Intel Core Ultra 9 285K vs AMD Ryzen 9 9950 X3D: Specs, Price, Performance, and More Compared

By Mainak Dey / Tech / March 23, 2025

The AMD Ryzen 9 9950 X3D is AMD’s fastest CPU out there, but how does the Core Ultra 9 285K stack up against it?

Intel Core Ultra 9 285K vs AMD Ryzen 9 9950 X3D: Specs, Price, Performance, and More Compared — AMD Ryzen 9 9950 X3D vs Intel Core Ultra 9 285K (Image via AMD | Intel | Deltia’s Gaming)

With the dawn of Zen 5 came the 9950X, which initially looked promising but didn’t quite pack the punch we expected. One of its two CCDs was designed with efficiency in mind, which allowed the Core Ultra 9 to outperform it in overall tasks. However, that’s not the case this time. The 9950X3D has addressed this issue—both CCDs are now high-performance, resulting in higher clocks and an improved core scheduler and driver. Yes, it’s finally here—tech enthusiasts can now find a proper replacement for their 10900Ks. If you know what I mean here, you’re probably getting goosebumps.

Note: All the data used in this comparison is sourced from official manufacturer specifications. Pricing details are taken from Newegg and are accurate as of March 23, 2025.

Intel Core Ultra 9 285K vs AMD Ryzen 9 9950 X3D – Design, Strengths, Performance, and Tradeoffs

Intel Core Ultra 9 285K

Core Ultra 9 285K — Arrow Lake Flagship (Image via Intel | Deltia’s Gaming)

Structure – Hybrid Monolithic design that combines 8P (Performance) Cores and 16 Efficiency Cores on a single die.
Core Configuration – SMT – Simultaneous Multi-threading (Intel HT) removed from the P cores
Lithography – TSMC N3B (3nm process node)

Strengths:

Multi-Threaded Workloads – Offers good performance for video editing and productivity apps such as Blender / DaVinci Resolve
CUDIMM DDR5 – Supports both DDR5 and CUDIMM variants of the DDR5
Improved Memory Controller – Getting DDR5 8000 to work is a piece of cake.
Intel Thread Director
Intel DTT (Dynamic Tuning)
AI capabilities such as support for AVX-VNNI-INT16, SHA512, SM3, and SM4 ISA instructions
More efficient than Raptorlake

Weaknesses:

Poor gaming performance. Struggles against Zen 5 Midrange CPUs in most titles with almost ~20% lower FPS in CPU-bound games
Expensive Platform Costs – LGA 1851 motherboards have a hefty price tag.
Requires heavy tuning to make up for the performance loss
Requires a high-performance 360mm AIO to keep it cool
Uncertain future for CPU support
Retails at around $599.00. At that price, getting the 14900K is much better.

AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D

Ryzen 9 9950 X3D the fastest cpu out there — Zen 5 Flagship (Image via AMD | Deltia’s Gaming)

Structure: It uses chiplets. 2 CCD (Core Complex Die): It contains 16 Zen 5 CPU cores and an I/O Die to handle connectivity (PCIe, memory controllers).
3D V-Cache – Stacked 96 MB V-Cache + 32 MB of cache placed below the CCD for greater thermals.
Lithography – TSMC 4N (4nm process node).

Strengths:

One CCD features 96 MB of stacked L3 cache (3D V-Cache) for gaming, while another has a standard 32 MB L3 cache for productivity tasks
The fastest CPU for combined gaming and productivity
It can pull the RTX 5090 like the 9800 X3D, but it requires some tweaking.
AM5 is here to stay. AMD confirmed compatibility until 2027, allowing future CPU upgrades.
Beats Arrowlake even in Multithreading
Unlocked multiplier for further tuning
The overall CPU binning is much better, resulting in excellent curve optimizer potential
Insanely low power draw for a 16-Core chip

Weaknesses:

Falls short in tasks that prefer Intel Quicksync
As we mentioned earlier, the scheduler can be finicky. It sometimes shifts games from the 3D V-Cache CCD to the performance CCD, leading to a loss in performance if people don’t notice it
Retail at around $699. Yep, it is expensive.
Faster RAM compatibility like DDR5 8000 Low latency kits have a few quirks
The X870 platform is also on the costlier side.
Idle desktop power consumption can be an issue for some

Conclusion

In the end, if you have the budget to afford the fastest, go for it. However, if your budget is on the lower side, consider getting older generations, such as 14900K and 13900K, which perform better in gaming than Arrow Lake (Ultra 9 285K). If you are looking for an Intel-specific feature set, Arrowlake is a commendable option.

Here is a table that compares the specs between the two.

Features	Intel Core Ultra 9 285K	AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D
Architecture	Hybrid (P+E Cores), Arrow Lake	Chiplet with 3D V-Cache, Zen 5
Core/Thread Count	24 cores / 24 threads	16 cores / 32 threads
Base Clock	P-core: 3.7 GHz, E-core: 3.2 GHz	4.3 GHz
Boost Clock	Up to 5.7 GHz	Up to 5.7 GHz
Cache (L3)	36 MB	144 MB (128 MB L3 + 16 MB L2)
Manufacturing Process	TSMC N3B (3nm)	TSMC 4nm
TDP (Base / Boost)	125W / up to 250W	170W / up to 230W
Socket Compatibility	LGA1851	AM5
Memory Support	DDR5-6400	DDR5-5600
PCIe Support	PCIe 5.0	PCIe 5.0
Integrated Graphics	Intel Graphics	AMD Radeon Graphics
Price (as of March 22, 2025)	~$600	~$699

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