AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3960X vs AMD Ryzen 5 3600X

Processor comparisons 17-03-2021

   If you are thinking about choosing a CPU, you will be able to make a choice after reading the full tests AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3960X vs AMD Ryzen 5 3600X and decide which is better for games or simple use for programming, streaming, rendering, machine learning, video editing. Here you can find useful information from many benchmarks or real video editing and streaming tests. A step-by-step analysis of all the specifications, to make it easier to understand, is presented in the form of the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of parallel examination in special test applications such as Furmark, 3DMark, UserBenchmark, Handbrake, Gears 5, Dolphin Emulator, Blender, Prime95, MATLAB, PassMark, DaVinci Resolve Studio, GeekBench 6, 5.2, WPrime, 7zip, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, Blender, SuperPi, RealBench, AIDA64, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), VeraCrypt, PCMark 10.
   And how good the processors are in games:

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

After looking at the data of parallel benchmarks and videos, you already be able to figure out which CPU is better to buy for gaming AMD Ryzen 5 3600X 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%

Ryzen 5 3600X

55%

The number of this parameter shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Ryzen Threadripper 3960X is 16% better than Ryzen 5 3600X. 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%

Ryzen 5 3600X

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. Therefore, if you think that the selected CPU has a little game result, just 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	113.6	96.0
Valorant	129.1	109.1
Cyberpunk 2077	72.3	61.1
Apex Legends	121.3	102.6
Call of Duty Warzone	96.8	81.9
Overwatch	104.5	88.4
Red Dead Redemption 2	89.1	75.3
DOOM Eternal	64.5	54.6
Warzone	100.7	85.1
Assassin's Creed	108.4	91.7
Valheim	107.1	90.6

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 video cards and different amounts of RAM. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: 4K, 2K or FullHD. So 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 3960X

15%

Ryzen 5 3600X

47%

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 Ryzen 5 3600X is more energy efficient than the Ryzen Threadripper 3960X as it consumes less power: 280W vs. 95W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, you need 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

If you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for video editing or video rendering, programming, streaming, machine learning, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the processor includes all threads and cores 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 make sure that the program 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 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 Ryzen 5 3600X
Cinbench 15 Single-core	209	204
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	5933	1647
Cinbench 20 Single-core	509	501
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	13552	3751
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1270	1286
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	34255	9588

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

	AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3960X	AMD Ryzen 5 3600X
Single-Core	2663	2651
Multi-Core	54830	18377

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

	AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3960X	AMD Ryzen 5 3600X
Single-Core	1306	1341
Multi-Core	25072	7891

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 newer the processor, the longer it will last you. 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 still be able to produce 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 Ryzen 5 3600X
Announcement date	November 25, 2019	July 07, 2019
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	sTRX4	AM4
Core name	Castle Peak	Matisse
Architecture	Zen 2	Zen 2
Generation	3	3
Turbo Frequency	4.5 MHz	4.4 MHz
Frequency	3.8 MHz	3.8 MHz
Cores	24	6
Threads	48	12
Bus rate
Bit	64	64
Lithography	7 nm	7 nm
Transistors count	22600 millions	4200 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	280 W	95 W
Memory type	DDR4	DDR4
Max. Memory
Memory Frequency	3200	3200
Memory bandwidth
L1 cache	1.5MB	384KB
L2 cache	12MB	3MB
L3 cache	128MB	32MB
Overclocking	Yes	Yes
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number	100-000000010 100-100000010WOF	100-000000022 100-100000022BOX 100-100000022MPK

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Another difference is that Ryzen Threadripper 3960X has 18 more core than Ryzen 5 3600X. 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: 24
The number of parameters for which AMD Ryzen 5 3600X is better: 6
Although it should be understood that all the data in the text above do not mean that you should be guided entirely by them and trust a simple comparison of these figures. Better to watch the testing video and read the opinion of real owners of AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3960X and AMD Ryzen 5 3600X before making a decision which processor to buy for gaming and which not.

• AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3960X specs and review.

• AMD Ryzen 5 3600X specs and review.