Compare Intel 9900K and Ryzen 3700X for performance and features.
Compare Intel 9900K and Ryzen 3700X for performance and features.
I’m thinking about getting a new processor this weekend. My main focus is gaming. I excluded the 9700k because it lacks hyperthreading. The 9900k costs 430 USD, while the 3700X is 280, making it 150 dollars cheaper. Most folks will point to the 3700X, but there are still reasons I’m leaning toward the 9900k. I’m not constrained by a tight budget—I usually invest in a good CPU and build the rest around it, which has saved me money before. Spreading the 150 over five years isn’t a big deal. I already own a Noctua D15S, which was on sale and matched my plan for the 9900k. It would fit perfectly with that model but might be too much for the 3700X. The 3700X has some downsides: it’s 11% slower in games, its cooler might not last as long, and real-world performance doesn’t always match claims. It also tends to overheat or not OC well. On the flip side, the 9900K offers better gaming performance, works well with my existing cooler, and has more room for future upgrades. I’m okay with a modest price bump for better value and reliability. Benchmarks are mixed—some say the 9900K edges out the 3700X in Battlefield 1, while others show similar results at 1440p. I’m still weighing GPU updates later this year. I’m a bit puzzled by the numbers, but I think the 9900K is safer for now.
I’d choose the i9 9900K since it’s clear you won’t mind paying a bit more for better performance. The i9 9700K offers no advantages, PCI-E 4.0 is outdated, and most boards have poor fan designs. You’d be better off holding off until April’s 10th-gen release, when Intel plans to refresh the i9 9900K with the i7 10700K, and the i9 10900K will come with 10c/20t and a larger cache for the current MSRP.
The NH-D15S fits well with the 3700X model, but it may be too small for the 9900K. If you meant the NH-D15, it includes dual fans.
It looks like you're referring to the D15s. The performance was almost as good as a D15 even without a fan, and adding another fan would balance it out. This should work well for a 9900k.
These changes only impacted Kaby Lake (7000 series) and earlier models. Coffee Lake had hardware-level solutions for these problems.
The 3700x offers solid performance at a reasonable price, yet the 9900k provides superior features. Keep in mind the Ryzen chips have limited options for overclocking, while the 9900k can reach speeds around 4900 or 5000 MHz, though the cost gap remains significant.