AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX3D vs Intel Core i9-14900KS Comparison

The Intel Core i9-14900KS and AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX3D represent two radically different philosophies for high-end computing, yet their benchmark scores land them in the same percentile bracket. Both processors achieve a 98th percentile ranking among all CPUs, and their average benchmark scores are remarkably close: the Intel part posts an average of 89701, while the AMD chip trails slightly at 86437. This places the Intel chip 3.8% ahead of the AMD part in overall average score, according to the nearestRivals data. The head-to-head results, however, tell a more nuanced story: the AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX3D wins 11 of the 17 benchmark comparisons, while the Intel Core i9-14900KS takes 6. The scoreboard alone does not capture the nature of the victories, as the margins vary dramatically from single-digit percentage points to landslides.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX3D sweeps the Cinebench suite with a consistent, narrow edge. Across all six Cinebench tests — R15, R20, and R23, each in both multi-core and single-core variants — the AMD processor wins by exactly 1.9% in every instance. The R23 multi-core score of 52475 for AMD against 51470 for Intel shows a tight race, while the single-core R23 result of 7408 versus 7266 reinforces the pattern of a slim but uniform advantage. This consistency suggests architectural efficiency rather than workload-specific luck, as the AMD chip does not cede ground in any rendering scenario.

Intel’s counterattacks come in specific PassMark workloads, and they are decisive. The data encryption test shows the Intel Core i9-14900KS at 48201, which is a massive 25.1% ahead of AMD’s 38516. Floating-point math also favors Intel, with a score of 154565 versus 140559, a 10% lead. Data compression goes Intel’s way at 808722 against 762606, a 6% margin, and random string sorting shows Intel ahead by 10.7% with 90393 versus 81627. The single-thread PassMark result is Intel’s as well, at 4827 against 4492, a 7.5% advantage.

AMD’s most striking victory comes in the find prime numbers test, where it scores 521 against Intel’s 247. That is a 52.6% deficit for Intel, the largest margin in either direction across the entire benchmark set. Extended instructions also heavily favor AMD, with 60405 versus 45714, a 24.3% lead. The physics workload shows AMD ahead by 25.1% at 4653 versus 3485. Integer math goes to AMD by a narrow 2.3% margin (219084 versus 214056), and the PassMark multithread test shows AMD winning by 1.4% (61403 versus 60552). The data indicates that AMD dominates in raw compute and specialized instruction handling, while Intel excels in memory-heavy and single-threaded workloads.

Where Each One Wins

The use-case split is clear from the benchmark distribution. Intel’s Core i9-14900KS is the pick for workloads that involve heavy data movement and manipulation. Data compression and random string sorting are both memory-bandwidth-hungry tasks, and Intel’s 10.7% and 6% wins respectively indicate a strong memory subsystem. The 25.1% lead in data encryption points to robust AES and cryptographic instruction support, while the 10% floating-point win suggests strength in scientific and engineering calculations that rely on FPU throughput. The 7.5% single-thread PassMark advantage means Intel remains competitive for lightly threaded applications that demand peak per-core performance.

AMD’s Ryzen 9 9955HX3D is the better all-rounder for mixed and multi-threaded compute. The clean sweep of the Cinebench suite, even at just 1.9% per test, shows a processor that is consistently faster in rendering and content creation. The 52.6% blowout in prime number finding indicates exceptional integer iteration performance, likely from the large cache hierarchy. The 24.3% win in extended instructions and the 25.1% win in physics both point to a chip that excels in simulation, ray tracing, and other AVX-heavy workloads. For users running a diverse mix of benchmarks, AMD wins more often, but the margins in its losses are smaller than the margins in its wins, making the trade-offs more palatable.

Architecture Differences

The two processors are built on fundamentally different designs. Intel uses the Raptor Lake architecture on a 10 nm process manufactured by Intel, with a die size of 257 mm². AMD uses the Zen 5 architecture on a 4 nm process from TSMC, with a transistor count of 16,630 million spread across two 70.6 mm² dies. The Intel chip is a desktop part in the Core i9 generation, while AMD’s is a mobile part in the Ryzen 9 generation, codenamed Fire Range.

