Today, we’re finding out, and as usual there’s a lot to cover.
Microsoft Flight Simulator2020 highlights an issue with 23H2 for Ryzen.
We don’t see the same level of improvement inSpider-Man Remastered.
Testing with Ghost of Tsushima, we see the 9700X was 4% slower than the 14700K on 23H2.
TheCyberpunk 2077: Phantom Libertyresults resemble those of Microsoft Flight Simulator.
On 23H2, something limits Ryzen’s performance, as the 9700X is 6% slower than the 14700K.
However, moving to 24H2 brings performance to parity.
In Returnal, there was no performance difference between the two CPUs across either version of Windows.
However, they will be featured in the breakdown graphs later in this review.
InHogwarts Legacy, both CPUs saw a significant performance uplift after upgrading to 24H2.
This was due to the Ryzen processor enjoying a 17% performance increase.
Even the Core i7 gained a 10% improvement, so Hogwarts Legacy clearly performs much better on 24H2.
Both CPUs also showed performance gains on 24H2, but the 14700K remained faster in both cases.
The 14700K is at least 17% faster, especially when using the Insider Preview build.
So, no matter how you look at it, the Core i7 is significantly faster in this title.
In Watch Dogs: Legion, using 23H2, the 9700X is 9% slower than the 14700K.
The results in Remnant 2 are similar to what we’ve seen in Cyberpunk and Flight Simulator.
The 9700X is much slower on 23H2, but 24H2 seems to handle the issue for Ryzen.
Lastly, we have The Riftbreaker, where the 14700K is significantly faster than the 9700X on 23H2.
The Intel CPU remains faster, but the gap is noticeably smaller.
Clearly, the 9700X underperforms compared to the Core i7 in this environment.
Upgrading to 24H2 reduces the performance gap, with the 9700X trailing the 14700K by just 3%.
While the Intel processor still performs slightly better overall, you could argue that the results are now comparable.
Where did the Core i7-14700K make the most significant gains on 24H2?
There are three standout examples: Homeworld 3, Gears 5, and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor.
However, these are outliers.
Across the 42 games tested, 80% showed a margin of 5% or less.
On average, the 14700K was just 3% faster when using 24H2.
And the Winner Is…
However, that’s easier said than done, as availability is currently very poor.
The 9700X is a solid gaming CPU.
If the 9700X was priced closer to$280, we’d certainly recommend it.
But at $340, you’re simply better off going for the 7700X.
On top of that, there are serious stability concerns.
Until we know whether the current updates resolve these issues, we can’t recommend the 14700K.
The winner in the 9700X vs. 14700K battle is… the 7700X.
For now, we’re waiting for the official rollout of 24H2 before doing any more CPU benchmarking.
