Core i9-9880H
Popular choices:
Ryzen 9 5900H
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Performance Spectrum - CPU
About PassMark
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 i9-9880H
2019Why buy it
- ✅Better for gaming: +4.8% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
Trade-offs
- ❌Fewer obvious downsides in this matchup outside of normal market pricing swings.
Ryzen 9 5900H
2021Why buy it
Trade-offs
- ❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i9-9880H across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
- ❌Lower PassMark (13,510 vs 13,531).
Core i9-9880H
2019Ryzen 9 5900H
2021Why buy it
- ✅Better for gaming: +4.8% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
Why buy it
Trade-offs
- ❌Fewer obvious downsides in this matchup outside of normal market pricing swings.
Trade-offs
- ❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i9-9880H across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
- ❌Lower PassMark (13,510 vs 13,531).
Quick Answers
So, is Core i9-9880H better than Ryzen 9 5900H?
Which one is better for gaming?
Which one is better for streaming, content creation, and heavy multitasking?
Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper CPU?
Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?
Games Benchmarks
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.
Path of Exile 2
| Preset | Core i9-9880H | Ryzen 9 5900H |
|---|---|---|
| 1080p | ||
| low | 271 FPS | 181 FPS |
| medium | 246 FPS | 147 FPS |
| high | 207 FPS | 122 FPS |
| ultra | 179 FPS | 99 FPS |
| 1440p | ||
| low | 235 FPS | 147 FPS |
| medium | 193 FPS | 116 FPS |
| high | 158 FPS | 95 FPS |
| ultra | 139 FPS | 78 FPS |
| 4K | ||
| low | 165 FPS | 81 FPS |
| medium | 137 FPS | 69 FPS |
| high | 106 FPS | 55 FPS |
| ultra | 93 FPS | 43 FPS |
Counter-Strike 2
| Preset | Core i9-9880H | Ryzen 9 5900H |
|---|---|---|
| 1080p | ||
| low | 338 FPS | 338 FPS |
| medium | 338 FPS | 338 FPS |
| high | 338 FPS | 327 FPS |
| ultra | 332 FPS | 288 FPS |
| 1440p | ||
| low | 338 FPS | 338 FPS |
| medium | 338 FPS | 338 FPS |
| high | 331 FPS | 300 FPS |
| ultra | 284 FPS | 256 FPS |
| 4K | ||
| low | 322 FPS | 278 FPS |
| medium | 273 FPS | 246 FPS |
| high | 251 FPS | 227 FPS |
| ultra | 215 FPS | 197 FPS |
League of Legends
| Preset | Core i9-9880H | Ryzen 9 5900H |
|---|---|---|
| 1080p | ||
| low | 338 FPS | 338 FPS |
| medium | 338 FPS | 338 FPS |
| high | 338 FPS | 338 FPS |
| ultra | 338 FPS | 338 FPS |
| 1440p | ||
| low | 338 FPS | 338 FPS |
| medium | 338 FPS | 338 FPS |
| high | 338 FPS | 338 FPS |
| ultra | 338 FPS | 338 FPS |
| 4K | ||
| low | 338 FPS | 338 FPS |
| medium | 338 FPS | 338 FPS |
| high | 338 FPS | 326 FPS |
| ultra | 322 FPS | 259 FPS |
Valorant
| Preset | Core i9-9880H | Ryzen 9 5900H |
|---|---|---|
| 1080p | ||
| low | 338 FPS | 338 FPS |
| medium | 338 FPS | 338 FPS |
| high | 338 FPS | 338 FPS |
| ultra | 338 FPS | 338 FPS |
| 1440p | ||
| low | 338 FPS | 338 FPS |
| medium | 338 FPS | 338 FPS |
| high | 338 FPS | 338 FPS |
| ultra | 338 FPS | 338 FPS |
| 4K | ||
| low | 338 FPS | 338 FPS |
| medium | 338 FPS | 338 FPS |
| high | 338 FPS | 338 FPS |
| ultra | 338 FPS | 338 FPS |
Technical Specifications
Side-by-side comparison of Core i9-9880H and Ryzen 9 5900H
Core i9-9880H
Core i9-9880H
The Core i9-9880H is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 23 April 2019 (6 years ago). It is based on the Coffee Lake-HR (2019) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 2.3 GHz, with boost up to 4.8 GHz. L3 cache: 16 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: BGA1440. Thermal design power (TDP): 45 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 13,531 points. Launch price was $556.
Ryzen 9 5900H
Ryzen 9 5900H
The Ryzen 9 5900H is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 7 January 2021 (4 years ago). It is based on the Cezanne U (Zen 3) (2021−2022) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 3.3 GHz, with boost up to 4.6 GHz. L3 cache: 16 MB. L2 cache: 4 MB. Built on 7 nm process technology. Socket: FP6. Thermal design power (TDP): 45 Watt. Passmark benchmark score: 13,510 points. Launch price was $149.
Processing Power
Both the Core i9-9880H and Ryzen 9 5900H share an identical 8-core/16-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 4.8 GHz on the Core i9-9880H versus 4.6 GHz on the Ryzen 9 5900H — a 4.3% clock advantage for the Core i9-9880H (base: 2.3 GHz vs 3.3 GHz). The Core i9-9880H uses the Coffee Lake-HR (2019) architecture (14 nm), while the Ryzen 9 5900H uses Cezanne U (Zen 3) (2021−2022) (7 nm). In PassMark, the Core i9-9880H scores 13,531 against the Ryzen 9 5900H's 13,510 — a 0.2% lead for the Core i9-9880H. L3 cache: 16 MB (total) on the Core i9-9880H vs 16 MB on the Ryzen 9 5900H.
| Feature | Core i9-9880H | Ryzen 9 5900H |
|---|---|---|
| Cores / Threads | 8 / 16 | 8 / 16 |
| Boost Clock | 4.8 GHz+4% | 4.6 GHz |
| Base Clock | 2.3 GHz | 3.3 GHz+43% |
| L3 Cache | 16 MB (total) | 16 MB |
| L2 Cache | 256K (per core) | 4 MB+1500% |
| Process | 14 nm | 7 nm-50% |
| Architecture | Coffee Lake-HR (2019) | Cezanne U (Zen 3) (2021−2022) |
| PassMark | 13,531 | 13,510 |
Memory & Platform
The Core i9-9880H uses the BGA1440 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Ryzen 9 5900H uses FP6 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.
| Feature | Core i9-9880H | Ryzen 9 5900H |
|---|---|---|
| Socket | BGA1440 | FP6 |
| PCIe Generation | PCIe 3.0 | PCIe 4.0+33% |
Top Performing CPUs
The most powerful cpus ranked by PassMark CPU Mark benchmark scores.
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