AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 9945WX vs Intel Core i9-14900KS Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data shows a decisive overall win for the Intel Core i9-14900KS, which takes 14 of the 17 head-to-head comparisons. The AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 9945WX claims only three victories, but each is substantial in its own right. The most striking gap is in PassMark physics, where the AMD part scores 6118 against Intel’s 3381, a 44.7% advantage. That is the largest delta in the entire benchmark set, and it signals a fundamental difference in how the two processors handle certain workloads.

The Intel part’s strongest edge comes in PassMark floating point math, where it scores 153975 versus 111566, a 38% lead. It also dominates data encryption with 47717 against 36540, a 30.6% gap, and data compression with 803368 versus 671963, a 19.6% advantage. These are not marginal wins; they indicate that the Intel chip is substantially faster in math-heavy and encryption-heavy tasks.

Across the Cinebench suite, the Intel part wins all six tests by a consistent 5.5%. The R15 multicore score is 5140 versus 4871, R20 multicore is 21417 versus 20296, and R23 multicore is 50995 versus 48325. The single-core results follow the same pattern: R15 shows 725 versus 687, R20 shows 3023 versus 2865, and R23 shows 7199 versus 6822. That uniform 5.5% delta across every Cinebench iteration suggests a stable per-core advantage rather than a workload-specific quirk.

The AMD part’s other two wins are in PassMark extended instructions (54406 versus 45524, a 16.3% lead) and PassMark find prime numbers (335 versus 244, a 27.2% lead). The prime number result is particularly interesting because it rewards the AMD architecture’s integer throughput in a specific, repetitive calculation. The extended instructions win points to better SIMD or specialized instruction handling.

The remaining PassMark tests all favor Intel, but by narrower margins. Integer math shows 212644 versus 185421, a 14.7% lead. Multithread shows 60012 versus 56854, a 5.6% lead. Random string sorting shows 89789 versus 84498, a 6.3% lead. Single-thread shows 4815 versus 4573, a 5.3% lead. These results paint a picture of Intel winning most general-purpose and throughput-oriented tasks, while AMD wins in specific computational patterns.

The average benchmark scores place the Intel part at 81127, with its nearest rivals being the Intel Xeon w5-3535X at 81115 and the AMD Ryzen 9 8940HX at 81103. The AMD Threadripper PRO 9945WX averages 76513, with its closest rival being the AMD EPYC Embedded 8224P at 76492. The Intel part sits in the 96th percentile of all CPUs, while the AMD part sits in the 95th. That one-percentile difference reflects the overall benchmark gap, not a fundamental class separation.

The Verdict

The data is clear: the Intel Core i9-14900KS is the faster processor in the majority of measured workloads. It wins 14 of 17 comparisons, including every Cinebench test, every general PassMark test, and the two most important PassMark math tests. If the task is rendering, compiling, encryption, compression, or general floating-point math, the Intel part delivers higher scores across the board.

The AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 9945WX is the better choice only for a narrow set of workloads. Its physics score is 44.7% higher, its extended instructions score is 16.3% higher, and its prime number finding score is 27.2% higher. Those specific wins matter for simulation, scientific computing, and any code that relies on extended instruction sets. For those tasks, the AMD part is clearly superior.

For a workstation user who runs mixed workloads, the Intel part is the safer pick. It leads in multithreaded rendering by 5.6%, in integer math by 14.7%, and in floating-point math by 38%. It also leads in single-thread performance by 5.3%, which benefits interactive applications and lightly threaded software. The AMD part’s wins are concentrated in fewer domains, and those domains are less commonly the bottleneck for general professional work.

The percentile data reinforces this. The Intel part ranks at the 96th percentile among all CPUs, while the AMD part ranks at the 95th. Neither is a slouch, but the Intel part has the higher standing. The AMD part’s nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D, trails by 1%, which shows the Threadripper PRO is competitive within its own ecosystem, but it does not overtake the Intel part in the recorded benchmarks.

FAQ

Q: Which processor wins the most benchmark comparisons?

A: The Intel Core i9-14900KS wins 14 of the 17 head-to-head tests, while the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 9945WX wins only 3.

Q: What is the largest single benchmark gap between the two?

A: The largest gap is in PassMark physics, where the AMD part scores 6118 versus Intel’s 3381, a 44.7% difference in favor of AMD.

Q: How do the two compare in Cinebench R23 multicore?

A: The Intel part scores 50995, which is 5.5% higher than the AMD part’s 48325. The same 5.5% delta appears in every Cinebench test.

Q: Where does the AMD part outperform Intel?

A: The AMD part wins in PassMark extended instructions (54406 versus 45524), PassMark find prime numbers (335 versus 244), and PassMark physics (6118 versus 3381).

