Intel Core i9-7960X vs AMD Ryzen 7 5800U

Processor comparisons   17-03-2021
   If you can't decide which processor to buy, you can make a decision after reading the comprehensive tests Intel Core i9-7960X vs AMD Ryzen 7 5800U and see which is better for games or simple use for programming, rendering, video editing, machine learning, streaming. Here is all information from real video editing and streaming tests or different benchmarks. A thorough review of all the specifications, so that it can be easier to read, is made by the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of parallel examination in software tests like GeekBench 6, 5.2, Blender, Furmark, VeraCrypt, AIDA64, Gears 5, SuperPi, 3DMark, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, PCMark 10, Prime95, PassMark, RealBench, Handbrake, WPrime, DaVinci Resolve Studio, MATLAB, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), UserBenchmark, Blender, Dolphin Emulator, 7zip.
   Gaming performance of CPUs in:

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

After looking at the data of parallel benchmarks and videos, you can already make an informed decision about which CPU is better to buy for gaming AMD Ryzen 7 5800U 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 7 5800U

56%

The number of this parameter shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Core i9-7960X is 3% better than Ryzen 7 5800U. 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 7 5800U

54%

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 the cost of this processor reaches several tens of thousands of dollars. And if it seems to you that the selected CPU has a low game result, just look at the FPS that it produces in real games in the final table below.
List of other games in which processors were compared: League of Legends (LOL), Control, Metro Exodus, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, DOTA 2A, Half-Life: Alyx, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Horizon Zero Dawn, NBA 2K20, Forza Horizon 4, Ghostrunner, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Microsoft Flight Simulator, Monster Hunter World, Battlefield V, Hitman 3, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	106.9	95.4
Valorant	121.4	108.4
Cyberpunk 2077	68.0	60.7
Apex Legends	114.2	101.9
Call of Duty Warzone	91.1	81.3
Overwatch	98.4	87.8
Red Dead Redemption 2	83.8	74.8
DOOM Eternal	60.7	54.2
Warzone	94.7	84.5
Assassin's Creed	102.0	91.0
Valheim	100.8	89.9

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 i9-7960X

22%

Ryzen 7 5800U

244%

To make a finishing choice on which processor is better, you should also consider the generation of its core. It is clear that the newer the generation, the better the performance of the processor in games and benchmarks, as well as its energy efficiency. In this case the Ryzen 7 5800U is more energy efficient than the Core i9-7960X since it has less power consumption: 165W vs. 20W. Power consumption is particularly important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, you must know its TDP. It is necessary to count so that the TDP data specified in the cooler specification is greater than the TDP of the compared processor.

Software benchmarks

Let's say you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for streaming, machine learning, video editing or video rendering, programming, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the processor turns on all cores and threads that it has to the maximum to achieve maximum efficiency. You will find out this data from the benchmark tables below. Before you take into account 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 can use only one core to work, and all the advantages 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 7 5800U
Cinbench 15 Single-core	184	208
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	3161	2011
Cinbench 20 Single-core	611	483
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	5496	4407
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1103	1201
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	22189	12266

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

	Intel Core i9-7960X	AMD Ryzen 7 5800U
Single-Core	2605	2679
Multi-Core	27039	22174

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

	Intel Core i9-7960X	AMD Ryzen 7 5800U
Single-Core	1113	1468
Multi-Core	18501	7215

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 in your computer. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system in the future. The same can be said about overclocking. If the processor can be overclocked, thereby increasing its performance, then it will continue to maintain maximum FPS even in new 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 i9-7960X	AMD Ryzen 7 5800U
Announcement date	October 01, 2017	February 22, 2021
Type	Desktop	Laptop
Socket	FCLGA2066	FP6
Core name	Skylake	Cezanne
Architecture	x86	Zen 3
Generation	7	5
Turbo Frequency	4.2 MHz	4.4 MHz
Frequency	2.8 MHz	1.9 MHz
Cores	16	8
Threads	32	16
Bus rate	8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography		7 nm
Transistors count	7800 millions	6200 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	165 W	20 W
Memory type	DDR4-2666	DDR4-3200 LPDDR4-4266
Max. Memory	128 Gb
Memory Frequency		3200
Memory bandwidth	85 GB/s
L1 cache
L2 cache		4MB
L3 cache	22 MB	32MB
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 i9-7960X is 32% better than Ryzen 7 5800U in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i9-7960X has 8 more core than Ryzen 7 5800U. 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: 26
The number of parameters for which AMD Ryzen 7 5800U is better: 10
However, it should be understood that the summary data in the text above do not mean that taking them into account you should totally trust a simple quantitative comparison. Better to watch the testing video and read the opinion of real owners of Intel Core i9-7960X and AMD Ryzen 7 5800U before making a choice which of the processors to buy for gaming.

• Intel Core i9-7960X specs and review.

• AMD Ryzen 7 5800U specs and review.