Core i9-9900 is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (38.4 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), which is why it is easier to justify for price-conscious builds on paper.

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

Ryzen 7 4800U is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2020 vs 2019) and more multi-core headroom with 8 cores / 16 threads instead of 8/16. That extra compute headroom should age better as games, background tasks, and creator workloads get heavier.

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 i9-9900 Benchmark Check

Ryzen 7 4800U Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i9-9900	Ryzen 7 4800U
1080p
low	292 FPS	171 FPS
medium	259 FPS	140 FPS
high	219 FPS	112 FPS
ultra	188 FPS	90 FPS
1440p
low	240 FPS	146 FPS
medium	191 FPS	118 FPS
high	157 FPS	92 FPS
ultra	138 FPS	74 FPS
4K
low	166 FPS	69 FPS
medium	135 FPS	60 FPS
high	104 FPS	47 FPS
ultra	91 FPS	37 FPS

Open Core i9-9900 Open Ryzen 7 4800U

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i9-9900	Ryzen 7 4800U
1080p
low	406 FPS	180 FPS
medium	406 FPS	153 FPS
high	406 FPS	139 FPS
ultra	403 FPS	122 FPS
1440p
low	406 FPS	157 FPS
medium	406 FPS	136 FPS
high	406 FPS	126 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	108 FPS
4K
low	397 FPS	127 FPS
medium	337 FPS	114 FPS
high	318 FPS	107 FPS
ultra	273 FPS	94 FPS

Open Core i9-9900 Open Ryzen 7 4800U

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i9-9900	Ryzen 7 4800U
1080p
low	406 FPS	411 FPS
medium	406 FPS	411 FPS
high	406 FPS	411 FPS
ultra	406 FPS	411 FPS
1440p
low	406 FPS	411 FPS
medium	406 FPS	411 FPS
high	406 FPS	411 FPS
ultra	406 FPS	396 FPS
4K
low	406 FPS	411 FPS
medium	406 FPS	372 FPS
high	397 FPS	327 FPS
ultra	331 FPS	267 FPS

Open Core i9-9900 Open Ryzen 7 4800U

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i9-9900	Ryzen 7 4800U
1080p
low	406 FPS	411 FPS
medium	406 FPS	411 FPS
high	406 FPS	411 FPS
ultra	406 FPS	411 FPS
1440p
low	406 FPS	411 FPS
medium	406 FPS	411 FPS
high	406 FPS	411 FPS
ultra	406 FPS	390 FPS
4K
low	406 FPS	411 FPS
medium	406 FPS	384 FPS
high	406 FPS	340 FPS
ultra	406 FPS	285 FPS

Open Core i9-9900 Open Ryzen 7 4800U

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i9-9900 and Ryzen 7 4800U

Core i9-9900

The Core i9-9900 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 23 April 2019 (6 years ago). It is based on the Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 3.1 GHz, with boost up to 5 GHz. L3 cache: 16 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1151. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2666. Passmark benchmark score: 16,238 points. Launch price was $439.

Ryzen 7 4800U

The Ryzen 7 4800U is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 6 January 2020 (5 years ago). It is based on the Renoir-U (Zen 2) (2020−2021) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 1.8 GHz, with boost up to 4.2 GHz. L3 cache: 8 MB (total). L2 cache: 512 kB (per core). Built on 7 nm process technology. Socket: FP6. Thermal design power (TDP): 15 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 16,427 points. Launch price was $299.

⚡

Processing Power

Both the Core i9-9900 and Ryzen 7 4800U share an identical 8-core/16-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 5 GHz on the Core i9-9900 versus 4.2 GHz on the Ryzen 7 4800U — a 17.4% clock advantage for the Core i9-9900 (base: 3.1 GHz vs 1.8 GHz). The Core i9-9900 uses the Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019) architecture (14 nm), while the Ryzen 7 4800U uses Renoir-U (Zen 2) (2020−2021) (7 nm). In PassMark, the Core i9-9900 scores 16,238 against the Ryzen 7 4800U's 16,427 — a 1.2% lead for the Ryzen 7 4800U. L3 cache: 16 MB (total) on the Core i9-9900 vs 8 MB (total) on the Ryzen 7 4800U.

Feature	Core i9-9900	Ryzen 7 4800U
Cores / Threads	8 / 16	8 / 16
Boost Clock	5 GHz+19%	4.2 GHz
Base Clock	3.1 GHz+72%	1.8 GHz
L3 Cache	16 MB (total)+100%	8 MB (total)
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	512 kB (per core)+100%
Process	14 nm	7 nm-50%
Architecture	Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019)	Renoir-U (Zen 2) (2020−2021)
PassMark	16,238	16,427+1%
Cinebench R23 Multi	7,619	—
Geekbench 6 Single	1,637	—
Geekbench 6 Multi	7,619	—

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i9-9900 uses the LGA1151 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Ryzen 7 4800U uses FP6 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Core i9-9900	Ryzen 7 4800U
Socket	LGA1151	FP6
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-2666	—
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB	—
RAM Channels	2	—
ECC Support	No	—
PCIe Lanes	16	—

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: VT-x, VT-d (Core i9-9900) / not specified (Ryzen 7 4800U). The Core i9-9900 includes integrated graphics (UHD Graphics 630), while the Ryzen 7 4800U requires a dedicated GPU.