Intel Core i9-11900 vs Intel Core i9-7940X

Processor comparisons 18-03-2021

   If you are thinking about choosing a processor, you will be able to make a choice by looking at the Intel Core i9-11900 vs Intel Core i9-7940X tests and understand which is better for games or normal use for programming, machine learning, rendering, streaming, video editing. Here is useful information from real streaming and video editing tests or various benchmarks. A thorough review of all the specifications, to make it easier to read, is summarized in the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of parallel examination in special test applications like VeraCrypt, Dolphin Emulator, AIDA64, Furmark, SuperPi, 3DMark, MATLAB, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, Blender, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), Gears 5, Prime95, Handbrake, PCMark 10, Blender, RealBench, PassMark, GeekBench 6, 5.2, 7zip, DaVinci Resolve Studio, UserBenchmark, WPrime.
   Gaming performance of CPUs in:

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

After reading the results these benchmarks and videos, you already be able to understand which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i9-7940X or Intel Core i9-11900.

Summary benchmark results

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

Core i9-11900

58%

Core i9-7940X

58%

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i9-11900

55%

Core i9-7940X

58%

The maximum result in this parameter is 100 percent, which is the performance of the most powerful processor currently available. 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 other games in which processors were compared: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Metro Exodus, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), DOTA 2A, Ghostrunner, Control, League of Legends (LOL), Horizon Zero Dawn, Hitman 3, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, NBA 2K20, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Half-Life: Alyx, Battlefield V, Forza Horizon 4, Monster Hunter World, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Microsoft Flight Simulator.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	97.8	103.4
Valorant	111.1	117.5
Cyberpunk 2077	62.2	65.8
Apex Legends	104.4	110.5
Call of Duty Warzone	83.3	88.2
Overwatch	90.0	95.2
Red Dead Redemption 2	76.7	81.1
DOOM Eternal	55.5	58.8
Warzone	86.7	91.7
Assassin's Creed	93.3	98.7
Valheim	92.2	97.6

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 comparisons not only were the equipped with different video cards and different amounts of RAM. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: 2K, FullHD 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 compare it in one assembly with the video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

Core i9-11900

87%

Core i9-7940X

25%

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 i9-11900 is more energy efficient than the Core i9-7940X as it consumes less power: 65W vs. 165W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. And TDP should be taken into account when choosing a processor cooling system. 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 plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for machine learning, streaming, programming, video rendering or video editing, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the CPU includes all threads and cores that it has to the maximum to reach maximum performance. You will learn 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 use only one core to run, 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 i9-11900	Intel Core i9-7940X
Cinbench 15 Single-core	278	188
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	2524	2849
Cinbench 20 Single-core	623	607
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	5611	5465
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1620	1578
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	16146	15728

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

	Intel Core i9-11900	Intel Core i9-7940X
Single-Core	3725	2533
Multi-Core	27603	26889

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

	Intel Core i9-11900	Intel Core i9-7940X
Single-Core	1713	1263
Multi-Core	9575	15127

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.

	Intel Core i9-11900	Intel Core i9-7940X
Announcement date	March 18, 2021	April 01, 2017
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	FCLGA1200	FCLGA2066
Core name	Rocket Lake	Skylake
Architecture	x86	x86
Generation	11	7
Turbo Frequency	5.1 MHz	4.3 MHz
Frequency	2.5 MHz	3.1 MHz
Cores	8	14
Threads	16	28
Bus rate	8 GT/s	8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	14 nm
Transistors count	9800 millions	7800 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	65 W	165 W
Memory type	DDR4-3200	DDR4-2666
Max. Memory	128 Gb	128 Gb
Memory Frequency	3200
Memory bandwidth	50 GB/s	85 GB/s
L1 cache
L2 cache	4 MB
L3 cache	16 MB	19.25 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 i9-7940X is 19% better than Core i9-11900 in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i9-7940X has 6 more core than Core i9-11900. 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 i9-11900 is better: 15
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i9-7940X is better: 19
However, it should be realized that the summary data that you have looked at here do not mean that taking them into account you should completely trust a simple comparison of these figures. Better to watch the testing video and read the opinion of of people who bought Intel Core i9-11900 and Intel Core i9-7940X before deciding which of the processors to buy for gaming.

• Intel Core i9-11900 specs and review.

• Intel Core i9-7940X specs and review.