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AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D vs Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus: Comparison

What is the difference between AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D and Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus?

L3 cache is where these two genuinely part company, AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D 96 MB against Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus 36 MB, a 63% lead for AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D. Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus also leads on l2 cache, 8 MB on the AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D versus 40 MB on the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus. There is a split on tdp as well, 120 W on the AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D versus 125 Watts base, up to 250 Watts Turbo on the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus. They differ on socket too, AM5 on the AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D versus LGA 1851 on the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus. Product line is not the same on both, Ryzen 7 on the AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D versus Core Ultra 9 on the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus.

AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D vs Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus: which one fits your build

The AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D suits upgrading an existing AM5 system without changing the motherboard, though it is the wrong buy for heavy multi-core rendering, where 12 and 16-core chips finish faster. The same goes for gaming builds on AM5 that benefit from 96 MB of 3D V-Cache. It is not the one for buyers expecting a cooler in the box, since none is bundled.

What AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D and Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus have in common

The common ground is wider than the gap: performance cores, p-core boost clock, form factor and pcie lanes are identical here.

Frequently asked questions

Do the AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D and Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus differ on total cores?

Yes. Total Cores reads 8 on the AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D versus 24 on the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus.

Specs and benchmarks

  • Brand

    AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D
    AMD
    Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus
    Intel
  • Product Line

    AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D
    Ryzen 7
    Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus
    Core Ultra 9
  • Form Factor

    AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D
    Desktop
    Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus
    Desktop
  • Model Number

    AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D
    9850X3D
    Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus
    290K Plus
  • TDP

    AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D
    120 W
    Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus
    125 Watts base, up to 250 Watts Turbo (PL1/PL2)
  • iGPU

    AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D
    AMD Radeon Graphics
    Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus
    Intel Graphics (4-core Xe-LPG)
  • Microarchitecture

    AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D
    Zen 5, Ryzen 9000 Series, 2nd Generation 3D V-Cache
    Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus
    Arrow Lake Refresh, Intel Core Ultra 200S Plus
  • Socket

    AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D
    AM5
    Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus
    LGA 1851 (FCLGA1851)
  • Process Node

    AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D
    TSMC 4nm (Zen 5)
    Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus
    TSMC 3nm (compute tile)
  • Total Cores

    AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D
    8
    Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus
    24Best
  • Performance Cores

    AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D
    8
    Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus
    8
  • Efficiency Cores

    AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D
    0
    Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus
    16Best
  • Total Threads

    AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D
    16
    Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus
    24Best
  • P-Core Base Clock

    AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D
    4.7 GHz
    Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus
    3.7 GHz
  • P-Core Boost Clock

    AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D
    5.6 GHz
    Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus
    5.6 GHz
  • L2 Cache

    AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D
    8 MB-80%
    Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus
    40 MBBest
  • L3 Cache

    AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D
    96 MBBest
    Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus
    36 MB-62%
  • Memory Type

    AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D
    DDR5-5600
    Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus
    DDR5-7200, 2-Channel
  • PCIe Lanes

    AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D
    24
    Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus
    24

    Which one should you pick?

    Choose 9850X3D if you want the higher L3 cache (96 MB vs 36 MB) and the higher PCIe lanes (24 vs 24).

    Choose 290K Plus if you want the higher L2 cache (40 MB vs 8 MB).

    Price comparison

    RetailerAMD Ryzen 7 9850X3DIntel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus
    Amazon

    $499.00

    View on Amazon
    NeweggView on Newegg
    Best BuyView on Best Buy

    Disclaimer: The price and specification of the given product may differ from the actual product. Please confirm on the retailer's website before buying.