AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX vs Intel Core i9-9960X

Processor comparisons   17-03-2021
   For example you can't decide which processor to buy, you can make a decision after reading the comprehensive tests AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX vs Intel Core i9-9960X and decide which is better for games or normal use for video editing, machine learning, programming, streaming, rendering. Here you can find useful information from various benchmarks or real streaming and video editing tests. A careful review of all the specifications, so that it can be easier to read, is summarized in the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of parallel examination in software tests such as Dolphin Emulator, VeraCrypt, Gears 5, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), DaVinci Resolve Studio, Blender, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, Handbrake, Prime95, WPrime, PassMark, 7zip, RealBench, Furmark, MATLAB, Blender, UserBenchmark, PCMark 10, 3DMark, SuperPi, AIDA64, GeekBench 6, 5.2.
   Gaming performance of CPUs in:

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

After reading the results these benchmarks and videos, you already be able to know which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i9-9960X or AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX.

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 2970WX

58%

Core i9-9960X

59%

This shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Core i9-9960X is 1% better than Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX. 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 2970WX

57%

Core i9-9960X

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	100.8	106.4
Valorant	114.5	120.9
Cyberpunk 2077	64.1	67.7
Apex Legends	107.7	113.6
Call of Duty Warzone	85.9	90.7
Overwatch	92.8	97.9
Red Dead Redemption 2	79.0	83.4
DOOM Eternal	57.3	60.5
Warzone	89.3	94.3
Assassin's Creed	96.2	101.6
Valheim	95.1	100.3

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: FullHD, 2K or 4K. 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 2970WX

14%

Core i9-9960X

24%

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 i9-9960X is more energy efficient than the Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX since it has less power consumption: 250W vs. 165W. 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 want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for programming, video rendering or video editing, machine learning, streaming, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the CPU includes all cores and threads that it has to the maximum to achieve 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. Because there are still many programs that 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 Threadripper 2970WX	Intel Core i9-9960X
Cinbench 15 Single-core	173	200
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	4324	2872
Cinbench 20 Single-core	431	457
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	10008	6671
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1098	1086
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	20987	22943

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

	AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX	Intel Core i9-9960X
Single-Core	2290	2684
Multi-Core	28963	30816

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

	AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX	Intel Core i9-9960X
Single-Core	1082	1230
Multi-Core	12545	18032

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 you. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system later. The same can be said about overclocking. If the processor can be overclocked, increasing its performance, then it will continue to maintain maximum FPS in new games. Accordingly, there is no longer a need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The savings are obvious!

	AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX	Intel Core i9-9960X
Announcement date	October 02, 2018	January 01, 2019
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	sTR4	FCLGA2066
Core name	Colfax	Skylake
Architecture	Zen+	x86
Generation	2	9
Turbo Frequency	4.2 MHz	4.4 MHz
Frequency	3 MHz	3.1 MHz
Cores	24	16
Threads	48	32
Bus rate		8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	12 nm	14 nm
Transistors count	18800 millions	8600 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	250 W	165 W
Memory type	DDR4	DDR4-2666
Max. Memory		128 Gb
Memory Frequency	2933
Memory bandwidth		85 GB/s
L1 cache	2.25MB
L2 cache	12MB
L3 cache	64MB	22 MB
Overclocking	Yes	Yes
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number	YD297XAZUHCAF YD297XAZAFWOF

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Core i9-9960X is 3% better than Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX has 8 more core than Core i9-9960X. 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 2970WX is better: 11
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i9-9960X is better: 26
However, it should be understood that all the figures 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 opinion of of people who bought AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX and Intel Core i9-9960X before making a decision which CPU to buy for gaming and which not.

• AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX specs and review.

• Intel Core i9-9960X specs and review.