Core Ultra 7 265K vs Ryzen 7 9800X3D Gaming Benchmarks

Compare gaming performance between Core Ultra 7 265K and Ryzen 7 9800X3D with real-world test results and benchmarks.

Leo Zhi
March 3, 2025
9:00 am

I. Introduction

Generally speaking, the Core Ultra 7 265K’s most fair competitor is AMD’s Ryzen 7 9700X. Comparing it with the Ryzen 7 9800X3D is somewhat of an unfair comparison.

However, for the purpose of product and technology research, who wins or loses isn’t as important. What matters is understanding the actual gaming performance differences between these two processors. This article will reveal the answer to this question through testing.

II. Parameter Comparison

The Core Ultra 7 265K was released on October 24, 2024, using TSMC’s 3nm process. It features 8 large cores, 12 small cores, for a total of 20 cores and 20 threads. Its base clock is 3.9GHz, with a boost clock up to 5.5GHz. It has 30MB of L2 cache, 36MB of smart cache, and a TDP of 125W. The official suggested retail price is $394.

The Ryzen 7 9800X3D will be released on November 7, 2024, using the Zen 5 architecture and TSMC’s 4nm process. It has 8 cores and 16 threads, with a base clock of 4.7GHz and a boost clock up to 5.2GHz. It has 8MB of L2 cache, 96MB of L3 cache, and a total cache of 104MB. Its TDP is 120W, with an official suggested retail price of $479.

III. Test Platform Configuration

The main configurations are as follows:

The Core Ultra 7 265K is paired with the MSI MAG Z890 TOMAHAWK motherboard, while the Ryzen 7 9800X3D is paired with the MSI MPG X670E CARBON motherboard. All other configurations are the same.

The memory is 32GB DDR5 6400MHz, the graphics card is the GeForce RTX 4090, the storage consists of two Samsung 970 EVO 1TB SSDs, and the operating system is Windows 11.

IV. Game Testing between Core Ultra 7 265K and Ryzen 7 9800X3D

The following seven games were tested, all using 1080P with the highest graphics settings. In the images, the platform on the left represents the Core Ultra 7 265K, and the one on the right represents the Ryzen 7 9800X3D.

Game 1: Ghostwire: Tokyo

Core Ultra 7 265K platform: Average FPS = 160, Minimum FPS = 116, Frame Time = 7.2ms, CPU Usage = 23%, Power Consumption = 58W, Temperature = 47°C, Memory Usage = 11.2GB, GPU Usage = 73%, VRAM Usage = 6.2GB, Power Consumption = 210W, Temperature = 40°C.
Ryzen 7 9800X3D platform: Average FPS = 213, Minimum FPS = 162, Frame Time = 4.6ms, CPU Usage = 25%, Power Consumption = 59W, Temperature = 46°C, Memory Usage = 9.9GB, GPU Usage = 96%, VRAM Usage = 5.8GB, Power Consumption = 247W, Temperature = 50°C.

In this game, the Ryzen 7 9800X3D platform has 2% higher CPU usage, 1.3GB less memory usage, 23% higher GPU usage, and 0.4GB less VRAM usage.

The Ryzen 7 9800X3D platform shows a 53 FPS higher average, a 46 FPS higher minimum, 3ms lower frame time, and significant lead. Power and temperature are almost identical.

Game 2: Cyberpunk 2077

Core Ultra 7 265K platform: Average FPS = 111, Minimum FPS = 73, Frame Time = 9.2ms, CPU Usage = 66%, Power Consumption = 102W, Temperature = 53°C, Memory Usage = 11.9GB, GPU Usage = 70%, VRAM Usage = 8.6GB, Power Consumption = 221W, Temperature = 44°C.
Ryzen 7 9800X3D platform: Average FPS = 143, Minimum FPS = 96, Frame Time = 6.1ms, CPU Usage = 71%, Power Consumption = 97W, Temperature = 61°C, Memory Usage = 12.0GB, GPU Usage = 88%, VRAM Usage = 9.0GB, Power Consumption = 248W, Temperature = 51°C.

Here, the Ryzen 7 9800X3D platform has 5% higher CPU usage, similar memory usage, 18% higher GPU usage, and 0.4GB more VRAM usage.

In terms of average FPS, the Ryzen 7 9800X3D platform is 32 FPS higher, with 23 FPS higher minimum FPS, 3ms lower frame time, 5W less power, and 8°C higher temperature.

Game 3: Horizon Forbidden West

Core Ultra 7 265K platform: Average FPS = 200, Minimum FPS = 128, Frame Time = 6.0ms, CPU Usage = 63%, Power Consumption = 103W, Temperature = 51°C, Memory Usage = 10.7GB, GPU Usage = 90%, VRAM Usage = 7.8GB, Power Consumption = 260W, Temperature = 42°C.
Ryzen 7 9800X3D platform: Average FPS = 205, Minimum FPS = 132, Frame Time = 4.7ms, CPU Usage = 52%, Power Consumption = 100W, Temperature = 66°C, Memory Usage = 10.7GB, GPU Usage = 98%, VRAM Usage = 7.7GB, Power Consumption = 272W, Temperature = 50°C.

In this game, the Ryzen 7 9800X3D platform has 11% lower CPU usage, equal memory usage, 8% higher GPU usage, and similar VRAM usage.

The Ryzen 7 9800X3D platform is 5 FPS ahead in average, with 4 FPS higher minimum FPS, 1ms lower frame time, minimal lead, and a slight difference in power and temperature.

