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 i7-13700K

2022

Why buy it

✅+80.2% higher Cinebench R23 multi-core.
✅+87.5% larger total L3 cache (30 MB vs 16 MB).

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 9 7940H across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Launch MSRP is still $409 MSRP, while Ryzen 9 7940H mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌257.1% higher power demand at 125W vs 35W.

Ryzen 9 7940H

2023

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +9.0% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Draws 35W instead of 125W, a 90W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower Cinebench R23 multi-core (17,200 vs 31,000).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (16 MB vs 30 MB).

Core i7-13700K

2022

Ryzen 9 7940H

2023

Why buy it

✅+80.2% higher Cinebench R23 multi-core.
✅+87.5% larger total L3 cache (30 MB vs 16 MB).

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +9.0% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Draws 35W instead of 125W, a 90W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 9 7940H across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Launch MSRP is still $409 MSRP, while Ryzen 9 7940H mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌257.1% higher power demand at 125W vs 35W.

Trade-offs

❌Lower Cinebench R23 multi-core (17,200 vs 31,000).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (16 MB vs 30 MB).

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 9 7940H better than Core i7-13700K?

It depends on what matters more to you. For gaming, Ryzen 9 7940H is ahead with a 9.0% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Core i7-13700K pulls ahead with 80.2% better Cinebench R23 multi-core. Core i7-13700K also has the bigger cache pool with 87.5% larger total L3 cache (30 MB vs 16 MB).

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Core i7-13700K is the better fit. You are getting 80.2% better Cinebench R23 multi-core, backed by 16 cores and 24 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 87.5% larger total L3 cache (30 MB vs 16 MB).

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

Ryzen 9 7940H is still the faster CPU overall, but Core i7-13700K makes more sense if price matters more than absolute performance. Ryzen 9 7940H is at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus $409 MSRP, and it gives you a 9.0% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. The trade-off is that Core i7-13700K is still stronger for heavier multi-core work with 80.2% better Cinebench R23 multi-core. Core i7-13700K is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (111.9 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), 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 9 7940H is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2023 vs 2022). That makes it the safer long-term pick.

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 i7-13700K Benchmark Check

Ryzen 9 7940H Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i7-13700K	Ryzen 9 7940H
1080p
low	284 FPS	268 FPS
medium	268 FPS	241 FPS
high	223 FPS	206 FPS
ultra	190 FPS	176 FPS
1440p
low	238 FPS	234 FPS
medium	200 FPS	191 FPS
high	159 FPS	158 FPS
ultra	139 FPS	138 FPS
4K
low	159 FPS	160 FPS
medium	134 FPS	132 FPS
high	103 FPS	102 FPS
ultra	90 FPS	89 FPS

Open Core i7-13700K Open Ryzen 9 7940H

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i7-13700K	Ryzen 9 7940H
1080p
low	689 FPS	502 FPS
medium	580 FPS	417 FPS
high	484 FPS	360 FPS
ultra	439 FPS	319 FPS
1440p
low	595 FPS	439 FPS
medium	525 FPS	385 FPS
high	441 FPS	332 FPS
ultra	378 FPS	282 FPS
4K
low	348 FPS	291 FPS
medium	314 FPS	267 FPS
high	295 FPS	251 FPS
ultra	261 FPS	216 FPS

Open Core i7-13700K Open Ryzen 9 7940H

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i7-13700K	Ryzen 9 7940H
1080p
low	648 FPS	729 FPS
medium	530 FPS	729 FPS
high	467 FPS	729 FPS
ultra	405 FPS	650 FPS
1440p
low	591 FPS	729 FPS
medium	491 FPS	637 FPS
high	427 FPS	548 FPS
ultra	371 FPS	464 FPS
4K
low	434 FPS	534 FPS
medium	374 FPS	460 FPS
high	339 FPS	409 FPS
ultra	290 FPS	344 FPS

Open Core i7-13700K Open Ryzen 9 7940H

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i7-13700K	Ryzen 9 7940H
1080p
low	970 FPS	729 FPS
medium	883 FPS	729 FPS
high	766 FPS	729 FPS
ultra	689 FPS	729 FPS
1440p
low	829 FPS	729 FPS
medium	740 FPS	729 FPS
high	642 FPS	716 FPS
ultra	566 FPS	631 FPS
4K
low	567 FPS	619 FPS
medium	515 FPS	553 FPS
high	463 FPS	496 FPS
ultra	404 FPS	434 FPS

Open Core i7-13700K Open Ryzen 9 7940H

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i7-13700K and Ryzen 9 7940H

Core i7-13700K

The Core i7-13700K is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 27 September 2022 (3 years ago). It is based on the Raptor Lake, Raptor Cove, Gracemont (2022) architecture. It features 16 cores and 24 threads. Base frequency is 3.4 GHz, with boost up to 5.4 GHz. L3 cache: 30 MB (total). L2 cache: 2 MB (per core). Built on Intel 7 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1700. Thermal design power (TDP): 125 Watt. Memory support: DDR4, DDR5. Passmark benchmark score: 45,784 points. Launch price was $409.

