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 i9-10920X

2019

Why buy it

✅83.3% more PCIe lanes (44 vs 24) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (25,875 vs 27,712).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (19 MB vs 32 MB).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 37.6 vs 61.7 PassMark/$ ($689 MSRP vs $449 MSRP).
❌57.1% higher power demand at 165W vs 105W.

Ryzen 7 5800X

2020

Why buy it

✅+7.1% higher PassMark.
✅+66.2% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 19 MB).
✅Costs $240 less on MSRP ($449 MSRP vs $689 MSRP).
✅Delivers 64.3% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 61.7 vs 37.6 PassMark/$ ($449 MSRP vs $689 MSRP).
✅Draws 105W instead of 165W, a 60W reduction.

Trade-offs

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

Core i9-10920X

2019

Ryzen 7 5800X

2020

Why buy it

✅83.3% more PCIe lanes (44 vs 24) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Why buy it

✅+7.1% higher PassMark.
✅+66.2% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 19 MB).
✅Costs $240 less on MSRP ($449 MSRP vs $689 MSRP).
✅Delivers 64.3% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 61.7 vs 37.6 PassMark/$ ($449 MSRP vs $689 MSRP).
✅Draws 105W instead of 165W, a 60W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (25,875 vs 27,712).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (19 MB vs 32 MB).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 37.6 vs 61.7 PassMark/$ ($689 MSRP vs $449 MSRP).
❌57.1% higher power demand at 165W vs 105W.

Trade-offs

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

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 7 5800X better than Core i9-10920X?

It depends on what matters more to you. For gaming, Core i9-10920X is ahead with a 0.7% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 7 5800X pulls ahead with 7.1% better PassMark. Ryzen 7 5800X also has the bigger cache pool with 66.2% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 19 MB).

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 7 5800X is the better fit. You are getting 7.1% better PassMark, backed by 8 cores and 16 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 66.2% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 19 MB).

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

Ryzen 7 5800X is the smarter buy today. Ryzen 7 5800X is $240 cheaper on MSRP at $449 MSRP versus $689 MSRP, and it gives you 7.1% better PassMark. The trade-off is that Core i9-10920X is still the better pure gaming CPU with a 0.7% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 64.3% better value on MSRP (61.7 vs 37.6 PassMark/$), so the better CPU is not just faster, it is also the cleaner value play on paper.

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

Ryzen 7 5800X is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2020 vs 2019), 66.2% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 19 MB), and more multi-core headroom with 8 cores / 16 threads instead of 12/24. 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 i9-10920X Benchmark Check

Ryzen 7 5800X Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i9-10920X	Ryzen 7 5800X
1080p
low	274 FPS	206 FPS
medium	240 FPS	178 FPS
high	202 FPS	146 FPS
ultra	174 FPS	110 FPS
1440p
low	236 FPS	170 FPS
medium	187 FPS	142 FPS
high	153 FPS	115 FPS
ultra	134 FPS	88 FPS
4K
low	163 FPS	83 FPS
medium	131 FPS	74 FPS
high	101 FPS	59 FPS
ultra	88 FPS	46 FPS

Open Core i9-10920X Open Ryzen 7 5800X

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i9-10920X	Ryzen 7 5800X
1080p
low	560 FPS	662 FPS
medium	459 FPS	558 FPS
high	381 FPS	466 FPS
ultra	345 FPS	417 FPS
1440p
low	464 FPS	563 FPS
medium	396 FPS	493 FPS
high	334 FPS	423 FPS
ultra	289 FPS	361 FPS
4K
low	288 FPS	350 FPS
medium	247 FPS	308 FPS
high	228 FPS	288 FPS
ultra	199 FPS	250 FPS

Open Core i9-10920X Open Ryzen 7 5800X

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i9-10920X	Ryzen 7 5800X
1080p
low	647 FPS	693 FPS
medium	647 FPS	651 FPS
high	616 FPS	570 FPS
ultra	521 FPS	464 FPS
1440p
low	647 FPS	693 FPS
medium	588 FPS	573 FPS
high	506 FPS	498 FPS
ultra	430 FPS	413 FPS
4K
low	522 FPS	484 FPS
medium	431 FPS	410 FPS
high	385 FPS	363 FPS
ultra	320 FPS	302 FPS

Open Core i9-10920X Open Ryzen 7 5800X

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i9-10920X	Ryzen 7 5800X
1080p
low	647 FPS	693 FPS
medium	647 FPS	693 FPS
high	647 FPS	693 FPS
ultra	647 FPS	693 FPS
1440p
low	647 FPS	693 FPS
medium	647 FPS	693 FPS
high	647 FPS	672 FPS
ultra	587 FPS	593 FPS
4K
low	609 FPS	604 FPS
medium	543 FPS	550 FPS
high	487 FPS	495 FPS
ultra	425 FPS	436 FPS

Open Core i9-10920X Open Ryzen 7 5800X

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i9-10920X and Ryzen 7 5800X

Core i9-10920X

The Core i9-10920X is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 19 October 2019 (6 years ago). It is based on the Cascade Lake-X (2019) architecture. It features 12 cores and 24 threads. Base frequency is 3.5 GHz, with boost up to 4.8 GHz. L3 cache: 19.25 MB (total). L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA2066. Thermal design power (TDP): 165 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2933. Passmark benchmark score: 25,875 points. Launch price was $299.

