Core i9-11900KF vs Ryzen AI Max PRO 380

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

✅Better for gaming: +20.8% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (20 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (24,585 vs 24,613).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 47.9 vs 61.5 PassMark/$ ($513 MSRP vs $400 MSRP).
❌127.3% higher power demand at 125W vs 55W.
❌Older platform position on LGA1200 with DDR4, while Ryzen AI Max PRO 380 moves to FP11 and DDR5.

Ryzen AI Max PRO 380

2025

Why buy it

✅+0.1% higher PassMark.
✅Costs $113 less on MSRP ($400 MSRP vs $513 MSRP).
✅Delivers 28.4% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 61.5 vs 47.9 PassMark/$ ($400 MSRP vs $513 MSRP).
✅Draws 55W instead of 125W, a 70W reduction.
✅Newer platform on FP11 with DDR5 support instead of LGA1200 and DDR4.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i9-11900KF across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.

Core i9-11900KF

2021

Ryzen AI Max PRO 380

2025

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +20.8% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (20 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Why buy it

✅+0.1% higher PassMark.
✅Costs $113 less on MSRP ($400 MSRP vs $513 MSRP).
✅Delivers 28.4% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 61.5 vs 47.9 PassMark/$ ($400 MSRP vs $513 MSRP).
✅Draws 55W instead of 125W, a 70W reduction.
✅Newer platform on FP11 with DDR5 support instead of LGA1200 and DDR4.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (24,585 vs 24,613).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 47.9 vs 61.5 PassMark/$ ($513 MSRP vs $400 MSRP).
❌127.3% higher power demand at 125W vs 55W.
❌Older platform position on LGA1200 with DDR4, while Ryzen AI Max PRO 380 moves to FP11 and DDR5.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i9-11900KF across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen AI Max PRO 380 better than Core i9-11900KF?

It depends on what matters more to you. For gaming, Core i9-11900KF is ahead with a 20.8% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen AI Max PRO 380 pulls ahead with 0.1% better PassMark.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen AI Max PRO 380 is the better fit. You are getting 0.1% better PassMark, backed by 6 cores and 12 threads.

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

Ryzen AI Max PRO 380 is the smarter buy today. Ryzen AI Max PRO 380 is $113 cheaper on MSRP at $400 MSRP versus $513 MSRP, and it gives you 0.1% better PassMark. The trade-off is that Core i9-11900KF is still the better pure gaming CPU with a 20.8% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 28.4% better value on MSRP (61.5 vs 47.9 PassMark/$), 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 AI Max PRO 380 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2025 vs 2021), a healthier platform with FP11 and DDR5 instead of LGA1200, and more multi-core headroom with 6 cores / 12 threads instead of 8/16. 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 AI Max PRO 380 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i9-11900KF	Ryzen AI Max PRO 380
1080p
low	295 FPS	272 FPS
medium	261 FPS	239 FPS
high	220 FPS	204 FPS
ultra	189 FPS	174 FPS
1440p
low	242 FPS	233 FPS
medium	192 FPS	184 FPS
high	157 FPS	153 FPS
ultra	139 FPS	134 FPS
4K
low	167 FPS	161 FPS
medium	135 FPS	129 FPS
high	104 FPS	99 FPS
ultra	91 FPS	86 FPS

Open Core i9-11900KF Open Ryzen AI Max PRO 380

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i9-11900KF	Ryzen AI Max PRO 380
1080p
low	615 FPS	402 FPS
medium	527 FPS	327 FPS
high	457 FPS	282 FPS
ultra	407 FPS	244 FPS
1440p
low	601 FPS	341 FPS
medium	490 FPS	287 FPS
high	422 FPS	255 FPS
ultra	362 FPS	216 FPS
4K
low	401 FPS	257 FPS
medium	339 FPS	221 FPS
high	320 FPS	201 FPS
ultra	275 FPS	170 FPS

Open Core i9-11900KF Open Ryzen AI Max PRO 380

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i9-11900KF	Ryzen AI Max PRO 380
1080p
low	615 FPS	615 FPS
medium	615 FPS	615 FPS
high	615 FPS	615 FPS
ultra	563 FPS	554 FPS
1440p
low	615 FPS	615 FPS
medium	615 FPS	588 FPS
high	543 FPS	507 FPS
ultra	464 FPS	429 FPS
4K
low	577 FPS	509 FPS
medium	480 FPS	416 FPS
high	427 FPS	356 FPS
ultra	357 FPS	289 FPS

Open Core i9-11900KF Open Ryzen AI Max PRO 380

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i9-11900KF	Ryzen AI Max PRO 380
1080p
low	615 FPS	615 FPS
medium	615 FPS	615 FPS
high	615 FPS	615 FPS
ultra	615 FPS	615 FPS
1440p
low	615 FPS	615 FPS
medium	615 FPS	615 FPS
high	615 FPS	615 FPS
ultra	615 FPS	589 FPS
4K
low	615 FPS	602 FPS
medium	565 FPS	536 FPS
high	512 FPS	480 FPS
ultra	437 FPS	421 FPS

Open Core i9-11900KF Open Ryzen AI Max PRO 380

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i9-11900KF and Ryzen AI Max PRO 380

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 AI Max PRO 380

The Ryzen AI Max PRO 380 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 6 January 2025 (less than a year ago). It is based on the Strix Halo (2025) architecture. It features 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 3.6 GHz, with boost up to 4.9 GHz. L3 cache: 16 MB (total). L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 4 nm process technology. Socket: FP11. Thermal design power (TDP): 55 Watt. Memory support: DDR5. Passmark benchmark score: 24,613 points. Launch price was $299.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core i9-11900KF packs 8 cores / 16 threads, while the Ryzen AI Max PRO 380 offers 6 cores / 12 threads — the Core i9-11900KF has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 5.2 GHz on the Core i9-11900KF versus 4.9 GHz on the Ryzen AI Max PRO 380 — a 5.9% clock advantage for the Core i9-11900KF (base: 3.5 GHz vs 3.6 GHz). The Core i9-11900KF uses the Rocket Lake (2021) architecture (14 nm), while the Ryzen AI Max PRO 380 uses Strix Halo (2025) (4 nm). In PassMark, the Core i9-11900KF scores 24,585 against the Ryzen AI Max PRO 380's 24,613 — a 0.1% lead for the Ryzen AI Max PRO 380. Both processors carry 16 MB (total) of L3 cache.

Feature	Core i9-11900KF	Ryzen AI Max PRO 380
Cores / Threads	8 / 16+33%	6 / 12
Boost Clock	5.2 GHz+6%	4.9 GHz
Base Clock	3.5 GHz	3.6 GHz+3%
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)	Strix Halo (2025)
PassMark	24,585	24,613
Cinebench R23 Multi	15,500	—

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i9-11900KF uses the LGA1200 socket (PCIe 4.0), while the Ryzen AI Max PRO 380 uses FP11 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Core i9-11900KF	Ryzen AI Max PRO 380
Socket	LGA1200	FP11
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 AI Max PRO 380).

Feature	Core i9-11900KF	Ryzen AI Max PRO 380
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 AI Max PRO 380 debuted at $400. On MSRP ($513 vs $400), the Ryzen AI Max PRO 380 is $113 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Core i9-11900KF delivers 47.9 pts/$ vs 61.5 pts/$ for the Ryzen AI Max PRO 380 — making the Ryzen AI Max PRO 380 the 24.9% better value option.