Intel Core i7-14700 vs AMD Ryzen 7 7700: Which is the better gaming CPU in 2024?

The Intel Core i7-14700 and Ryzen 7 7700 are power-efficient and budget alternatives to the higher-end 14700K and 7700X CPUs. They bring competitive performance while making the processors sane enough for gaming systems. Both chips feature a similar core count as their more powerful counterparts but incorporate lower specs elsewhere.

Choosing between the Intel Core i7 and the Ryzen 7 can be a bit difficult. Both chips share a ton in common. To help you get the best processor for your gaming system, we will compare everything these CPUs have to offer.

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Both the Intel Core i7-14700 and Ryzen 7 7700 are superb gaming CPUs

The AMD Ryzen 7 7700 is capable enough for gaming (Image via Sportskeeda)

The Intel Core i7-14700 and Ryzen 7 7700 are based on fundamentally different architectures. Hence, a head-to-head specs comparison between them isn't fully accurate. Let's still have a look at what hardware these chips pack to get a comprehensive idea of what they bring to the table.

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Specs comparison

The Intel Core i7-14700 packs an eye-watering 20 cores. Twelve of these are low-power efficient 'E'-rated while the remaining eight are high-performance 'P' cores. The Ryzen 7 chip packs a similar eight-core pattern as previous processors in the lineup. All of these are high-performance cores since the chip doesn't rely on a hybrid architecture.

Besides this, the chips also differ in the total amount of cache they bundle. The Ryzen CPU has a lead with 40 MB of total (L2+L3) cache against the 14700's 33MB of Intel Smart Cache.

The other differences between the processors are summarized in the specs comparison table below.

	Intel Core i7-14700	AMD Ryzen 7 7700
Processor family	Raptor Lake Refresh	Ryzen 7000
Lithography	Intel 7 (10 nm)	Zen 4 (5 nm)
Core count	20 (8P+12E)	8
Thread count	28	16
Total cache (L2+L3)	33 MB Intel Smart Cache	40 MB
Max. turbo frequency	5.4 GHz	up to 5.3 GHz
RAM support	Up to DDR5 5600 MT/s, Up to DDR4 3200 MT/s	Up to DDR5 5200 MT/s
iGPU	Intel UHD 770	RDNA 3-based 2-core iGPU
Power draw	65W (219W turbo power)	65W
Price	$400	$306

Both processors are rated at 65W, however, the Intel chip goes well past that number while delivering peak performance. You will need a hefty cooler with either chip. A dual-tower air cooler will work for either but a 240 mm liquid AIO is recommended.

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Performance comparison

Packaging of the Core i7-14700 chip (Image via Newegg)

Intel has taken the lead in terms of performance for a couple of generations now. Following this trend, the 14700K delivers better performance metrics than the Ryzen 7 chip. However, the two processors aren't very far apart in single-core computing prowess which matters more in gaming.

The extra core count of the i7-14700 helps it score more in multi-core benchmarks. This makes it the better option for workstations. Thus, if you primarily want to do CPU-intensive tasks like rendering and 3D modeling, the Intel processor is the go-to CPU.

Below is a list of the benchmark scores of the CPUs in some of the most popular testing software like Cinebench R23 and Geekbench 6. The scores have been sourced from the scores aggregator website Nanoreview.

	Intel Core i7-14700	AMD Ryzen 7 7700
Cinebench R23 single-core	2,117	1,915
Cinebench R23 multi-core	32,774	18,700
Geekbench 6 single-core	2,865	3,087
Geekbench 6 multi-core	16,750	16,162

The Ryzen 7 7700 is the better processor for gamers. The chip is quite capable and costs $100 less than the Core i7-14700, which gives you a bit more cash to splurge on a GPU. However, if you are building a professional workstation and budget isn't a concern, opt for the more powerful i7 chip any day.

Check out Sportskeeda's other CPU comparisons:

Intel Core i9-14900K vs Ryzen 9 7900X || Intel Core i5-14600K vs Ryzen 5 7600X || Intel Core i9-14900K vs Ryzen 9 7950X || Intel Core i7-14700K vs AMD Ryzen 9 7900X