Which is better for gaming?

The Ryzen 9 9900X3D, by a wide margin. Its 128 MB L3 cache and 12 fast Zen 5 cores beat a 4-core 2017 chip in every modern game, especially CPU-heavy titles.

Can I put the 9900X3D in my old Intel board?

No. The 9900X3D uses socket AM5 and needs a DDR5 AM5 motherboard. The i7-7700K uses LGA1151 and will not fit an AM5 board either.

Is the renewed i7-7700K worth it?

Only if you already have a working LGA1151 board and DDR4. For a new build it makes no sense, since the platform is discontinued and the chip has 4 cores.

The i7-7700K has a lower 91 W TDP versus 120 W, so it is easier to cool. The 9900X3D still runs fine on a good tower air cooler or 240 mm AIO.

Does either need a graphics card?

Neither requires one for basic display output; both have integrated graphics. For gaming or heavy GPU work you will want a dedicated card on either platform.

The 9900X3D. It is new with a warranty, on a current socket, and has enough cores and cache to stay useful for years. The renewed 7700K is already near the end of its useful life.

AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D vs Intel Core i7-7700K

These are not close competitors. The Ryzen 9 9900X3D is a current AM5 chip with 12 cores, 24 threads and 128 MB of L3 cache; the i7-7700K is a 2017 quad-core on a dead LGA1151 platform. Buy the 9900X3D for any new build, gaming or productivity. Buy the renewed 7700K only to revive an existing 100/200-series LGA1151 board on a tight budget. No prices were provided for either part, so compare live store prices on Deal.ai before ordering.

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