Intel Core i9-10920X vs Intel Core i9-7960X

Processor comparisons 17-03-2021

   For example you can't decide which processor to buy, you can make a choice by looking at the Intel Core i9-10920X vs Intel Core i9-7960X tests and decide which is better for games or simple use for streaming, programming, machine learning, rendering, video editing. Here is all information from real video editing and streaming tests or various benchmarks. A step-by-step analysis of all the specifications, to make it easier to understand, is summarized in the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of joint testing in special testing software like World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, Handbrake, WPrime, Blender, PCMark 10, Blender, Gears 5, SuperPi, Dolphin Emulator, VeraCrypt, MATLAB, AIDA64, RealBench, UserBenchmark, Furmark, GeekBench 6, 5.2, PassMark, DaVinci Resolve Studio, 7zip, 3DMark, Prime95, Cinebench 23 (20, 15).
   And how good the CPUs are in games:

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

After reading the results of joint benchmarks and videos, you can already make an informed decision about which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i9-7960X or Intel Core i9-10920X.

Summary benchmark results

As a percentage of the maximum value based on a sample from the entire base of all processors
Processor Benchmark

Core i9-10920X

58%

Core i9-7960X

58%

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i9-10920X

58%

Core i9-7960X

60%

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	102.4	106.9
Valorant	116.3	121.4
Cyberpunk 2077	65.1	68.0
Apex Legends	109.3	114.2
Call of Duty Warzone	87.2	91.1
Overwatch	94.2	98.4
Red Dead Redemption 2	80.3	83.8
DOOM Eternal	58.2	60.7
Warzone	90.7	94.7
Assassin's Creed	97.7	102.0
Valheim	96.5	100.8

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

Power consumption

Core i9-10920X

25%

Core i9-7960X

22%

To make a finishing choice 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 i9-10920X is more energy efficient than the Core i9-7960X as it consumes less power: 165W vs. 165W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, you must know its TDP. It is necessary to calculate 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 machine learning, video editing or video rendering, streaming, programming, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to achieve maximum efficiency, the processor uses all threads and cores that it has. 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 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 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

	Intel Core i9-10920X	Intel Core i9-7960X
Cinbench 15 Single-core	185	184
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	2798	3161
Cinbench 20 Single-core	596	611
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	5367	5496
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1550	1103
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	15445	22189

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

	Intel Core i9-10920X	Intel Core i9-7960X
Single-Core	2780	2605
Multi-Core	26405	27039

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

	Intel Core i9-10920X	Intel Core i9-7960X
Single-Core	1246	1113
Multi-Core	14074	18501

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. If the processor can be overclocked, increasing its performance, then it will still be able to produce maximum FPS in new games. It turns out that there is no longer a need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The savings are obvious!

	Intel Core i9-10920X	Intel Core i9-7960X
Announcement date	October 01, 2019	October 01, 2017
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	FCLGA2066	FCLGA2066
Core name	Cascade Lake	Skylake
Architecture	x86	x86
Generation	10	7
Turbo Frequency	4.8 MHz	4.2 MHz
Frequency	3.5 MHz	2.8 MHz
Cores	12	16
Threads	24	32
Bus rate	8 GT/s DMI3	8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	14 nm
Transistors count	9200 millions	7800 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	165 W	165 W
Memory type	DDR4-2933	DDR4-2666
Max. Memory	256 Gb	128 Gb
Memory Frequency
Memory bandwidth	94 GB/s	85 GB/s
L1 cache
L2 cache
L3 cache	19.25 MB	22 MB
Overclocking	No	No
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Core i9-10920X is 20% better than Core i9-7960X in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i9-7960X has 4 more core than Core i9-10920X. Also keep in mind that high CPU frequency affects battery life through power consumption (relevant for laptops).

Result:
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i9-10920X is better: 12
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i9-7960X is better: 21
However, it should be realized that the summary data in the table above do not mean that taking them into account you should fully trust a simple comparison of these figures. Better to watch benchmarks video and read the opinion of of people who bought Intel Core i9-10920X and Intel Core i9-7960X before making a choice which of the processors to buy for gaming.

• Intel Core i9-10920X specs and review.

• Intel Core i9-7960X specs and review.