AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3960X vs AMD EPYC 7702

Processor comparisons 17-03-2021

   If you are thinking about choosing a CPU, you will be able to make a decision after reading the full tests AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3960X vs AMD EPYC 7702 and understand which is better for games or simple use for machine learning, programming, streaming, video editing, rendering. Here is all information from various benchmarks or real streaming and video editing tests. A step-by-step analysis of all the technical characteristics, to make it easier to understand, is presented in the form of the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of parallel examination in special test applications like AIDA64, Dolphin Emulator, Furmark, Gears 5, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, PassMark, Prime95, RealBench, MATLAB, 3DMark, Handbrake, Blender, UserBenchmark, PCMark 10, 7zip, WPrime, GeekBench 6, 5.2, DaVinci Resolve Studio, VeraCrypt, Blender, SuperPi.
   Gaming performance of processors in:

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

After reading the results of all benchmarks and videos, you already be able to understand which processor is better to buy for gaming AMD EPYC 7702 or AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3960X.

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 3960X

66%

EPYC 7702

71%

This shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, EPYC 7702 is 7% better than Ryzen Threadripper 3960X. The data source is several popular tests. Detailed information can be found below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Ryzen Threadripper 3960X

64%

EPYC 7702

81%

For the maximum in this test, the results of the most powerful processor in the site database are taken. And of course, this is a server processor, on which no one will play games. Because this processor costs several tens of thousands of dollars. And if it seems to you 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 other games in which processors were compared: Shadow of the Tomb Raider, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Microsoft Flight Simulator, DOTA 2A, Metro Exodus, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Half-Life: Alyx, Forza Horizon 4, League of Legends (LOL), Control, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), NBA 2K20, Hitman 3, Battlefield V, Ghostrunner, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Horizon Zero Dawn, Monster Hunter World.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	113.6	143.1
Valorant	129.1	162.6
Cyberpunk 2077	72.3	91.0
Apex Legends	121.3	152.8
Call of Duty Warzone	96.8	121.9
Overwatch	104.5	131.7
Red Dead Redemption 2	89.1	112.2
DOOM Eternal	64.5	81.3
Warzone	100.7	126.8
Assassin's Creed	108.4	136.6
Valheim	107.1	134.9

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 tested computers not only did they have 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 compare it in one assembly with the video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

Ryzen Threadripper 3960X

15%

EPYC 7702

17%

To make a finishing decision 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 EPYC 7702 is more energy efficient than the Ryzen Threadripper 3960X since it has less power consumption: 280W vs. 200W. Power consumption is particularly important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, you must know its TDP. 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 streaming, programming, machine learning, video editing or video rendering, 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 uses 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 make sure that 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 advantages 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 3960X	AMD EPYC 7702
Cinbench 15 Single-core	209	216
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	5933	8896
Cinbench 20 Single-core	509	406
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	13552	18857
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1270	996
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	34255	49035

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

	AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3960X	AMD EPYC 7702
Single-Core	2663	2099
Multi-Core	54830	71929

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

	AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3960X	AMD EPYC 7702
Single-Core	1306	1023
Multi-Core	25072	53995

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the most helpful 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 can be said about overclocking. When the processor can be overclocked, increasing its performance, then it will continue to maintain maximum FPS even in the newest games. The savings are obvious! It turns out that you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3960X	AMD EPYC 7702
Announcement date	November 25, 2019	April 01, 2020
Type	Desktop	Server
Socket	sTRX4	SP3
Core name	Castle Peak	Rome
Architecture	Zen 2	Zen
Generation	3	2
Turbo Frequency	4.5 MHz	3.4 MHz
Frequency	3.8 MHz	2 MHz
Cores	24	64
Threads	48	128
Bus rate
Bit	64	64
Lithography	7 nm	7 nm
Transistors count	22600 millions	86000 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	280 W	200 W
Memory type	DDR4	DDR4
Max. Memory
Memory Frequency	3200
Memory bandwidth
L1 cache	1.5MB
L2 cache	12MB
L3 cache	128MB	256MB
Overclocking	Yes	Yes
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number	100-000000010 100-100000010WOF	100-000000038 100-100000038WOF

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Ryzen Threadripper 3960X is 47% better than EPYC 7702 in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that EPYC 7702 has 40 more core than Ryzen Threadripper 3960X. 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 3960X is better: 10
The number of parameters for which AMD EPYC 7702 is better: 23
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 comparison of these numbers. Be sure to watch the testing video and read the reviews of of people who bought AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3960X and AMD EPYC 7702 before deciding which of the processors to buy for gaming.

• AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3960X specs and review.

• AMD EPYC 7702 specs and review.