Core Ultra 9 285K vs Ryzen 9 9950X: Performance Gap?

I. Introduction

As is well known, the performance of the Core Ultra 200S series processors is generally lower than that of the previous generation. Under these circumstances, the gaming comparison between Intel and AMD’s latest flagship processors, the Core Ultra 9 285K and the Ryzen 9 9950X, has little suspense.

The Core Ultra 9 285K is definitely outclassed by the Ryzen 9 9950X, and the key question is how significant the performance gap is. This is the most worth-while and focused area of study, and this article will provide the answer.

II. Parameter Comparison

The Core Ultra 9 285K, released on October 24, 2024, is built on TSMC’s 3nm process. It features 8 large cores, 16 small cores, totaling 24 cores and 24 threads. The base clock is 3.7GHz, and the boost clock reaches up to 5.7GHz. It has 40MB of L2 cache, 36MB of smart cache, a standard TDP of 125W, and a maximum power consumption of 253W. The official suggested retail price is $589.

The Ryzen 9 9950X, released on August 15, 2024, is built on TSMC’s 4nm process. It features 16 cores and 32 threads, with 1280KB of L1 cache, 16MB of L2 cache, and 64MB of L3 cache. Its base clock is 4.3GHz, with a maximum boost of 5.7GHz. The power consumption is 170W, and the suggested retail price is $649.

III. Test Platform Configuration

The main configuration is as follows:

The Core Ultra 9 285K is paired with the MSI MAG Z890 TOMAHAWK motherboard, while the Ryzen 9 9950X is paired with the MSI MPG X670E CARBON motherboard. The rest of the components are identical. Both systems have 32GB of DDR5 6000MHz memory, a GeForce RTX 4090 graphics card, two Samsung 970EVO 1TB SSDs, and Windows 11 as the operating system.

IV. Game Testing between Core Ultra 9 285K and Ryzen 9 9950X

The following tests were conducted on seven games, all using 1080P high graphics settings. In the images presented below, the left side represents the Core Ultra 9 285K platform, and the right side represents the Ryzen 9 9950X platform.

The first game is Red Dead Redemption 2.

• Core Ultra 9 285K platform: Average FPS = 147, Minimum FPS = 114, Frame time = 6.7ms, CPU usage = 48%, Power consumption = 99W, Temperature = 55°C, Memory usage = 11.2GB, GPU usage = 77%, VRAM usage = 5.3GB, GPU power consumption = 256W, GPU temperature = 43°C.
• Ryzen 9 9950X platform: Average FPS = 167, Minimum FPS = 132, Frame time = 6.0ms, CPU usage = 38%, Power consumption = 158W, Temperature = 67°C, Memory usage = 11.8GB, GPU usage = 82%, VRAM usage = 5.9GB, GPU power consumption = 269W, GPU temperature = 50°C.

In this game, the Core Ultra 9 285K platform has a 10% higher CPU usage, 0.6GB lower memory usage, 5% lower GPU usage, and 0.6GB lower VRAM usage compared to the Ryzen 9 9950X.

In terms of average FPS, the Core Ultra 9 285K platform lags 20 FPS behind the Ryzen 9 9950X, and the minimum FPS is 18 FPS lower. Frame time is similar, with the Core Ultra 9 285K consuming 59W less power and running 12°C cooler.

The second game is Cyberpunk 2077.

• Core Ultra 9 285K platform: Average FPS = 124, Minimum FPS = 81, Frame time = 7.8ms, CPU usage = 58%, Power consumption = 110W, Temperature = 57°C, Memory usage = 10.0GB, GPU usage = 72%, VRAM usage = 7.8GB, GPU power consumption = 220W, GPU temperature = 47°C.
• Ryzen 9 9950X platform: Average FPS = 128, Minimum FPS = 82, Frame time = 8.3ms, CPU usage = 34%, Power consumption = 160W, Temperature = 67°C, Memory usage = 10.5GB, GPU usage = 71%, VRAM usage = 7.7GB, GPU power consumption = 223W, GPU temperature = 48°C.

In this game, the Core Ultra 9 285K platform has a 24% higher CPU usage, 0.5GB less memory usage, and similar GPU and VRAM usage compared to the Ryzen 9 9950X.

In terms of average FPS, the Core Ultra 9 285K is 4 FPS lower than the Ryzen 9 9950X, and both minimum FPS and frame times are nearly identical, resulting in a near tie. The Core Ultra 9 285K uses 50W less power and runs 10°C cooler.

The third game is Silent Hill 2.

• Core Ultra 9 285K platform: Average FPS = 160, Minimum FPS = 70, Frame time = 7.6ms, CPU usage = 30%, Power consumption = 66W, Temperature = 49°C, Memory usage = 11.3GB, GPU usage = 95%, VRAM usage = 7.4GB, GPU power consumption = 220W, GPU temperature = 39°C.
• Ryzen 9 9950X platform: Average FPS = 159, Minimum FPS = 68, Frame time = 6.0ms, CPU usage = 21%, Power consumption = 143W, Temperature = 65°C, Memory usage = 11.4GB, GPU usage = 96%, VRAM usage = 6.9GB, GPU power consumption = 216W, GPU temperature = 45°C.

In this game, the Core Ultra 9 285K platform has a 9% higher CPU usage, similar memory and GPU usage, but 0.5GB more VRAM usage.

The average FPS and minimum FPS are nearly identical between the two platforms. The Core Ultra 9 285K has about 2ms higher frame time, with the overall performance being very close. It consumes 77W less power and operates 16°C cooler.

The fourth game is The Witcher 3.

