AMD Ryzen 9 9900X vs Intel Core Ultra X7 368H Comparison

FAQ

Q: Which processor has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X records an average benchmark score of 57498, placing it in the 92nd percentile of all CPUs. The Intel Core Ultra X7 368H averages 40518, which lands in the 87th percentile.

Q: How do the two compare in multi-threaded rendering?

A: In Cinebench R23 multi-core, the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X scores 32172 versus 28221 for the Intel Core Ultra X7 368H, a 14% advantage. The gap widens in Cinebench R15 multi-core, where AMD leads 5008 to 2844, a 76.1% margin.

Q: Does the Intel chip win any benchmark categories?

A: Yes, the Intel Core Ultra X7 368H wins two head-to-head tests: Cinebench R15 single-core (401 vs 353, a 12% lead) and Cinebench R23 single-core (3984 vs 2253, a 43.4% lead).

Q: What is the transistor count difference?

A: The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X contains 16,630 million transistors on a 4 nm TSMC process. The Intel Core Ultra X7 368H has no transistor count listed in the database and uses a 3 nm Intel process node.

Q: Which processor supports ECC memory?

A: The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X supports ECC memory. The Intel Core Ultra X7 368H does not support ECC memory.

Q: How do the memory bandwidth figures compare?

A: The Intel Core Ultra X7 368H supports LPDDR5X with a memory bandwidth of 153.6 GB/s. The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X supports DDR5 with 89.6 GB/s bandwidth, both dual-channel.

Architecture Differences

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X and Intel Core Ultra X7 368H represent fundamentally different design philosophies. AMD uses the Zen 5 architecture on the Granite Ridge die, built on a 4 nm TSMC process with 16,630 million transistors spread across two 70.6 mm² chiplets. Intel counters with the Panther Lake architecture on a 3 nm Intel process, though the database lists no transistor count or die size for the mobile chip.

Core configurations diverge sharply. The AMD part offers 12 cores and 24 threads, enabling simultaneous multithreading. The Intel part provides 16 cores but only 16 threads, meaning no hyperthreading. Despite having fewer physical cores, AMD's thread count is 24 versus Intel's 16, which explains the multi-threaded benchmark dominance.

Cache hierarchies also differ. AMD allocates 80 KB of L1 cache and 1 MB of L2 cache per core, with a shared 64 MB L3 pool. Intel uses 192 KB L1 and 2.5 MB L2 per core, but only 18 MB of shared L3. Intel's larger per-core L1/L2 improves single-thread latency, while AMD's massive L3 benefits heavily threaded workloads.

The platform targets diverge completely. AMD uses Socket AM5 with a 120 W TDP, Gen 5 PCIe with 24 lanes from the CPU, and integrated Radeon Graphics. Intel uses BGA 2540 with a 25 W TDP, Gen 5 PCIe but only 4 lanes, and an Arc B390 integrated GPU. AMD is a desktop part with an unlocked multiplier; Intel is a mobile part with a locked multiplier. AMD supports ECC memory; Intel does not. AMD's release date is August 2024; Intel's is January 2026.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X wins 13 of the 15 recorded head-to-head tests, often by large margins. The most extreme victory comes in Passmark data compression, where AMD scores 683579 against Intel's 312927, a 118.4% advantage. Extended instructions tell a similar story: AMD posts 55243 versus 25669, a 115.2% lead. Integer math sees AMD at 181056 against 88083, a 105.6% margin. Random string sorting shows AMD ahead 72013 to 38093, an 89% gap.

Multi-threaded workloads remain consistently AMD-favorable. Cinebench R15 multi-core shows AMD at 5008 versus 2844, a 76.1% lead. Passmark multithread confirms the pattern: 54643 for AMD versus 32956 for Intel, a 65.8% difference. Data encryption favors AMD by 32.5% (33421 vs 25228), and find prime numbers shows a 35.8% edge (436 vs 321). Physics tests put AMD ahead 18.3% (3381 vs 2857), floating point math favors AMD by 13.6% (120083 vs 105681), and Cinebench R23 multi-core gives AMD a 14% win (32172 vs 28221).

The Intel Core Ultra X7 368H secures both single-core wins. In Cinebench R23 single-core, Intel scores 3984 against AMD's 2253, a 43.4% margin. Cinebench R15 single-core shows Intel at 401 versus 353, a 12% lead. Notably, Passmark single-thread reverses this trend: AMD wins 4672 to 4005, a 16.7% margin. The database records both passmark_single_thread and passmark_singlethread with identical scores for each chip, confirming the result.

