AMD Ryzen 7 9700X vs Intel Core i9-14901E Comparison

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and the Intel Core i9-14901E are two 8-core, 16-thread desktop processors that land remarkably close in overall average benchmark scores. The Ryzen 7 9700X posts an average benchmark score of 37,943, while the Core i9-14901E trails by a negligible 0.1% with a score of 37,911. Both sit at the 86th percentile of all CPUs in the database. Despite this near-parity in aggregate performance, the head-to-head data reveals two very different performance profiles: the AMD chip dominates a wide range of workloads, while the Intel part scores decisive wins in a few specific areas.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most striking win for the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X comes in the PassMark extended instructions test, where it scores 35,318 against the Intel’s 17,249. That is a 104.8% advantage, meaning the AMD chip is more than twice as fast as the Intel part in this workload. This result suggests a substantial architectural advantage in SIMD or specialized instruction processing. The Ryzen 7 9700X also shows a 51.4% lead in data compression, scoring 437,140 versus 288,777. In multithreaded PassMark performance, the AMD part scores 37,161 against 30,298, a 22.7% margin. The Cinebench R15 multicore test tells a similar story, with the Ryzen 7 9700X scoring 3,178 versus 2,595, a 22.5% advantage.

Beyond these headline wins, the AMD processor takes several other workloads by smaller but consistent margins. In data encryption, it scores 21,815 against 18,571, a 17.5% lead. Random string sorting also favors the AMD chip, with a score of 46,782 versus 39,138, a 19.5% difference. Integer math performance goes to the Ryzen 7 9700X at 120,142 against 112,736, a 6.6% edge. Even in single-threaded PassMark testing, the AMD part leads at 4,654 versus 4,354, a 6.9% margin. The find prime numbers test is nearly a tie, with the AMD chip winning by just 1.6% (192 vs 189).

The Intel Core i9-14901E, however, has its own set of decisive victories. The largest is in Cinebench R23 single-core, where it scores 3,635 against the AMD’s 2,211. This is a 39.2% advantage, a massive gap that highlights the Intel part’s superior per-core performance in this rendering workload. The Cinebench R23 multicore test also goes to Intel, with a score of 25,753 versus 20,485, a 20.5% margin. Interestingly, the Cinebench R15 single-core result is close, with Intel winning by 5.5% (366 vs 346). The Intel chip also takes PassMark physics, scoring 3,041 against 2,241, a 26.3% lead. Finally, in floating-point math, the Intel part wins narrowly at 81,089 versus 78,999, a 2.6% edge.

The overall win count is 10 for the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and 5 for the Intel Core i9-14901E. The pattern is clear: AMD takes the majority of workloads, often with large margins, while Intel wins heavily in specific Cinebench tests and the physics simulation. The data shows that the 0.1% difference in average scores is misleading, as the two processors have very different strengths.

FAQ

Q: Which processor has the higher single-core Cinebench R23 score?

A: The Intel Core i9-14901E is significantly ahead, scoring 3,635 versus the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X’s 2,211. This represents a 39.2% advantage for Intel in this specific test.

Q: How do the two processors compare in PassMark extended instructions?

A: The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X is more than twice as fast, scoring 35,318 against the Intel’s 17,249. This is a 104.8% difference, the largest single gap in the head-to-head results.

Q: Which chip has the higher boost clock?

A: The Intel Core i9-14901E has a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, while the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X tops out at 5.50 GHz. The AMD chip has a higher base clock at 3.80 GHz versus 2.80 GHz for the Intel part.

Q: Is there a significant difference in their average benchmark scores?

A: No, the overall average scores are nearly identical. The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X averages 37,943, and the Intel Core i9-14901E averages 37,911, a difference of just 0.1%. Both are at the 86th percentile of all CPUs.

Q: Which processor wins the PassMark multithread test?

A: The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X wins decisively, scoring 37,161 versus 30,298 for the Intel Core i9-14901E. This is a 22.7% margin in favor of AMD.

Q: Which processor has the higher power limit specification?

A: Both processors are listed with a TDP of 65. There is no difference in this specification between the two parts.

The Verdict

The data points to a straightforward choice based on workload priorities. For users whose primary applications are rendering or heavily threaded Cinebench-style workloads, the Intel Core i9-14901E is the stronger performer. Its 20.5% lead in Cinebench R23 multicore and 39.2% lead in R23 single-core are significant. The Intel part also shows a 26.3% advantage in the PassMark physics test, which may indicate better performance in certain simulation tasks.

For everything else, the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X is the superior choice. It wins 10 of the 15 head-to-head benchmarks, including massive margins in extended instructions and data compression. Its 22.7% lead in PassMark multithread is particularly notable, suggesting that for general-purpose parallel computing, the AMD chip is more efficient. The Ryzen 7 9700X also wins in single-threaded PassMark testing, the more common metric for everyday responsiveness, by 6.9%.

The decision should be driven by the specific software mix. If the workload involves heavy cryptography, compression, or specialized instruction sets, the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X is the clear winner, often by double-digit percentages. If the workload is dominated by Cinebench-based rendering or physics simulation, the Intel Core i9-14901E offers a significant advantage in those narrow areas. With average scores within 0.1% of each other, neither chip is a bad choice, but their performance profiles are distinct enough to matter for targeted use cases.

Specification Differences

The two processors differ in several key specifications. The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X has a base clock of 3.80 GHz, while the Intel Core i9-14901E has a base clock of 2.80 GHz. The boost clocks are closer, with the Intel part at 5.60 GHz and the AMD at 5.50 GHz. The AMD chip uses the AMD Socket AM5, while the Intel part uses the Intel Socket 1700. The Ryzen 7 9700X supports DDR5 memory only, whereas the Intel Core i9-14901E supports both DDR4 and DDR5. The memory bandwidth is listed at 89.6 GB/s for the AMD part, with no value given for the Intel chip. The PCIe configuration also differs: the AMD chip has Gen 5 with 24 lanes (CPU only), while the Intel chip has Gen 5 with 16 lanes (CPU only). The AMD processor has an unlocked multiplier, while the Intel processor does not. The integrated graphics differ as well, with the AMD using Radeon Graphics and the Intel using UHD Graphics 770. The release dates are also different: the AMD launched on 2024-08-07, and the Intel launched on 2024-06-30. The AMD chip has a launch MSRP of $359, while no launch MSRP is listed for the Intel part.

Architecture Differences

The architectural differences between these two chips are substantial. The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X is built on the Zen 5 architecture with the codename Granite Ridge, while the Intel Core i9-14901E uses the Raptor Lake architecture with the codename Raptor Lake-R. The process nodes are a major point of difference: AMD uses a 4 nm process from TSMC, whereas Intel uses a 10 nm process from its own foundry. The die sizes reflect this, with the AMD chip at 70.6 mm² and the Intel chip at 257 mm². The transistor count for the AMD chip is listed at 8,315 million, while no figure is given for the Intel part. Both have the same L1 cache at 80 KB per core, but the L2 cache differs: the AMD has 1 MB per core, while the Intel has 2 MB per core. The L3 cache is also different, with the AMD offering 32 MB shared and the Intel offering 36 MB shared. The AMD chip is a member of the 9000 series, while the Intel is part of the Core 14th Gen series. Both support ECC memory, but the AMD’s architecture is newer, being based on Zen 5 versus the Raptor Lake Refresh used in the Intel part.