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Intel Core i9-9900K

Intel Core i9-9900K in 2025: Is It Worth Getting the Legendary Processor for Your Build?

Introduction

The Intel Core i9-9900K, released in 2018, has become one of the most popular processors for gamers and enthusiasts. Despite its age, in 2025, it continues to attract attention due to its availability on the secondary market and high single-core performance. But how relevant is it today? Let's break it down in detail.

1. Key Specifications: What's Under the Hood?

Architecture and Process Technology

The processor is built on the Coffee Lake microarchitecture (14 nm++), which represents the pinnacle of Intel's 14-nanometer process era. It is an 8-core chip with 16 threads (Hyper-Threading), a base frequency of 3.6 GHz, and a turbo boost of up to 5.0 GHz. The L3 cache size is 16 MB.

Performance

According to Geekbench 6 (2025):

- Single-Core Test: 1664 points — a score close to the Ryzen 5 7600X (1700-1750).

- Multi-Core Test: 7976 points — inferior to modern 12-core CPUs, but surpasses 6-core models.

Key Features

- Support for Intel Optane Memory.

- Integrated graphics UHD Graphics 630 (for emergencies or office work).

- Overclocking capabilities (with an unlocked multiplier).

2. Compatible Motherboards: What to Choose in 2025?

Socket and Chipsets

- Socket: LGA 1151 v2 (for 8th and 9th generation processors only).

- Chipsets: Z390 (optimal for overclocking), H370, B365, H310.

Choosing Tips

- Z390: Supports overclocking, PCIe 3.0 x16, USB 3.1 Gen2. Examples: ASUS ROG Maximus XI Hero (price for new boards — $200-250, but they are nearly unavailable).

- B365/H370: Budget options without overclocking.

Advice: In 2025, new motherboards for LGA 1151 v2 are rare. Look for tested models on Amazon or specialized stores (for example, ASRock Z390 Phantom Gaming 4).

3. Supported Memory: DDR4 and Its Potential

- Type: Only DDR4 (DDR5 not supported).

- Frequencies: Officially up to 2666 MHz (on H370/B365 chipsets), but on Z390 can be overclocked to 4000+ MHz.

- Recommendations: The optimal choice is DDR4-3200 CL16 (for example, Corsair Vengeance LPX 32 GB).

Why Not DDR5?

The Coffee Lake architecture does not support the new standard. Transitioning to DDR5 requires moving to AM5 or LGA 1700/1851 platforms.

4. Power Supply: How Many Watts Are Needed?

Power Consumption

- TDP: 95 W, but when overclocked (up to 5.0 GHz), consumption reaches 150-170 W.

- Recommendations:

- Without overclocking: PSUs in the 500-550 W range (for example, EVGA 500 GD).

- With overclocking: 650-750 W + overhead for the graphics card (NVIDIA RTX 4070 Ti consumes ~285 W).

Important: Choose power supplies with 80+ Gold certification (Corsair RM750x, Seasonic FOCUS GX-650).

5. Pros and Cons: Weighing the Arguments

Pros:

- High single-core performance — relevant for games and applications dependent on IPC.

- Overclocking potential — even in 2025, it is possible to push 5.0-5.1 GHz with good cooling.

- Compatibility with Windows 10/11 and Linux.

Cons:

- No PCIe 4.0/5.0 — a limitation for the speed of SSDs and graphics cards (for example, the RTX 4090 loses 5-7% performance on PCIe 3.0 x16).

- 8 cores — a bit low for rendering or streaming in 4K.

- Lack of support for DDR5 and new instructions (AVX-512).

6. Use Cases: Where the i9-9900K Still Shines

Gaming

- 1080p/1440p: Paired with RTX 3060 Ti or RX 6700 XT, it shows 60-100 FPS in AAA titles (Cyberpunk 2077, Starfield — medium settings).

- Esports Titles: CS2, Valorant — stable 200+ FPS.

Work Tasks

- Photo editors (Photoshop, Lightroom) — fast filter application.

- Programming — comfortable work in IDEs (VS Code, IntelliJ).

Multimedia

- Streaming (OBS) — sufficient for 1080p@60fps streams, but simultaneous gaming and streaming may lead to drops.

7. Comparison with Competitors

AMD Ryzen 7 5800X (8 cores/16 threads):

- Pros: PCIe 4.0 support, better in multi-threaded tasks.

