Intel Core i9-7940X vs Intel Core i7-11700K

Processor comparisons   17-03-2021
   For example you have difficulties with the choice of a processor, you will solve them by reading the comprehensive tests Intel Core i9-7940X vs Intel Core i7-11700K and decide which is better for games or simple use for machine learning, streaming, rendering, programming, video editing. Here is useful information from various benchmarks or real streaming and video editing tests. A thorough review of all the specifications, so that it can be easier to read, is presented in the form of the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of parallel examination in software tests such as DaVinci Resolve Studio, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), 3DMark, AIDA64, Furmark, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, VeraCrypt, SuperPi, Handbrake, Blender, 7zip, Blender, WPrime, UserBenchmark, Dolphin Emulator, MATLAB, PassMark, PCMark 10, RealBench, GeekBench 6, 5.2, Prime95, Gears 5.
   Gaming performance of CPUs in:

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

After looking at the data of all benchmarks and videos, you already be able to understand which processor is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i7-11700K 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%

Core i7-11700K

58%

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i9-7940X

58%

Core i7-11700K

56%

For the maximum in this test, the results of the most powerful processor in the site database are taken. And of course, this is a server processor, on which no one will play games. Because this processor costs several tens of thousands of dollars. Therefore, if you think that the selected CPU has a small 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: Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Hitman 3, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Forza Horizon 4, Metro Exodus, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Microsoft Flight Simulator, Horizon Zero Dawn, NBA 2K20, Half-Life: Alyx, Ghostrunner, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, League of Legends (LOL), Control, Monster Hunter World, DOTA 2A, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Battlefield V.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	103.4	100.2
Valorant	117.5	113.8
Cyberpunk 2077	65.8	63.7
Apex Legends	110.5	107.0
Call of Duty Warzone	88.2	85.4
Overwatch	95.2	92.2
Red Dead Redemption 2	81.1	78.5
DOOM Eternal	58.8	56.9
Warzone	91.7	88.8
Assassin's Creed	98.7	95.6
Valheim	97.6	94.5

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: 4K, 2K or FullHD. 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 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%

Core i7-11700K

47%

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 i7-11700K is more energy efficient than the Core i9-7940X as it consumes less power: 165W vs. 125W. 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 video rendering or video editing, machine learning, streaming, programming, 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 reach maximum efficiency. You will learn this data from the benchmark tables below. Before using the data from these tests, be sure to check whether the software you are going to use on your computer supports multi-threaded mode. Since there are still many programs that use only one core to run, 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	Intel Core i7-11700K
Cinbench 15 Single-core	188	262
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	2849	2507
Cinbench 20 Single-core	607	612
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	5465	5618
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1578	1596
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	15728	14869

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

	Intel Core i9-7940X	Intel Core i7-11700K
Single-Core	2533	3562
Multi-Core	26889	27126

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

	Intel Core i9-7940X	Intel Core i7-11700K
Single-Core	1263	1793
Multi-Core	15127	11929

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the most helpful will be the release date of the processor and the possibility of overclocking it. 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 even 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 i9-7940X	Intel Core i7-11700K
Announcement date	April 01, 2017	January 20, 2021
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	FCLGA2066	FCLGA1200
Core name	Skylake	Rocket Lake-S
Architecture	x86	x86
Generation	7	11
Turbo Frequency	4.3 MHz	5 MHz
Frequency	3.1 MHz	3.6 MHz
Cores	14	8
Threads	28	16
Bus rate	8 GT/s	12 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography		14 nm
Transistors count	7800 millions	8200 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	165 W	125 W
Memory type	DDR4-2666	DDR4-3200
Max. Memory	128 Gb	128 Gb
Memory Frequency		3200
Memory bandwidth	85 GB/s	64 GB/s
L1 cache
L2 cache		4 MB
L3 cache	19.25 MB	16 MB
Overclocking	No	Yes
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 i7-11700K is 13% better than Core i9-7940X in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i9-7940X has 6 more core than Core i7-11700K. 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: 20
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i7-11700K is better: 16
However, it should be realized that all the data in the text above do not mean that taking them into account you should entirely trust a simple quantitative comparison. Be sure to watch the testing video and read the opinion of of people who bought Intel Core i9-7940X and Intel Core i7-11700K before making a decision which CPU to buy for gaming and which not.

• Intel Core i9-7940X specs and review.

• Intel Core i7-11700K specs and review.