Core configurations diverge sharply. Intel packs 24 cores and 32 threads into its silicon, while AMD matches the 32 threads but uses only 16 cores. This means Intel relies on a mix of performance and efficiency cores to reach its thread count, whereas AMD uses fewer, more powerful full cores. The cache hierarchy tells a similar story: Intel carries 36 MB of shared L3 cache, while AMD’s L3 is a massive 128 MB shared pool. Per-core L2 cache is 2 MB on Intel versus 1 MB on AMD, but the L3 difference is the dominant factor.

Clock speeds also differ significantly. Intel’s base clock is 3.20 GHz with a boost of 6.20 GHz, while AMD’s base is 2.50 GHz with a boost of 5.40 GHz. The power envelope is stark: Intel is rated at 150 W TDP, while AMD is rated at just 55 W TDP. AMD’s memory bandwidth is explicitly listed as 89.6 GB/s, and it supports only DDR5, while Intel supports both DDR4 and DDR5. Both use dual-channel memory buses and support ECC memory. PCIe lanes favor AMD, with 28 Gen 5 lanes against Intel’s 16 Gen 5 lanes. Integrated graphics differ as well: Intel includes UHD Graphics 770, while AMD has Radeon 610M.

FAQ

Q: Which processor has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The Intel Core i9-14900KS has an average benchmark score of 89701, which is 3.8% higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX3D’s 86437.

Q: How many benchmark wins does each processor claim?

A: The AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX3D wins 11 of the 17 head-to-head comparisons, while the Intel Core i9-14900KS wins 6.

Q: What is the largest performance gap in either direction?

A: The AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX3D leads by 52.6% in the PassMark find prime numbers test, scoring 521 against Intel’s 247.

Q: Does the Intel chip win any single-core benchmark?

A: Yes, the Intel Core i9-14900KS wins the PassMark single-thread test with a score of 4827, which is 7.5% ahead of AMD’s 4492. However, AMD wins all three Cinebench single-core tests by 1.9% each.

Q: Which processor has the larger L3 cache?

A: The AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX3D has 128 MB of shared L3 cache, while the Intel Core i9-14900KS has 36 MB of shared L3 cache.

Q: What is the TDP difference between the two chips?

A: The Intel Core i9-14900KS is rated at 150 W TDP, while the AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX3D is rated at 55 W TDP.

Specification Differences

The two processors differ across nearly every major specification field. The Intel Core i9-14900KS has 24 cores and 32 threads, while the AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX3D has 16 cores and 32 threads. Base clocks are 3.20 GHz for Intel and 2.50 GHz for AMD; boost clocks are 6.20 GHz and 5.40 GHz, respectively. TDP is 150 W for Intel and 55 W for AMD. The socket types differ entirely: Intel uses Socket 1700, while AMD uses Socket FL1. Architecture and codename are Raptor Lake (Raptor Lake-R) for Intel and Zen 5 (Fire Range) for AMD.

The process nodes are 10 nm from Intel’s foundry versus 4 nm from TSMC. The die size is 257 mm² for Intel, while AMD uses two 70.6 mm² dies. Cache configurations differ: both have 80 KB L1 per core, but Intel has 2 MB L2 per core versus AMD’s 1 MB, and Intel has 36 MB shared L3 versus AMD’s 128 MB shared L3. Memory support shows Intel accepting both DDR4 and DDR5, while AMD is DDR5-only. AMD lists a memory bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s; Intel has no listed figure. PCIe lanes are 16 Gen 5 for Intel and 28 Gen 5 for AMD. Integrated graphics are UHD Graphics 770 for Intel and Radeon 610M for AMD. The market segment is Desktop for Intel and Mobile for AMD. The Intel part has a launch MSRP of $689, while AMD has no launch MSRP listed. The production status is Active for both, and both have unlocked multipliers.