- Cons: More expensive (new — $250 vs used i9-9900K — $150-180).

Intel Core i5-12600K (10 cores/16 threads):

- Pros: +30% in multi-threading, PCIe 5.0.

- Cons: Requires a new motherboard (LGA 1700 — $150-200).

Conclusion: The i9-9900K is beneficial only if you already have an old LGA 1151 platform. For new builds, it's better to go for the Ryzen 5 7600 or Core i5-14600K.

8. Practical Assembly Tips

- Cooling: Use an AIO (like NZXT Kraken X53) or a top air cooler (like Noctua NH-D15). Temperatures under load can reach up to 85°C.

- Case: Ensure compatibility with the motherboard size (ATX/microATX). Example: Fractal Design Meshify C.

- BIOS Update: If buying an old motherboard, check the BIOS version for i9-9900K support.

9. Final Conclusion: Who Is the i9-9900K Suitable for in 2025?

This processor is worth considering for:

- Owners of systems based on LGA 1151 v2: An upgrade from i5-8400 or i7-8700K without replacing the motherboard.

- Budget Gamers: If you find a CPU+mobo+RAM combo for $300-400.

- Enthusiasts: For experimentation with overclocking and retro builds.

Alternative: For the same $300-400, you can build a basic platform on AM4 (Ryzen 5 5600 + B550), which will be more performant in multi-threaded tasks and support PCIe 4.0.

Conclusion

The Intel Core i9-9900K in 2025 is a legend that is still capable of much but is no longer the king. It is worth considering only in specific scenarios where saving on components or nostalgia for the Coffee Lake era is important. For new builds, it's better to focus on modern platforms.

Basic

Label Name

Intel

Platform

Desktop

Launch Date

October 2018

Model Name

The Intel processor number is just one of several factors - along with processor brand, system configurations, and system-level benchmarks - to be considered when choosing the right processor for your computing needs.

i9-9900K

Code Name

Coffee Lake

CPU Specifications

Total Cores

Cores is a hardware term that describes the number of independent central processing units in a single computing component (die or chip).

Total Threads

Where applicable, Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology is only available on Performance-cores.

Basic Frequency

3.60 GHz

Max Turbo Frequency

Max Turbo Frequency is the maximum single-core frequency at which the processor is capable of operating using Intel® Turbo Boost Technology and, if present, Intel® Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0 and Intel® Thermal Velocity Boost. Frequency is typically measured in gigahertz (GHz), or billion cycles per second.

5.00 GHz

Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 Frequency

5.00 GHz

Intel Turbo Boost Technology

Intel® Turbo Boost Technology dynamically increases the processor's frequency as needed by taking advantage of thermal and power headroom to give you a burst of speed when you need it, and increased energy efficiency when you don’t.

2.0

Intel Hyper-Threading Technology

Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology (Intel® HT Technology) delivers two processing threads per physical core. Highly threaded applications can get more work done in parallel, completing tasks sooner.

Yes

L3 Cache

16 MB

CPU Socket

The socket is the component that provides the mechanical and electrical connections between the processor and motherboard.

FCLGA1151

Technology

Lithography refers to the semiconductor technology used to manufacture an integrated circuit, and is reported in nanometer (nm), indicative of the size of features built on the semiconductor.

14 nm

TDP

95 W

Max. Operating Temperature

Junction Temperature is the maximum temperature allowed at the processor die.

100°C

PCI Express Version

PCI Express Revision is the supported version of the PCI Express standard. Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (or PCIe) is a high-speed serial computer expansion bus standard for attaching hardware devices to a computer. The different PCI Express versions support different data rates.

3.0

Number of PCI Express Lanes

A PCI Express (PCIe) lane consists of two differential signaling pairs, one for receiving data, one for transmitting data, and is the basic unit of the PCIe bus. Max # of PCI Express Lanes is the total number of supported lanes.

Intel 64

Intel® 64 architecture delivers 64-bit computing on server, workstation, desktop and mobile platforms when combined with supporting software.¹ Intel 64 architecture improves performance by allowing systems to address more than 4 GB of both virtual and physical memory.

