AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2920X vs Intel Core i9-7960X

Processor comparisons 17-03-2021

   For example you are thinking about choosing a processor, you will be able to make a choice after reading the detailed tests AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2920X vs Intel Core i9-7960X and see which is better for games or simple use for streaming, machine learning, programming, rendering, video editing. Here you can find all information from real video editing and streaming tests or many benchmarks. A thorough review of all the specifications, so that it can be easier to read, is summarized in the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of joint testing in software tests like WPrime, Prime95, AIDA64, UserBenchmark, GeekBench 6, 5.2, VeraCrypt, RealBench, PCMark 10, Dolphin Emulator, Blender, SuperPi, Furmark, 7zip, DaVinci Resolve Studio, PassMark, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), MATLAB, Handbrake, Gears 5, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, 3DMark, Blender.
   And how good the CPUs are in games:

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

After reading the results these benchmarks and videos, you already be able to understand which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i9-7960X or AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2920X.

Summary benchmark results

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

Ryzen Threadripper 2920X

57%

Core i9-7960X

58%

This shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Core i9-7960X is 1% better than Ryzen Threadripper 2920X. The data source is several popular tests. More detailed information of the benchmarks is below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Ryzen Threadripper 2920X

57%

Core i9-7960X

60%

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	100.5	106.9
Valorant	114.2	121.4
Cyberpunk 2077	63.9	68.0
Apex Legends	107.3	114.2
Call of Duty Warzone	85.6	91.1
Overwatch	92.5	98.4
Red Dead Redemption 2	78.8	83.8
DOOM Eternal	57.1	60.7
Warzone	89.1	94.7
Assassin's Creed	95.9	102.0
Valheim	94.8	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 amounts of RAM and different video cards. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: 2K, 4K or FullHD. Therefore, 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

Ryzen Threadripper 2920X

20%

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 Core i9-7960X is more energy efficient than the Ryzen Threadripper 2920X since it has less power consumption: 180W vs. 165W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, you need 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

For example 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, to achieve maximum performance, the CPU includes all cores and threads that it has. You will learn 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 can use only one core to work, 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 Threadripper 2920X	Intel Core i9-7960X
Cinbench 15 Single-core	176	184
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	2584	3161
Cinbench 20 Single-core	439	611
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	5843	5496
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1003	1103
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	18215	22189

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

	AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2920X	Intel Core i9-7960X
Single-Core	2481	2605
Multi-Core	25788	27039

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

	AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2920X	Intel Core i9-7960X
Single-Core	1103	1113
Multi-Core	12232	18501

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the most useful will be the the possibility of overclocking it and release date of the processor. The later the processor is released, the longer it will last you. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system in the future. The same can be said about overclocking. When the processor can be overclocked, thereby increasing its performance, then it will continue to maintain maximum FPS even in the newest games. The economy are obvious! Accordingly, you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2920X	Intel Core i9-7960X
Announcement date	October 02, 2018	October 01, 2017
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	sTR4	FCLGA2066
Core name	Colfax	Skylake
Architecture	Zen+	x86
Generation	2	7
Turbo Frequency	4.3 MHz	4.2 MHz
Frequency	3.5 MHz	2.8 MHz
Cores	12	16
Threads	24	32
Bus rate		8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	12 nm
Transistors count	18800 millions	7800 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	180 W	165 W
Memory type	DDR4	DDR4-2666
Max. Memory		128 Gb
Memory Frequency	2933
Memory bandwidth		85 GB/s
L1 cache	1.125MB
L2 cache	6MB
L3 cache	32MB	22 MB
Overclocking	Yes	No
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number	YD292XA8UC9AF YD292XA8AFWOF

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Ryzen Threadripper 2920X is 20% better than Core i9-7960X in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i9-7960X has 4 more core than Ryzen Threadripper 2920X. 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 Threadripper 2920X is better: 10
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i9-7960X is better: 28
Although it should be understood that all the number in the text above do not mean that taking them into account you should completely trust a simple comparison of these figures. Be sure to watch the testing video and read the opinion of real owners of AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2920X and Intel Core i9-7960X before making a selection which of the CPUs to buy for gaming.

• AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2920X specs and review.

• Intel Core i9-7960X specs and review.