Intel Core i9-13980HX vs AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX: Which is best for gaming?

In the realm of high-end laptop processors, the battle between the Intel Core i9-13980HX and the AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX is an interesting one. Both processors are seen in mid-range to high-end laptops, typically ones for gaming. These chips have immense potential, so when paired with the right graphics card, they tend to offer peak performance.

However, choosing between laptops featuring these processors can be quite confusing, especially because of the similarities in their gaming performance. In this article, we'll look into their specs, performance, and more to get a clear idea of what makes one better than the other.

Note: Some parts of this article are subjective and solely reflect the opinions of the writer

Intel Core i9-13980HX vs AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX: Specifications

The Intel Core i9 processor looks better on the spec sheet (Image via Intel)

The Intel Core i9-13980HX and the AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX are not very far apart in terms of performance but are quite different when it comes to the number of cores and clock speeds.

The Core i9-13980HX features more cores and has a higher boost clock speed. This means it can handle multi-threaded tasks much more efficiently. However, AMD's processor is also just as good and performs better in terms of gaming. Intel's chip has 24 cores, which gives it a slight edge in terms of computing and multitasking.

Features	Intel Core i9-13980HX	AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX
Architecture	Raptor Lake	Zen 4
Cores	24 (8 performance, 16 efficient)	16
Threads	32	32
Base Clock Speed	2.2 GHz	2.5 GHz
Boost Clock Speed	5.6 GHz	5.4 GHz
Cache	36 MB	64 MB
Thermal Design Power (TDP)	55 W	55 W

Overall, we see some very impressive numbers from both sides. The AMD offering also has a higher cache, which allows it to fetch memory faster.

Both chips have the same TDP and don't get very heated up during intense gaming sessions or taxing video renders.

Intel Core i9-13980HX vs AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX: Performance

The AMD Ryzen 9 performs better than the Core i9 processor (Image via AMD)

Both the Intel Core i9-13980HX and the AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX are excellent chipsets, as seen in the specifications above. Each card basically one-ups the other in certain fields, which makes them super competitive. We looked into the benchmarks, and the higher clock speed on the AMD offering really shows as it surpasses its Intel counterpart by quite a bit in terms of multi-core performance.

Benchmark	Intel Core i9-13980HX	AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX
Cinebench R23 single core	2102	1962
Cinebench R23 multi core	28891	34613
Geekbench 6 single core	2865	2908
Geekbench 6 multi core	16919	19418

The numbers above show that on-paper numbers aren't always that important. As you can see, even though AMD's processor has far fewer cores and a lower boost clock, it can perform better than Intel's chipset when it comes to multi-core performance. This means you'd be better off with the AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX for gaming and video editing purposes.

Gaming performance

The AMD Ryzen 9 is the better performer when it comes to gaming (Image via YouTube/@NotebookSPEC)

The AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX performed better in terms of multi-core performance, as we saw in the section above. Even on paper, the Ryzen 9 features the AMD Radeon 610M iGPU, which is better than the UHD graphics that is running on the Intel Core i9-13980HX.

The following framerates have been sourced from the Jarrod'sTech YouTube channel and have been tested on laptops featuring Nvidia's RTX 4090 graphics card. You'll see some premium performance even on the most demanding AAA titles.

Games (with RTX 4090 card)	Intel Core i9-13980HX	AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX
Cyberpunk 2077	88 fps	94 fps
Forza Horizon 5	136 fps	144 fps
Microsoft Flight Simulator	76 fps	66 fps
The Witcher 3 (with ray tracing)	62 fps	66 fps
Red Dead Redemption	106 fps	110 fps
Apex Legends	229 fps	236 fps

The Ryzen 9 7945HX is the better performer when it comes to gaming. As you can see, it puts up much better framerates. However, the numbers produced by the Intel processor aren't bad either; it's just that they aren't as high.

This means either processor will do as long as you have a powerful graphics card.

Intel Core i9-13980HX vs AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX: Which has greater value for money?

AMD Ryzen 9 laptops have greater value for money (Image via Asus, Amazon)

Laptops featuring either of these processors are priced similarly, so it makes for fair competition in this case.

Based on what we've seen in the tests above, we can say for sure that it would be wiser to go for a laptop featuring the AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX. The Intel Core i9-13980HX is decent but isn't as good as the AMD processor and falls behind when it comes to complex tasks and gaming.

Intel Core i9-13980HX vs AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX: Final Verdict

We've come to the conclusion that the AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX is the better processor for gaming and multitasking. It outperforms the Intel Core i9-13980HX in multiple fields, and even though the difference isn't that significant, it is still better on paper.

We feel you'd be better off with a laptop featuring the AMD Ryzen 9 and an RTX processor for optimal performance.

However, if you prefer Intel's processor, you could still go for it, but you will see lower framerates. Nevertheless, for daily computing and video editing, you'd still get good performance.

Check out similar articles by Sportskeeda:

Edited by Rachel Syiemlieh