Yes

Instruction Set

The instruction set is a hard program stored inside the CPU that guides and optimizes CPU operations. With these instruction sets, the CPU can run more efficiently. There are many manufacturers that design CPUs, which results in different instruction sets, such as the 8086 instruction set for the Intel camp and the RISC instruction set for the ARM camp. x86, ARM v8, and MIPS are all codes for instruction sets. Instruction sets can be extended; for example, x86 added 64-bit support to create x86-64. Manufacturers developing CPUs that are compatible with a certain instruction set need authorization from the instruction set patent holder. A typical example is Intel authorizing AMD, enabling the latter to develop CPUs compatible with the x86 instruction set.

64-bit

PCI Express Configurations

PCI Express (PCIe) Configurations describe the available PCIe lane configurations that can be used to link to PCIe devices.

Up to 1x16 | 2x8 | 1x8+2x4

Memory Specifications

Memory Type

Intel® processors come in four different types: Single Channel, Dual Channel, Triple Channel, and Flex Mode. Maximum supported memory speed may be lower when populating multiple DIMMs per channel on products that support multiple memory channels.

DDR4-2666

Max Memory Size

Max memory size refers to the maximum memory capacity supported by the processor.

128 GB

Memory Channels

The number of memory channels refers to the bandwidth operation for real world application.

Bus Speed

8 GT/s

Max Memory Bandwidth

Max Memory bandwidth is the maximum rate at which data can be read from or stored into a semiconductor memory by the processor (in GB/s).

41.6 GB/s

ECC Memory Supported

ECC Memory Supported indicates processor support for Error-Correcting Code memory. ECC memory is a type of system memory that can detect and correct common kinds of internal data corruption. Note that ECC memory support requires both processor and chipset support.

GPU Specifications

Integrated Graphics Model

An integrated GPU refers to the graphics core that is integrated into the CPU processor. Leveraging the processor's powerful computational capabilities and intelligent power efficiency management, it delivers outstanding graphics performance and a smooth application experience at a lower power consumption.

Intel® UHD Graphics 630

Graphics Base Frequency

Graphics Base frequency refers to the rated/guaranteed graphics render clock frequency in MHz.

350 MHz

Graphics Frequency

Graphics max dynamic frequency refers to the maximum opportunistic graphics render clock frequency (in MHz) that can be supported using Intel® HD Graphics with Dynamic Frequency feature.

1.20 GHz

Graphics Video Max Memory

64 GB

4K Support

Yes | at 60Hz

DirectX Support

DirectX* Support indicates support for a specific version of Microsoft’s collection of APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) for handling multimedia compute tasks.

Max Resolution (HDMI)

Max Resolution (HDMI) is the maximum resolution supported by the processor via the HDMI interface (24bits per pixel & 60Hz). System or device display resolution is dependent on multiple system design factors; actual resolution may be lower on your system.

4096 x 2304@24Hz

Max Resolution (DP)

Max Resolution (DP) is the maximum resolution supported by the processor via the DP interface (24bits per pixel & 60Hz). System or device display resolution is dependent on multiple system design factors; actual resolution may be lower on your system.

4096 x 2304@60Hz

Max Resolution (eDP - Integrated Flat Panel)

Max Resolution (Integrated Flat Panel) is the maximum resolution supported by the processor for a device with an integrated flat panel (24bits per pixel & 60Hz). System or device display resolution is dependent on multiple system design factors; actual resolution may be lower on your device.

4096 x 2304@60Hz

Number of Displays Supported

Miscellaneous

Intel Virtualization Technology (VT-x)

Intel® Virtualization Technology (VT-x) allows one hardware platform to function as multiple “virtual” platforms. It offers improved manageability by limiting downtime and maintaining productivity by isolating computing activities into separate partitions.

Yes

Intel Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O (VT-d)

Intel® Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O (VT-d) continues from the existing support for IA-32 (VT-x) and Itanium® processor (VT-i) virtualization adding new support for I/O-device virtualization. Intel VT-d can help end users improve security and reliability of the systems and also improve performance of I/O devices in virtualized environments.

Yes

Intel Standard Manageability (ISM)

Intel® Standard Manageability is the manageability solution for Intel vPro® Essentials platforms and is a subset of Intel® AMT with out-of-band management over Ethernet and Wi-Fi, but no KVM or new life cycle management features.

