AMD Ryzen 7 3700X vs Intel Core i7-9700K – Which Should You Choose?

Today, we are pretty excited for you because we will bring to you two awesome models from AMD & Intel. If you are familiar with the processor segment, then you would know that they are two major players in the market, AMD & Intel.

While Intel had the headset a decade ago, AMD seems to have narrowed down that gap by producing sublime products for the market. They proved to Intel that they were not here to have fun.

For several years now, they have been tossing around with each other vying for the top spot in each of their processor series. In this review, we are going to be reviewing about the AMD Ryzen 7 3700X vs Intel Core i7-9700K processors.

They both come with incredible features & specifications in them and have the ability to beat anything that is put in front of them. So, how do you find out which among them is the best? The only way is to put them to the test and know the results.

That is exactly what we are going to do in this post. For now, though, AMD holds the slight lead in the market share because of its phenomenal CPUs, aggressive pricing, and spectacular features.

Before we begin the post, please do note that they are top-end models, and you will have to pay for the features. In this sense, they are priced above $350 each. Of course, you can get them cheaper if you look around well.

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X processor was released in the market in July for close to $350. It is part of the Ryzen 7 series products. It comes with exceptional features like the fourth-generation PCI Express interface support.

You can note the Zen 2 microarchitecture from AMD. The model also comes with an impressive 65W TDP. When you want to design a decent PC from the start, this model can provide you with what you want.

The Intel Core i7-9700K processor is another excellent model that was released into the market by Intel. It is fair to say that Intel has seriously taken AMD’s threat to the market. The last two years have seen them produce some incredible products to attack AMD’s sublime models.

A good thing here is that the Intel 10th generation processors are less in numbers in the market, allowing newer models to linger for some time. So, users seem to be content with the Core i7 models themselves.

The Core i7 is a powerful gaming processor coming in with 8-cores and 8 threads. You got the Coffee Lake production in it, too, with a max boost clock of 4.9GHz. It does what it is supposed to do, deliver you with extraordinaire frames per second.

Through this post, we will review their design & features, setup & performance. Moreover, we will also have a look at their price, and the pros & cons. This will help you decide which processor is the perfect choice for you.

We have mentioned the winner at the end of the review.

AMD Ryzen 7 3700X	Intel Core i7-9700K
PROS	PROS
The model offers support for PCI Express 4.0. The unit is multithreaded, with 8 cores and 16 threads. It has a 65W of only the TDP. It comes with simple overclocking tools. The product has a good in-box cooler.	The design of the model is opulent. The model comes with powerful thermals. It comes with a Coffee Lake architecture. It provides you with exceptional performance. The product has a built-in UHD Graphics 360 card.
CONS	CONS
The processor’s single-core performance can be behind other models.	The processor has no hyper-threading.
CHECK ON AMAZON	CHECK ON AMAZON

Specifications Comparison

Specifications	AMD Ryzen 7 3700X	Intel Core i7-9700K
Brand	AMD	Intel
Processors Type	Desktop	Desktop
Series	Ryzen 7 3rd Gen	Core i7 9th Gen
CPU Socket Type	Socket AM4	LGA 1151 (300 Series)
Core Name	Matisse (Zen 2)	Coffee Lake
of Cores	8-Core	8-Core
of Threads	16	8
Operating Frequency	3.6 GHz	3.6 GHz
Max Turbo Frequency	4.4 GHz	4.9 GHz
L1 Cache	512KB
L2 Cache	4MB
L3 Cache	32MB	12MB
Manufacturing Tech	7nm	14nm
64-Bit Support	Yes	Yes
Memory Types	DDR4 3200	DDR4 2666
Memory Channel	2	2
Virtualization Technology Support	Yes	Yes
PCI Express Revision	4.0	3.0
Max Number of PCI Express Lanes	16	16
Thermal Design Power	65W	95W
Cooling Device	Wraith Prism with RGB LED	Cooling device not included – Processor Only
Windows 11	Supported	Supported

AMD Ryzen 7 3700X vs Intel Core i7-9700K: Design & Features

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X model comes with an opulent design & features. It also has 8-cores and 16 threads that were present in the earlier model. Since it comes made from the Zen 2 platform, they come with an enormous L3 cache.

