Intel Core i9-7960X vs Intel Core i7-10700

Processor comparisons   17-03-2021
   If you can't decide which CPU to buy, you can make a decision after reading the detailed tests Intel Core i9-7960X vs Intel Core i7-10700 and understand which is better for games or normal use for rendering, streaming, machine learning, video editing, programming. Here you can find useful information from real streaming and video editing tests or many benchmarks. A step-by-step analysis of all the specifications, so that it can be easier to understand, is summarized in the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of joint testing in software tests such as 3DMark, DaVinci Resolve Studio, 7zip, SuperPi, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, Blender, Furmark, UserBenchmark, Blender, Gears 5, RealBench, MATLAB, Dolphin Emulator, WPrime, Prime95, AIDA64, VeraCrypt, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), PassMark, Handbrake, PCMark 10, GeekBench 6, 5.2.
   Gaming performance of processors in:

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

After reading the results of joint benchmarks and videos, you already be able to understand which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i7-10700 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%

Core i7-10700

55%

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 5% better than Core i7-10700. 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%

Core i7-10700

55%

The maximum result in this parameter is 100 percent, which is the performance of the most powerful processor currently available. 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 little game result, look at the FPS that it produces in real games in the summary table below.
List of other games in which processors were compared: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Metro Exodus, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, League of Legends (LOL), Hitman 3, Forza Horizon 4, Horizon Zero Dawn, DOTA 2A, Battlefield V, Ghostrunner, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Half-Life: Alyx, Control, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Monster Hunter World, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), NBA 2K20.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	106.9	97.3
Valorant	121.4	110.6
Cyberpunk 2077	68.0	61.9
Apex Legends	114.2	104.0
Call of Duty Warzone	91.1	83.0
Overwatch	98.4	89.6
Red Dead Redemption 2	83.8	76.3
DOOM Eternal	60.7	55.3
Warzone	94.7	86.3
Assassin's Creed	102.0	92.9
Valheim	100.8	91.8

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 comparisons not only were the equipped with different video cards and different amounts of RAM. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: 2K, 4K or FullHD. Therefore, 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 compare it in one assembly with the video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

Core i9-7960X

22%

Core i7-10700

67%

To make a final decision 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 Core i7-10700 is more energy efficient than the Core i9-7960X as it consumes less power: 165W vs. 65W. Power consumption is particularly 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

If you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for machine learning, programming, streaming, video rendering or video editing, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to reach maximum performance, the processor includes all threads and cores that it has. You will find out this data from the benchmark tables below. Before using the data from these tests, be sure to make sure that the program 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 advantages of multi-core mode are unused.
Cinebench 23, 20 an 15
The results of this benchmark show Single-threaded and Multi-threaded CPU performance

	Intel Core i9-7960X	Intel Core i7-10700
Cinbench 15 Single-core	184	221
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	3161	2356
Cinbench 20 Single-core	611	513
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	5496	4971
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1103	1290
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	22189	12595

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

	Intel Core i9-7960X	Intel Core i7-10700
Single-Core	2605	3055
Multi-Core	27039	17916

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

	Intel Core i9-7960X	Intel Core i7-10700
Single-Core	1113	1325
Multi-Core	18501	9163

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the processor release date and overclocking capability will be the most useful. The later the processor is released, the longer it will last you. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system later. The same can be said about overclocking. When the processor can be overclocked, thereby increasing its performance, then it will continue to maintain maximum FPS in the newest games. Accordingly, you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The economy are obvious!

	Intel Core i9-7960X	Intel Core i7-10700
Announcement date	October 01, 2017	April 01, 2020
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	FCLGA2066	FCLGA1200
Core name	Skylake	Comet Lake
Architecture	x86	x86
Generation	7	10
Turbo Frequency	4.2 MHz	4.8 MHz
Frequency	2.8 MHz	2.9 MHz
Cores	16	8
Threads	32	16
Bus rate	8 GT/s	8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography		14 nm
Transistors count	7800 millions	6800 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	165 W	65 W
Memory type	DDR4-2666	DDR4-2933
Max. Memory	128 Gb	128 Gb
Memory Frequency
Memory bandwidth	85 GB/s	45.8 GB/s
L1 cache
L2 cache
L3 cache	22 MB	16 MB
Overclocking	No	Yes
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 i7-10700 is 3% better than Core i9-7960X in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i9-7960X has 8 more core than Core i7-10700. 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: 23
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i7-10700 is better: 10
Although it should be understood that all the number in the text above do not mean that taking them into account you should entirely trust a simple comparison of these figures. Better to watch benchmarks video and read the reviews of of people who bought Intel Core i9-7960X and Intel Core i7-10700 before deciding which processor to buy for gaming and which not.

• Intel Core i9-7960X specs and review.

• Intel Core i7-10700 specs and review.