Q: What is the difference in average benchmark scores?

A: The Intel part has an average benchmark score of 81127, while the AMD part has an average of 76513. Intel’s nearest rival is the Intel Xeon w5-3535X at 81115, and AMD’s nearest rival is the AMD EPYC Embedded 8224P at 76492.

Q: Do both processors support ECC memory?

A: Yes, both the Intel Core i9-14900KS and the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 9945WX have ECC memory support listed in their specifications.

Specification Differences

The Intel Core i9-14900KS has 24 cores and 32 threads, while the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 9945WX has 12 cores and 24 threads. The Intel part has a base clock of 3.20 GHz and a boost clock of 6.20 GHz. The AMD part has a base clock of 4.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. The Intel part has a TDP of 150 watts, while the AMD part has a TDP of 350 watts.

The Intel part uses Intel Socket 1700, while the AMD part uses AMD Socket sTR5. The Intel part supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory with a dual-channel bus. The AMD part supports only DDR5 memory with an eight-channel bus and a memory bandwidth of 409.6 GB/s. The Intel part has 16 PCIe Gen 5 lanes, while the AMD part has 128 PCIe Gen 5 lanes.

The Intel part includes integrated graphics, specifically UHD Graphics 770, while the AMD part has no integrated graphics. The Intel part has a launch MSRP of $689. The AMD part has no recorded launch MSRP. Both processors have unlocked multipliers, meaning overclocking is possible on either platform.

Architecture Differences

The Intel Core i9-14900KS is built on Raptor Lake architecture, specifically the Raptor Lake-R codename, and is part of the Core 14th Gen series. It uses a 10 nm process node fabricated by Intel. The AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 9945WX is built on Zen 5 architecture with the Shimada Peak codename, part of the Ryzen Threadripper 9000 series. It uses a 4 nm process node fabricated by TSMC. The AMD part has 16,630 million transistors and a die size of 2x 70.6 mm², while the Intel part has a die size of 257 mm² with no transistor count recorded.

The Intel part has an L1 cache of 80 KB per core, an L2 cache of 2 MB per core, and an L3 cache of 36 MB shared. The AMD part has an L1 cache of 64 KB per core, an L2 cache of 1 MB per core, and an L3 cache of 64 MB. The AMD part’s larger L3 cache is notable, but the Intel part has larger per-core L1 and L2 caches.

The Intel part is a desktop segment processor, while the AMD part is a server/workstation segment processor. The Intel part is from the Core i9 generation (Raptor Lake Refresh), while the AMD part is from the Ryzen Threadripper generation (Zen 5, Shimada Peak). The Intel part was released on 2024-03-13, while the AMD part was released on 2025-06-30. Both are currently marked as Active production status.

Where Each One Wins

The Intel Core i9-14900KS wins in every Cinebench test, with a uniform 5.5% lead. This makes it the stronger choice for rendering workloads that rely on Cinebench-style multi-threaded and single-threaded performance. It also wins PassMark multithread by 5.6%, random string sorting by 6.3%, and single-thread by 5.3%, which covers general productivity and mixed professional tasks.

The Intel part’s largest wins are in floating-point math (38% ahead), data encryption (30.6% ahead), and data compression (19.6% ahead). These results make it the clear pick for financial modeling, cryptographic operations, and file compression or decompression. Its integer math lead of 14.7% also supports database and logic-heavy workloads.

The AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 9945WX wins in PassMark physics by 44.7%, which is the single biggest margin in the entire comparison. This makes it the better choice for physics simulations, collision detection, and any workload that maps to the physics test’s computational pattern. It also wins extended instructions by 16.3%, which benefits code that uses SIMD or specialized instruction sets. Its prime number finding win of 27.2% points to strength in integer-heavy iterative calculations.

For a user who prioritizes maximum single-thread responsiveness, the Intel part leads by 5.3% in PassMark single-thread and 5.5% in every Cinebench single-core test. For a user who prioritizes memory bandwidth, the AMD part has eight-channel DDR5 support with 409.6 GB/s, while the Intel part has dual-channel DDR4/DDR5 support with no recorded bandwidth figure. The AMD part also offers 128 PCIe Gen 5 lanes versus Intel’s 16, which matters for multi-GPU or high-density storage configurations.

The overall benchmark data favors Intel in most scenarios, but the AMD part’s three wins are not trivial. Physics, extended instructions, and prime number finding are specific enough that a workstation dedicated to those tasks would see a real benefit from the AMD chip. For everything else, the Intel part’s 14 wins and higher average benchmark score make it the default recommendation from a pure performance standpoint.