Game 4: Stalker 2

Core Ultra 7 265K platform: Average FPS = 82, Minimum FPS = 42, Frame Time = 11.6ms, CPU Usage = 56%, Power Consumption = 99W, Temperature = 51°C, Memory Usage = 17.1GB, GPU Usage = 67%, VRAM Usage = 7.4GB, Power Consumption = 178W, Temperature = 41°C.
Ryzen 7 9800X3D platform: Average FPS = 93, Minimum FPS = 47, Frame Time = 10.4ms, CPU Usage = 53%, Power Consumption = 88W, Temperature = 60°C, Memory Usage = 16.7GB, GPU Usage = 77%, VRAM Usage = 8.0GB, Power Consumption = 187W, Temperature = 48°C.

The Ryzen 7 9800X3D platform has 3% lower CPU usage, 0.4GB less memory usage, 10% higher GPU usage, and 0.6GB more VRAM usage.

The Ryzen 7 9800X3D platform is 11 FPS higher in average, with 5 FPS higher minimum FPS, 1ms lower frame time, slight lead, 11W lower power consumption, and 9°C higher temperature.

Game 5: Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

Core Ultra 7 265K platform: Average FPS = 100, Minimum FPS = 75, Frame Time = 9.1ms, CPU Usage = 44%, Power Consumption = 97W, Temperature = 53°C, Memory Usage = 16.3GB, GPU Usage = 67%, VRAM Usage = 11.8GB, Power Consumption = 234W, Temperature = 42°C.
Ryzen 7 9800X3D platform: Average FPS = 128, Minimum FPS = 93, Frame Time = 6.9ms, CPU Usage = 77%, Power Consumption = 108W, Temperature = 68°C, Memory Usage = 16.3GB, GPU Usage = 83%, VRAM Usage = 12.2GB, Power Consumption = 282W, Temperature = 45°C.

The Ryzen 7 9800X3D platform has 33% higher CPU usage, equal memory usage, 16% higher GPU usage, and 0.4GB more VRAM usage.

The Ryzen 7 9800X3D platform is 28 FPS higher in average, with 18 FPS higher minimum FPS, 2ms lower frame time, significantly higher lead, 11W lower power, and 15°C higher temperature.

Game 6: Microsoft Flight Simulator

Core Ultra 7 265K platform: Average FPS = 69, Minimum FPS = 60, Frame Time = 14.8ms, CPU Usage = 54%, Power Consumption = 96W, Temperature = 55°C, Memory Usage = 21.9GB, GPU Usage = 69%, VRAM Usage = 9.6GB, Power Consumption = 192W, Temperature = 40°C.
Ryzen 7 9800X3D platform: Average FPS = 100, Minimum FPS = 69, Frame Time = 17.6ms, CPU Usage = 47%, Power Consumption = 79W, Temperature = 56°C, Memory Usage = 23.1GB, GPU Usage = 98%, VRAM Usage = 9.9GB, Power Consumption = 245W, Temperature = 50°C.

In this game, the Ryzen 7 9800X3D platform has 7% lower CPU usage, 1.2GB higher memory usage, 29% higher GPU usage, and 0.3GB more VRAM usage.

The Ryzen 7 9800X3D platform is 31 FPS higher in average, with 9 FPS higher minimum FPS, 3ms higher frame time, significantly higher lead, 17W lower power, and nearly identical temperature.

Game 7: Hogwarts Legacy

Core Ultra 7 265K platform: Average FPS = 68, Minimum FPS = 61, Frame Time = 14.4ms, CPU Usage = 27%, Power Consumption = 61W, Temperature = 45°C, Memory Usage = 20.4GB, GPU Usage = 49%, VRAM Usage = 10.4GB, Power Consumption = 188W, Temperature = 39°C.
Ryzen 7 9800X3D platform: Average FPS = 94, Minimum FPS = 78, Frame Time = 10.6ms, CPU Usage = 32%, Power Consumption = 65W, Temperature = 47°C, Memory Usage = 20.3GB, GPU Usage = 68%, VRAM Usage = 10.4GB, Power Consumption = 237W, Temperature = 48°C.

The Ryzen 7 9800X3D platform has 5% higher CPU usage, almost equal memory usage, 19% higher GPU usage, and similar VRAM usage.

The Ryzen 7 9800X3D platform is 26 FPS higher in average, with 17 FPS higher minimum FPS, 3ms lower frame time, considerably higher lead, 4W more power, and 2°C higher temperature.

V. Conclusion

Overall, the comparison test results align with expectations. The gaming performance difference between the Core Ultra 7 265K and Ryzen 7 9800X3D is very apparent, with a significant gap—describing it as a “domination” is not an exaggeration. Specifically, the Ryzen 7 9800X3D platform achieves significantly higher GPU utilization compared to the Core Ultra 7 265K platform, while power consumption and temperature do not increase substantially.

In conclusion, the Ryzen 7 9800X3D rightfully earns its reputation as the new “gaming king,” provided it can be purchased at the original price.

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It’s Leo Zhi. He was born on August 1987. Major in Electronic Engineering & Business English, He is an Enthusiastic professional, a responsible person, and computer hardware & software literate. Proficient in NAND flash products for more than 10 years, critical thinking skills, outstanding leadership, excellent Teamwork, and interpersonal skills. Understanding customer technical queries and issues, providing initial analysis and solutions. If you have any queries, Please feel free to let me know, Thanks

Core Ultra 7 265K vs Ryzen 7 9800X3D Gaming Benchmarks

Table of Contents

I. Introduction

II. Parameter Comparison

III. Test Platform Configuration