Core i9-11900KF vs Ryzen 7 7840U

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 i9-11900KF

2021

Why buy it

✅100+% more PCIe lanes (20 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 47.9 vs 61.4 PassMark/$ ($513 MSRP vs $400 MSRP).
❌346.4% higher power demand at 125W vs 28W.
❌Older platform position on LGA1200 with DDR4, while Ryzen 7 7840U moves to FP8 and DDR5.

Ryzen 7 7840U

2023

Why buy it

✅Costs $113 less on MSRP ($400 MSRP vs $513 MSRP).
✅Delivers 28.1% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 61.4 vs 47.9 PassMark/$ ($400 MSRP vs $513 MSRP).
✅Draws 28W instead of 125W, a 97W reduction.
✅Newer platform on FP8 with DDR5 support instead of LGA1200 and DDR4.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (24,547 vs 24,585).

Core i9-11900KF

2021

Ryzen 7 7840U

2023

Why buy it

✅100+% more PCIe lanes (20 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Why buy it

✅Costs $113 less on MSRP ($400 MSRP vs $513 MSRP).
✅Delivers 28.1% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 61.4 vs 47.9 PassMark/$ ($400 MSRP vs $513 MSRP).
✅Draws 28W instead of 125W, a 97W reduction.
✅Newer platform on FP8 with DDR5 support instead of LGA1200 and DDR4.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 47.9 vs 61.4 PassMark/$ ($513 MSRP vs $400 MSRP).
❌346.4% higher power demand at 125W vs 28W.
❌Older platform position on LGA1200 with DDR4, while Ryzen 7 7840U moves to FP8 and DDR5.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (24,547 vs 24,585).

Quick Answers

So, is Core i9-11900KF better than Ryzen 7 7840U?

Yes. Core i9-11900KF is the better overall CPU here. You are getting a 2.2% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data and 0.2% better PassMark, which makes it the stronger all-around choice.

Which one is better for gaming?

If gaming is the priority, Core i9-11900KF is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 2.2% 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, Core i9-11900KF is the better fit. You are getting 0.2% better PassMark, backed by 8 cores and 16 threads.

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

Core i9-11900KF is the smarter buy by a wide margin for any fresh desktop build. Core i9-11900KF is 28.2% more expensive on MSRP at $513 MSRP versus $400 MSRP, and it gives you a 2.2% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. Ryzen 7 7840U only looks good on raw value math because it is a cheap legacy laptop CPU, not because it is a serious desktop gaming option. It simply cannot keep up with modern games.

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

Ryzen 7 7840U is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2023 vs 2021) and a healthier platform with FP8 and DDR5 instead of LGA1200. 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 i9-11900KF Benchmark Check

Ryzen 7 7840U Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i9-11900KF	Ryzen 7 7840U
1080p
low	295 FPS	257 FPS
medium	261 FPS	237 FPS
high	220 FPS	200 FPS
ultra	189 FPS	173 FPS
1440p
low	242 FPS	228 FPS
medium	192 FPS	191 FPS
high	157 FPS	155 FPS
ultra	139 FPS	138 FPS
4K
low	167 FPS	159 FPS
medium	135 FPS	134 FPS
high	104 FPS	104 FPS
ultra	91 FPS	92 FPS

Open Core i9-11900KF Open Ryzen 7 7840U

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i9-11900KF	Ryzen 7 7840U
1080p
low	615 FPS	477 FPS
medium	527 FPS	395 FPS
high	457 FPS	342 FPS
ultra	407 FPS	306 FPS
1440p
low	601 FPS	417 FPS
medium	490 FPS	364 FPS
high	422 FPS	315 FPS
ultra	362 FPS	270 FPS
4K
low	401 FPS	275 FPS
medium	339 FPS	251 FPS
high	320 FPS	238 FPS
ultra	275 FPS	206 FPS

