AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D vs Core i9-14900K: Which is the best gaming CPU?
The AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D and the Core i9-14900K are among the most popular high-end CPUs in the market. Both chips target absolute performance without compromises. Moreover, they have been discounted lately, as we inch closer to the launch of newer chips. The upcoming Ryzen 9000 series is set to launch in July 2024 and Intel Arrow Lake processors are rumored to arrive this Fall. This makes the 7800X3D and the 14900K lucrative options for gamers.
However, should you side with Team Red or Blue? Let's try to answer that in this comparison.
The AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D and Core i9-14900K are among the most powerful CPUs
Before delving into the performance differences between the 14900K and the Ryzen 7 7800X3D, let's find out the exact specs of the two chips.
Specs comparison
An accurate specs comparison between the two processors isn't possible since they are based on wildly different architectures. While the Intel chip uses a monolithic technology, AMD has stuck to chiplet-based design for a while now.
The 14900K is also based on a much larger 10 nm process node compared to the 5 nm one on the new 7800X3D.
That said, the 14900K is a 24-core processor with eight P-rated and sixteen E-rated cores. The 7800X3D, on the other hand, is a traditional eight-core and sixteen-threaded chip.
The detailed specs of the chips are as follows:
The Core i9-14900K continues to be the more expensive of the two — the flagship Raptor Lake Reresh will set you back by $533. The 7800X3D, on the other hand, is priced at a much more affordable $339 on Amazon.
Performance comparison
In terms of synthetic performance, the Core i9-14900K takes a considerable lead over the 7800X3D. This can be primarily because benchmarks can't fully gauge the exact performance metrics of the 3D V-cache technology.
Nevertheless, below is the performance data of the 14900K and the 7800X3D. The Intel chip has a massive lead in both single and multi-core metrics. These numbers have been sourced from the aggregator website Nanoreview.
In terms of gaming performance, however, the 7800X3D takes the lead. Across several games, the much cheaper eight-core chip beats the Intel flagship to take the top spot. This truly makes it one of the best gaming chips.
Below are the framerates achieved by the two processors in some of the latest games. They were tested with the RTX 4090. We sourced the numbers from the YouTube channel Testing Games.
The 3D V-cache technology onboard the Ryzen 7 7800X3D makes it superior to a $530 processor. This goes to show how much of a difference technology makes in video games.
AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D vs Core i9-14900K: Final verdict
The AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D and the Core i9-14900K are some of the most powerful gaming chips. However, despite its much cheaper price point, the Ryzen 7 comes on top of this comparison. It's pretty impressive how far 3D V-cache-powered chips can go in terms of performance in the latest titles.
The 14900K only makes sense if you plan to perform extremely CPU-heavy workloads on your PC. Else, for the most part, the 7800X3D is powerful enough to handle most requirements of the average user. Thus, we recommend the AMD chip fully. You can put that extra $200 on a more capable video card.
Check out other CPU comparisons from Sportskeeda:
- AMD Ryzen 5 9600X vs Ryzen 5 7600X
- AMD Ryzen 5 7600X vs Ryzen 7 7700X
- Intel Core i9-14900KS vs i9-14900K