Intel Core i9-7940X vs AMD Ryzen 9 5980HX

Processor comparisons 17-03-2021

   If you are thinking about choosing a CPU, you will be able to make a choice after reading the comprehensive tests Intel Core i9-7940X vs AMD Ryzen 9 5980HX and see which is better for games or normal use for rendering, programming, streaming, machine learning, video editing. Here is all information from several benchmarks or real video editing and streaming tests. A thorough review of all the technical characteristics, to make it easier to read, is made by the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of joint testing in software tests such as Prime95, PassMark, VeraCrypt, SuperPi, PCMark 10, 7zip, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), Handbrake, WPrime, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, Gears 5, Dolphin Emulator, Furmark, DaVinci Resolve Studio, RealBench, UserBenchmark, MATLAB, Blender, GeekBench 6, 5.2, AIDA64, Blender, 3DMark.
   And how good the CPUs are in games:

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

After looking at the data of all benchmarks and videos, you already be able to understand which processor is better to buy for gaming AMD Ryzen 9 5980HX or Intel Core i9-7940X.

Summary benchmark results

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

Core i9-7940X

58%

Ryzen 9 5980HX

58%

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i9-7940X

58%

Ryzen 9 5980HX

54%

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	103.4	96.8
Valorant	117.5	110.0
Cyberpunk 2077	65.8	61.6
Apex Legends	110.5	103.4
Call of Duty Warzone	88.2	82.5
Overwatch	95.2	89.1
Red Dead Redemption 2	81.1	75.9
DOOM Eternal	58.8	55.0
Warzone	91.7	85.8
Assassin's Creed	98.7	92.4
Valheim	97.6	91.3

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 that were in the comparisons not only did they have different amounts of RAM and different video cards. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: FullHD, 2K 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 i9-7940X

25%

Ryzen 9 5980HX

114%

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 9 5980HX is more energy efficient than the Core i9-7940X as it consumes less power: 165W vs. 45W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, you need to 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

For example you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for streaming, programming, video editing or video rendering, machine learning, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to achieve maximum efficiency, the CPU uses all cores and threads that it has. You will learn this data from the benchmark tables below. Before you take into account the data from these tests, be sure to check whether the program you are going to use on your computer supports 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 turns out to be unnecessary.

Cinebench 23, 20 an 15
The results of this benchmark show Single-threaded and Multi-threaded CPU performance

	Intel Core i9-7940X	AMD Ryzen 9 5980HX
Cinbench 15 Single-core	188	247
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	2849	2394
Cinbench 20 Single-core	607	576
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	5465	5248
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1578	1490
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	15728	13354

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

	Intel Core i9-7940X	AMD Ryzen 9 5980HX
Single-Core	2533	3190
Multi-Core	26889	26405

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

	Intel Core i9-7940X	AMD Ryzen 9 5980HX
Single-Core	1263	1551
Multi-Core	15127	8595

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the most useful 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 in the future. The same benefits from the presence of overclocking. When the processor can be overclocked, increasing its performance, then it will continue to maintain maximum FPS in the newest games. The savings are obvious! It turns out that there is no longer a need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	Intel Core i9-7940X	AMD Ryzen 9 5980HX
Announcement date	April 01, 2017	January 12, 2021
Type	Desktop	Laptop
Socket	FCLGA2066	FP6
Core name	Skylake	Cezanne
Architecture	x86	Zen 3
Generation	7	5
Turbo Frequency	4.3 MHz	4.8 MHz
Frequency	3.1 MHz	3.3 MHz
Cores	14	8
Threads	28	16
Bus rate	8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography		7 nm
Transistors count	7800 millions	9400 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	165 W	45 W
Memory type	DDR4-2666	DDR4 - Up to 3200MHz LPDDR4 - Up to 4266MHz
Max. Memory	128 Gb
Memory Frequency		3200
Memory bandwidth	85 GB/s
L1 cache
L2 cache		4MB
L3 cache	19.25 MB	16MB
Overclocking	No	No
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number		100-000000474

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Ryzen 9 5980HX is 6% better than Core i9-7940X in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i9-7940X has 6 more core than Ryzen 9 5980HX. 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 i9-7940X is better: 26
The number of parameters for which AMD Ryzen 9 5980HX is better: 10
Although it should be realized that all the figures in the table above do not mean that taking them into account you should undividedly trust a simple quantitative comparison. Better to watch the testing video and read the opinion of of people who bought Intel Core i9-7940X and AMD Ryzen 9 5980HX before deciding which of the processors to buy for gaming.

• Intel Core i9-7940X specs and review.

• AMD Ryzen 9 5980HX specs and review.