Open Core i9-11900KF Open Ryzen 7 7840U

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i9-11900KF	Ryzen 7 7840U
1080p
low	615 FPS	614 FPS
medium	615 FPS	614 FPS
high	615 FPS	614 FPS
ultra	563 FPS	595 FPS
1440p
low	615 FPS	614 FPS
medium	615 FPS	614 FPS
high	543 FPS	526 FPS
ultra	464 FPS	452 FPS
4K
low	577 FPS	525 FPS
medium	480 FPS	459 FPS
high	427 FPS	407 FPS
ultra	357 FPS	345 FPS

Open Core i9-11900KF Open Ryzen 7 7840U

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i9-11900KF	Ryzen 7 7840U
1080p
low	615 FPS	614 FPS
medium	615 FPS	614 FPS
high	615 FPS	614 FPS
ultra	615 FPS	614 FPS
1440p
low	615 FPS	614 FPS
medium	615 FPS	614 FPS
high	615 FPS	614 FPS
ultra	615 FPS	549 FPS
4K
low	615 FPS	560 FPS
medium	565 FPS	502 FPS
high	512 FPS	447 FPS
ultra	437 FPS	384 FPS

Open Core i9-11900KF Open Ryzen 7 7840U

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i9-11900KF and Ryzen 7 7840U

Core i9-11900KF

The Core i9-11900KF 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 3.5 GHz, with boost up to 5.2 GHz. L3 cache: 16 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1200. Thermal design power (TDP): 125 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-3200. Passmark benchmark score: 24,585 points. Launch price was $299.

Ryzen 7 7840U

The Ryzen 7 7840U is manufactured by AMD. It was released in Maio 2023 (2 years ago). It is based on the Phoenix-U (Zen 4) (2023) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 3.3 GHz, with boost up to 5.1 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: DDR5-5600. Passmark benchmark score: 24,547 points. Launch price was $299.

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Processing Power

Both the Core i9-11900KF and Ryzen 7 7840U share an identical 8-core/16-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 5.2 GHz on the Core i9-11900KF versus 5.1 GHz on the Ryzen 7 7840U — a 1.9% clock advantage for the Core i9-11900KF (base: 3.5 GHz vs 3.3 GHz). The Core i9-11900KF uses the Rocket Lake (2021) architecture (14 nm), while the Ryzen 7 7840U uses Phoenix-U (Zen 4) (2023) (4 nm). In PassMark, the Core i9-11900KF scores 24,585 against the Ryzen 7 7840U's 24,547 — a 0.2% lead for the Core i9-11900KF. Both processors carry 16 MB (total) of L3 cache.

Feature	Core i9-11900KF	Ryzen 7 7840U
Cores / Threads	8 / 16	8 / 16
Boost Clock	5.2 GHz+2%	5.1 GHz
Base Clock	3.5 GHz+6%	3.3 GHz
L3 Cache	16 MB (total)	16 MB (total)
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	1 MB (per core)+300%
Process	14 nm	4 nm-71%
Architecture	Rocket Lake (2021)	Phoenix-U (Zen 4) (2023)
PassMark	24,585	24,547
Cinebench R23 Multi	15,500	—

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i9-11900KF uses the LGA1200 socket (PCIe 4.0), while the Ryzen 7 7840U uses FP8 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Core i9-11900KF	Ryzen 7 7840U
Socket	LGA1200	FP8
PCIe Generation	PCIe 4.0	PCIe 4.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-3200	—
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB	—
RAM Channels	2	—
ECC Support	No	—
PCIe Lanes	20	—

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: VT-x, VT-d (Core i9-11900KF) / not specified (Ryzen 7 7840U).

Feature	Core i9-11900KF	Ryzen 7 7840U
Integrated GPU	No	—
Unlocked	Yes	—
AVX-512	Yes	—
Virtualization	VT-x, VT-d	—

💰

Value Analysis

The Core i9-11900KF launched at $513 MSRP, while the Ryzen 7 7840U debuted at $400. On MSRP ($513 vs $400), the Ryzen 7 7840U is $113 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Core i9-11900KF delivers 47.9 pts/$ vs 61.4 pts/$ for the Ryzen 7 7840U — making the Ryzen 7 7840U the 24.6% better value option.