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Core Ultra 7 265K vs Ryzen 9 9900X

Two CPUs for people who work on their PC as much as they game. The Core Ultra 7 265K has 20 cores (8 P + 12 E) and 20 threads; the Ryzen 9 9900X has 12 Zen 5 cores and 24 threads with 64 MB of L3 cache.

Core Ultra 7 265K

Pick it if…

You want to use fast DDR5 (an official 6400 MT/s), the built-in NPU for AI tasks, or features like Thunderbolt on the Intel platform.

Ryzen 9 9900X

Pick it if…

You prefer more cache, lower rated power draw and an AM5 platform that will keep getting new CPUs.

Note. Different sockets (LGA1851 and AM5): they are not interchangeable on the same motherboard. Switching from one to the other means changing the motherboard.

Specifications

We highlight the best value in each row with a soft background. A higher or lower value does not mean the processor is better for you: it depends on how you use it.

SpecificationCore Ultra 7 265KRyzen 9 9900X
Price
Best price≈ $299.99 (best value in this row)≈ $328.00
Performance per dollar (pts per USD)0.22 (best value in this row)0.21
Processing
Cores20 (8P + 12E) (best value in this row)12
Threads2024 (best value in this row)
Base frequency3.9 GHz4.4 GHz (best value in this row)
Boost / turbo frequency5.5 GHz5.6 GHz (best value in this row)
L2 cache36 MB (best value in this row)12 MB
L3 cache30 MB64 MB (best value in this row)
L2 + L3 cache66 MB76 MB (best value in this row)
Power and temperature
TDP / base power125 W120 W (best value in this row)
Maximum power (PPT / turbo)250 WData not available
Maximum temperature (Tjmax)Data not availableData not available
Platform
SocketLGA1851AM5
RAMDDR5DDR5
Official RAM speed6,400 MT/s (best value in this row)5,600 MT/s
PCIePCIe 5.0 y 4.0PCIe 5.0
Integrated graphicsIntel Graphics (4 Xe cores)AMD Radeon Graphics
ArchitectureArrow LakeZen 5
GenerationCore Ultra Series 2Ryzen 9000 series
ReleaseOctober 2024August 2024
Unlocked multiplierYesYes
Performance scores
gaming score (0-100)Data not availableData not available
productivity score (0-100)6670 (best value in this row)
single-core score (0-100)Data not availableData not available
multi-core score (0-100)Data not availableData not available
efficiency score (0-100)Data not availableData not available

Still to be verified on the official spec sheet: Core Ultra 7 265K (PCIe version, Release date (month), Maximum temperature (Tjmax)); Ryzen 9 9900X (Release date (month), PCIe version, Memory channels, Maximum power (PPT), Maximum temperature (Tjmax), PCIe lanes, Maximum RAM capacity).

Performance

Scores from 0 to 100 calculated from sourced benchmarks. If there is no real data, nothing is shown.

  • Core Ultra 7 265K
  • Ryzen 9 9900X

Gaming

Core Ultra 7 265KNo data
Ryzen 9 9900XNo data

Single-core

Core Ultra 7 265KNo data
Ryzen 9 9900XNo data

Multi-core

Core Ultra 7 265KNo data
Ryzen 9 9900XNo data

Productivity

Core Ultra 7 265K66
Ryzen 9 9900X70

Efficiency

Core Ultra 7 265KNo data
Ryzen 9 9900XNo data

Sources: Blender Open Data.

Price and performance

Relative performance (in Blender 3D rendering, not in games) divided by the current price. It is a figure to interpret, not a verdict.

  • Core Ultra 7 265K

    Relative performance
    66
    Price
    $299.99
    Performance per dollar
    0.22

  • Ryzen 9 9900X

    Relative performance
    70
    Price
    $328.00
    Performance per dollar
    0.21

Related videos

We couldn't find a video of this exact combination. These include one of the products or cover products of a similar tier: they work as a reference, but FPS depends on the GPU, the games and the settings of each test.

General features

Visual comparison of the official specifications. It does not measure real-world performance.

  • Core Ultra 7 265K
  • Ryzen 9 9900X

Cores

Core Ultra 7 265K20
Ryzen 9 9900X12

Threads

Core Ultra 7 265K20
Ryzen 9 9900X24

Boost / turbo

Core Ultra 7 265K5.5 GHz
Ryzen 9 9900X5.6 GHz

L2 + L3 cache

Core Ultra 7 265K66 MB
Ryzen 9 9900X76 MB

TDP / base power

Core Ultra 7 265K125 W
Ryzen 9 9900X120 W

Relative scale among the selected CPUs (100 = highest value on each axis). These are specifications, not performance.

Comparison breakdown

Performance

They have a similar thread count (20 vs 24) and both perform well in multithreaded tasks; depending on the software, one or the other wins. For gaming neither is the specialist pick: that's what the X3D chips are for. The 9900X has 64 MB of L3 vs 30 MB on the 265K, which makes up for it with 36 MB of L2.

Power

AMD rates the 9900X at a 120 W TDP. Intel rates the 265K at 125 W base and up to 250 W maximum turbo power. Both require good cooling under long workloads.

Platform

Both are DDR5-only with PCIe 5.0. LGA1851 received the Core Ultra 200S Plus refresh; AM5 has committed support for several years. Both include integrated graphics.

Based on official catalog specifications. Prices change: check the table, which shows the date of each price.

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