Intel Core i9-7960X vs AMD Ryzen 5 3600X

Processor comparisons   17-03-2021
   If there are difficulties with the choice of a CPU, you will solve them by reading the comprehensive tests Intel Core i9-7960X vs AMD Ryzen 5 3600X and understand which is better for games or simple use for programming, video editing, rendering, machine learning, streaming. Here you can find all information from several benchmarks or real video editing and streaming tests. A careful 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 parallel examination in special testing software such as World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, WPrime, UserBenchmark, 3DMark, RealBench, DaVinci Resolve Studio, GeekBench 6, 5.2, SuperPi, Handbrake, Dolphin Emulator, VeraCrypt, PCMark 10, AIDA64, Furmark, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), Blender, Prime95, 7zip, MATLAB, PassMark, Gears 5, Blender.
   And how good the CPUs are in games:

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

After reading the results of joint benchmarks and videos, you already be able to figure out which CPU is better to buy for gaming AMD Ryzen 5 3600X or Intel Core i9-7960X.

Summary benchmark results

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

Core i9-7960X

58%

Ryzen 5 3600X

55%

This parameter shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Core i9-7960X is 5% better than Ryzen 5 3600X. The data source is several popular tests. More detailed information of the benchmarks is below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i9-7960X

60%

Ryzen 5 3600X

54%

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	106.9	96.0
Valorant	121.4	109.1
Cyberpunk 2077	68.0	61.1
Apex Legends	114.2	102.6
Call of Duty Warzone	91.1	81.9
Overwatch	98.4	88.4
Red Dead Redemption 2	83.8	75.3
DOOM Eternal	60.7	54.6
Warzone	94.7	85.1
Assassin's Creed	102.0	91.7
Valheim	100.8	90.6

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 that were in the comparisons not only did they have different amounts of RAM and different video cards. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: 4K, 2K or FullHD. So the game benchmark data is approximate. But all video cards met the average system requirements of games. You will get more accurate information about how powerful 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 i9-7960X

22%

Ryzen 5 3600X

47%

To make a final decision 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 Ryzen 5 3600X is more energy efficient than the Core i9-7960X as it consumes less power: 165W vs. 95W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. And TDP should be taken into account when choosing a processor cooling system. It is necessary to calculate so that the TDP data specified in the cooler specification is 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 streaming, programming, machine learning, video editing or video rendering, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the CPU includes all threads and cores that it has to the maximum to reach maximum efficiency. You will learn this data from the benchmark tables below. Before using the data from these tests, be sure to find out whether the software that you are going to use on your computer can work in multi-threaded mode. Because there are still many programs that use only one core to work, 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 i9-7960X	AMD Ryzen 5 3600X
Cinbench 15 Single-core	184	204
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	3161	1647
Cinbench 20 Single-core	611	501
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	5496	3751
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1103	1286
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	22189	9588

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

	Intel Core i9-7960X	AMD Ryzen 5 3600X
Single-Core	2605	2651
Multi-Core	27039	18377

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

	Intel Core i9-7960X	AMD Ryzen 5 3600X
Single-Core	1113	1341
Multi-Core	18501	7891

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the most helpful 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 benefits from the presence of overclocking. When the processor can be overclocked, thereby increasing its performance, then it will still be able to produce maximum FPS even in the newest games. The savings are obvious! It turns out that you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	Intel Core i9-7960X	AMD Ryzen 5 3600X
Announcement date	October 01, 2017	July 07, 2019
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	FCLGA2066	AM4
Core name	Skylake	Matisse
Architecture	x86	Zen 2
Generation	7	3
Turbo Frequency	4.2 MHz	4.4 MHz
Frequency	2.8 MHz	3.8 MHz
Cores	16	6
Threads	32	12
Bus rate	8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography		7 nm
Transistors count	7800 millions	4200 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	165 W	95 W
Memory type	DDR4-2666	DDR4
Max. Memory	128 Gb
Memory Frequency		3200
Memory bandwidth	85 GB/s
L1 cache		384KB
L2 cache		3MB
L3 cache	22 MB	32MB
Overclocking	No	Yes
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number		100-000000022 100-100000022BOX 100-100000022MPK

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Ryzen 5 3600X is 26% better than Core i9-7960X in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i9-7960X has 10 more core than Ryzen 5 3600X. 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 i9-7960X is better: 25
The number of parameters for which AMD Ryzen 5 3600X is better: 13
Although it should be realized that the summary data that you have looked at here do not mean that taking them into account you should entirely trust a simple comparison of these figures. Better to watch the testing video and read the reviews of of people who bought Intel Core i9-7960X and AMD Ryzen 5 3600X before making a decision which processor to buy for gaming and which not.

• Intel Core i9-7960X specs and review.

• AMD Ryzen 5 3600X specs and review.