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AMD Ryzen 9 9950X vs Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9 11900KF: Comparison
AMD Ryzen 9 9950X vs Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9 11900KF: the l3 cache difference
The gap that matters here is l3 cache: AMD Ryzen 9 9950X 64 MB against Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9 11900KF 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 11900KF, and the pattern holds.
AMD Ryzen 9 9950X vs Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9 11900KF: 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. Take the Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9 11900KF for enthusiast gaming desktop builds with a discrete GPU already planned wanting Intel's flagship Rocket Lake performance at a lower price. It is not the one for buyers wanting a fallback integrated GPU, the standard i9-11900K includes UHD 750. 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 11900KF?
At the last price check the Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9 11900KF was $549 and the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X $649, a 18% premium.
Where the two are identical
The common ground is wider than the gap: efficiency cores, form factor, market segment, smt enabled and memory channels are identical here.
Frequently asked questions
Do the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X and Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9 11900KF 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 11900KF.
Specs and benchmarks
Brand
- AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
- AMD
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9 11900KF
- Intel
Product Line
- AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
- Ryzen 9
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9 11900KF
- Core i9
Form Factor
- AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
- Desktop
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9 11900KF
- Desktop
Model Number
- AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
- 9950X
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9 11900KF
- 11900KF
Codename
- AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
- Granite Ridge
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9 11900KF
- Rocket Lake
Release Year
- AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
- 2024
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9 11900KF
- 2021
TDP
- AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
- 170 W
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9 11900KF
- 125 W
Market Segment
- AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
- Desktop
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9 11900KF
- Desktop
Microarchitecture
- AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
- Zen 5, Ryzen 9000 Series
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9 11900KF
- Rocket Lake, 11th Gen Intel Core
Socket
- AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
- AM5
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9 11900KF
- FCLGA1200
Socket Status
- AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
- Current
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9 11900KF
- End of Life
Process Node
- AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
- 4 nm
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9 11900KF
- 14 nm
Total Cores
- AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
- 16Best
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9 11900KF
- 8
Performance Cores
- AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
- 16Best
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9 11900KF
- 8
Efficiency Cores
- AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
- 0
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9 11900KF
- 0
Total Threads
- AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
- 32Best
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9 11900KF
- 16
SMT Enabled
- AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
- Yes
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9 11900KF
- Yes
P-Core Base Clock
- AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
- 4.3 GHz
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9 11900KF
- 3.5 GHz
P-Core Boost Clock
- AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
- 5.7 GHz
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9 11900KF
- 5.3 GHz
L2 Cache
- AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
- 16 MBBest
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9 11900KF
- 2 MB-87%
L3 Cache
- AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
- 64 MBBest
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9 11900KF
- 16 MB-75%
Base Power
- AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
- 170 W
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9 11900KF
- 125 W
Memory Type
- AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
- DDR5-5600Best
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9 11900KF
- DDR4
Max Memory Speed
- AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
- 5600 MT/sBest
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9 11900KF
- 4 MT/s
Memory Channels
- AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
- 2
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9 11900KF
- 2
ECC Support
- AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
- Yes
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9 11900KF
- No
Integrated Graphics
- AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
- Yes
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9 11900KF
- No
PCIe Generation
- AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
- PCIe 5.0
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9 11900KF
- PCIe 4.0
PCIe Lanes
- AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
- 24
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9 11900KF
- 20-17%
Launch MSRP
- AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
- $649
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9 11900KF
- $549
Retail Availability
- AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
- Boxed Retail
- Intel 11th Gen Intel Core i9 11900KF
- 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 11900KF 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 11900KF |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon | $649.00 View on Amazon | |
| Newegg | View on Newegg | |
| Consumercarts listing | $549.00 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.