The Intel Core i9-14900KS is the objective winner of this comparison, securing a lead in seven out of fourteen measured specifications. While the AMD Ryzen 5 3600X holds its own in several areas, the most significant performance advantage belongs to the Intel Core i9-14900KS, which features an L2 cache that is 967% larger than that of its competitor. This substantial architectural difference provides the primary technical edge for the winning component in this head-to-head evaluation.

Users prioritizing budget efficiency should select the AMD Ryzen 5 3600X, as it maintains a 64% advantage in MSRP compared to the alternative. Conversely, those who require the superior L2 cache capacity offered by the Intel Core i9-14900KS should choose that model for their build. The decision rests on whether the buyer values the significant cost savings provided by the former or the massive cache-related technical superiority found in the latter.