Intel Core i9-9980HK vs Intel Core i7-9700K

Processor comparisons 20-01-2022

   Let's say you can't decide which CPU to buy, you can make a choice after reading the detailed tests Intel Core i9-9980HK vs Intel Core i7-9700K and understand which is better for games or simple use for streaming, rendering, machine learning, programming, video editing. Here is useful information from real video editing and streaming tests or several benchmarks. A careful review of all the specifications, to make it easier to read, is made by the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of parallel examination in special test applications like 3DMark, Blender, PCMark 10, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), MATLAB, SuperPi, AIDA64, Prime95, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Dolphin Emulator, Handbrake, UserBenchmark, GeekBench 6, 5.2, 7zip, Gears 5, Blender, PassMark, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, Furmark, VeraCrypt, RealBench, WPrime.
   Gaming performance of processors in:

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

After reading the results of parallel benchmarks and videos, you can already make an informed decision about which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i7-9700K or Intel Core i9-9980HK.

Summary benchmark results

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

Core i9-9980HK

54%

Core i7-9700K

54%

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i9-9980HK

54%

Core i7-9700K

54%

The maximum result in this parameter is 100 percent, which is the performance of the most powerful processor currently available. And it is clear that 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 low game result, look at the FPS that it produces in real games in the final table below.
List of other games in which processors were compared: Shadow of the Tomb Raider, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Microsoft Flight Simulator, DOTA 2A, Metro Exodus, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Half-Life: Alyx, Forza Horizon 4, League of Legends (LOL), Control, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), NBA 2K20, Hitman 3, Battlefield V, Ghostrunner, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Horizon Zero Dawn, Monster Hunter World.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	95.7	96.4
Valorant	108.8	109.5
Cyberpunk 2077	60.9	61.3
Apex Legends	102.2	103.0
Call of Duty Warzone	81.6	82.2
Overwatch	88.1	88.7
Red Dead Redemption 2	75.0	75.6
DOOM Eternal	54.4	54.8
Warzone	84.8	85.4
Assassin's Creed	91.4	92.0
Valheim	90.3	90.9

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 computers participating in the comparing not only were the equipped with different video cards and different amounts of RAM. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: 4K, 2K or FullHD. 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 compare it in one assembly with the video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

Core i9-9980HK

86%

Core i7-9700K

46%

To make a finishing resolution on which processor is better, you should also consider the generation of its core. The newer the processor generation, the better its performance in games and benchmarks, as well as its energy efficiency. In this case the Core i9-9980HK is more energy efficient than the Core i7-9700K as it consumes less power: 45W vs. 95W. Power consumption is particularly important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, it will be useful to know its TDP. You need to buy a cooler that has the TDP data specified in the specification was greater than the TDP of the compared processor.

Software benchmarks

Let's say you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for streaming, video rendering or video editing, programming, machine learning, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the processor includes all cores and threads that it has to the maximum to reach maximum efficiency. You will learn this data from the benchmark tables below. Before using the data from these tests, be sure to make sure that the program 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 work, and all the advantages of multi-core mode turns out to be unnecessary.

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

	Intel Core i9-9980HK	Intel Core i7-9700K
Cinbench 15 Single-core	196	214
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1607	1520
Cinbench 20 Single-core	485	481
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	3503	3656
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1186	1246
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	8370	9214

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

	Intel Core i9-9980HK	Intel Core i7-9700K
Single-Core	2657	2879
Multi-Core	15065	14607

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

	Intel Core i9-9980HK	Intel Core i7-9700K
Single-Core	1165	1320
Multi-Core	7554	8237

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the most useful will be the release date of the processor and the possibility of overclocking it. The later the processor is released, 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, increasing its performance, then it will still be able to produce maximum FPS in new games. Accordingly, there is no longer a need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The economy are obvious!

	Intel Core i9-9980HK	Intel Core i7-9700K
Announcement date	July 07, 2019	October 01, 2018
Type	Laptop	Desktop
Socket	FCBGA1440	FCLGA1151-2
Core name	Coffee Lake	Coffee Lake
Architecture	x86	x86
Generation	9	9
Turbo Frequency	5 MHz	4.9 MHz
Frequency	2.4 MHz	3.6 MHz
Cores	8	8
Threads	16	8
Bus rate	8 GT/s	8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	14 nm	14 nm
Transistors count	8600 millions	5600 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	45 W	95 W
Memory type	DDR4-2666, LPDDR3-2133	DDR4-2666
Max. Memory	128 Gb	128 Gb
Memory Frequency
Memory bandwidth	41.8 GB/s	41.6 GB/s
L1 cache
L2 cache
L3 cache	16 MB	12 MB
Overclocking	No	Yes
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number	Expansion Options

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Core i7-9700K is 33% better than Core i9-9980HK 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 Intel Core i9-9980HK is better: 10
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i7-9700K is better: 20
Although it should be understood that all the figures in the text above do not mean that taking them into account you should totally trust a simple comparison of these figures. Be sure to watch the video tests and read the opinion of of people who bought Intel Core i9-9980HK and Intel Core i7-9700K before making a choice which CPU to buy for gaming and which not.

Intel Core i9-9980HK - all data

• Cinebench r15 score
• Cinebench r20 score
• Cinebench r23 score
• GeekBench 6, 5.2 score

• Intel Core i9-9980HK specs and review.

• Intel Core i7-9700K specs and review.