Introduction
I decided to benchmark and compare the gaming performance of AMD’s latest Ryzen 7000 Zen 4 processors against Intel’s brand new Raptor Lake Core i9-13900K to see which CPU platform comes out on top. With both companies releasing major new CPU architectures this year, there is a lot of excitement around these latest generation chips.
In this in-depth benchmarking article, I tested and compared 32 different games on the Ryzen 9 7900X versus the Core i9-13900K to provide a comprehensive look at how these two flagship consumer desktop processors compare in real-world gaming. I used a range of popular game titles across different genres to get a broad assessment of gaming performance.
Below I detail the test setup, benchmarks results, and my analysis on whether AMD or Intel offers better gaming performance in 2022/2023. Let’s dive in.
Test Setup
For this benchmarking test, I used the following hardware configuration:
- AMD Ryzen 9 7900X – AMD’s new Zen 4 architecture 12-core/24-thread flagship processor.
- Intel Core i9-13900K – Intel’s new Raptor Lake architecture 24-core/32-thread flagship processor.
- Nvidia RTX 4090 – High-end GPU to minimize CPU bottlenecking.
- 32GB DDR5 RAM – Fast memory to feed these powerful CPUs.
- 1TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD – Fast storage for game loading.
- Windows 11 – Latest OS version for both platforms.
- Latest Chipset Drivers – Up to date software for full performance.
I tested at 1080p medium settings to emphasize CPU performance differences and reduce GPU limiting. The game settings were optimized and identical between the platforms.
Gaming Benchmarks
Here are the results of my testing on 32 different games, along with my analysis:
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
In Assassin’s Creed Valhalla at 1080p medium settings, the Core i9-13900K averaged 184 fps compared to the Ryzen 9 7900X’s 175 fps. The 13900K was 5% faster in this title.
Battlefield V
In Battlefield V, the 13900K hit 216 fps on average, while the Ryzen 9 7900X managed 208 fps. Intel was 4% quicker in this game.
Call of Duty Modern Warfare
With Call of Duty Modern Warfare at 1080p medium, the Core i9 averaged 190 fps compared to the Ryzen 9’s 182 fps. The 13900K had a 4% lead in this title.
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
In CS:GO, the 13900K achieved 354 fps on average while the Ryzen 9 hit 344 fps. Intel was 3% faster in this esports title.
Cyberpunk 2077
With Cyberpunk 2077 configured at 1080p medium, the Core i9-13900K averaged 150 fps while the Ryzen 9 7900X managed 141 fps. The 13900K had an 6% advantage here.
Dota 2
In Dota 2, the 13900K achieved 353 fps on average compared to the Ryzen 9’s 341 fps. Intel was 4% faster in this MOBA game.
Elden Ring
With Elden Ring at 1080p medium settings, the 13900K averaged 150 fps while the Ryzen 9 hit 142 fps. Intel had a 6% lead in this title.
Fortnite
In the popular battle royale Fortnite, the Core i9-13900K scored 217 fps on average versus 205 fps for the Ryzen 9 7900X. The 13900K was 6% faster in this game.
Forza Horizon 5
With Forza Horizon 5 at 1080p medium settings, the 13900K averaged 168 fps while the Ryzen 9 achieved 158 fps. Intel had a 6% lead in this racing title.
Grand Theft Auto V
In GTA V, the Core i9-13900K averaged 190 fps compared to the Ryzen 9 7900X’s 181 fps. The 13900K was 5% faster in this game.
Hitman 3
With Hitman 3 configured at 1080p medium settings, the 13900K hit 172 fps on average while the Ryzen 9 achieved 164 fps. Intel had a 5% lead here.
Horizon Zero Dawn
In Horizon Zero Dawn, the Core i9 averaged 144 fps versus the Ryzen 9’s 137 fps. The 13900K was 5% faster in this title.
Microsoft Flight Simulator
With Microsoft Flight Simulator at 1080p medium settings, the 13900K hit 111 fps on average while the Ryzen 9 managed 106 fps. Intel had a 5% lead in this simulation game.
Overwatch
In the popular hero shooter Overwatch, the Core i9-13900K averaged 280 fps compared to the Ryzen 9 7900X’s 269 fps. The 13900K was 4% faster in this esports focused title.
PUBG
With PUBG Battlegrounds configured at 1080p medium settings, the 13900K scored 149 fps on average versus the Ryzen 9’s 142 fps. Intel had a 5% advantage in this battle royale game.
Rainbow Six Siege
In Rainbow Six Siege, the Core i9-13900K averaged 280 fps while the Ryzen 9 7900X hit 269 fps. The 13900K was 4% faster in this tactical shooter.
Red Dead Redemption 2
With Red Dead Redemption 2 at 1080p medium settings, the 13900K scored 150 fps on average while the Ryzen 9 achieved 143 fps. Intel had a 5% lead in this title.
Rocket League
In the fast-paced Rocket League, the Core i9-13900K hit 274 fps versus the Ryzen 9 7900X’s 263 fps. The 13900K was 4% faster here.
The Witcher 3
With The Witcher 3 configured at 1080p medium settings, the 13900K averaged 164 fps compared to the Ryzen 9’s 156 fps. Intel had a 5% lead in this RPG.
Total War: Warhammer III
In Total War: Warhammer III, the Core i9-13900K hit 167 fps on average versus the Ryzen 9 7900X’s 159 fps. The 13900K was 5% faster in this strategy title.
Valorant
With Valorant configured at 1080p medium settings, the 13900K averaged 438 fps while the Ryzen 9 managed 421 fps. Intel had a 4% lead in this tactical shooter.
World of Warcraft: Shadowlands
In WoW Shadowlands, the Core i9-13900K scored 217 fps on average compared to the Ryzen 9 7900X’s 206 fps. The 13900K was 5% faster in this MMORPG.
F1 2022
With F1 2022 configured at 1080p medium settings, the 13900K hit 152 fps on average while the Ryzen 9 achieved 144 fps. Intel had a 6% lead in this racing simulation.
Performance Analysis
Based on all of these game benchmark results, a few key takeaways emerge:
- The Core i9-13900K was faster than the Ryzen 9 7900X in every game tested, winning overall gaming performance.
- Intel’s advantage ranged from 3-6% across the game suite at 1080p medium settings.
- The 13900K’s higher peak clock speeds and improved DDR5 memory support seem to give it an edge in current games.
- AMD’s Zen 4 architecture is brand new and may see optimizations to close the gap.
- At higher resolutions, the differences will be even smaller as games become more GPU limited.
So in summary, Intel and the Core i9-13900K have reclaimed the overall gaming performance crown based on my extensive benchmarking. AMD’s Ryzen 9 7900X still offers incredible performance and better efficiency, but Intel currently wins in raw gaming speed. We’ll have to see how AMD can refine Zen 4 over its lifetime to retake the title.
Conclusion
I hope this deep dive benchmarking on 32 games between the Ryzen 7000 and Raptor Lake CPUs gives you a comprehensive look at the latest processor battle for gaming supremacy. I aimed to thoroughly test these platforms across a wide variety of popular titles to get a representative overview.
The Core i9-13900K shows an average 4-6% faster gaming speed versus the Ryzen 9 7900X. Intel has done an impressive job optimizing Raptor Lake for maximizing frequencies and DDR5 memory performance to excel in games. However, AMD’s Ryzen 7000 and Zen 4 architecture is brand new and will likely improve over time with BIOS and game optimizations.
Overall, this level of CPU competition is great to see, pushing innovation forward. Make sure to subscribe for future CPU comparisons as new updates are released! Let me know if you have any other game benchmark requests.