It can provide adequate support for the faster PCI Express (PCIe) Gen 4 interface. The presence of the PCIe 4.0 feature in your model means it is able to give better compliance to the storage drive and bandwidth for the graphic cards.

Besides, it has a massive 36MB of L3 cache. This is an improvement from the 16MB that was present on the Ryzen 7 2700X unit. It provides you with the ability to play top-end games effortlessly.

It can be ideally rivaled to the new Intel Core i7-9700K model. Though it comes with 8-cores, the 9th generation desktop processor does not come with the multithreading feature. That means it can work with one instruction thread per core.

We also found the cache smaller, at 12MB. The Intel model is also somewhat expensive compared to the AMD unit here. This is an undoing factor for Intel models. Though their models are slightly better now, the pricing seems always to favor AMD.

We hope that Intel is taking note of it. AMD has also made some rectifications that were needed in their earlier model. The features were somewhat lesser. As you read, the architecture has been enhanced in this model, and so has the gaming performance.

The Intel Core i7 9700K model has a good design & features. It came along with the Intel Core i9 9900K. We did not understand the reason for the release by the maker because it has put two of its best models out in the open at the same time.

It has 8-cores and 8 threads, making it somewhat mid-range to its other models. The number of threads is way fewer. It also has a base clock of 3.6GHz that provides some of the processor cores up to 4.9GHz.

The unit cannot go more than its maximum 4.7GHz boost clock. The last few generations have seen the maker make use of the Thermal Interface Material for transferring the heat between the processor and the IHS.

It has given hotter CPUs that many users might not be pleased with. That is because, when you are designing a gaming PC, it is bound to get hot. Since they flipped with the hyper-threading, it does not have 8-cores and 16 threads like the Core i9 9900K.

When it comes to overclocking, gamers might be happy with the Core i7 model. That is because you can get stability from it. This is even when you are gaming at higher frequencies. Moreover, the unit also comes with a built-in UHD Graphics 360 card.

It is a bonus for any gamer. But the Ryzen model comes with an integrated cooling system that can prevent damage due to the heat. The unit makes a bargain for you when you see how they are differently priced from each other.

You can effortlessly note the intensity in performance and the quality of the processor. The AMD model was not able to keep the FPS rates as offered by the Intel processor. You may notice that the performance gap was slightly minimal in most games.

AMD Ryzen 7 3700X vs Intel Core i7-9700K: Setup & Performance

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X processor has a sublime setup & performance. It can work on most of the previous AM4 socket motherboards. That is a good thing. Now, you must get yourself the top-notch X570 motherboard.

Several of the AM4-compatible X470 and X370 motherboards can work on them. When you have the required board, a BIOS upgrade can be needed. You won’t need to get a separate CPU cooler.

It has a Wraith Prism cooling fan that also has its own RGB lighting. This feature would come in handy for those of you who love to use RGB lighting. The stock cooler is perfectly capable of offering you with a stunning headroom for overclocking.

The Ryzen, 7 series models have provided to be a good choice for gamers and regular users alike. They provide you with exceptional features and can push beyond their capabilities. They are more than the above-average bundled cooling fans.

We can say that if they continue this form, then they are going to be difficult to beat. Moreover, it has AM4 backward compatibility that it can’t fully leverage for itself. In that situation, you can make use of the X570 motherboard.

Unfortunately, support for the X570 platform for PCI Express 4.0 is not on the Intel model at the moment. This might work against the Ryzen model because it helps the Intel models do well in the single-threaded performance.

The overclocking is one area that the AMD models seem to excel at. The maker has also put in some hard work to ensure that the models perform well in the Precision Boost Overdrive. This helps in automatically boosting the temperature and decreasing the power consumption.

You can see that the VRM determines the core frequency limit. However, you can activate the PBO in the Ryzen Master settings app. The need to use the BIOS is not there. However, with overclocking, it comes with a 3-year warranty.

The Intel Core i7-9700K processor comes with a top-notch setup & performance to it. As of now, Intel has gotten rid of hyperthreading, which we have mentioned several times in this post now.