Nearest rival data contextualizes these scores. The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X sits within 1.4% of Intel Core i9-14900 (58115 average) and 1.1% behind Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M (58323). It trades nearly evenly with AMD EPYC 9015 (57555, delta -0.1%) and AMD EPYC 7313 (57399, delta 0.2%). The Intel Core Ultra X7 368H matches Intel Core 7 253PE (40557, delta -0.1%) and Intel Core 5 223PE (40585, delta -0.2%), while edging AMD Ryzen 9 7940H by 0.2% and Intel Xeon 6507P by 0.2%.

The Verdict

The data shows a clear split: the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X dominates throughput-intensive tasks, while the Intel Core Ultra X7 368H excels at lightly threaded single-core workloads. AMD's 13 wins versus Intel's 2 wins, combined with the 57498 versus 40518 average score gap, establishes AMD as the stronger overall processor.

For desktop users running multi-threaded applications, the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X is the data-backed choice. Its 12 cores with 24 threads, 64 MB L3 cache, and 120 W TDP deliver superior rendering, compression, encryption, and math performance. The 76.1% lead in Cinebench R15 multi-core and the 118.4% lead in data compression indicate substantial advantages in real-world parallel workloads.

The Intel Core Ultra X7 368H wins only in the two Cinebench single-core tests, but those wins are decisive: 43.4% in R23 single-core and 12% in R15 single-core. This makes it the better pick for applications that rely on a single thread and cannot parallelize. Its 25 W TDP and mobile BGA 2540 socket also point to laptop use cases where power efficiency matters more than raw throughput.

The Passmark single-thread result complicates Intel's single-core story. AMD wins that test by 16.7%, suggesting Intel's Cinebench single-core advantage may be workload-specific rather than universal. Users should match the benchmark to their actual application profile.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Ryzen 9 9900X | Intel Core Ultra X7 368H |

|---|---|---|

| Cores | 12 | 16 |

| Threads | 24 | 16 |

| Base clock | 4.40 GHz | 2.00 GHz |

| Boost clock | 5.60 GHz | 5.00 GHz |

| TDP | 120 W | 25 W |

| Socket | AMD Socket AM5 | Intel BGA 2540 |

| Process node | 4 nm | 3 nm |

| Foundry | TSMC | Intel |

| L1 cache | 80 KB (per core) | 192 KB (per core) |

| L2 cache | 1 MB (per core) | 2.5 MB (per core) |

| L3 cache | 64 MB | 18 MB (shared) |

| Memory support | DDR5 | LPDDR5X |

| Memory bandwidth | 89.6 GB/s | 153.6 GB/s |

| ECC memory | Yes | No |

| PCIe | Gen 5, 24 lanes (CPU) | Gen 5, 4 lanes (CPU) |

| Integrated graphics | Radeon Graphics | Arc B390 |

| Market segment | Desktop | Mobile |

| Multiplier unlocked | Yes | No |

| Launch MSRP | $499 | Not listed |

Where Each One Wins

AMD Ryzen 9 9900X wins in multi-threaded compute, data compression, encryption, and math-heavy workloads. The 118.4% lead in data compression and 115.2% lead in extended instructions make it the clear choice for archiving, code compilation, and scientific computing. The 105.6% integer math advantage suits financial modeling and cryptography. The 65.8% multithread lead and 14% Cinebench R23 multi-core win indicate strong rendering performance for video encoding and 3D animation. Its 92nd percentile ranking versus Intel's 87th percentile confirms overall superiority.

Intel Core Ultra X7 368H wins in standard single-core Cinebench tests and mobile deployment. The 43.4% Cinebench R23 single-core lead and 12% R15 single-core lead point to advantages in lightly threaded applications such as legacy software, certain database queries, and interactive workloads. The 25 W TDP, LPDDR5X support, and 153.6 GB/s memory bandwidth make it suitable for power-constrained laptops. The Arc B390 integrated graphics and 3 nm process suggest efficiency-focused designs, though the database does not provide graphics benchmarks to verify gaming performance.

Passmark single-thread belongs to AMD with a 16.7% margin (4672 vs 4005), so Intel's single-core wins do not extend across all single-threaded tests. Users prioritizing single-thread performance should verify their specific application against both benchmark suites rather than relying on one test. The AMD chip's unlocked multiplier also enables frequency tuning, while Intel's locked multiplier prevents overclocking.