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AMD Ryzen 9 9950X vs Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9 11900K: Comparison
What is the difference between AMD Ryzen 9 9950X and Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9 11900K?
The gap that matters here is l3 cache: AMD Ryzen 9 9950X 64 MB against Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9 11900K 16 MB, which puts AMD Ryzen 9 9950X 75% ahead. Add l2 cache to that, 16 MB on the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X versus 2 MB on the Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9 11900K, and the pattern holds.
AMD Ryzen 9 9950X vs Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9 11900K: which one fits your build
Take the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X for enthusiast gaming and heavy content-creation desktop builds wanting AMD's strongest mainstream Zen 5 performance. Avoid it for buyers on a tighter budget, the Ryzen 9 9900X or 7 9700X deliver strong performance at meaningfully lower cost. Buy the Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9 11900K for gaming-focused desktop builds prioritizing single-thread and per-core performance. It is not the one for buyers specifically needing maximum core count for heavy multi-threaded work, the outgoing 10-core i9-10900K or AMD's competing Ryzen 9 chips offer more raw cores. Our rating of the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X (9/10): the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X is the strongest mainstream desktop chip for heavy multithreaded work, pairing 16 Zen 5 cores with excellent efficiency.
Which is cheaper, AMD Ryzen 9 9950X or Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9 11900K?
At the last price check the Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9 11900K was $539 and the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X $649, a 20% premium.
Where the two are identical
Where they agree, they agree completely, efficiency cores, integrated graphics, form factor, market segment and smt enabled included, so the decision does not turn on any of those. They match on 1 further specification as well.
Frequently asked questions
Do the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X and Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9 11900K differ on total cores?
Yes. Total Cores reads 16 on the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X versus 8 on the Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9 11900K.
Is the Memory Channels the same on the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X and Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9 11900K?
It is. Both are listed at 2, so it is not a reason to pick one over the other.
Specs and benchmarks
Brand
- AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
- AMD
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9 11900K
- Intel
Product Line
- AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
- Ryzen 9
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9 11900K
- Core i9
Form Factor
- AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
- Desktop
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9 11900K
- Desktop
Model Number
- AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
- 9950X
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9 11900K
- 11900K
Codename
- AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
- Granite Ridge
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9 11900K
- Rocket Lake
Release Year
- AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
- 2024
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9 11900K
- 2021
TDP
- AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
- 170 W
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9 11900K
- 125 W
iGPU
- AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
- AMD Radeon Graphics
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9 11900K
- Intel UHD Graphics 750
Market Segment
- AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
- Desktop
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9 11900K
- Desktop
Microarchitecture
- AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
- Zen 5, Ryzen 9000 Series
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9 11900K
- Rocket Lake, 11th Gen Intel Core
Socket
- AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
- AM5
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9 11900K
- FCLGA1200
Socket Status
- AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
- Current
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9 11900K
- End of Life
Process Node
- AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
- 4 nm
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9 11900K
- 14 nm
Total Cores
- AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
- 16Best
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9 11900K
- 8
Performance Cores
- AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
- 16Best
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9 11900K
- 8
Efficiency Cores
- AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
- 0
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9 11900K
- 0
Total Threads
- AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
- 32Best
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9 11900K
- 16
SMT Enabled
- AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
- Yes
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9 11900K
- Yes
P-Core Base Clock
- AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
- 4.3 GHz
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9 11900K
- 3.5 GHz
P-Core Boost Clock
- AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
- 5.7 GHz
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9 11900K
- 5.3 GHz
L2 Cache
- AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
- 16 MBBest
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9 11900K
- 2 MB-87%
L3 Cache
- AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
- 64 MBBest
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9 11900K
- 16 MB-75%
Base Power
- AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
- 170 W
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9 11900K
- 125 W
Memory Type
- AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
- DDR5-5600Best
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9 11900K
- DDR4
Max Memory Speed
- AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
- 5600 MT/sBest
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9 11900K
- 4 MT/s
Memory Channels
- AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
- 2
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9 11900K
- 2
ECC Support
- AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
- Yes
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9 11900K
- No
Integrated Graphics
- AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
- Yes
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9 11900K
- Yes
iGPU Model
- AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
- AMD Radeon Graphics
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9 11900K
- Intel UHD Graphics 750
iGPU Compute Units
- AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
- 2
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9 11900K
- 32
PCIe Generation
- AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
- PCIe 5.0
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9 11900K
- PCIe 4.0
PCIe Lanes
- AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
- 24
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9 11900K
- 20-17%
Launch MSRP
- AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
- $649
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9 11900K
- $539
Retail Availability
- AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
- Boxed Retail
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9 11900K
- Retail
Which one should you pick?
Choose 9950X if you want the higher L2 cache (16 MB vs 2 MB), the higher L3 cache (64 MB vs 16 MB) and the higher memory channels (2 vs 2).
Choose 11900K if you already have it on hand or find it at a lower price.
Price comparison
| Retailer | AMD Ryzen 9 9950X | Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9 11900K |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon | $649.00 View on Amazon | |
| Newegg | View on Newegg | |
| Consumercarts listing | $539.00 View on Consumercarts listing |
Disclaimer: The price and specification of the given product may differ from the actual product. Please confirm on the retailer's website before buying.
Verdict
AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
9 / 10 Expert Rating
The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X is the strongest mainstream desktop chip for heavy multithreaded work, pairing 16 Zen 5 cores with excellent efficiency.