AMD Ryzen 9 4900U vs Intel Core i9-9900K

Processor comparisons 17-03-2021

   Perhaps you can't decide which CPU to buy, you can make a choice by looking at the AMD Ryzen 9 4900U vs Intel Core i9-9900K tests and decide which is better for games or normal use for rendering, programming, streaming, machine learning, video editing. Here is useful information from real video editing and streaming tests or several benchmarks. A step-by-step analysis of all the specifications, to make it easier to read, is presented in the form of the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of joint testing in special test applications like UserBenchmark, RealBench, Dolphin Emulator, Blender, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, VeraCrypt, PCMark 10, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), Prime95, 3DMark, DaVinci Resolve Studio, PassMark, WPrime, GeekBench 6, 5.2, SuperPi, Gears 5, MATLAB, 7zip, Handbrake, Blender, AIDA64, Furmark.
   Gaming performance of CPUs in:

Overwatch
Apex Legends
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Warzone
Cyberpunk 2077
World of Warcraft: Shadowlands
DOOM: Eternal
Last Man Standing
Rainbow Six Siege
Assassin's Creed Valhalla
Fortnite
Death Stranding
Grand Theft Auto V
Valorant
Halo Infinite
Valheim
Red Dead Redemption 2
Watch Dogs Legion
Borderlands 3
Fallout 76

After looking at the data these benchmarks and videos, you already be able to understand which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i9-9900K or AMD Ryzen 9 4900U.

Summary benchmark results

As a percentage of the maximum value based on a sample from the entire base of all processors
Processor Benchmark

Ryzen 9 4900U

56%

Core i9-9900K

55%

This value shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Ryzen 9 4900U is 1% better than Core i9-9900K. The data source is several popular tests. Detailed information can be found below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Ryzen 9 4900U

53%

Core i9-9900K

55%

For the maximum in this test, the results of the most powerful processor in the site database are taken. And of course, this is a server processor, on which no one will play games. Because the cost of this processor reaches several tens of thousands of dollars. Therefore, if you think that the selected CPU has a small game result, just look at the FPS that it produces in real games in the final table below.
List of less popular games in which processors were compared: Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Forza Horizon 4, Metro Exodus, Horizon Zero Dawn, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), League of Legends (LOL), Ghostrunner, Half-Life: Alyx, Battlefield V, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Hitman 3, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Monster Hunter World, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Control, NBA 2K20, DOTA 2A, Microsoft Flight Simulator.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	94.6	98.2
Valorant	107.5	111.6
Cyberpunk 2077	60.2	62.5
Apex Legends	101.0	104.9
Call of Duty Warzone	80.6	83.7
Overwatch	87.0	90.4
Red Dead Redemption 2	74.1	77.0
DOOM Eternal	53.7	55.8
Warzone	83.8	87.0
Assassin's Creed	90.3	93.7
Valheim	89.2	92.6

The numbers in this table indicate the maximum FPS that was received on the device with the corresponding processor. Depending on the configuration of the computer (RAM size and Video Card) and graphics quality settings (Ultra, Medium, Normal), the results may differ quite significantly. We recommend that you better study the results of the Cinebench, GeekBench and Passmark becnmarks.
The tested computers not only did they have different video cards and different amounts of RAM. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: 2K, FullHD or 4K. So the game benchmark data is approximate. But all video cards met the average system requirements of games. You will get more accurate information about how powerful the processor will be in games, if you get acquainted with the benchmarks that are made with the same video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

Ryzen 9 4900U

267%

Core i9-9900K

45%

To make a finishing resolution on which processor is better, you should also consider the generation of its core. It is clear that the newer the generation, the better the performance of the processor in games and benchmarks, as well as its energy efficiency. In this case the Ryzen 9 4900U is more energy efficient than the Core i9-9900K as it consumes less power: 15W vs. 95W. Power consumption is particularly important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, it will be useful to know its TDP. It is necessary to count so that the TDP data specified in the cooler specification is greater than the TDP of the compared processor.

Software benchmarks

If you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for programming, video rendering or video editing, streaming, machine learning, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the processor uses all threads and cores that it has to the maximum to achieve maximum efficiency. You will learn this data from the benchmark tables below. Before using the data from these tests, be sure to find out whether the software that you are going to use on your computer can work in multi-threaded mode. Since there are still many programs that use only one core to run, and all the advantages of multi-core mode are unused.

Cinebench 23, 20 an 15
The results of this benchmark show Single-threaded and Multi-threaded CPU performance

	AMD Ryzen 9 4900U	Intel Core i9-9900K
Cinbench 15 Single-core	208	219
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1398	2245
Cinbench 20 Single-core	503	518
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	3307	4995
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1270	1284
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	10053	12450

Passmark
This popular benchmark displays Multi-threaded and Single-threaded processor performance

	AMD Ryzen 9 4900U	Intel Core i9-9900K
Single-Core	2015	2947
Multi-Core	21586	18753

GeekBench 6, 5.2
This benchmark shows Multi-threaded and Single-threaded processor performance

	AMD Ryzen 9 4900U	Intel Core i9-9900K
Single-Core	1203	1301
Multi-Core	6431	9986

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the most helpful will be the release date of the processor and the possibility of overclocking it. The newer the processor, the longer it will last you. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system in the future. The same benefits from the presence of overclocking. When the processor can be overclocked, thereby increasing its performance, then it will continue to maintain maximum FPS in the newest games. It turns out that there is no longer a need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The savings are obvious!

	AMD Ryzen 9 4900U	Intel Core i9-9900K
Announcement date	January 12, 2021	October 01, 2018
Type	Laptop	Desktop
Socket	FP6	FCLGA1151-2
Core name	Renoir	Coffee Lake
Architecture	Zen 2	x86
Generation	4	9
Turbo Frequency	4.4 MHz	5 MHz
Frequency	2 MHz	3.6 MHz
Cores	8	8
Threads	16	16
Bus rate		8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	7 nm	14 nm
Transistors count	8600 millions	8600 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	15 W	95 W
Memory type	DDR4-3200 LPDDR4-4266	DDR4-2666
Max. Memory	32 Gb	128 Gb
Memory Frequency	4266
Memory bandwidth		41.6 GB/s
L1 cache
L2 cache	2MB
L3 cache	8MB	16 MB
Overclocking	Yes	No
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Core i9-9900K is 44% better than Ryzen 9 4900U in terms of CPU frequency. Also keep in mind that high CPU frequency affects battery life through power consumption (relevant for laptops).

Result:
The number of parameters for which AMD Ryzen 9 4900U is better: 8
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i9-9900K is better: 26
Although it should be understood that all the figures that you have looked at here do not mean that taking them into account you should undividedly trust a simple quantitative comparison. Better to watch benchmarks video and read the opinion of of people who bought AMD Ryzen 9 4900U and Intel Core i9-9900K before making a choice which of the processors to buy for gaming.

• AMD Ryzen 9 4900U specs and review.

• Intel Core i9-9900K specs and review.