Core i7-9700K vs Ryzen 7 3700X  : which is best gaming CPU?

	Core i7-9700K	Ryzen 7 3700X
Cores/Threads	8/8	8/16
Base Clock	3.6 GHz	3.6 GHz
Boost Clock	4.9 GHz	4.4 GHz
Cache	12 MB	32 MB
TDP	95W	65W
Memory Support	DDR4-2666MHz	DDR4-3200MHz

Intel’s Core i9-9900K may be the fastest CPU for gaming, but for most of us, it comes down to the Core i7-9700K or the Ryzen 7 3700X. The 9900K is just a tad bit faster than the 9700K while costing a lot more while the 3900X is just overkill for gaming. Very few games use more than 8-cores and SMT/HT isn’t utilized for most.

Looking at the specs, the Ryzen 7 3700X has the thread advantage while the 9700K has a higher boost clock. The former also has a higher cache size which helps make up for the latency drop induced by the Infinity Fabric. As for the TDP, the Ryzen 7 is notably more efficient than Intel’s Coffee Lake chip.