• Core Ultra 9 285K platform: Average FPS = 93, Minimum FPS = 58, Frame time = 10.6ms, CPU usage = 48%, Power consumption = 92W, Temperature = 58°C, Memory usage = 13.0GB, GPU usage = 79%, VRAM usage = 8.2GB, GPU power consumption = 248W, GPU temperature = 40°C.
• Ryzen 9 9950X platform: Average FPS = 83, Minimum FPS = 65, Frame time = 11.8ms, CPU usage = 29%, Power consumption = 139W, Temperature = 63°C, Memory usage = 12.3GB, GPU usage = 74%, VRAM usage = 7.5GB, GPU power consumption = 220W, GPU temperature = 44°C.

In this game, the Core Ultra 9 285K platform has a 19% higher CPU usage, 0.7GB more memory usage, 5% higher GPU usage, and 0.7GB more VRAM usage.

In terms of average FPS, the Core Ultra 9 285K platform is 10 FPS ahead, while the minimum FPS is 7 FPS higher on the Ryzen 9 9950X. The frame times are similar, with the Core Ultra 9 285K consuming 47W less power and running 5°C cooler.

The fifth game is Ghostwire Tokyo.

• Core Ultra 9 285K platform: Average FPS = 178, Minimum FPS = 130, Frame time = 5.2ms, CPU usage = 18%, Power consumption = 62W, Temperature = 47°C, Memory usage = 11.7GB, GPU usage = 82%, VRAM usage = 7.0GB, GPU power consumption = 238W, GPU temperature = 42°C.
• Ryzen 9 9950X platform: Average FPS = 198, Minimum FPS = 130, Frame time = 5.1ms, CPU usage = 14%, Power consumption = 120W, Temperature = 58°C, Memory usage = 10.7GB, GPU usage = 92%, VRAM usage = 6.3GB, GPU power consumption = 250W, GPU temperature = 48°C.

In this game, the Core Ultra 9 285K platform has 4% higher CPU usage, 1GB more memory usage, 10% lower GPU usage, and 0.7GB more VRAM usage.

The Core Ultra 9 285K platform is 20 FPS lower in average FPS, but the minimum FPS and frame time are nearly identical. It consumes 58W less power and runs 11°C cooler.

The sixth game is Hogwarts Legacy.

• Core Ultra 9 285K platform: Average FPS = 73, Minimum FPS = 66, Frame time = 13.6ms, CPU usage = 26%, Power consumption = 71W, Temperature = 48°C, Memory usage = 19.6GB, GPU usage = 56%, VRAM usage = 10.2GB, GPU power consumption = 205W, GPU temperature = 39°C.
• Ryzen 9 9950X platform: Average FPS = 79, Minimum FPS = 58, Frame time = 11.9ms, CPU usage = 17%, Power consumption = 127W, Temperature = 58°C, Memory usage = 19.9GB, GPU usage = 55%, VRAM usage = 10.3GB, GPU power consumption = 202W, GPU temperature = 46°C.

In this game, the Core Ultra 9 285K platform has 9% higher CPU usage, 0.3GB less memory usage, and similar GPU and VRAM usage.

The Core Ultra 9 285K platform is 6 FPS behind in average FPS, but 8 FPS ahead in minimum FPS. The frame time is about 2ms higher, with the overall performance being slightly worse. It uses 56W less power and runs 10°C cooler.

The seventh game is Starfield.

• Core Ultra 9 285K platform: Average FPS = 153, Minimum FPS = 85, Frame time = 6.4ms, CPU usage = 71%, Power consumption = 129W, Temperature = 64°C, Memory usage = 11.9GB, GPU usage = 90%, VRAM usage = 6.2GB, GPU power consumption = 263W, GPU temperature = 43°C.
• Ryzen 9 9950X platform: Average FPS = 140, Minimum FPS = 98, Frame time = 7.7ms, CPU usage = 39%, Power consumption = 178W, Temperature = 74°C, Memory usage = 13.1GB, GPU usage = 83%, VRAM usage = 6.5GB, GPU power consumption = 240W, GPU temperature = 48°C.

In this game, the Core Ultra 9 285K platform has 32% higher CPU usage, 1.2GB less memory usage, 7% higher GPU usage, and 0.3GB less VRAM usage.

The Core Ultra 9 285K platform is 13 FPS ahead in average FPS, with 5 FPS lower in minimum FPS. Frame time is 1ms lower, with the overall performance slightly better. It uses 49W less power and operates 10°C cooler.

V. Comparison Conclusion

If we look solely at the final gaming performance, the Core Ultra 9 285K “loses slightly” to the Ryzen 9 9950X. However, if we broaden the evaluation criteria a bit, the performance gap can be considered marginal, and we can roughly deem it a tie.

Nevertheless, the Core Ultra 9 285K platform generally shows higher CPU usage than the Ryzen 9 9950X, consuming more processor resources. This indicates that its overall performance is still behind its competitor. From this perspective, the gaming performance difference is relatively significant. On the other hand, the Core Ultra 9 285K performs notably better in terms of power consumption and temperature, significantly outperforming the Ryzen 9 9950X in these areas.

VI. Benchmark Comparison

Some readers might be particularly interested in the benchmark scores between the Core Ultra 9 285K and the Ryzen 9 9950X. Their scores are very close, with the Core Ultra 9 285K slightly ahead, leading by about 3% in both single-core and multi-core performance, as shown in the chart above.

However, actual gaming performance depends on various factors. Despite the Core Ultra 9 285K having slightly better benchmark scores, the real-world gaming performance shows a larger gap in favor of the Ryzen 9 9950X. Therefore, for gamers, the Ryzen 9 9950X should be the priority choice.

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