AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2920X vs Intel Core i9-9900K

Processor comparisons 17-03-2021

   If you can't decide which processor to buy, you can make a decision after reading the full tests AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2920X vs Intel Core i9-9900K and decide which is better for games or normal use for programming, machine learning, streaming, video editing, rendering. Here you can find useful information from real streaming and video editing tests or many benchmarks. A thorough review of all the specifications, to make it easier to understand, is made by the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of joint testing in special testing software such as 7zip, Dolphin Emulator, RealBench, MATLAB, 3DMark, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), PCMark 10, SuperPi, PassMark, WPrime, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Blender, Prime95, Blender, Handbrake, VeraCrypt, UserBenchmark, Furmark, Gears 5, GeekBench 6, 5.2, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, AIDA64.
   Gaming performance of processors in:

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

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 i9-9900K 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 i9-9900K

55%

This shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Ryzen Threadripper 2920X is 3% better than Core i9-9900K. 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 i9-9900K

55%

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	100.5	98.2
Valorant	114.2	111.6
Cyberpunk 2077	63.9	62.5
Apex Legends	107.3	104.9
Call of Duty Warzone	85.6	83.7
Overwatch	92.5	90.4
Red Dead Redemption 2	78.8	77.0
DOOM Eternal	57.1	55.8
Warzone	89.1	87.0
Assassin's Creed	95.9	93.7
Valheim	94.8	92.6

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: 4K, 2K 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 get acquainted with the benchmarks that are made with the same video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

Ryzen Threadripper 2920X

20%

Core i9-9900K

45%

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 i9-9900K is more energy efficient than the Ryzen Threadripper 2920X since it has less power consumption: 180W vs. 95W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. And TDP should be taken into account when choosing a processor cooling system. 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, streaming, video editing or video rendering, machine learning, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to achieve maximum efficiency, the CPU includes all cores and threads that it has. You will find out this data from the benchmark tables below. Before using the data from these tests, be sure to find out whether the program that you are going to use on your computer can work in multi-threaded mode. Since 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 i9-9900K
Cinbench 15 Single-core	176	219
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	2584	2245
Cinbench 20 Single-core	439	518
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	5843	4995
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1003	1284
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	18215	12450

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

	AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2920X	Intel Core i9-9900K
Single-Core	2481	2947
Multi-Core	25788	18753

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

	AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2920X	Intel Core i9-9900K
Single-Core	1103	1301
Multi-Core	12232	9986

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 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 new 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 i9-9900K
Announcement date	October 02, 2018	October 01, 2018
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	sTR4	FCLGA1151-2
Core name	Colfax	Coffee Lake
Architecture	Zen+	x86
Generation	2	9
Turbo Frequency	4.3 MHz	5 MHz
Frequency	3.5 MHz	3.6 MHz
Cores	12	8
Threads	24	16
Bus rate		8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	12 nm	14 nm
Transistors count	18800 millions	8600 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	180 W	95 W
Memory type	DDR4	DDR4-2666
Max. Memory		128 Gb
Memory Frequency	2933
Memory bandwidth		41.6 GB/s
L1 cache	1.125MB
L2 cache	6MB
L3 cache	32MB	16 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 Core i9-9900K is 2% better than Ryzen Threadripper 2920X in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Ryzen Threadripper 2920X has 4 more core than Core i9-9900K. 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: 26
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i9-9900K is better: 12
Although it should be realized that all the figures in the text above do not mean that taking them into account you should fully trust a simple comparison of these figures. Better to watch the video tests and read the reviews of real owners of AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2920X and Intel Core i9-9900K before deciding which of the CPUs to buy for gaming.

• AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2920X specs and review.

• Intel Core i9-9900K specs and review.