Need some help selecting the best cpu for your upcoming build here’s a summary of what the spreadsheet includes:
• Intel entries are all Core Ultra CPU’s spanning Ultra 5, 7 and 9, mostly mobile and HX/desktop‑class parts, and a few K/KF desktop SKUs.
• AMD entries cover Ryzen 9/7/5 on AM5 (9000/7000 and X3D variants) plus a long tail of AM4 Ryzen 5000‑series chips, including X3D and APU‑style G/GE parts.
Intel Core Ultra vs AMD Ryzen
• Intel Core Ultra 5/7/9 SKUs tend to push very high turbo clocks (up to 5.7 GHz on the 285K) but mix core configurations: some mobile parts are 8–14 cores, while top HX/K desktop parts go up to 24 cores.
• AMD Ryzen 9 9950X/7950X and similar models sit at 16 cores / 32 threads with very high boost clocks, but lean heavily on large L3 caches and efficient CCD layouts rather than extreme core counts.
Strengths: where each is “better”
• Intel Core Ultra HX/K/KF parts (e.g., 285K, 265K) are better when you care about peak single‑thread turbo and very high total core counts for mixed workloads like gaming + heavy background tasks or streaming.
• AMD Ryzen X3D parts (9950X3D, 9900X3D, 9800X3D, 7800X3D, etc.) are better targeted at latency‑sensitive gaming, using massive L3 (up to 128 MB) rather than more cores, which tends to translate into higher FPS at a given core count.
AM5 vs AM4 landscape
• On AM5, your sheet shows Ryzen 9/7/5 9000 and 7000 series, where even Ryzen 5 chips have 6 cores / 12 threads and decent 32 MB L3, and all use the same AM5 socket with PCIe 5‑capable platforms.
• On AM4, the list shows how AMD backfills the value stack with Ryzen 5000‑series (e.g., 5600, 5500, 5305G/GE) that keep 4–8 cores but reduce cache and/or clocks, making them better budget or upgrade‑path options rather than cutting‑edge performance parts.
Why is one is one AMD CPU better than the other?
• For pure gaming: emphasize Ryzen X3D SKUs vs Intel’s highest‑clocked Ultra 7/9, and explain that the X3D line trades some frequency for huge L3 cache, which is “better” when games are cache‑sensitive.
• For content creation / multi‑thread: Note that 24‑core Intel Ultra 9 HX/K parts and 16‑core Ryzen 9 (9950X, 7950X) shine, and “better” depends on whether the workload scales with more cores or benefits more from cache and efficiency.
• For value and platform longevity: AM5 (Ryzen 9000/7000) as a long‑term socket with a wide stack, vs AM4 as a mature budget platform, and contrast that with Intel’s Core Ultra chips where the main appeal is cutting‑edge performance today rather than long socket continuity.
Download the PDF Document here detailing all of the current CPU’s for both AMD and Intel here:
https://itknickknacks.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/CPU-Reference-Chart-Sheet1.pdf