AMD's recent Ryzen 9 9950X3D is one of the best gaming CPUs you can buy, and the performance I saw in our Ryzen 9 9950X3D review is proof of that. Intel's fastest consumer CPU, the Core Ultra 9 285K, puts up some decent results by comparison, but it's held back by lagging gaming performance. I threw both chips on the test bench to see if the Ryzen 9 9950X3D offers enough of an advantage to justify its price premium over the Core Ultra 9 285K.

• AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D

  Cores

  16

  Threads

  32

  Architecture

  Zen 5

  Process

  TSMC 4nm FinFET

  Socket

  AM5

  Base Clock Speed

  4.3GHz

  The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D is a 16-core flagship CPU based on the Zen 5 architecture, and it includes 144MB of cache with AMD's second-gen 3D V-Cache technology. 

  Pros & Cons

  • Often faster than the Ryzen 9 9950X
  • Chart-topping gaming performance
  • Second-gen 3D V-Cache enables overclocking

  • One of the most expensive CPUs on the market
  • You'll need a hefty cooler

  $699 at Newegg

• Intel Core Ultra 9 285K

  Cores

  8P / 16E

  Threads

  24

  Architecture

  Arrow Lake

  Process

  TSMC N3B

  Socket

  FCLGA1851

  Base Clock Speed

  3.7 GHz / 3.2 GHz

  One of Intel's more powerful Arrow Lake processors, the Core Ultra 9 285K has 24 cores and threads, DDR5 RAM support, lower power draw than previous generation chips, and impressive specs to keep up with AMD Ryzen.

  Pros & Cons

  • Impressive thermals compared to last two generations
  • High speed DDR5 support
  • Powerful integrated GPU

  • Weak gaming performance
  • High memory latency

  $619 at Newegg

Ryzen 9 9950X3D vs Core Ultra 9 285K: Price, specs & availability

AMD's Ryzen 9 9950X3D is the newer option out these two CPUs, launching on March 11, 2025 for a list price of $700. The Core Ultra 9 285K released on October 24, 2024 for a list price of $600. Despite half a year between launches, both CPUs are selling for around list price, though they could change in the future.

Things are stable for the Core Ultra 9 285K, and you'll find it at most retailers between $600 and $620. It hasn't gone on sale yet, but given that it's older than the Ryzen 9 9950X3D, I suspect it'll see a sale sooner. Unfortunately, you don't have the normal options available to Intel processors to save money. The Core Ultra 9 285 non-K is listed for $630, and unlike the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K, Intel hasn't released a KF version of the Core Ultra 9 285K that shaves the integrated graphics.

The Ryzen 9 9950X3D is newer, and prices are more volatile as a result. At the time of writing, the CPU is sold out, but thankfully the price hasn't increased. If you look at the price history for the last-gen Ryzen 9 7950X3D, you can see the CPU has dropped to below $600 at certain points, but more recently, it's sold for $740. I don't suspect prices for Ryzen 9 9950X3D will drop quickly given the performance of the chip. Hopefully it'll stay at its list price of $700, but it's hard to say right now.

• 	AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D	Intel Core Ultra 9 285K
  Socket	AM5	FCLGA1851
  Cores	16	8P / 16E
  Threads	32	24
  Base Clock Speed	4.3GHz	3.7 GHz / 3.2 GHz
  Boost Clock Speed	5.7GHz	5.7 GHz / 5.5 GHz
  PCIe	5.0	5.0
  Cache	144MB	36MB L3 + 40MB L2
  RAM support	DDR5	DDR5-6400
  Graphics	Radeon graphics (2 cores)	Intel Graphics
  Architecture	Zen 5	Arrow Lake
  Process	TSMC 4nm FinFET	TSMC N3B
  TDP	170W	125 W
  Price (MSRP)	$699	$599

Ryzen 9 9950X3D vs Core Ultra 9 285K: Two different approaches to architecture

Intel and AMD have taken two fundamentally different approaches to architecture with the Core Ultra 9 285K and Ryzen 9 9950X3D. Starting with Intel, the Core Ultra 9 285K is built on the Arrow Lake architecture. Like previous Intel generations, it's a hybrid architecture comprised of performance (P) and efficient (E) cores. However, the P-cores don't handle most of the work. Arrow Lake chips use the two core architectures that are available in Intel's Lunar Lake laptop CPUs. The E-cores are the main driver of performance, while the P-cores step in for intense, bursty workloads.

Building on the efficiency focus, Intel decided to ditch Hyperthreading with its Arrow Lake chips. The Core Ultra 9 285K has 24 cores and 24 threads. So, although the Ryzen 9 9950X3D is at a core disadvantage compared to the Core Ultra 9 285K, it actually boasts a thread advantage.

The Ryzen 9 9950X3D takes a much different approach. The big inclusion is AMD's second-gen 3D V-Cache tech, which packs additional cache on the CPU die to improve gaming performance. Unlike previous X3D CPUs, however, AMD places the additional cache under the CPU cores, not on top of them. That gives the cores direct access to the integrated heat spreader (IHS), allowing AMD to boost clock speeds and unlock the chip for overclocking.

As for the cores themselves, they're based on AMD's established Zen 5 architecture. It's a more traditional approach to CPU design, fit with 16 cores across two core complex dies (CCDs) and simultaneous multithreading (SMT). With this generation, however, AMD added a dedicated 512-bit data path for AVX-512 instructions. That won't make a big difference to most users, but it represents a massive performance increase in niche applications like machine learning and PS3 emulation.

