Intel Core i9-7920X vs Intel Core i9-7960X

Processor comparisons 23-03-2021

   You may have difficulties with the choice of a CPU, you will solve them by reading the full tests Intel Core i9-7920X vs Intel Core i9-7960X and see which is better for games or normal use for rendering, machine learning, video editing, streaming, programming. Here is useful information from different benchmarks or real streaming and video editing tests. A thorough review of all the technical characteristics, so that it can be easier to understand, is made by the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of joint testing in synthetic type tests such as Cinebench 23 (20, 15), Dolphin Emulator, SuperPi, Gears 5, PassMark, 7zip, Prime95, WPrime, UserBenchmark, PCMark 10, Blender, Blender, GeekBench 6, 5.2, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, RealBench, Handbrake, MATLAB, DaVinci Resolve Studio, 3DMark, AIDA64, VeraCrypt, Furmark.
   And how good the processors are in games:

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

After reading the results these benchmarks and videos, you can already make an briefed decision about which processor is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i9-7960X or Intel Core i9-7920X.

Summary benchmark results

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

Core i9-7920X

57%

Core i9-7960X

58%

This value shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Core i9-7960X is 1% better than Core i9-7920X. The data source is several popular tests. More detailed information of the benchmarks is below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i9-7920X

57%

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 it is clear that this is a server processor, on which no one will run 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, look at the FPS that it produces in real games in the summary table below.
List of other games in which CPU comparisons were performed: Metro Exodus, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Monster Hunter World, League of Legends (LOL), Hitman 3, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Battlefield V, Half-Life: Alyx, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Ghostrunner, Forza Horizon 4, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, DOTA 2A, Horizon Zero Dawn, Control, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), NBA 2K20.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	102.0	106.9
Valorant	115.9	121.4
Cyberpunk 2077	64.9	68.0
Apex Legends	108.9	114.2
Call of Duty Warzone	86.9	91.1
Overwatch	93.9	98.4
Red Dead Redemption 2	80.0	83.8
DOOM Eternal	57.9	60.7
Warzone	90.4	94.7
Assassin's Creed	97.4	102.0
Valheim	96.2	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 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. 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 i9-7920X

28%

Core i9-7960X

22%

To make a final choice 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 Core i9-7920X is more energy efficient than the Core i9-7960X as it consumes less power: 140W vs. 165W. 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 plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for streaming, machine learning, video editing or video rendering, programming, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the CPU includes all cores and threads that it has to the maximum to achieve maximum efficiency. You will find out this data from the benchmark tables below. Before using 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. Since 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 i9-7920X	Intel Core i9-7960X
Cinbench 15 Single-core	188	184
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	2438	3161
Cinbench 20 Single-core	532	611
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	6318	5496
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1400	1103
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	17104	22189

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

	Intel Core i9-7920X	Intel Core i9-7960X
Single-Core	2458	2605
Multi-Core	23494	27039

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

	Intel Core i9-7920X	Intel Core i9-7960X
Single-Core	1206	1113
Multi-Core	13717	18501

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 in your computer. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system later. 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 in the newest games. Accordingly, there is no longer a need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The savings are obvious!

	Intel Core i9-7920X	Intel Core i9-7960X
Announcement date	April 01, 2017	October 01, 2017
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	FCLGA2066	FCLGA2066
Core name	Skylake	Skylake
Architecture	x86	x86
Generation	10	7
Turbo Frequency	4.3 MHz	4.2 MHz
Frequency	2.9 MHz	2.8 MHz
Cores	12	16
Threads	24	32
Bus rate	8 GT/s	8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	14 nm
Transistors count	7800 millions	7800 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	140 W	165 W
Memory type	DDR4-2666	DDR4-2666
Max. Memory	128 Gb	128 Gb
Memory Frequency
Memory bandwidth	85 GB/s	85 GB/s
L1 cache
L2 cache
L3 cache	16.5 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 i9-7920X is 3% better than Core i9-7960X in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i9-7960X has 4 more core than Core i9-7920X. 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 i9-7920X is better: 8
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i9-7960X is better: 22
All the figures that you have looked at here do not mean that taking them into account you should totally trust a simple quantitative comparison. Be sure to watch benchmarks video and read the reviews of of people who bought Intel Core i9-7920X and Intel Core i9-7960X before making a selection which of the CPUs to buy for gaming.

Intel Core i9-7920X - all data

• Cinebench r15 score
• Cinebench r20 score
• Cinebench r23 score
• GeekBench 6, 5.2 score

• Intel Core i9-7920X specs and review.

• Intel Core i9-7960X specs and review.