AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D vs Intel Core i5-14490F Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data shows a decisive overall victory for the AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D, which wins 13 of the 15 shared benchmark comparisons. The most striking result is in the PassMark find prime numbers test, where the AMD part scores 435 versus 122 for the Intel Core i5-14490F, a delta of 256.6%. This is the largest single margin in the entire comparison and points to a massive advantage in workloads that stress integer-heavy, branch-dependent math.

The AMD chip also dominates the PassMark physics test, scoring 4171 against 2093, a 99.3% advantage. That near-doubling of performance suggests the Ryzen 7 9850X3D is far better suited to simulation and physics-based computation than the Intel part. In extended instructions, the AMD part scores 39272 versus 21731, a delta of 80.7%, indicating a strong lead in vectorized and AVX-style workloads.

The multi-threaded PassMark score tells a similar story. AMD records 41318, while Intel manages 28662, a 44.2% gap. The integer math test also favors AMD heavily: 123140 versus 87844, a 40.2% delta. Data compression shows AMD at 474501 versus 340026, a 39.5% advantage, and random string sorting follows with 49764 versus 35608, a 39.8% delta. The data encryption test is also clearly in AMD’s favor: 22856 versus 18225, a 25.4% lead. Floating point math is less lopsided but still favors AMD: 81998 versus 66558, a 23.2% delta.

Single-thread performance in PassMark is also an AMD win, with a score of 4704 versus 3873, a 21.5% delta. That result is notable because the Intel chip has a higher Cinebench R23 single-core score, which complicates the picture. The Cinebench R15 single-core test favors AMD by a narrower 4.9% margin (343 versus 327), but the R23 single-core test is a clear Intel victory: 3247 versus 2228, a delta of -31.4% in Intel’s favor. That is the largest Intel win in any test.

The Cinebench R23 multi-core test is the other Intel win, and it is a narrow one: 23000 versus 22807, a delta of -0.8%. This is the only multi-threaded test where Intel comes out ahead, and the margin is small enough to be within run-to-run variance. The Cinebench R15 multi-core test, by contrast, is a big AMD win: 3551 versus 2318, a 53.2% delta.

Looking at the average benchmark score, the AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D sits at 58386, which places it in the 92nd percentile of all CPUs in the database. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M at 58323 (0.1% behind), the Intel Xeon w5-2545 at 58504 (0.2% ahead), the Intel Core i9-14900 at 58115 (0.5% behind), and the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 470 at 58826 (0.7% ahead). The Intel Core i5-14490F, meanwhile, averages 38149, placing it in the 86th percentile. Its nearest rivals are the Intel Core Ultra 5 245T at 38194 (0.1% ahead), the Intel Core i5-13600KF at 38103 (0.1% behind), the AMD Ryzen 7 250 at 38221 (0.2% ahead), and the Intel Core i5-13600HX at 38261 (0.3% ahead).

The gap between the two chips in average score is substantial: AMD’s 58386 is roughly 53% higher than Intel’s 38149. That is a large enough difference to place them in entirely different performance tiers, despite both being desktop processors with 16 threads.

FAQ

Q: Which CPU wins more benchmark comparisons?

A: The AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D wins 13 of 15 head-to-head tests. The Intel Core i5-14490F wins only 2: Cinebench R23 single-core and Cinebench R23 multi-core.

Q: How large is the AMD advantage in the PassMark physics test?

A: AMD scores 4171 versus Intel’s 2093, a delta of 99.3%. This is the second-largest margin in the comparison.

Q: Where does the Intel chip beat AMD by the biggest margin?

A: In Cinebench R23 single-core, Intel scores 3247 versus AMD’s 2228, a delta of -31.4% in Intel’s favor. This is the only test where Intel leads by more than 1%.

Q: What is the closest benchmark result between the two?

A: The Cinebench R23 multi-core test is the closest, with Intel at 23000 and AMD at 22807, a delta of -0.8%. Intel wins by only 193 points.

Q: How do the two CPUs rank against all other CPUs in the database?

A: The AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D is in the 92nd percentile, and the Intel Core i5-14490F is in the 86th percentile. Their average benchmark scores are 58386 and 38149, respectively.

Q: Which processor has the higher single-thread PassMark score?

A: The AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D scores 4704, while the Intel Core i5-14490F scores 3873. AMD leads by 21.5% in this test.

