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

Processor comparisons   17-03-2021
   You may have difficulties with the choice of a processor, you will solve them by reading the comprehensive tests Intel Core i9-7960X vs Intel Core i7-10700F and decide which is better for games or simple use for video editing, machine learning, streaming, programming, rendering. Here you can find all information from real video editing and streaming tests or several benchmarks. A step-by-step analysis of all the technical characteristics, to make it easier to read, is summarized in the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of parallel examination in synthetic type tests such as PCMark 10, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, Blender, Blender, Furmark, SuperPi, GeekBench 6, 5.2, RealBench, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Gears 5, UserBenchmark, MATLAB, PassMark, Handbrake, 3DMark, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), AIDA64, Dolphin Emulator, VeraCrypt, WPrime, Prime95, 7zip.
   And how good the processors are in games:

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

After looking at the data of all benchmarks and videos, you can already make an briefed decision about which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i7-10700F 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 i7-10700F

55%

This shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Core i9-7960X is 5% better than Core i7-10700F. The data source is several popular tests. Detailed information can be found below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i9-7960X

60%

Core i7-10700F

55%

The maximum result in this parameter is 100 percent, which is the performance of the most powerful processor currently available. 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. Therefore, if you think that the selected CPU has a low 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: Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Monster Hunter World, DOTA 2A, Horizon Zero Dawn, Control, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Battlefield V, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Microsoft Flight Simulator, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, NBA 2K20, Hitman 3, Half-Life: Alyx, Ghostrunner, League of Legends (LOL), Metro Exodus, Forza Horizon 4, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO).

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	106.9	97.9
Valorant	121.4	111.2
Cyberpunk 2077	68.0	62.3
Apex Legends	114.2	104.5
Call of Duty Warzone	91.1	83.4
Overwatch	98.4	90.1
Red Dead Redemption 2	83.8	76.7
DOOM Eternal	60.7	55.6
Warzone	94.7	86.7
Assassin's Creed	102.0	93.4
Valheim	100.8	92.3

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 video cards and different amounts of RAM. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: 2K, 4K 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 compare it in one assembly with the video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

Core i9-7960X

22%

Core i7-10700F

66%

To make a finishing 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 Core i7-10700F is more energy efficient than the Core i9-7960X since it has less power consumption: 165W vs. 65W. Power consumption is particularly important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, it will be useful to know its TDP. 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, video editing or video rendering, streaming, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to achieve maximum efficiency, the processor uses all cores and threads that it has. You will learn this data from the benchmark tables below. Before you take into account the data from these tests, be sure to check whether the program you are going to use on your computer supports multi-threaded mode. Since there are still many programs that can use only one core to run, 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	Intel Core i7-10700F
Cinbench 15 Single-core	184	214
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	3161	2291
Cinbench 20 Single-core	611	499
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	5496	4834
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1103	1255
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	22189	12250

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

	Intel Core i9-7960X	Intel Core i7-10700F
Single-Core	2605	2904
Multi-Core	27039	17150

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

	Intel Core i9-7960X	Intel Core i7-10700F
Single-Core	1113	1304
Multi-Core	18501	9673

Comparison of specifications

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

	Intel Core i9-7960X	Intel Core i7-10700F
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 i7-10700F 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 i7-10700F. 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 i7-10700F is better: 10
However, it should be understood that all the figures in the table above do not mean that taking them into account you should totally trust a simple quantitative comparison. Be sure to watch benchmarks video and read the opinion of real owners of Intel Core i9-7960X and Intel Core i7-10700F before deciding which processor to buy for gaming and which not.

• Intel Core i9-7960X specs and review.

• Intel Core i7-10700F specs and review.