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 i9-9900KS

2019

Why buy it

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 7 5800X across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (19,397 vs 27,712).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (16 MB vs 32 MB).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 37.8 vs 61.7 PassMark/$ ($513 MSRP vs $449 MSRP).
❌21% higher power demand at 127W vs 105W.

Ryzen 7 5800X

2020

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +22.0% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+100% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 16 MB).
✅Costs $64 less on MSRP ($449 MSRP vs $513 MSRP).
✅Delivers 63.2% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 61.7 vs 37.8 PassMark/$ ($449 MSRP vs $513 MSRP).
✅Draws 105W instead of 127W, a 22W reduction.

Trade-offs

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

Core i9-9900KS

2019

Ryzen 7 5800X

2020

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +22.0% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+100% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 16 MB).
✅Costs $64 less on MSRP ($449 MSRP vs $513 MSRP).
✅Delivers 63.2% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 61.7 vs 37.8 PassMark/$ ($449 MSRP vs $513 MSRP).
✅Draws 105W instead of 127W, a 22W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 7 5800X across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (19,397 vs 27,712).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (16 MB vs 32 MB).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 37.8 vs 61.7 PassMark/$ ($513 MSRP vs $449 MSRP).
❌21% higher power demand at 127W 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 i9-9900KS?

Yes. Ryzen 7 5800X is the better overall CPU here. You are getting a 22.0% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data, 42.9% 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 7 5800X is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 22.0% 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 7 5800X is the better fit. You are getting 42.9% 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 5800X is the smarter buy today. Ryzen 7 5800X is $64 cheaper on MSRP at $449 MSRP versus $513 MSRP, and it gives you a 22.0% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 63.2% better value on MSRP (61.7 vs 37.8 PassMark/$), 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), 100% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 16 MB), 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 i9-9900KS Benchmark Check

Ryzen 7 5800X Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i9-9900KS	Ryzen 7 5800X
1080p
low	301 FPS	206 FPS
medium	273 FPS	178 FPS
high	228 FPS	146 FPS
ultra	180 FPS	110 FPS
1440p
low	266 FPS	170 FPS
medium	218 FPS	142 FPS
high	177 FPS	115 FPS
ultra	142 FPS	88 FPS
4K
low	168 FPS	83 FPS
medium	139 FPS	74 FPS
high	107 FPS	59 FPS
ultra	93 FPS	46 FPS

Open Core i9-9900KS Open Ryzen 7 5800X

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i9-9900KS	Ryzen 7 5800X
1080p
low	449 FPS	662 FPS
medium	369 FPS	558 FPS
high	322 FPS	466 FPS
ultra	286 FPS	417 FPS
1440p
low	397 FPS	563 FPS
medium	344 FPS	493 FPS
high	298 FPS	423 FPS
ultra	255 FPS	361 FPS
4K
low	267 FPS	350 FPS
medium	238 FPS	308 FPS
high	226 FPS	288 FPS
ultra	192 FPS	250 FPS

Open Core i9-9900KS Open Ryzen 7 5800X

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i9-9900KS	Ryzen 7 5800X
1080p
low	485 FPS	693 FPS
medium	485 FPS	651 FPS
high	485 FPS	570 FPS
ultra	429 FPS	464 FPS
1440p
low	485 FPS	693 FPS
medium	485 FPS	573 FPS
high	454 FPS	498 FPS
ultra	373 FPS	413 FPS
4K
low	462 FPS	484 FPS
medium	401 FPS	410 FPS
high	351 FPS	363 FPS
ultra	283 FPS	302 FPS

Open Core i9-9900KS Open Ryzen 7 5800X

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i9-9900KS	Ryzen 7 5800X
1080p
low	485 FPS	693 FPS
medium	485 FPS	693 FPS
high	485 FPS	693 FPS
ultra	485 FPS	693 FPS
1440p
low	485 FPS	693 FPS
medium	485 FPS	693 FPS
high	485 FPS	672 FPS
ultra	485 FPS	593 FPS
4K
low	485 FPS	604 FPS
medium	485 FPS	550 FPS
high	440 FPS	495 FPS
ultra	380 FPS	436 FPS

Open Core i9-9900KS Open Ryzen 7 5800X

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i9-9900KS and Ryzen 7 5800X

Core i9-9900KS

The Core i9-9900KS is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 28 October 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 4 GHz, with boost up to 5 GHz. L3 cache: 16 MB (total). L2 cache: 256 kB (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1151. Thermal design power (TDP): 127 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 19,397 points. Launch price was $513.

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

Both the Core i9-9900KS and Ryzen 7 5800X share an identical 8-core/16-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 5 GHz on the Core i9-9900KS versus 4.7 GHz on the Ryzen 7 5800X — a 6.2% clock advantage for the Core i9-9900KS (base: 4 GHz vs 3.8 GHz). The Core i9-9900KS uses the Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019) architecture (14 nm), while the Ryzen 7 5800X uses Vermeer (Zen 3) (2020−2022) (7 nm, 12 nm). In PassMark, the Core i9-9900KS scores 19,397 against the Ryzen 7 5800X's 27,712 — a 35.3% lead for the Ryzen 7 5800X. L3 cache: 16 MB (total) on the Core i9-9900KS vs 32 MB on the Ryzen 7 5800X.

Feature	Core i9-9900KS	Ryzen 7 5800X
Cores / Threads	8 / 16	8 / 16
Boost Clock	5 GHz+6%	4.7 GHz
Base Clock	4 GHz+5%	3.8 GHz
L3 Cache	16 MB (total)	32 MB+100%
L2 Cache	256 kB (per core)	512K (per core)+100%
Process	14 nm	7 nm, 12 nm-50%
Architecture	Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019)	Vermeer (Zen 3) (2020−2022)
PassMark	19,397	27,712+43%

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i9-9900KS uses the LGA1151 socket (PCIe 4.0), while the Ryzen 7 5800X uses AM4 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Core i9-9900KS	Ryzen 7 5800X
Socket	LGA1151	AM4
PCIe Generation	PCIe 4.0	PCIe 4.0
Max RAM Speed	—	DDR4-3200
Max RAM Capacity	—	128 GB
RAM Channels	—	2
ECC Support	—	Yes
PCIe Lanes	—	24

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: not specified (Core i9-9900KS) / AMD-V (Ryzen 7 5800X). Primary use case: Ryzen 7 5800X targets Desktop.

Feature	Core i9-9900KS	Ryzen 7 5800X
Integrated GPU	—	No
Unlocked	—	Yes
AVX-512	—	No
Virtualization	—	AMD-V
Target Use	—	Desktop

💰

Value Analysis

The Core i9-9900KS launched at $513 MSRP, while the Ryzen 7 5800X debuted at $449. On MSRP ($513 vs $449), the Ryzen 7 5800X is $64 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Core i9-9900KS delivers 37.8 pts/$ vs 61.7 pts/$ for the Ryzen 7 5800X — making the Ryzen 7 5800X the 48% better value option.