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The Ryzen 7 8700F and Intel Core i5 14600KF are high-core-count CPUs. The question is: which is the better CPU, and which one should you buy?
The Ryzen 7 8700F is an AMD CPU for the AM5 platform, while the Intel Core i5 14600KF is a processor for the LGA 1700 platform. You may think that the former performs between the Ryzen 7000 series and the Ryzen 9000 series, as it belongs to the Ryzen 8000 series, but you would be wrong. The Ryzen 8000 series mainly contains the monolithic mobile processors repackaged for desktop PCs. Due to the monolithic mobile nature of this CPU, it also has an NPU. However, the iGPU is disabled. This is why it has the F moniker at the end.
On the other hand, the Intel Core i5 14600KF is a traditional high-performance K-series processor. However, its iGPU is also disabled just like the Ryzen CPU here. That’s why both processors sport the F moniker. Nonetheless, one is a Ryzen 7 while the other is a Core i5, and you may naturally think the Ryzen 7 would be the better CPU since it is a higher class of processor than the Intel, but it isn’t always the case. That’s why we decided to compare the two processors and find out which is better once and for all.
Note: Parts of this article are subjective and reflect the writer’s opinions.
Ryzen 7 8700F vs Intel Core i5 14600KF: Detailed Comparison
The Ryzen 7 8700F is based on the Zen 4 architecture but uses the mobile design, so keep that in mind. On the other hand, the Intel Core i5 14600KF is designed on the Raptor Lake Refresh architecture. Let’s check out their specs to understand what they are equipped with.
Specs Comparison
Here are the specs of the Ryzen 7 8700F and Intel Core i5 14600KF:
| Specifications | AMD Ryzen 7 8700F | Intel Core i5 14600KF |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | Zen 4 | Raptor Lake Refresh |
| P-Core/Thread count | 8/16 | 6/12 |
| E-Core/Thread count | — | 8/8 |
| Total Core/Thread count | 8/16 | 14/20 |
| Max clock speed | 5 GHz | 5.3 GHz |
| L3 cache | 16 MB | 24 MB |
| RAM support | DDR5-5200 | DDR5-5600 |
| PCIe Gen support | Gen 4 (Only 8 PCIe Lanes for GPU) | Gen 5 |
| Platform Socket | AM5 | LGA 1700 |
| Thermal design power (TDP) | 65W Typical | 88W Max | 105W Typical | 142W Max |
| Manufacturing nodes | 5nm, 6nm | 5nm, 6nm |
As per the specs table, the Intel Core i5 14600KF is vastly superior to the Ryzen 7 8700F. The former has more cores, higher clock speeds, more cache, and even full PCI lanes with Gen 5 support. On the other hand, the latter has less cache, which would definitely affect the gaming performance. For those unaware, Ryzen processors require a lot of cache to run well, and the Ryzen 7 8700F has half the cache of budget CPUs like the Ryzen 5 7600. This will definitely hurt the gaming performance.
The Ryzen 7 8700F also has an NPU that can deliver around 17 TOPS of performance, which is currently unused by games and the majority of software products. While it could change in the future, it is not useful as of this writing. It’s time we put the specs aside and look at how these two CPUs actually perform. Let’s start with the benchmarks.
Synthetic Performance Comparison
Here’s how the Ryzen 7 8700F and Intel Core i5 14600KF perform in popular synthetic benchmarks:
| Benchmarks | AMD Ryzen 7 8700F | Intel Core i5 14600KF |
|---|---|---|
| Cinebench R23 (Single-Core) | 1781 | 2063 |
| Cinebench R23 (Multi-Core) | 17662 | 24119 |
| Geekbench 6 (Single-Core) | 2745 | 2750 |
| Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core) | 14313 | 16715 |
| Passmark CPU (Single-Core) | 3897 | 4270 |
| Passmark CPU (Multi-Core) | 31327 | 38666 |
On average, the Intel Core i5 14600KF scores 7% higher in single-core benchmarks and 25% higher performance in multi-core benchmarks than the Ryzen 7 8700F. The former is clearly the faster CPU, at least in productivity. Let’s check out how it fares in gaming.
Game Performance Comparison
Here’s how the Ryzen 7 8700F and Intel Core i5 14600KF handle some of the popular games on the market:
| Games | AMD Ryzen 7 8700F | Intel Core i5 14600KF |
|---|---|---|
| A Plague Tale Requiem | 135 FPS | 147 FPS |
| Baldur’s Gate 3 | 132 FPS | 144 FPS |
| Star Wars Jedi Survivor | 106 FPS | 153 FPS |
| Hogwarts Legacy | 59 FPS | 70 FPS |
| Hitman 3 | 182 FPS | 256 FPS |
| Watch Dogs Legion | 137 FPS | 134 FPS |
| Assassin’s Creed Mirage | 153 FPS | 163 FPS |
| Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered | 119 FPS | 137 FPS |
| Assetto Corsa Competizione | 118 FPS | 152 FPS |
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 128 FPS | 156 FPS |
Note: The two CPUs were tested at 1080p resolution with the RTX 4090 GPU to eliminate any GPU bottleneck. All FPS numbers were sourced from the BENCHMARKING EMPIRE channel on YouTube.
The Intel Core i5 14600KF delivers 19% more frame rates than the Ryzen 7 8700F. The former has a higher clock speed and more cache, which probably contributed to its win. It’s not that the Ryzen 7 8700F performs badly, but it is obviously no match for the Intel processor.
Price Comparison
The Ryzen 7 8700F currently costs around $248.99 on Newegg, while the Intel Core i5 14600KF sells for $199.99 on Newegg. This makes the AMD CPU $51 more expensive than the Intel one, despite being slower.
Final Verdict on Ryzen 7 8700F vs Intel Core i5 14600KF
The Intel Core i5 14600KF is up to 25% faster in productivity and 19% faster in gaming than the Ryzen 7 8700F. The former is also $51 cheaper, making it the better choice. Therefore, our recommendation is also the Intel Core i5 14600KF. However, there are some things you should know. For one, LGA 1700 is a dead platform and won’t receive any new generation of processors.
On the other hand, the AM5 platform of the Ryzen 7 8700F will probably support the upcoming Zen 6 CPUs and may even support Zen 7. Therefore, you can choose to get the Ryzen processor only if you plan to upgrade in a few years down the road.
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