Ryzen 7 5800X

The Ryzen 7 5800X is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 5 November 2020 (5 years ago). It is based on the Vermeer (Zen 3) (2020−2022) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 3.8 GHz, with boost up to 4.7 GHz. L3 cache: 32 MB. L2 cache: 512K (per core). Built on 7 nm, 12 nm process technology. Socket: AM4. Thermal design power (TDP): 105 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 27,712 points. Launch price was $449.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core i9-10920X packs 12 cores / 24 threads, while the Ryzen 7 5800X offers 8 cores / 16 threads — the Core i9-10920X has 4 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.8 GHz on the Core i9-10920X versus 4.7 GHz on the Ryzen 7 5800X — a 2.1% clock advantage for the Core i9-10920X (base: 3.5 GHz vs 3.8 GHz). The Core i9-10920X uses the Cascade Lake-X (2019) architecture (14 nm), while the Ryzen 7 5800X uses Vermeer (Zen 3) (2020−2022) (7 nm, 12 nm). In PassMark, the Core i9-10920X scores 25,875 against the Ryzen 7 5800X's 27,712 — a 6.9% lead for the Ryzen 7 5800X. L3 cache: 19.25 MB (total) on the Core i9-10920X vs 32 MB on the Ryzen 7 5800X.

Feature	Core i9-10920X	Ryzen 7 5800X
Cores / Threads	12 / 24+50%	8 / 16
Boost Clock	4.8 GHz+2%	4.7 GHz
Base Clock	3.5 GHz	3.8 GHz+9%
L3 Cache	19.25 MB (total)	32 MB+66%
L2 Cache	1 MB (per core)+100%	512K (per core)
Process	14 nm	7 nm, 12 nm-50%
Architecture	Cascade Lake-X (2019)	Vermeer (Zen 3) (2020−2022)
PassMark	25,875	27,712+7%
Cinebench R23 Multi	15,458	—
Geekbench 6 Single	1,250	—
Geekbench 6 Multi	12,000	—

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i9-10920X uses the LGA2066 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Ryzen 7 5800X uses AM4 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Both support up to DDR4-2933 memory speed. The Core i9-10920X supports up to 256 GB of RAM compared to 128 GB — 66.7% more capacity for professional workloads. Memory channels: 4 (Core i9-10920X) vs 2 (Ryzen 7 5800X). PCIe lanes: 44 (Core i9-10920X) vs 24 (Ryzen 7 5800X) — the Core i9-10920X offers 20 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: X299 (Core i9-10920X) and AMD 500 series,AMD 400 series,AMD 300 series (Ryzen 7 5800X).

Feature	Core i9-10920X	Ryzen 7 5800X
Socket	LGA2066	AM4
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 4.0+33%
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-2933	DDR4-3200
Max RAM Capacity	256 GB+100%	128 GB
RAM Channels	4+100%	2
ECC Support	No	Yes
PCIe Lanes	44+83%	24

🔧

Advanced Features

Both processors feature an unlocked multiplier for overclocking. Only the Core i9-10920X supports AVX-512 instructions — important for machine learning and scientific applications. Virtualization support: VT-x, VT-d, EPT (Core i9-10920X) vs AMD-V (Ryzen 7 5800X). Primary use case: Core i9-10920X targets HEDT/Workstation, Ryzen 7 5800X targets Desktop.

Feature	Core i9-10920X	Ryzen 7 5800X
Integrated GPU	No	No
Unlocked	Yes	Yes
AVX-512	Yes	No
Virtualization	VT-x, VT-d, EPT	AMD-V
Target Use	HEDT/Workstation	Desktop

💰

Value Analysis

The Core i9-10920X launched at $689 MSRP, while the Ryzen 7 5800X debuted at $449. On MSRP ($689 vs $449), the Ryzen 7 5800X is $240 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Core i9-10920X delivers 37.6 pts/$ vs 61.7 pts/$ for the Ryzen 7 5800X — making the Ryzen 7 5800X the 48.7% better value option.