Ryzen 9 7940H

The Ryzen 9 7940H is manufactured by AMD. It was released in Janeiro 2023 (2 years ago). It is based on the Phoenix (2023−2024) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 4 GHz, with boost up to 5.2 GHz. L3 cache: 16 MB (total). L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 4 nm process technology. Socket: FP8. Thermal design power (TDP): 35 Watt. Memory support: DDR5-5600. Passmark benchmark score: 29,151 points. Launch price was $299.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core i7-13700K packs 16 cores / 24 threads, while the Ryzen 9 7940H offers 8 cores / 16 threads — the Core i7-13700K has 8 more cores. Boost clocks reach 5.4 GHz on the Core i7-13700K versus 5.2 GHz on the Ryzen 9 7940H — a 3.8% clock advantage for the Core i7-13700K (base: 3.4 GHz vs 4 GHz). The Core i7-13700K uses the Raptor Lake, Raptor Cove, Gracemont (2022) architecture (Intel 7 nm), while the Ryzen 9 7940H uses Phoenix (2023−2024) (4 nm). In PassMark, the Core i7-13700K scores 45,784 against the Ryzen 9 7940H's 29,151 — a 44.4% lead for the Core i7-13700K. Cinebench R23 multi-core: 31,000 vs 17,200 (57.3% advantage for the Core i7-13700K). Geekbench 6 single-core — the metric most relevant to gaming — records 2,846 vs 2,646, a 7.3% lead for the Core i7-13700K that directly translates to higher frame rates. Multi-core Geekbench: 18,980 vs 13,495 (33.8% advantage for the Core i7-13700K). L3 cache: 30 MB (total) on the Core i7-13700K vs 16 MB (total) on the Ryzen 9 7940H.

Feature	Core i7-13700K	Ryzen 9 7940H
Cores / Threads	16 / 24+100%	8 / 16
Boost Clock	5.4 GHz+4%	5.2 GHz
Base Clock	3.4 GHz	4 GHz+18%
L3 Cache	30 MB (total)+88%	16 MB (total)
L2 Cache	2 MB (per core)+100%	1 MB (per core)
Process	Intel 7 nm	4 nm-43%
Architecture	Raptor Lake, Raptor Cove, Gracemont (2022)	Phoenix (2023−2024)
PassMark	45,784+57%	29,151
Cinebench R23 Multi	31,000+80%	17,200
Geekbench 6 Single	2,846+8%	2,646
Geekbench 6 Multi	18,980+41%	13,495

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i7-13700K uses the LGA1700 socket (PCIe 5.0), while the Ryzen 9 7940H uses FP8 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Both support up to DDR5-5600 memory speed. The Ryzen 9 7940H supports up to 256 GB of RAM compared to 192 GB — 28.6% more capacity for professional workloads. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. Both provide 20 PCIe lanes. Chipset compatibility: Intel Z790,Intel H770,Intel B760,Intel Z690,Intel H670,Intel B660,Intel H610 (Core i7-13700K) and FP7,FP7r2,FP8 (Ryzen 9 7940H).

Feature	Core i7-13700K	Ryzen 9 7940H
Socket	LGA1700	FP8
PCIe Generation	PCIe 5.0+25%	PCIe 4.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR5-5600	DDR5-5600
Max RAM Capacity	192 GB	256 GB+33%
RAM Channels	2	2
ECC Support	Yes	Yes
PCIe Lanes	20	20

🔧

Advanced Features

Both processors feature an unlocked multiplier for overclocking. Only the Ryzen 9 7940H supports AVX-512 instructions — important for machine learning and scientific applications. Virtualization support: true (Core i7-13700K) vs AMD-V, SVM (Ryzen 9 7940H). Both include integrated graphics — Intel UHD Graphics 770 (Core i7-13700K) and Radeon 780M (Ryzen 9 7940H) — useful as a fallback for troubleshooting or display output without a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Ryzen 9 7940H targets High-performance Gaming Laptop. Direct competitor: Core i7-13700K rivals Ryzen 9 7900X; Ryzen 9 7940H rivals Core i9-13900H.

Feature	Core i7-13700K	Ryzen 9 7940H
Integrated GPU	Yes	Yes
IGPU Model	Intel UHD Graphics 770	Radeon 780M
Unlocked	Yes	Yes
AVX-512	No	Yes
Virtualization	true	AMD-V, SVM
Target Use	—	High-performance Gaming Laptop