Is Core i7 better than Ryzen 7? (2023)

Is a Ryzen 7 better than an i7?

Both the CPUs perform extremely well in terms of benchmarks but it is the Intel i7 that beats AMD Ryzen 7 5800X by a margin of up to 15-20% better performance.

The AMD processor equivalent to Core i7 is the AMD Ryzen 7.

This is a high-performance CPU that delivers up to 8 cores and 16 threads. It has impressive amounts of clock speeds, overclocking capabilities, and RAM capacity.

CPU benchmarks often offer an insight into how good a processor is when compared with another. But the thing with AMD Ryzen 7 and Intel Core i7 processor families is that they are almost equally matched in terms of performance.

The Bottom Line. Intel's Core i7-9700K excels in two areas that AMD's Ryzen 7 2700X can't touch: raw gaming performance in games and overclocking potential. If you're after the absolute highest frame rates in your games, then the choice is clear: The i7-9700K is stronger in most games than a Ryzen 7 2700X.

AMD Ryzen 5 processors are often less powerful than Intel Core i5 processors. They feature a clock speed of up to 4.4GHz faster than the i5's 4.6GHzi5'sey do; however, they have twice as many threads. The AMD Ryzen 5 3600 is also notable for its low 65W power consumption.

DDR4-3200 / DDR5-5600

The Core i9-13900K holds the throne as the best all-around processor for gaming, single- and multi-threaded work, while the Ryzen 9 7950X takes a few scant leads in some types of multi-threaded work. However, that comes at a big tradeoff in performance in the other categories.

Overall, the Ryzen 7 5800X3D is about 1.7% faster than the Core i9-12900K. That isn't a massive lead, but consider that AMD's CPU has half of the cores, a much slower clock speed, and costs around $200 less.

Speaking generally, i9s are simply faster processors than are i7s – more cores, higher clock, more cache. The big differentiator is when it comes to Hyperthreading, the feature that creates two processing threads for every physical core.

It depends. If it's an i7 from 5 years ago then it'll probably be underpowered or even a bottleneck in your system. But if you mean Intel's 10th and 11th gen CPUs then they're not considered overkill. High end but not overkill, it can be paired with an RTX 3070, 3080, RX 6800 and 6800 XT with no bottlenecks.

Laptops powered with Ryzen processors often clock lower and less aggressively compared to Intel-powered laptops, they often run cooler and longer on battery, thus for laptops, when higher iGPU performance and longer battery life is preferred, Ryzen powered laptops can be used.

Is it cheaper to go with AMD or Intel?

If you're planning on building a cheap system with no discrete graphics, Intel is probably your best option. Although AMD's new Ryzen 7000 CPUs do have onboard graphics and AMD's previous-generation APUs are relatively capable, they aren't as affordable.

It's clear Intel wins the single thread performance stakes this time around, with the stock speed Core i5-13600K able to beat the Ryzen 7 7700X and once overclocked, beat every CPU except the Core i9-13900K.

Of AMD's high-end Ryzen CPUs, the 12-core, 24-thread Ryzen 9 5900X is the best overall. Although it doesn't have the Ryzen 7 5800X3D's V-Cache and lacks the 16 cores of the Ryzen 9 5950X, it has a great combination of gaming performance, multi-threaded performance, and price.

The Core i7-12700F is faster, cheaper, and more feature-rich than its Ryzen 9 rival. The gaming performance is clearly a cut above even with DDR4 memory and Windows 10 installed.

Both Intel Core i5-12500 and the Ryzen 5 5500 chips are very similar in terms of the overall specifications. The Core i5-12500 doesn't have efficiency cores, so we're looking at six performance cores along with twelve threads.

“Generally speaking, Intel Core i9 processors offer higher performance because they have more cores, higher frequencies, more cache and draw more power,” Moorhead says. “If you or your users require the highest performance with single-threaded or multithreaded workloads, the i9 is the one to choose.”

I9 is still better than i7 with higher core count and cache, but the naming convention is much more arbitrary with no i7 vs i9 feature differences. 10 core or more = i9, 8 core = i7, and that's it. With 10th Gen Core X though, Intel simply made all processors i9.

Which processor is best for laptop Intel or Ryzen?

We currently recommend the Intel Core i5-12600K as the best value desktop processor for gaming, while the Ryzen 7 5800X is a solid option for an all-purpose system that can do it all. It's also important to remember that both AMD and Intel are planning to launch new desktop processors very soon.

The Intel CPU sports a higher clock speed, but only has four physical cores and eight threads, compared to the six cores and 12 threads of the AMD Ryzen 5 1600. The AMD CPU costs $219, while on Newegg today the Intel CPU will set you back $350.

Both CPUs offer good value for the money, but the Ryzen 7 is ultimately the better choice for most users. It has a higher base clock speed, more cores and threads, and faster memory support, all of which combine to make it a more powerful CPU.