Ryzen 7 9800X3D vs i9-14900K vs Core Ultra 9: CPU Showdown

The perspective of the next few months on the processor market looks calm, because only at the turn of 2026/2027 can we expect more serious premieres, but even despite the stagnation, the choice turns out to be exceptionally wide. Today, when building an efficient gaming PC, we basically orbit around three competitive platforms, where the leading positions are occupied by AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D, Intel Core i9-14900K and Intel Core Ultra 9 285K. Using the refreshed PurePC measurement procedure, we will check the current condition of top units, which is especially important in computer games, the number of which has significantly expanded compared to the previous ranking.

Author: Sebastian Oktaba

I announced a new measurement procedure a few months ago, where, as usual, a public survey was launched, allowing the expression of individual opinions, expectations and substantive comments regarding the scope or system settings. Most of the original assumptions were successfully implemented, I also added bonus items (including Counter Strike 2), although e-sports productions did not receive the greatest recognition in the survey. Instead of 10 computer games, there are now 26, including titles representing many genres, e.g. STALKER 2, Battlefield 6, The Elder Scrolls Oblivion Remastered, Baldur’s Gate 3, Cities Skylines 2, Assetto Corsa: Competizione and the latest Indiana Jones. Although I was not enthusiastic about testing at several resolutions, in the end I left the results with 1920×1080 and 3840×2160, although the first mode remains the priority.

The new measurement procedure for processors is perfect for checking the performance of AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D, Intel Core i9-14900K and Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, which will be the reference point for other units.

Fundamental changes also occurred in the hardware layer as test platforms underwent modernization. The Gigabyte GeForce RTX 5090 Gaming OC graphics card ensures scaling results even with ray tracing enabled, present in ten productions: Cyberpunk 2077, Dragon’s Dogma 2, Dragon Age: Veliguard, Dying Light 2, GTA V Enhanced, Hogwarts Legacy, Indiana Jones, Marvel’s Spider Man 2, Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2 and Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Next Gen. Each generation of processors also received a separate Lexar NM990 4 TB installation media, enriched with Windows 11 25H2 with the last button (HVCI / HAGS / Secure Boot), while previously Windows 10 22H2 was used. There have been significant changes in RAM profiles and energy limit settings for Intel units (PL1 = PL2 instead of maximum) – details can be found on the following subpages, detailing platform configurations and measurement places.

Compendium of knowledge about processor tests – Everything you need to know about the measurement procedure and platform settings

This publication focuses solely on performance results, omitting sections on clock speeds and temperatures, which will of course be included in the premiere materials. In the above cases, both issues were discussed many times. The results database is being expanded, several more materials are waiting in the publishing queue, so you can expect more activity in the processor department in the coming weeks. Returning for a moment to the RAM configuration – the best and most popular settings for individual platforms have been selected, however, cheaper LGA1700 units of the Intel Core i3-12100F or Core i5-12400F class will be additionally tested with DDR4 modules. This will allow you to check scenarios corresponding to market trends that will most likely be quite popular in 2026/2027.