Winner: Ryzen 9 9950X3D

Ryzen 9 9950X3D vs Core Ultra 9 285K: Productivity performance

Although AMD's 3D V-Cache is focused on gaming, both the Ryzen 9 9950X3D and Core Ultra 9 285K have productivity prowess. AMD squeezes out a lead, but the two CPUs are close in most applications, despite the large thread disadvantage of the Core Ultra 9 285K.

In Cinebench R24, the two CPUs posted basically identical results in both single and multi-core performance. The Core Ultra 9 285K is particularly strong in rendering apps like Cinebench. However, Geekbench 6 shows that rendering isn't all that the Intel CPU has going for it. It's a hair behind the Ryzen 9 9950X3D, but the margins are very tight, especially considering the higher thread count on the Ryzen 9 9950X3D.

AMD has some strong leads in a few applications. Blender is the most surprising result given the strong rendering performance of the Core Ultra 9 285K. You'd want to accelerate Blender with a dedicated GPU, but AMD is still coming out on top. The same is true 7-Zip, and by a significant margin. AMD has historically dominated this benchmark, however.

The Adobe results show a large disparity, not only between AMD and Intel, but also between Photoshop and Premiere. With QuickSync and the powerful integrated graphics of the Core Ultra 9 285K, Intel managed a small lead in Premiere Pro. It falls way too far behind in Photoshop, though.

No doubt, the Ryzen 9 9950X3D wins this round. However, you could make a justification for the Core Ultra 9 285K if you're focused primiarly on productivity performance. The advantage in Premiere Pro is apparent, and the Core Ultra 9 285K is able to keep pace in heavily-threaded workloads.

Winner: Ryzen 9 9950X3D

Ryzen 9 9950X3D vs Core Ultra 9 285K: Gaming performance

You might be able to justify the Core Ultra 9 285K for productivity performance, but gaming is a different story entirely. There's only one game where the Core Ultra 9 285K beat the Ryzen 9 9950X3D, and that lead only accounts for a few frames. Looking at every other game I tested, the Ryzen 9 9950X3D leads by a massive margin.

The results here are for 1080p High, and I tested with an RTX 4080. The goal is to stress the CPU to show performance differences, but those differences become smaller as you increase graphics settings and resolution. These are two high-end CPUs, and if you're playing games, you'll likely pair them with a high-end graphics card and monitor. The differences in CPU performance up at 4K aren't nearly as relevent as they are at 1080p.

There are some games here that showcase what I'm talking about, notably Cyberpunk 2077 and Black Myth: Wukong. Both games slam your GPU hard, and although there are performance differences between the two chips, they're relatively small. Similarly, in F2 2022, you're looking at frame rates around 400 fps. The Ryzen 9 9950X3D may post a signficant lead, but the experience of playing this game doesn't really change between the two CPUs.

The Ryzen 9 9950X3D really earns its stripes with Final Fantasy 14 and Hitman 3. These two games do stress your CPU, even at higher resolutions, and they showcase what AMD's 3D V-Cache is capable of. The Ryzen 9 9950X3D is a massive 40% ahead in Hitman 3, and it managed a solid 19% lead in Final Fantasy 14.

Those advantages may slip at a higher resolution, but they won't disappear completely. Especially in games with a lot of CPU-based simulations, such as Hitman 3, the Ryzen 9 9950X3D absolutely crushes what Intel has to offer with the Core Ultra 9 285K.

Winner: Ryzen 9 9950X3D

Ryzen 9 9950X3D vs Core Ultra 9 285K: Thermals and power

Despite a focus on effciency with the Core Ultra 9 285K, Intel still struggles against the Ryzen 9 9950X3D when it comes to power draw. As you can see in an all-core run of Cinebench R24 above, the CPU ramped up to 240 watts and remained there throughout the duration of the run.

The Ryzen 9 9950X3D consumes a lot of power, too, but it's still below the Core Ultra 9 285K. Based on my testing, it never passed 200W in an all-core run of Cinebench R24, rather settling somewhere around 190W. That's surprising given the extra cache and the core design of AMD's chip. I wouldn't call either of these chips efficient, but there's no doubt that AMD is offering the same or better performance for lower power draw.

Thermals are a bit different. In the charts above, the Ryzen 9 9950X3D looks much better than the Core Ultra 9 285K. AMD's chip settled around 68 degrees Celsius, while Intel's is sitting around 78 degrees. These runs were done with different coolers, though -- a 360mm all-in-one liquid cooler for the Ryzen 9 9950X3D, and an air cooler for the Core Ultra 9 285K.

In reality, both CPUs stay cool under load. You should expect both to land somewhere around 80 degrees when pushed with an air cooler, and closer to 70 degrees with liquid cooling. The important thing is that neither CPU should reach maximum operating temperature with proper cooling. That wasn't true of previous Intel flagships, which almost forced you to use liquid cooling.

Which is right for you?

The Core Ultra 9 285K may not be as expensive as the Ryzen 9 9950X3D, but that price difference represents a lot of lost performance. The Ryzen 9 9950X3D offers a slight lead in productivity, a massive boost in gaming, and efficiency that can go toe-to-toe with Intel's attempt at a highly efficient desktop architecture.

You shouldn't write off the Core Ultra 9 285K wholesale, however. Not everyone needs the balance of gaming and productivity performance that the Ryzen 9 9950X3D provides, and if you fall more into the productivity camp, the Core Ultra 9 285K is a solid -- and cheaper -- alternative.