Should I get i7 9700K or i9-9900K?
The i7 would be better. i7 is a gaming/enthusist cpu with very high clock speed and 6 cores. This cpu is designed for things where speed is most important. i9 is a workstation cpu with lower clock speed and 8+ cores.
DEFINITELY NOT. The i7–9700K is already a powerful CPU capable of even 4K 200+ FPS gaming on e-sports titles. DO NOT UPGRADE. Also, even though Intel is falling behind in CPU technology overall, they still lead in gaming performance.
When it comes to Core i7 vs. Core i9, the differences between the two don't make one explicitly "better" than the other across the board. Rather, it's all down to which platform makes the most sense for your power needs, your budget, and the kind of work you plan on doing most often.
“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.”
Core i9-9900K is the fastest mainstream desktop processor we've ever tested. But it's also one of the most expensive.
Core i7-9700K, on the other hand, lands right where we expect to find any other high-end, unlocked, Core i7 CPU. It even boasts a number of improvements compared to the previous generation. Like Intel's Core i9-9900K, the i7-9700K includes eight physical cores.
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Core i7 vs. Core i9: Which CPU is Right for You?
Geekbench 4 | |
Core i7 | 17,639 |
Core i9 | 19,516 |
Core i9 Overclocked | 21,204 |
Premium Gaming Laptop Average | 18,709 |
The Core i9-9900K has a base frequency of 3.6GHz and a maximum boost frequency of 5GHz, compared with the Ryzen 9 3900X's base 3.8GHz speed and 4.6GHz maximum boost. Both can be overclocked. The speed differences are small but significant, although you can't strictly compare them one to one.
Can an i9 9900k last from 2022 to early 2025? The question is rather open. Yes, it will certainly last until 2025 and far beyond, windows 11 will boost its performance, it remains an 8 core CPU and there will be far lesser computers around, but i fear that it will not feel snappy compared to 2025 hardware.
i7 vs i9 – How do they compare? 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.
Is an i9 overkill for gaming?
In general, an i9–9900K is overkill just for gaming. You'd hardly notice any difference from some i3–9something or R3–3something. There are exceptions, but for 90% of games it makes not a single iota of difference, and for the others the difference is so small that you'd be hard-pressed to even experience it.
The i9–9900K has a higher boost clock clock and more cores, so it puts out a lot more heat than an i7–8700K under heavy workloads, especially multicore tasks.

Definitely not the i9 (unless you edit video or do other heavy multicore workloads). The i7–8700K, sure. It is considered the best gaming CPU on the market thanks to its single-core performance, overclocking capability and the fact that it's got 6 multithreaded cores.
The 9th-gen Core i7 and Core i9 chips offer the same number of cores and close clock speeds, meaning there's little difference for most users. As with the 11th-gen chips, the close cores and clock speeds mean the differences between Core i7 and Core i9 are minimal for most users.
It's an optimal processor for your motherboard if you're trying to assemble a great gaming rig, or if you dabble in programs that require a wealth of computing power. For example, it's great if you do a lot of photo editing, digital video editing, music production, or digital animation, just to name a few.
The i9-9900K can run hot in synthetic tests. It will get especially hot if you run something like Prime95 that throws AVX instructions at the CPU. If you have a standard tower air cooler, I would expect to see high 90s Celsius.
Following these decisive tests, I can conclude that the Intel Core i9-9900K is certainly the most powerful CPU when compared with the Intel Core i7-8700K and AMD Ryzen 2700X. This makes it one of the best consumer processors available for media work.
Maximum Memory Speeds Supported by the 9900K
When using DDR4 memory, the Core i9 9900K CPU officially supports memory speeds up to 2666 MT/s. This maximum speed means that stock DDR4 performance will be maximized using DDR4-2666 memory.
The Ryzen 7 3800X has twice the thread count of the Core i7-9700K. The AMD chip also comes with 166% more L3 cache, which comes in handy for workloads that are sensitive to cache capacity. It1s other strong attributes include support for PCIe 4.0 and the DDR4-3200 standard.
This processor also supports up to 128GB of dual-channel 2666 MHz DDR4 RAM and utilizes 9th-generation technology. Intel designed this processor with support for the integrated Intel UHD Graphics 630 chipset.
How much RAM does a i7-9700K need?
Our top pick is the Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 3000 MHz. This RAM gives you all the high-tech features you need from your RAM to keep your computer setup working as fast as possible. This makes it a great fit for the i7 9700k if you're wanting superior performance.
One of the best processors for gaming in 2022 are the Intel Core i7 11700K. It has a base clock speed of 3.6 GHz and a boost clock speed of 5 GHz. It has eight cores and sixteen threads. These processors offer the best performance for gaming.
Intel's Special Edition hits 5.5 GHz with ease.
The i9 series of processors from Intel are the best in laptop technology. With faster performance, better power efficiency, and graphics capabilities, this is the way to go.
With a high-end cooler, the 9900K's 5.00 GHz single-core max turbo boost frequency is excellent for performance with the latest graphics-intense games. You can maintain these frequencies with a high-end cooler.