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Intel - Core i5-14600K vs AMD - Ryzen 9 7950X

Last updated · How Mars Score works
Core i5-14600KINTELRENDER
Probe A
Intel
Core i5-14600K
52.1/ 100D
Cores52· 40%
Benchmarks52· 40%
Platform—· 20%
Ryzen 9 7950XAMDRENDER
Probe B
AMD
Ryzen 9 7950X
59.7/ 100C
Cores57· 40%
Benchmarks62· 40%
Platform—· 20%
Quick verdict

Between the Core i5-14600K and Ryzen 9 7950X, the Core i5-14600K comes out ahead in tdp, while the Ryzen 9 7950X wins on l3 cache and cinebench r23 (multi). Overall, the Core i5-14600K scores 52.1 and the Ryzen 9 7950X scores 59.7 on our Mars Score.

Buying advice

Which should you buy?

The Ryzen 9 7950X edges ahead on the Mars Score (52.1 vs 59.7), but the 7.6-point gap is small enough that the right pick comes down to which spec advantages matter to you.

Pick the Core i5-14600K if you care most about tdp. The biggest gaps in its favor are tdp.

Pick the Ryzen 9 7950X if you push the hardware — gaming, on-device AI, heavy multitasking — and the extra compute headroom is worth the trade-offs. Its strongest claims are l3 cache, cinebench r23 (multi), cores, among others.

There are no meaningful ties on the headline specs — every popular-comparison metric has a winner.

Bottom line: the Ryzen 9 7950X is the safer default. The other model is the right choice only when its specific advantages line up with your priorities.

Why Intel - Core i5-14600K wins

  • ▲TDP — 45.00 W less. 125 vs 170.

Why AMD - Ryzen 9 7950X wins

  • ▲L3 cache — 166.67% more. 64 MB vs 24 MB.
  • ▲Cinebench R23 (multi) — 58.85% more. 38600 vs 24300.
  • ▲Cores — 14.29% more. 16 vs 14.
  • ▲Boost clock — 7.55% more. 5.7 GHz vs 5.3 GHz.
Full readout

Spec comparison

Cores

SpecIntel - Core i5-14600KAMD - Ryzen 9 7950X
Coresⓘ1416lead
Threadsⓘ2032lead
Base clockⓘ3.5 GHz4.5 GHzlead
Boost clockⓘ5.3 GHz5.7 GHzlead
L3 cacheⓘ24 MB64 MBlead

Platform

SpecIntel - Core i5-14600KAMD - Ryzen 9 7950X
SocketⓘLGA1700AM5
TDPⓘ125 Wlead170 W
Integrated graphicsⓘtruetrue
DDR5ⓘtruetrue

Benchmarks

SpecIntel - Core i5-14600KAMD - Ryzen 9 7950X
Cinebench R23 (multi)ⓘ2430038600lead
Cinebench R23 (single)ⓘ20302050lead
Reader questions

Frequently asked

Drill down

Spec-level deep dives

Cores→Threads→Base clock→Boost clock→L3 cache→Socket→TDP→Integrated graphics→DDR5→Cinebench R23 (multi)→Cinebench R23 (single)→
By manufacturer

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