With processors, you have two competitors which are Intel and Ryzen and pretty much all the time, they’re in direct competition with their processors.
So you have Ryzen 9 which are high end processors with a high number of cores, only PC enthusiasts that want the best will go for a Ryzen 9.
However, Ryzen 9 processors compete directly with Intel I9 processors, I9 CPU’s are the Intel equivalent to Ryzen 9, and they feature high core counts and clock speeds.
What Is The Competitor To Ryzen 9?
The Intel equivalent to Ryzen 9 is the Intel I9 processors which are basically top end processors with high core counts and high clock speeds.
The only reason why someone would want a processor like the I9 or the Ryzen 9 is if they want a high-end gaming machine, or they’re processing a lot of information such as video editors.
When it comes to Ryzen 9 processors, they usually have between 12 and 16 cores, and with I9 processors they usually have between 8 and 18 cores.
Intel I9 is more known for single-core performance, they usually feature extremely high clock speeds, and overclock easier than Ryzen 9 processors.
I9 processors are also great at multi-core performance, you’ll often see a high end Intel chip present in a video editors machine, but Ryzen 9 is more known when it comes to multi-core performance.
About Ryzen 9 Processors
Ryzen 9 is a family of processors released back in 2019, and it’s based on the Zen architecture. They’re faster than Ryzen 7 and Ryzen 5 processors.
- Ryzen 9 processors either come with 12 or 16 cores which make them dodeca or hexadec core processors.
- The number after the Ryzen 9 is the series for example: Ryzen 9 5900x
- They’re all overclockable
- They only support DDR4 (7900X will support DDR5)
- There do not support integrated graphics
List Of Ryzen 9 CPUs
The most recent generation for Ryzen 9 processors is the Ryzen 5000 generation, but the Ryzen 7000 generation is set to be released September 2022.
With each generation, the Ryzen 9 processors get significantly faster in single-core and multicore performance.
So the Ryzen 9 7900X is faster than the Ryzen 9 5900X in single core and multicore performance due to architecture improvements.
- Ryzen 9 7950X – Set to be released in September 2022, it features huge clock speed improvements, the 7000 gen is the first time a Ryzen chip is set to be higher than 5GHz.
- Ryzen 9 7900X – Which is part of the same generation as the 7950X, this processor features a base clock of 4.7GHz, and a boost clock of 5.9GHz which is a huge jump from the 5900X.
- Ryzen 9 5950X – Is the current fastest Ryzen 9 chip with 16 cores 32 threads, it has a base clock of 3.4GHz, and a boost clock of 4.9GHz.
- Ryzen 9 5900X – Which is weaker than the 5950X due to fewer cores and lower clock speeds, it has 12 cores, 24 threads, base clock of 3.7GHz, and boost of 4.8GHz.
- Ryzen 9 3950X – Is the previous generation of Ryzen chips, it features 16 cores and 32 threads with a base clock speed of 3.5GHz, and boost clock speed of 4.7GHz.
- Ryzen 9 3900X – Is slightly weaker than the Ryzen 9 3950X, it has 12 cores and 24 threads with a base clock speed of 3.8GHz, and a boost clock speed of 4.6GHz.
| CPU | Core Count(Threads) | Clock Speed(Boost) | TDP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ryzen 9 3900X | 12(24) | 3.8GHz(4.6GHz) | 105W |
| Ryzen 9 3950X | 16(32) | 3.5GHz(4.7GHz) | 105W |
| Ryzen 9 5900X | 12(24) | 3.7GHz(4.8GHz) | 105W |
| Ryzen 9 5950X | 16(32) | 3.4GHz(4.9GHz) | 105W |
| Ryzen 9 7900X | 12(24) | 4.7GHz(5.6GHz) | 170W |
| Ryzen 9 7950X | 16(32) | 4.5GHz(5.7GHz) | 170W |
About Intel I9 Processors
Intel Core I9 processors are the direct Intel equivalent to the AMD Ryzen 9 processors, and they were released back in May 2017.
- I9 processors tend to have between 8 and 18 cores, so octa-core and octadeca-core processors.
- The I9 processors with the ‘K’ suffix can be overclocked.
- I9 processors are regarded as the best gaming performance in terms of raw performance.
- Most I9 processors have integrated graphics.
List Of I9 CPUs
The most recent generation of I9 processors are the 12th generation I9’s and they feature hybrid cores (performance and efficiency).
The 13th generation Intel I9 processors are set to be released in October 2022, and they’re going to be faster than the 12th gen I9’s.
So the I9 13900K will be faster than the I9 12900K due to architectural improvements, and faster clock speeds.
Intel I9 13900K – Will be the faster I9 processor surpassing the I9 12900K, it has a base clock speed of 3GHz, and a boost clock speed of 5.7GHz, it also has 24 cores and 32 threads.
Intel I9 12900K – Is the current fastest I9 processor with the highest single-core performance, it has 16 cores and 24 threads with a base clock speed of 3.2GHz, and a base clock speed of 5.2GHz.
Intel I9 12900KF – Is similar to the I9 12900K, it has the exact same specifications except it doesn’t have integrated graphics hence the ‘F’ suffix.
Intel I9 11900K – Is part of the previous generation of I9 processors, it has 8 cores and 16 threads, no hybrid cores, and a base clock speed of 3.5GHz, with a boost clock speed of 5.3GHz.
