AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D vs. Intel Core Ultra 9 285K: Which CPU is better for your PC?

AMD launched the Ryzen 7 9800X3D as the first Zen 5 gaming CPU and the most powerful chip in its arsenal for playing games. Designed to replace the outgoing Ryzen 7 7800X3D, this mighty process utterly decimated almost every other processor in most game tests, including the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K. The Core Ultra 285K is the flagship Arrow Lake CPU with an impressive core count, an all-new process, and architectural changes to pull considerably less power than Intels’ 14th-gen family of CPUs. It’s the better buy for everything not game-related, so which is best for your PC?

Architecture

Zen 5 vs. Arrow Lake

Source: AMD

AMD and Intel design their processors differently. With Zen 5, AMD kept the traditional CPU design with chiplets and performance cores with multi-threading support. The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D has 8 physical cores with 16 threads. The X3D suffix of this processor means there’s the presence of AMD’s 3D V-Cache technology, which essentially has cache stacked on top of each other, providing the CPU with considerably more local memory for storing data and running calculations. This is important for gaming as the more cache you have on the CPU, the better the performance.

Related

Intel does things slightly differently, especially with its new Arrow Lake family of chips. The Intel Core Ultra 9 285K has a new name, new architecture, and manufacturing process. Instead of having the same cores across the package, Intel uses a big.LITTLE design with P-cores and E-cores. The former are the usual cores you’d find on any AMD or Intel CPU while the E-cores are designed to handle background tasks. It’s designed this way so the processor uses less power for less demanding tasks and allows the P-cores to remain focused on more resource-intensive tasks.

It hasn’t been a smooth transition for Intel with scheduling between cores for various workloads affecting overall performance. With the approach maturing over a few generations, performance has improved and Arrow Lake processors are among the fastest in the game. In our Intel Core Ultra 9 285K review, we found the CPU to beat just about any other consumer-grade chip in various tests and benchmarks. The high clock speeds, multiple P-cores and E-cores, and architectural advancements have enabled the company to squeeze as much performance out of this CPU as possible.

Related

Intel Core Ultra 9 285K review: Teething issues for the new tiles

Intel’s new Core Ultra 9 is here and it’s impressive but not at the things you want from an Intel CPU.

Specifications

Faster cores with lower power draws

The Intel Core Ultra 9 285K is the more powerful processor of the two with a total of 24 cores and threads. AMD’s Ryzen 7 9800X3D has just 8 cores and 16 threads. Intel’s flagship chip can also boost higher with a maximum burst speed of 5.7GHz on the P-cores and 5.5GHz on the E-cores. Previously, E-core boost speeds were notably lower yet they’re still higher than what AMD can manage with the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D. AMD’s chip can hit speeds of 5.2GHz under the right conditions on specific cores. Clock speeds are important for gaming, but AMD had to keep them in check for the 9800X3D.

This is due to the 3D V-Cache — the 9800X3D has a higher TDP and power draw than the Ryzen 7 9700X. Moving the cache above the CPU cores enabled AMD to push clock speeds higher than the previous-gen 7800X3D, but they’re still nowhere near what Intel can achieve. Both CPUs support PCIe 5.0 and DDR5 and have integrated graphics for video output without a discrete GPU. To illustrate just how much more cache the Ryzen 7 9800X3D has, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K has 76MB total, shadowed by the massive 104MB on the AMD chip.

• 	AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D	Intel Core Ultra 9 285K
  Socket	AM5	FCLGA1851
  Cores	8	8P / 16E
  Threads	16	24
  Base Clock Speed	4.7 GHz	3.7 GHz / 3.2 GHz
  Boost Clock Speed	5.2 GHz	5.7 GHz / 5.5 GHz
  PCIe	5.0	5.0
  Cache	104 MB	36MB L3 + 40MB L2
  RAM support	DDR5-5600	DDR5-6400
  Graphics	AMD Radeon Graphics	Intel Graphics
  Architecture	Zen 5	Arrow Lake
  Process	TSMC 4nm, 6nm	TSMC N3B
  TDP	120W	125 W
  Power Draw	~150W	~250 W

Performance

Epic productivity and gaming experiences

Looking at some benchmark data we published in our two CPU reviews, it’s clear to see the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K win by a country mile in some cases for overall computing power. Having 24 cores and a maximum boost speed of 5.7GHz allows the CPU to power through any task thrown at it. It’s only when you get to gaming does the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D pulls ahead. No matter whether it’s paired with a budget-friendly GPU or one of the flagships from AMD or Intel, you’ll notice a considerable jump in frame rates compared to almost every other CPU.

When it comes to efficiency, the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D is the clear winner. We saw the AMD chip pull no more than 148W from the AM5 socket whereas the Ultra 9 285K hit 260W, almost double that of the gaming CPU with 3D V-Cache. The flagship Intel CPU certainly offers more performance with this higher draw, but if you’re all about efficiency, getting as much from your CPU as possible, and keeping power draws low, AMD is the way to go this generation.

Related

Best CPUs in 2024

Trying to build your next PC for gaming or work? Here are the best CPUs you can buy for a new machine or if you’re looking for an upgrade.

Ryzen 7 9800X3D vs. Core Ultra 9 285K: Which CPU should you buy?

If you’re building a gaming PC, there’s no better choice than the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D. It’s the best gaming CPU you can buy for any amount of money, besting even the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K. At the time of writing, Intel has stated a fix is on the way for Core Ultra CPUs to make them perform better in-game, but even then it’s not going to matter as the Ryzen 7 9800X3D is designed specifically for playing PC games and AMD is known to improve CPU or GPU performance as a platform matures. The 9800X3D is brand new and has plenty of room to grow. It’s also fully unlocked for tinkering at a lower TDP.

For everything else, I’m talking creative software and heavy productivity suites, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K is the better buy. It’s more expensive and will use more power but this comes with far greater computing power, enabling you to get more done within the working day. Intel did well to reign in power draw for Arrow Lake but there’s still some way to go and the company could improve its designs further to fully utilize every watt. It’s a monster in benchmarks and is the leader of the pack when it comes to performance.

Best CPU for gaming

AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D is the first 9000 series CPU from AMD with its 3D V-Cache technology, offering plenty of cache for storing data on the chip rather than slower RAM. It’s an ideal pick for a high-end gaming PC with the latest and greatest from AMD, Intel, and Nvidia.

For everything else

Intel Core Ultra 9 285K

One of Intel’s more powerful Arrow Lake processors, the Core Ultra 9 285K has 24 cores and threads, DDR5 RAM support, lower power draw than previous generation chips, and impressive specs to keep up with AMD Ryzen.