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The Ryzen 7 7800X3D and Intel Core i5-14600K are two fantastic CPUs placed in the mid to premium category. The former is AMD's latest and best processor for gaming, while the latter is Intel's top mid-tier chip, featuring high clock speeds to deliver a better gaming performance. With that being said, can Intel's CPU beat AMD's best? Which is the best processor for gaming?
This article provides a detailed comparison of the Ryzen 7 7800X3D and Intel Core i5-14600K.
Note: Some aspects of this article are subjective and solely reflect the writer's opinions.
AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D vs Intel Core i5-14600K
The Ryzen 7 7800X3D was launched in January 2023 and was one of the top gaming processors. The Intel Core i5-14600K was launched later in October 2023 and brought higher clock speeds and better performance than its predecessor.
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Let's start with the specs of the two CPUs to get a basic idea of what they are capable of.
Specs comparison
Here are the specs of the AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D and Intel Core i5-14600K:
The Intel CPU features a higher core count and clock speed than the AMD processor. However, the AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D has a significantly larger L3 cache size. While clock speed and cache size can affect gaming performance, the latter typically has the highest impact.
Synthetic performance difference
Let's see what the Ryzen 7 7800X3D and Intel Core i5-14600K processors are truly capable of. Here's how the two CPUs perform in popular benchmarks like Cinebench, Geekbench, and Passmark:
In single-core benchmarks, the Intel Core i5-14600K is around 12.6% faster on average than the Ryzen 7 7800X3D. In multi-core benchmarks, the former CPU scored 20.8% higher on average than the latter.
This performance result was expected since the Intel processor has a much higher core count and clock speed. However, it doesn't always translate into gaming performance.
Gaming performance benchmarks
We will assess the gaming performance of the Ryzen 7 7800X3D and Intel Core i5-14600K CPUs. The FPS data here has been sourced from Testing Games' YouTube channel.
Note: The test was run at 1080p resolution at the highest settings with the RTX 4090 GPU to stress the CPU.
Here's how the two processors perform in modern games:
The AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D was consistently faster in every game benchmark on this list. On average, it is 9% faster than the Intel Core i5-14600K. However, the difference was as much as 25% in Microsoft Flight Simulator, which is generally a CPU-bound game.
Pricing comparison
The Ryzen 7 7800X3D currently costs $353, which is 18% higher than the Intel Core i5-14600K ($299).
Intel’s ongoing stability concerns
There are some user reports of instability issues on the 13th and 14th-gen Intel CPUs. Intel announced that it is actively investigating those reports and is preparing a microcode update to prevent it from appearing in processors that are not yet affected. The microcode update will be released in mid-August. Some motherboard vendors are delivering the update already, and others should follow suit.
However, the company hasn’t mentioned anything about processors that are already affected and whether a recall will be initiated for them. Also, users should hold off buying Intel chips until the microcode update is fully delivered. Once it’s globally available, new users can safely purchase them, knowing there is an update that will keep their CPUs free from such issues.
The 13th and 14th-gen processors are still a great option for any system, even in 2024. Besides, Intel is extending the warranties of 13th and 14th-gen CPUs by two years.
Final verdict of AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D vs Intel Core i5-14600K
The Ryzen 7 7800X3D is the better CPU for gaming. It is around 9% faster on average than the Intel Core i5-14600K when playing various games. However, the Intel processor is cheaper and has a 20% higher score in productivity benchmarks.
If gaming is the only thing you plan to do, opt for the AMD Ryzen CPU. However, if you plan on recording or streaming content while gaming, you may want to get the Intel processor, which is also cheaper. However, due to Intel’s stability concerns, you should hold off buying Intel processors until all motherboard vendors fully deploy the microcode update.
