Intel Core i9-9990XE vs AMD Ryzen 9 3900XT

Processor comparisons   17-03-2021
   If you can't decide which CPU to buy, you can make a choice after reading the detailed tests Intel Core i9-9990XE vs AMD Ryzen 9 3900XT and understand which is better for games or normal use for machine learning, programming, video editing, streaming, rendering. Here is useful information from real video editing and streaming tests or various benchmarks. A step-by-step analysis of all the technical characteristics, so that it can be easier to read, is summarized in the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of parallel examination in special testing software such as Cinebench 23 (20, 15), AIDA64, SuperPi, WPrime, Prime95, RealBench, Dolphin Emulator, MATLAB, PCMark 10, Handbrake, Gears 5, 7zip, VeraCrypt, UserBenchmark, Furmark, Blender, GeekBench 6, 5.2, DaVinci Resolve Studio, PassMark, 3DMark, Blender, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark.
   Gaming performance of CPUs in:

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

After looking at the data of joint benchmarks and videos, you can already make an briefed decision about which CPU is better to buy for gaming AMD Ryzen 9 3900XT or Intel Core i9-9990XE.

Summary benchmark results

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

Core i9-9990XE

59%

Ryzen 9 3900XT

60%

This value shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Ryzen 9 3900XT is 1% better than Core i9-9990XE. The data source is several popular tests. Detailed information can be found below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i9-9990XE

59%

Ryzen 9 3900XT

57%

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	104.6	101.5
Valorant	118.9	115.3
Cyberpunk 2077	66.6	64.6
Apex Legends	111.7	108.4
Call of Duty Warzone	89.1	86.5
Overwatch	96.3	93.4
Red Dead Redemption 2	82.0	79.6
DOOM Eternal	59.4	57.7
Warzone	92.7	90.0
Assassin's Creed	99.8	96.9
Valheim	98.6	95.7

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 that were in the comparisons not only did they have different amounts of RAM and different video cards. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: FullHD, 2K or 4K. So the game benchmark data is approximate. But all video cards met the average system requirements of games. To be sure exactly how much performance 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

Core i9-9990XE

16%

Ryzen 9 3900XT

44%

To make a final 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 Ryzen 9 3900XT is more energy efficient than the Core i9-9990XE since it has less power consumption: 260W vs. 105W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, you need to know its TDP. It is necessary to calculate so that the TDP data specified in the cooler specification is greater than the TDP of the compared processor.

Software benchmarks

Let's say you plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for streaming, programming, video rendering or video editing, machine learning, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to achieve maximum performance, the CPU turns on all threads and cores that it has. You will find out this data from the benchmark tables below. Before you take into account the data from these tests, be sure to check whether the software you are going to use on your computer supports multi-threaded mode. Since there are still many programs that use only one core to work, 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

	Intel Core i9-9990XE	AMD Ryzen 9 3900XT
Cinbench 15 Single-core	199	219
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	3215	3192
Cinbench 20 Single-core	455	539
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	7457	7244
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1115	1354
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	22765	18511

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

	Intel Core i9-9990XE	AMD Ryzen 9 3900XT
Single-Core	3072	2772
Multi-Core	31845	33164

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

	Intel Core i9-9990XE	AMD Ryzen 9 3900XT
Single-Core	1308	1403
Multi-Core	16263	13238

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the processor release date and overclocking capability will be the most helpful. The later the processor is released, the longer it will last you. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system later. The same can be said about overclocking. If the processor can be overclocked, increasing its performance, then it will still be able to produce maximum FPS in new games. It turns out that you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The economy are obvious!

	Intel Core i9-9990XE	AMD Ryzen 9 3900XT
Announcement date	April 01, 2020	July 19, 2020
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	LGA2066	AM4
Core name	Skylake	Matisse
Architecture	x86	Zen 2
Generation	9	3
Turbo Frequency	5.2 MHz	4.7 MHz
Frequency	4.2 MHz	3.8 MHz
Cores	14	12
Threads	28	24
Bus rate	8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	14 nm	7 nm
Transistors count	8600 millions	7800 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	260 W	105 W
Memory type	DDR4-2666	DDR4
Max. Memory	128 Gb
Memory Frequency		3200
Memory bandwidth	85 GB/s
L1 cache
L2 cache		6MB
L3 cache	32 MB	64MB
Overclocking	Yes	Yes
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number		100-100000277WOF

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Core i9-9990XE is 9% better than Ryzen 9 3900XT in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i9-9990XE has 2 more core than Ryzen 9 3900XT. 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 i9-9990XE is better: 25
The number of parameters for which AMD Ryzen 9 3900XT is better: 11
However, it should be realized that all the number in the article above do not mean that you should be guided entirely by them and trust a simple quantitative comparison. Better to watch the testing video and read the reviews of of people who bought Intel Core i9-9990XE and AMD Ryzen 9 3900XT before making a selection which of the processors to buy for gaming.

• Intel Core i9-9990XE specs and review.

AMD Ryzen 9 3900XT - all data

• Cinebench r15 score
• Cinebench r20 score
• Cinebench r23 score
• GeekBench 6, 5.2 score
• DOOM Eternal gaming benchmark
• PUBG gaming benchmark
• Apex Legends gaming benchmark
• Fortnite gaming benchmark
• Valorant gaming benchmark
• GTA 5 gaming benchmark
• Call of Duty: Warzone gaming benchmark
• Roblox gaming benchmark
• Overwatch gaming benchmark
• Cyberpunk 2077 gaming benchmark
• Red Dead Redemption 2 gaming benchmark
• Assassin's Creed gaming benchmark

• AMD Ryzen 9 3900XT specs and review.