AMD Ryzen 9 3950X vs Intel Core i7-8700

Processor comparisons   17-03-2021
   If you can't decide which CPU to buy, you can make a decision after reading the comprehensive tests AMD Ryzen 9 3950X vs Intel Core i7-8700 and decide which is better for games or simple use for video editing, streaming, machine learning, rendering, programming. Here you can find all information from real streaming and video editing tests or different benchmarks. A thorough review of all the technical characteristics, so that it can be easier to read, is presented in the form of the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of parallel examination in synthetic type tests such as PCMark 10, MATLAB, Blender, DaVinci Resolve Studio, WPrime, AIDA64, Handbrake, 3DMark, VeraCrypt, UserBenchmark, 7zip, RealBench, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), Dolphin Emulator, Furmark, GeekBench 6, 5.2, SuperPi, Gears 5, Prime95, Blender, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, PassMark.
   Gaming performance of processors in:

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

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 i7-8700 or AMD Ryzen 9 3950X.

Summary benchmark results

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

Ryzen 9 3950X

61%

Core i7-8700

53%

This value shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Ryzen 9 3950X is 13% 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 9 3950X

58%

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	103.7	94.8
Valorant	117.9	107.7
Cyberpunk 2077	66.0	60.3
Apex Legends	110.8	101.2
Call of Duty Warzone	88.4	80.8
Overwatch	95.5	87.2
Red Dead Redemption 2	81.3	74.3
DOOM Eternal	58.9	53.8
Warzone	91.9	84.0
Assassin's Creed	99.0	90.4
Valheim	97.8	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 computers participating in the comparing not only were the equipped with different amounts of RAM and different video cards. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: 2K, FullHD 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 get acquainted with the benchmarks that are made with the same video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

Ryzen 9 3950X

40%

Core i7-8700

64%

To make a finishing resolution 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 i7-8700 is more energy efficient than the Ryzen 9 3950X as it consumes less power: 105W 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 count so that the TDP data specified in the cooler specification is greater than the TDP of the compared processor.

Software benchmarks

For example you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for streaming, programming, video rendering or video editing, 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 performance. 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. 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

	AMD Ryzen 9 3950X	Intel Core i7-8700
Cinbench 15 Single-core	217	203
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	3897	1434
Cinbench 20 Single-core	531	481
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	9148	3547
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1371	1146
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	24050	7969

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

	AMD Ryzen 9 3950X	Intel Core i7-8700
Single-Core	2718	2706
Multi-Core	39170	13125

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

	AMD Ryzen 9 3950X	Intel Core i7-8700
Single-Core	1286	1260
Multi-Core	15407	6618

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the processor release date and overclocking capability will be the most helpful. The newer the processor, the longer it will last you. 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, thereby increasing its performance, then it will still be able to produce 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!

	AMD Ryzen 9 3950X	Intel Core i7-8700
Announcement date	October 01, 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	4.7 MHz	4.6 MHz
Frequency	3.5 MHz	3.2 MHz
Cores	16	6
Threads	32	12
Bus rate		8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	7 nm	14 nm
Transistors count	7800 millions	3200 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	105 W	65 W
Memory type	DDR4	DDR4-2666
Max. Memory		128 Gb
Memory Frequency	3200
Memory bandwidth		41.6 GB/s
L1 cache	1MB
L2 cache	8MB
L3 cache	64MB	12 MB
Overclocking	Yes	Yes
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number	100-000000051 100-100000051WOF

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Ryzen 9 3950X is 8% better than Core i7-8700 in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Ryzen 9 3950X has 10 more core than Core i7-8700. 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 9 3950X is better: 32
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i7-8700 is better: 5
However, it should be realized that all the number that you have looked at here do not mean that you should be guided entirely by them and trust a simple quantitative comparison. Better to watch benchmarks video and read the reviews of of people who bought AMD Ryzen 9 3950X and Intel Core i7-8700 before making a decision which processor to buy for gaming and which not.

• AMD Ryzen 9 3950X specs and review.

• Intel Core i7-8700 specs and review.