Intel Core i9-7940X vs Intel Core i9-7960X

Processor comparisons   17-03-2021
   For example there are difficulties with the choice of a CPU, you will solve them by reading the detailed tests Intel Core i9-7940X vs Intel Core i9-7960X and understand which is better for games or normal use for video editing, machine learning, streaming, rendering, programming. Here you can find useful information from several benchmarks or real streaming and video editing tests. A step-by-step analysis of all the specifications, to make it easier to read, is made by the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of joint testing in special test applications like Dolphin Emulator, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, AIDA64, Blender, VeraCrypt, MATLAB, PassMark, Gears 5, RealBench, 3DMark, PCMark 10, Furmark, WPrime, Blender, 7zip, UserBenchmark, Prime95, Handbrake, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), SuperPi, GeekBench 6, 5.2, DaVinci Resolve Studio.
   And how good the CPUs are in games:

DOOM: Eternal
Watch Dogs Legion
Rainbow Six Siege
Halo Infinite
Fallout 76
Last Man Standing
World of Warcraft: Shadowlands
Overwatch
Cyberpunk 2077
Red Dead Redemption 2
Grand Theft Auto V
Apex Legends
Assassin's Creed Valhalla
Valheim
Borderlands 3
Valorant
Death Stranding
Call of Duty: Warzone and Modern Warfare
Fortnite

After reading the results of joint benchmarks and videos, you can already make an informed decision about which processor is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i9-7960X or Intel Core i9-7940X.

Summary benchmark results

As a percentage of the maximum value based on a sample from the entire base of all processors
Processor Benchmark

Core i9-7940X

58%

Core i9-7960X

58%

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i9-7940X

58%

Core i9-7960X

60%

For the maximum in this test, the results of the most powerful processor in the site database are taken. And of course, this is a server processor, on which no one will play games. Because this processor costs several tens of thousands of dollars. Therefore, if you think that the selected CPU has a small game result, look at the FPS that it produces in real games in the summary table below.
List of other games in which CPU comparisons were performed: Microsoft Flight Simulator, NBA 2K20, Half-Life: Alyx, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Forza Horizon 4, Battlefield V, Horizon Zero Dawn, Ghostrunner, Monster Hunter World, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Metro Exodus, Control, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, League of Legends (LOL), Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Hitman 3, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, DOTA 2A.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	103.4	106.9
Valorant	117.5	121.4
Cyberpunk 2077	65.8	68.0
Apex Legends	110.5	114.2
Call of Duty Warzone	88.2	91.1
Overwatch	95.2	98.4
Red Dead Redemption 2	81.1	83.8
DOOM Eternal	58.8	60.7
Warzone	91.7	94.7
Assassin's Creed	98.7	102.0
Valheim	97.6	100.8

The numbers in this table indicate the maximum FPS that was received on the device with the corresponding processor. Depending on the configuration of the computer (RAM size and Video Card) and graphics quality settings (Ultra, Medium, Normal), the results may differ quite significantly. We recommend that you better study the results of the Cinebench, GeekBench and Passmark becnmarks.
The computers participating in the comparing not only were the equipped with different amounts of RAM and different video cards. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: 2K, FullHD or 4K. So the game benchmark data is approximate. But all video cards met the average system requirements of games. To be sure exactly how much performance the processor will be in games, if you get acquainted with the benchmarks that are made with the same video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

Core i9-7940X

25%

Core i9-7960X

22%

To make a finishing choice on which processor is better, you should also consider the generation of its core. The newer the processor generation, the better its performance in games and benchmarks, as well as its energy efficiency. In this case the Core i9-7940X is more energy efficient than the Core i9-7960X since it has less power consumption: 165W vs. 165W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, you need to know its TDP. You need to buy a cooler that has the TDP data specified in the specification was greater than the TDP of the compared processor.

Software benchmarks

For example you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for programming, streaming, video rendering or video editing, machine learning, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to achieve maximum efficiency, the processor uses all threads and cores that it has. You will find out this data from the benchmark tables below. Before you take into account the data from these tests, be sure to check whether the software you are going to use on your computer supports multi-threaded mode. Since there are still many programs that use only one core to run, and all the benefit of multi-core mode turns out to be unnecessary.
Cinebench 23, 20 an 15
The results of this benchmark show Single-threaded and Multi-threaded CPU performance

	Intel Core i9-7940X	Intel Core i9-7960X
Cinbench 15 Single-core	188	184
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	2849	3161
Cinbench 20 Single-core	607	611
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	5465	5496
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1578	1103
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	15728	22189

Passmark
This popular benchmark displays Multi-threaded and Single-threaded processor performance

	Intel Core i9-7940X	Intel Core i9-7960X
Single-Core	2533	2605
Multi-Core	26889	27039

GeekBench 6, 5.2
This benchmark shows Multi-threaded and Single-threaded processor performance

	Intel Core i9-7940X	Intel Core i9-7960X
Single-Core	1263	1113
Multi-Core	15127	18501

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the most useful will be the the possibility of overclocking it and release date of the processor. The newer the processor, the longer it will last you. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system in the future. The same can be said about overclocking. When the processor can be overclocked, increasing its performance, then it will still be able to produce maximum FPS in the newest games. The economy are obvious! Accordingly, there is no longer a need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	Intel Core i9-7940X	Intel Core i9-7960X
Announcement date	April 01, 2017	October 01, 2017
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	FCLGA2066	FCLGA2066
Core name	Skylake	Skylake
Architecture	x86	x86
Generation	7	7
Turbo Frequency	4.3 MHz	4.2 MHz
Frequency	3.1 MHz	2.8 MHz
Cores	14	16
Threads	28	32
Bus rate	8 GT/s	8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography
Transistors count	7800 millions	7800 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	165 W	165 W
Memory type	DDR4-2666	DDR4-2666
Max. Memory	128 Gb	128 Gb
Memory Frequency
Memory bandwidth	85 GB/s	85 GB/s
L1 cache
L2 cache
L3 cache	19.25 MB	22 MB
Overclocking	No	No
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Core i9-7940X is 9% better than Core i9-7960X in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i9-7960X has 2 more core than Core i9-7940X. Also keep in mind that high CPU frequency affects battery life through power consumption (relevant for laptops).

Result:
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i9-7940X is better: 5
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i9-7960X is better: 22
All the data in the table above do not mean that taking them into account you should fully trust a simple quantitative comparison. Better to watch the testing video and read the opinion of real owners of Intel Core i9-7940X and Intel Core i9-7960X before making a selection which processor to buy for gaming and which not.

• Intel Core i9-7940X specs and review.

• Intel Core i9-7960X specs and review.