Intel® SSE4.1 | Intel® SSE4.2 | Intel® AVX2

Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology

Enhanced Intel SpeedStep® Technology is an advanced means of enabling high performance while meeting the power-conservation needs of mobile systems. Conventional Intel SpeedStep® Technology switches both voltage and frequency in tandem between high and low levels in response to processor load. Enhanced Intel SpeedStep® Technology builds upon that architecture using design strategies such as Separation between Voltage and Frequency Changes, and Clock Partitioning and Recovery.

Yes

Execute Disable Bit

Execute Disable Bit is a hardware-based security feature that can reduce exposure to viruses and malicious-code attacks and prevent harmful software from executing and propagating on the server or network.

Yes

Cache

CPU Cache is an area of fast memory located on the processor. Intel® Smart Cache refers to the architecture that allows all cores to dynamically share access to the last level cache.

16 MB Intel® Smart Cache

Intel AES New Instructions

Intel® AES New Instructions (Intel® AES-NI) are a set of instructions that enable fast and secure data encryption and decryption. AES-NI are valuable for a wide range of cryptographic applications, for example: applications that perform bulk encryption/decryption, authentication, random number generation, and authenticated encryption.

Yes

Intel Boot Guard

Intel® Device Protection Technology with Boot Guard helps protect the system’s pre-OS environment from viruses and malicious software attacks.

Yes

Intel Clear Video HD Technology

Intel® Clear Video HD Technology, like its predecessor, Intel® Clear Video Technology, is a suite of image decode and processing technologies built into the integrated processor graphics that improve video playback, delivering cleaner, sharper images, more natural, accurate, and vivid colors, and a clear and stable video picture. Intel® Clear Video HD Technology adds video quality enhancements for richer color and more realistic skin tones.

Yes

Intel Clear Video Technology

Yes

Intel VT-x with Extended Page Tables (EPT)

Intel® VT-x with Extended Page Tables (EPT), also known as Second Level Address Translation (SLAT), provides acceleration for memory intensive virtualized applications. Extended Page Tables in Intel® Virtualization Technology platforms reduces the memory and power overhead costs and increases battery life through hardware optimization of page table management.

Yes

Intel InTru 3D Technology

Yes

Intel OS Guard

Yes

OpenGL Support

OpenGL (Open Graphics Library) is a cross-language, multi-platform API (Application Programming Interface) for rendering 2D and 3D vector graphics.

4.5

Intel Quick Sync Video

Intel® Quick Sync Video delivers fast conversion of video for portable media players, online sharing, and video editing and authoring.

Yes

Benchmarks

Geekbench 6

Single Core Score

1664

Geekbench 6

Multi Core Score

7976

Geekbench 5

Single Core Score

1178

Geekbench 5

Multi Core Score

8049

Passmark CPU

Single Core Score

3040

Passmark CPU

Multi Core Score

19528

Compared to Other CPU

Geekbench 6 Single Core

Ryzen 7 5700GE

1861 +11.8%

Xeon W-1270E

1739 +4.5%

Core i9-9900K

1664

Ryzen 3 5300G

1611 -3.2%

Ryzen 7 PRO 5875U

1552 -6.7%

Geekbench 6 Multi Core

Core i9-11900K

8782 +10.1%

Xeon W-3225

8389 +5.2%

Core i9-9900K

7976

Core i5-12400T

7476 -6.3%

Xeon Gold 6234

7001 -12.2%

Geekbench 5 Single Core

Xeon E-2246G

1254 +6.5%

Xeon E-2286G

1211 +2.8%

Core i9-9900K

1178

Ryzen 5 PRO 5650U

1146 -2.7%

Core i7-8700

1119 -5%

Geekbench 5 Multi Core

Xeon E7-4860 v2

9150 +13.7%

Ryzen 7 6800H

8494 +5.5%

Core i9-9900K

8049

Core i5-12600T

7697 -4.4%

Core i7-7820X X-series

7301 -9.3%

Passmark CPU Single Core

Core i9-11950H

3199 +5.2%

Ryzen 7 PRO 7730U

3109 +2.3%

Core i9-9900K

3040

EPYC 9224

2943 -3.2%

Core i5-11600T

2887 -5%

Passmark CPU Multi Core

Xeon W-2155

21019 +7.6%

Core i7-1370P

20291 +3.9%

Core i9-9900K

19528

Core i7-10700

18892 -3.3%

Xeon W-11855M

18272 -6.4%