The Verdict

The benchmark results indicate that the AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D is the stronger performer in the vast majority of measured workloads. Its wins in PassMark multi-thread, integer math, extended instructions, physics, and data compression are all substantial, with deltas ranging from 23.2% to 256.6%. The only meaningful Intel victories are in Cinebench R23, where the Intel part wins single-core by 31.4% and multi-core by a razor-thin 0.8%. For users who prioritize Cinebench R23 scores, the Intel Core i5-14490F holds a clear edge in single-threaded rendering, but that advantage does not carry over to other single-thread tests.

The AMD chip’s average benchmark score of 58386 places it near the Intel Core i9-14900 and Xeon-class processors, while the Intel i5-14490F sits closer to the Core i5-13600KF and Core Ultra 5 245T. That positioning suggests the AMD part is in a higher performance class altogether. For workloads that rely on encryption, compression, physics, or vector math, the data strongly favors the AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D. The Intel part’s best case is limited to Cinebench R23, where its single-core result is genuinely impressive, but that does not translate into broader benchmark dominance.

The 92nd versus 86th percentile placement also reflects the overall gap. The AMD chip is not merely faster in raw multi-thread throughput; it also leads in several single-thread metrics in PassMark. The only consistent Intel advantage is in the Cinebench R23 suite, which is a popular but not exhaustive measure of CPU performance. Buyers focused on Cinebench R23 will find the Intel chip competitive, but the recorded data shows AMD winning nearly every other test by double-digit margins.

Specification Differences

The two processors differ in nearly every core specification. The AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D has 8 cores and 16 threads, while the Intel Core i5-14490F has 10 cores and 16 threads. The AMD base clock is 4.70 GHz, and its boost clock is 5.60 GHz. The Intel base clock is 2.50 GHz, and its boost clock is 5.00 GHz. The AMD chip has a TDP of 120 watts, while the Intel chip has a TDP of 65 watts.

The AMD processor uses the AMD Socket AM5, and the Intel processor uses the Intel Socket 1700. The AMD part supports DDR5 memory exclusively, while the Intel part supports both DDR4 and DDR5. The AMD memory bandwidth is listed at 89.6 GB/s, while the Intel memory bandwidth is not recorded in the database. The AMD chip supports ECC memory, and the Intel chip does not.

PCIe connectivity also differs: the AMD part provides Gen 5 with 24 lanes (CPU only), and the Intel part provides Gen 5 with 16 lanes (CPU only). The AMD chip includes integrated Radeon Graphics, while the Intel chip has no integrated graphics. The AMD chip has an unlocked multiplier, and the Intel chip does not.

The AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D has a launch MSRP of $499. The Intel Core i5-14490F has no recorded launch MSRP. The AMD part was released on 2026-01-28, and the Intel part was released on 2023-12-31. The AMD part number is 100-000001973, and the Intel part number is SRN35.

Architecture Differences

The AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D is built on the Zen 5 architecture with the Granite Ridge codename, and it belongs to the 9000 series. The Intel Core i5-14490F uses the Raptor Lake architecture with the Raptor Lake-R codename, part of the Core 14th Gen series. The AMD chip is manufactured on a 4 nm process by TSMC, while the Intel chip is manufactured on a 10 nm process by Intel.

The AMD chip has 8,315 million transistors on a 70.6 mm² die. The Intel chip has no transistor count recorded in the database, but its die size is 215 mm². The L1 cache is identical at 80 KB per core for both. The L2 cache differs: the AMD part has 1 MB per core, and the Intel part has 1.25 MB per core. The L3 cache is a major difference: the AMD chip has 96 MB shared, while the Intel chip has 24 MB shared.

The AMD processor is a Zen 5 (Granite Ridge) generation part, and the Intel processor is a Raptor Lake Refresh generation part. The AMD foundry is TSMC, and the Intel foundry is Intel. The AMD chip supports ECC memory, which the Intel chip does not, and the AMD part has integrated graphics, which the Intel part lacks. The AMD chip’s 96 MB L3 cache is four times the size of the Intel chip’s 24 MB, which likely contributes to its strong performance in cache-sensitive workloads like the PassMark physics and extended instructions tests. The Intel chip’s higher core count (10 versus 8) does not translate into a multi-thread advantage in the recorded benchmarks, except for the narrow Cinebench R23 multi-core win.