AMD Ryzen 5 3500X vs Intel Core i7-8700

Processor comparisons   17-03-2021
   For example you can't decide which CPU to buy, you can make a choice by looking at the AMD Ryzen 5 3500X vs Intel Core i7-8700 tests and see which is better for games or simple use for rendering, programming, video editing, streaming, machine learning. Here is all information from several benchmarks or real video editing and streaming tests. A thorough review of all the specifications, so that it can be easier to read, is presented in the form of the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of parallel examination in synthetic type tests such as SuperPi, AIDA64, 7zip, MATLAB, PassMark, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, PCMark 10, Blender, WPrime, Prime95, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), 3DMark, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Dolphin Emulator, RealBench, Gears 5, GeekBench 6, 5.2, UserBenchmark, Handbrake, VeraCrypt, Furmark, Blender.
   Gaming performance of CPUs in:

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

After looking at the data these benchmarks and videos, you can already make an informed decision about which processor is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i7-8700 or AMD Ryzen 5 3500X.

Summary benchmark results

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

Ryzen 5 3500X

54%

Core i7-8700

53%

This parameter shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Ryzen 5 3500X is 1% better than Core i7-8700. The data source is several popular tests. More detailed information of the benchmarks is below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Ryzen 5 3500X

53%

Core i7-8700

53%

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 this processor costs several tens of thousands of dollars. Therefore, if you think that the selected CPU has a little 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: Ghostrunner, Battlefield V, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Half-Life: Alyx, Hitman 3, NBA 2K20, Metro Exodus, Monster Hunter World, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Forza Horizon 4, League of Legends (LOL), Control, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Horizon Zero Dawn, DOTA 2A, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Microsoft Flight Simulator.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	94.1	94.8
Valorant	106.9	107.7
Cyberpunk 2077	59.9	60.3
Apex Legends	100.5	101.2
Call of Duty Warzone	80.2	80.8
Overwatch	86.6	87.2
Red Dead Redemption 2	73.8	74.3
DOOM Eternal	53.5	53.8
Warzone	83.4	84.0
Assassin's Creed	89.8	90.4
Valheim	88.7	89.4

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 video cards and different amounts of RAM. 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. 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

Ryzen 5 3500X

65%

Core i7-8700

64%

To make a finishing resolution 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 3500X is more energy efficient than the Core i7-8700 as it consumes less power: 65W 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 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, video rendering or video editing, programming, machine learning, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the processor includes all cores and threads 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 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 turns out to be unnecessary.
Cinebench 23, 20 an 15
The results of this benchmark show Single-threaded and Multi-threaded CPU performance

	AMD Ryzen 5 3500X	Intel Core i7-8700
Cinbench 15 Single-core	188	203
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1129	1434
Cinbench 20 Single-core	464	481
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	2652	3547
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1126	1146
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	7797	7969

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

	AMD Ryzen 5 3500X	Intel Core i7-8700
Single-Core	2562	2706
Multi-Core	13476	13125

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

	AMD Ryzen 5 3500X	Intel Core i7-8700
Single-Core	1272	1260
Multi-Core	5963	6618

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.

	AMD Ryzen 5 3500X	Intel Core i7-8700
Announcement date	September 24, 2019	October 01, 2017
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	AM4	FCLGA1151-2
Core name	Matisse	Coffee Lake
Architecture	Zen 2	x86
Generation	3	8
Turbo Frequency	4.1 MHz	4.6 MHz
Frequency	3.6 MHz	3.2 MHz
Cores	6	6
Threads	6	12
Bus rate		8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	7 nm	14 nm
Transistors count	4200 millions	3200 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	65 W	65 W
Memory type	DDR4	DDR4-2666
Max. Memory		128 Gb
Memory Frequency	3200
Memory bandwidth		41.6 GB/s
L1 cache	384KB
L2 cache	3MB
L3 cache	32MB	12 MB
Overclocking	Yes	Yes
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number	100-000000158 100-100000158CBX 100-100000158MPK

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Ryzen 5 3500X is 11% better than Core i7-8700 in terms of CPU frequency. Also keep in mind that high CPU frequency affects battery life through power consumption (relevant for laptops).

Result:
The number of parameters for which AMD Ryzen 5 3500X is better: 10
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i7-8700 is better: 25
However, it should be realized that all the data that you have looked at here do not mean that you should be guided entirely by them and trust a simple quantitative comparison. Be sure to watch the video tests and read the reviews of of people who bought AMD Ryzen 5 3500X and Intel Core i7-8700 before making a choice which processor to buy for gaming and which not.

• AMD Ryzen 5 3500X specs and review.

• Intel Core i7-8700 specs and review.