Intel Core i9-7960X vs Intel Core i9-11900K

Processor comparisons   17-03-2021
   For example there are difficulties with the choice of a processor, you will solve them by reading the comprehensive tests Intel Core i9-7960X vs Intel Core i9-11900K and understand which is better for games or normal use for programming, machine learning, video editing, streaming, rendering. Here you can find all information from different benchmarks or real video editing and streaming tests. A step-by-step analysis of all the technical characteristics, to make it easier to understand, is summarized in the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of joint testing in special testing software such as World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Blender, PCMark 10, SuperPi, 3DMark, PassMark, RealBench, VeraCrypt, WPrime, Prime95, Furmark, Handbrake, UserBenchmark, MATLAB, Blender, Dolphin Emulator, 7zip, AIDA64, Gears 5, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), GeekBench 6, 5.2.
   Gaming performance of processors in:

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

After looking at the data these benchmarks and videos, you can already make an informed decision about which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i9-11900K 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 i9-11900K

58%

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i9-7960X

60%

Core i9-11900K

57%

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	106.9	100.9
Valorant	121.4	114.6
Cyberpunk 2077	68.0	64.2
Apex Legends	114.2	107.8
Call of Duty Warzone	91.1	86.0
Overwatch	98.4	92.9
Red Dead Redemption 2	83.8	79.1
DOOM Eternal	60.7	57.3
Warzone	94.7	89.4
Assassin's Creed	102.0	96.3
Valheim	100.8	95.2

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 tested computers not only did they have different amounts of RAM and different video cards. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: FullHD, 2K or 4K. 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 i9-11900K

52%

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 i9-11900K is more energy efficient than the Core i9-7960X since it has less power consumption: 165W vs. 125W. 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

If you plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for programming, video rendering or video editing, machine learning, streaming, then first of all you need to pay attention to the 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 performance. You will learn this data from the benchmark tables below. Before you take into account 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. Since 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 i9-11900K
Cinbench 15 Single-core	184	284
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	3161	2575
Cinbench 20 Single-core	611	636
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	5496	5725
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1103	1653
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	22189	16475

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

	Intel Core i9-7960X	Intel Core i9-11900K
Single-Core	2605	3801
Multi-Core	27039	28166

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

	Intel Core i9-7960X	Intel Core i9-11900K
Single-Core	1113	1961
Multi-Core	18501	12631

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the processor release date and overclocking capability will be the most helpful. The later the processor is released, the longer it will last in your computer. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system later. The same benefits from the presence of overclocking. If the processor can be overclocked, increasing its performance, then it will continue to maintain maximum FPS in the newest games. Accordingly, there is no longer a need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The savings are obvious!

	Intel Core i9-7960X	Intel Core i9-11900K
Announcement date	October 01, 2017	February 21, 2021
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	FCLGA2066	FCLGA1200
Core name	Skylake	Rocket Lake
Architecture	x86	x86
Generation	7	11
Turbo Frequency	4.2 MHz	5.3 MHz
Frequency	2.8 MHz	3.5 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	9800 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	165 W	125 W
Memory type	DDR4-2666	DDR4-3200
Max. Memory	128 Gb	128 Gb
Memory Frequency		3200
Memory bandwidth	85 GB/s	50 GB/s
L1 cache
L2 cache		4 MB
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 i9-11900K is 20% better than Core i9-7960X in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i9-7960X has 8 more core than Core i9-11900K. 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: 19
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i9-11900K is better: 16
Although it should be understood that the summary data 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 opinion of of people who bought Intel Core i9-7960X and Intel Core i9-11900K before making a decision which CPU to buy for gaming and which not.

• Intel Core i9-7960X specs and review.

Intel Core i9-11900K - all data

• Call of Duty: Warzone gaming benchmark
• Apex Legends gaming benchmark
• GTA 5 gaming benchmark
• Valorant gaming benchmark
• Red Dead Redemption 2 gaming benchmark
• Roblox gaming benchmark
• Overwatch gaming benchmark
• Fortnite gaming benchmark
• Assassin's Creed gaming benchmark
• DOOM Eternal gaming benchmark
• PUBG gaming benchmark
• Cyberpunk 2077 gaming benchmark

• Intel Core i9-11900K specs and review.