But you will be glad to know that the unit can easily beat the 8700K model because of the higher Thermal Design Power and boosted single-thread performance. In the gaming performance, you can note the Core 9700K model was able to score 125 frames per second.

Likewise, the Core 8700K was able to score 121 only. It may not be a huge difference, but something worth knowing. But it is surprising to know that in a game like the Shadow of War test, the AMD model was able to score 117.

It is a good performance, and you may not think poorly about it when it is able to get 120 fps. You can choose the AMD model when you are into content creation. Likewise, we saw that in the Cinebench multithreaded test, it could move ahead at 1463 points.

So, can the Ryzen 7 3700X unit beat the newer Core i7 9700K model? The answer to that is a no. But choosing a better model between both is quite a touch because of the similar performance ability.

AMD is going high on this one featuring a new architecture offering you outstanding component support. There is also a noticeable difference in gaming performance. Since the model is backward-compatible, it helps you decide on the features that you would require.

The Ryzen 7 5800X model can be an excellent option for the Core i7 9700K. From the looks of it, the model can also beat the current Intel 10th generation. They might be slightly higher in the price, coming at $450.

AMD Ryzen 7 3700X vs Intel Core i7-9700K: Price

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X desktop processor is priced under $330. When you want, you can also get the AMD Ryzen 7 2700X, which is priced under $330. However, now it is a previous generation processor, and they might have reduced the price further.

The Intel Core i7-9700K is priced under $375. This is slightly higher than what the Ryzen 7 3700K is priced, and its Intel Core i7-8700K is priced at $360. The top-end Coffee Lake processor provides you with exceptional features.

The same can be said about the AMD model, too, which has released one of its powerful models in the form of the Ryzen 7 3700X. The good news is that in some countries, the Intel Core i7 9700K processor is being sold for under $300.

We are not sure about the same price in America. Of course, you can increase that price by another $50 and have a new, unique, and elegant Intel Core i7 10700K model. It depends on if you are going to use those threads.

AMD Ryzen 7 3700X vs Intel Core i7-9700K: Verdict

There you go. We have come to the conclusion of the comparison between the AMD Ryzen 7 3700X processor vs Intel Core i7-9700K processor. We hope you liked what you read in the post and can make your decision.

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X model is a fantastic unit that comes infused with incredible features. The model is ideal for PC gaming designers to make use of the Ryzen model. You can push ahead of the Ryzen 3 to the Ryzen 5 series.

This might not be required when you already own the AMD Ryzen 7 2700X unit because the features and powers are almost the same. You may notice a minor difference in the overall performance of the chip.

It is a nicely quoted 8-core CPU that provides you with low power consumption—moreover, coming in between its own Threadripper and the Intel Core i5 series models. The Intel Core i7-9700K model is also a good unit for gaming PC designers.

Yes, it does not come with hyper-threading; that is something out of the ordinary for Core i7. However, the phenomenal single-core performance makes it an ideal option for gamers as well. It is always good to have more threads on your chipset.

However, users have pointed out that they can effortlessly work on the Blender, Photoshop, and After Effects on the unit. Of course, this also depends on the speed and RAM of your PC. It is a behemoth of a processor.

Though in gaming, you may find the AMD retorting back in another year or two with a powerful model, this model can last you for several years. Unless you are a content designer, you may choose the Intel Core i9-9900K model.

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X desktop processor could be the better unit because it has a higher RAM speed, more CPU threads, and a smaller semiconductor size. The unit also comes with a bigger L2 cache, higher PassMark result, and a lower TDP.

You would want to beware that it has a bigger L3 cache & a newer version of PCI Express (PCIe). The Intel Core i7-9700K desktop processor might be an elegant choice because it comes with a higher turbo clock speed, higher maximum operating temperature, and higher PassMark result.

Besides, it also has integrated graphics. Our winner in this comparison review between the AMD Ryzen 7 3700X vs Intel Core i7-9700K is the Ryzen 7 3700K unit. The 8-core processors are fantastic choices, but the Core i7 would be the best option for gaming. For others, you may want to consider the Ryzen 7 3700K model, which is the better unit.