AMD Ryzen 7 3800XT vs Intel Core i9-7960X

Processor comparisons   18-03-2021
   If you can't decide which processor to buy, you can make a decision after reading the full tests AMD Ryzen 7 3800XT vs Intel Core i9-7960X and see which is better for games or simple use for rendering, streaming, video editing, programming, machine learning. Here you can find useful information from many benchmarks or real streaming and video editing tests. A step-by-step analysis of all the technical characteristics, so that it can be easier to understand, is presented in the form of the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of parallel examination in special testing software such as PCMark 10, 7zip, UserBenchmark, PassMark, Furmark, WPrime, MATLAB, AIDA64, VeraCrypt, Blender, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, Gears 5, GeekBench 6, 5.2, RealBench, Dolphin Emulator, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), DaVinci Resolve Studio, Prime95, Handbrake, 3DMark, Blender, SuperPi.
   Gaming performance of CPUs in:

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

After looking at the data of joint benchmarks and videos, you already be able to figure out which processor is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i9-7960X or AMD Ryzen 7 3800XT.

Summary benchmark results

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

Ryzen 7 3800XT

57%

Core i9-7960X

58%

This parameter shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Core i9-7960X is 1% better than Ryzen 7 3800XT. The data source is several popular tests. More detailed information of the benchmarks is below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Ryzen 7 3800XT

55%

Core i9-7960X

60%

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	98.5	106.9
Valorant	111.9	121.4
Cyberpunk 2077	62.7	68.0
Apex Legends	105.2	114.2
Call of Duty Warzone	83.9	91.1
Overwatch	90.7	98.4
Red Dead Redemption 2	77.2	83.8
DOOM Eternal	56.0	60.7
Warzone	87.3	94.7
Assassin's Creed	94.0	102.0
Valheim	92.9	100.8

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 comparing 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. 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

Ryzen 7 3800XT

42%

Core i9-7960X

22%

To make a final 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 7 3800XT is more energy efficient than the Core i9-7960X as it consumes less power: 105W vs. 165W. 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

For example you plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for video editing or video rendering, programming, machine learning, streaming, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to achieve maximum efficiency, the processor turns on 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 check whether the program you are going to use on your computer supports multi-threaded mode. Because there are still many programs that use only one core to run, and all the benefit of multi-core mode are unused.
Cinebench 23, 20 an 15
The results of this benchmark show Single-threaded and Multi-threaded CPU performance

	AMD Ryzen 7 3800XT	Intel Core i9-7960X
Cinbench 15 Single-core	219	184
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	2228	3161
Cinbench 20 Single-core	539	611
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	5122	5496
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1354	1103
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	12955	22189

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

	AMD Ryzen 7 3800XT	Intel Core i9-7960X
Single-Core	2895	2605
Multi-Core	23892	27039

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

	AMD Ryzen 7 3800XT	Intel Core i9-7960X
Single-Core	1339	1113
Multi-Core	10283	18501

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the processor release date and overclocking capability will be the most useful. 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 benefits from the presence of overclocking. If the processor can be overclocked, increasing its performance, then it will still be able to produce maximum FPS in new games. It turns out that there is no longer a need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The savings are obvious!

	AMD Ryzen 7 3800XT	Intel Core i9-7960X
Announcement date	April 01, 2020	October 01, 2017
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	AM4	FCLGA2066
Core name	Matisse	Skylake
Architecture	Zen 2	x86
Generation	3	7
Turbo Frequency	4.7 MHz	4.2 MHz
Frequency	3.9 MHz	2.8 MHz
Cores	8	16
Threads	16	32
Bus rate		8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	7 nm
Transistors count	4600 millions	7800 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	105 W	165 W
Memory type	DDR4	DDR4-2666
Max. Memory		128 Gb
Memory Frequency	3200
Memory bandwidth		85 GB/s
L1 cache
L2 cache	4MB
L3 cache	32MB	22 MB
Overclocking	Yes	No
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number	100-100000279WOF

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Ryzen 7 3800XT is 28% better than Core i9-7960X in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i9-7960X has 8 more core than Ryzen 7 3800XT. 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 7 3800XT is better: 12
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i9-7960X is better: 25
However, it should be understood that the summary data in the table 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 reviews of of people who bought AMD Ryzen 7 3800XT and Intel Core i9-7960X before deciding which of the processors to buy for gaming.

• AMD Ryzen 7 3800XT specs and review.

• Intel Core i9-7960X specs and review.