Intel I9 11900KF – Is similar to the I9 11900KF except it doesn’t have integrated graphics, otherwise the specifications are the exact same.
| CPU | Core Count(Threads) | Clock Speed(Boost) | TDP |
|---|---|---|---|
| I9 11900KF | 8(16) | 3.5GHz(5.3GHz) | 125W |
| I9 11900K | 8(16) | 3.5GHz(5.3GHz) | 125W |
| I9 12900KF | 16(24) | 3.2GHz(5.2GHz) | 125W |
| I9 12900K | 16(24) | 3.2GHz(5.2GHz) | 125W |
| I9 13900K | 24(32) | 3GHz(5.7GHz) | 125W |
What’s Better For Gaming?
When it comes to gaming, you need to understand that games only really benefit from single-core performance which means clock speed and IPC.
When it comes to single-core performance, Intel is usually king, but there have been scenarios where Ryzen has surpassed Intel in terms of single-core performance.
The Ryzen 9 5900X is able to beat its true Intel counterpart which is the I9 10900K in both single-core and multicore scenarios thanks to huge IPC increases.
But in general, Intel is the way to go, the Intel Raptor Lake architecture is rumoured to go as high as 6GHz, but these claims are unconfirmed.
Besides that, you’ll often see the best of the best gaming builds using Intel I9’s over Ryzen 9’s and this is pretty much due to single-core performance.
But Ryzen 9 processors are still great for gaming, the Ryzen 9 7900X is rumoured to go as high as 5.6GHz which is a huge jump from the Ryzen 9 5900X.
Benchmark Results
To compare Ryzen 9 with the I9 processors, we’re going to follow Cinebench R23 results, and focus on single-core performance as that’s what influences FPS the most.
We will compare the true competitors with each other, for example, the Ryzen 9 5900X with the I9 10900K, and the Ryzen 9 7900X and the I9 13900K.
Comparing the R9 5900X with the I9 10900K in the Cinebench single-core test shows the Ryzen 9 5900X beat it in single-core performance despite having a lower clock speed.
This is because of huge IPC gains AMD have made which made the Ryzen 5900X a better gaming processor.
The Ryzen 9 is clocked at 3.7GHz base and 4.8GHz boost, and it reached an impressive score of 1597.
Whereas the I9 10900K is clocked at 3.7GHz base and 5.3GHz boost and still reached a lower score of 1438.
With the latest processors to be released which are the Ryzen 9 7900X, and the I9 13900K, we can expect great results based on the rumoured specifications.
The Ryzen 9 7900X has a huge clock speed improvement over its predecessor which is the Ryzen 9 5900X, it can reach a 4.7GHz base and 5.6GHz boost which is why its Cinebench results are quite high at 1911.
However, the king of single-core performance which is the I9 13900K beats the Ryzen 9 7900X by nearly 300 points with a score of 2229.
What’s Better For Video Editing?
With video editing, single-core performance is less important because video editing is a multithreaded task.
Multithreaded means that a task is able to utlize more than one core effectively, so video editing will mostly benefit from multiple cores.
Ryzen 9 processors are known to have more threads and cores which makes them a better processor for video editing.
But whatever processor has the most cores will usually be the best processor for multithreaded tasks, even I9’s can be better than Ryzen 9’s depending on the CPU.
Benchmark Results
In the Cinebench R23 benchmark, it shows the Ryzen 9 5900X beating the I9 10900K, this mostly due to the Ryzen 9 5900X having more cores.
But the fact that the IPC is significantly higher than the I9 10900K, that will also have an impact on the multicore performance.
The Ryzen 9 5900X has more than 3000 points with a score of 20821 whereas the I9 10900K only achieves a score of 17602.
So if you’re a video editor, going with the Ryzen 9 5900X over the I9 10900K would be a far smarter choice.
In terms of multicore performance, the closest competitor to the Ryzen 9 7950X would have to be the I9 13900K.
The I9 13900K 8 more cores than the Ryzen 9 7950X, but the same number of threads. But we have to remember that the I9 13900K is a hybrid processor with 8 performance cores and 16 efficiency cores.
Despite the Hybrid architecture, the Ryzen 9 7950X is still able to beat the I9 13900K slightly in multicore tests with the 7950X achieving a score of 38874, and the 13900K achieving 37847.
So if you’re a video editor, you should go for the 7950X, but if you want to game on the side, then going for the I9 13900K will give you a more balanced build.
Complete Benchmark Results
| CPU | Core Count(Threads) | Clock Speed(Boost) | Cinebench Single-Core Score | Cinebench Multi-Core Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Core i9- 10900K | 10(20) | 3.7GHz(5.3GHz) | 1438 | 15532 |
| Ryzen 9 5900X | 12(24) | 3.7GHz(4.8GHz) | 1597 | 20821 |
| Core i9- 11900K | 8(16) | 3.5GHz(5.3GHz) | 1652 | 15301 |
| Ryzen 9 5950X | 16(32) | 3.4GHz(4.9GHz) | 1640 | 26390 |
| Core i9- 12900K | 16(24) | 3.2GHz(5.2GHz) | 2005 | 27695 |
| Ryzen 9 7950X | 16(32) | 4.5GHz(5.7GHz) | 2002 | 38874 |
| Core i9-13900K | 14(20) | 3.3GHz(5.5GHz) | 2229 | 37847 |
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Intel equivalent to the Ryzen 9 are the I9 processors, and they both target the high-end market and processor enthusiasts.
They both feature considerably high core counts for individuals looking for multicore performance for streaming, 3D modelling, and more.
But they also have decently high clock speeds as seen with the Ryzen 9 7950X, and the I9 13900K, so they’re amazing when it comes to single-core performance for gamers.
