AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2990X vs Intel Core i7-9700K

Processor comparisons   17-03-2021
   Let's say you are thinking about choosing a CPU, you will be able to make a decision by looking at the AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2990X vs Intel Core i7-9700K tests and understand which is better for games or simple use for streaming, rendering, programming, video editing, machine learning. Here you can find all information from several benchmarks or real streaming and video editing tests. A thorough review of all the technical characteristics, to make it easier to understand, is summarized in the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of joint testing in special test applications like PassMark, AIDA64, Dolphin Emulator, RealBench, Blender, WPrime, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), GeekBench 6, 5.2, VeraCrypt, Furmark, 7zip, Gears 5, DaVinci Resolve Studio, SuperPi, Prime95, MATLAB, Handbrake, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, UserBenchmark, Blender, PCMark 10, 3DMark.
   Gaming performance of CPUs in:

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

After looking at the data these benchmarks and videos, you already be able to understand which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i7-9700K or AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2990X.

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 2990X

58%

Core i7-9700K

54%

This parameter shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Ryzen Threadripper 2990X is 6% better than Core i7-9700K. 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 2990X

60%

Core i7-9700K

54%

For the maximum in this test, the results of the most powerful processor in the site database are taken. And it is clear that 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, just 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: League of Legends (LOL), Hitman 3, Forza Horizon 4, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Control, DOTA 2A, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Monster Hunter World, Horizon Zero Dawn, Half-Life: Alyx, Metro Exodus, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Battlefield V, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Ghostrunner, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, NBA 2K20.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	106.0	96.4
Valorant	120.5	109.5
Cyberpunk 2077	67.5	61.3
Apex Legends	113.3	103.0
Call of Duty Warzone	90.4	82.2
Overwatch	97.6	88.7
Red Dead Redemption 2	83.1	75.6
DOOM Eternal	60.2	54.8
Warzone	94.0	85.4
Assassin's Creed	101.2	92.0
Valheim	100.0	90.9

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 2990X

15%

Core i7-9700K

46%

To make a final decision 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 i7-9700K is more energy efficient than the Ryzen Threadripper 2990X as it consumes less power: 250W vs. 95W. 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

Let's say you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for video rendering or video editing, streaming, programming, machine learning, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to achieve maximum performance, the processor turns on all cores and threads that it has. You will find out this data from the benchmark tables below. Before you take into account the data from these tests, be sure to find out whether the software that you are going to use on your computer can work in multi-threaded mode. Because 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 Threadripper 2990X	Intel Core i7-9700K
Cinbench 15 Single-core	168	214
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	2982	1520
Cinbench 20 Single-core	410	481
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	6721	3656
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1033	1246
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	18752	9214

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

	AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2990X	Intel Core i7-9700K
Single-Core	2262	2879
Multi-Core	26548	14607

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

	AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2990X	Intel Core i7-9700K
Single-Core	1125	1320
Multi-Core	17679	8237

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. When the processor can be overclocked, thereby 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 2990X	Intel Core i7-9700K
Announcement date	August 13, 2018	October 01, 2018
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	TR4	FCLGA1151-2
Core name	Colfax	Coffee Lake
Architecture	Zen+	x86
Generation	2	9
Turbo Frequency	4.2 MHz	4.9 MHz
Frequency	3.4 MHz	3.6 MHz
Cores	32	8
Threads	64	8
Bus rate		8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	12 nm	14 nm
Transistors count	18800 millions	5600 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	250 W	95 W
Memory type	DDR4	DDR4-2666
Max. Memory		128 Gb
Memory Frequency	2933
Memory bandwidth		41.6 GB/s
L1 cache	3MB
L2 cache	16MB
L3 cache	64MB	12 MB
Overclocking	Yes	Yes
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number	YD299XAZUIHAF YD299XAZAFWOF

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Core i7-9700K is 5% better than Ryzen Threadripper 2990X in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Ryzen Threadripper 2990X has 24 more core than Core i7-9700K. 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 2990X is better: 24
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i7-9700K is better: 13
Although it should be understood that all the figures that you have looked at here do not mean that taking them into account you should entirely trust a simple comparison of these figures. Better to watch benchmarks video and read the opinion of real owners of AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2990X and Intel Core i7-9700K before making a selection which of the CPUs to buy for gaming.

• AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2990X specs and review.

• Intel Core i7-9700K specs and review.