Intel Core i9-7940X vs Intel Core i9-7980XE

Processor comparisons 17-03-2021

   Let's say you are thinking about choosing a CPU, you will be able to make a decision by looking at the Intel Core i9-7940X vs Intel Core i9-7980XE tests and see which is better for games or normal use for rendering, machine learning, programming, video editing, streaming. Here is all information from various benchmarks or real video editing and streaming 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 comparison video, you can get the results of joint testing in synthetic type tests such as RealBench, Dolphin Emulator, WPrime, Gears 5, PassMark, GeekBench 6, 5.2, Prime95, MATLAB, Blender, AIDA64, Handbrake, UserBenchmark, Blender, 7zip, Furmark, VeraCrypt, DaVinci Resolve Studio, PCMark 10, 3DMark, SuperPi, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), World of Tanks enCore Benchmark.
   Gaming performance of processors in:

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

After looking at the data of joint benchmarks and videos, you already be able to know which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i9-7980XE 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 i9-7980XE

58%

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i9-7940X

58%

Core i9-7980XE

60%

For the maximum in this test, the results of the most powerful processor in the site database are taken. And it is clear that this is a server processor, on which no one will run 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 CPU comparisons were performed: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Half-Life: Alyx, Metro Exodus, Battlefield V, Control, Ghostrunner, Forza Horizon 4, Microsoft Flight Simulator, League of Legends (LOL), Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Hitman 3, DOTA 2A, Monster Hunter World, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), NBA 2K20, Horizon Zero Dawn.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	103.4	107.0
Valorant	117.5	121.6
Cyberpunk 2077	65.8	68.1
Apex Legends	110.5	114.3
Call of Duty Warzone	88.2	91.2
Overwatch	95.2	98.5
Red Dead Redemption 2	81.1	83.9
DOOM Eternal	58.8	60.8
Warzone	91.7	94.9
Assassin's Creed	98.7	102.2
Valheim	97.6	100.9

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: 4K, 2K or FullHD. So 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 i9-7980XE

23%

To make a finishing resolution 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 i9-7940X is more energy efficient than the Core i9-7980XE since it has less power consumption: 165W vs. 165W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, it will be useful to 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

Let's say you plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for streaming, machine learning, video rendering or video editing, programming, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to achieve maximum performance, the CPU includes all cores and threads that it has. You will learn this data from the benchmark tables below. Before using the data from these tests, be sure to make sure that the program that you are going to use on your computer can work in multi-threaded mode. Since there are still many programs that can 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 i9-7980XE
Cinbench 15 Single-core	188	184
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	2849	3455
Cinbench 20 Single-core	607	446
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	5465	7671
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1578	1281
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	15728	28196

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

	Intel Core i9-7940X	Intel Core i9-7980XE
Single-Core	2533	2490
Multi-Core	26889	29612

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

	Intel Core i9-7940X	Intel Core i9-7980XE
Single-Core	1263	1158
Multi-Core	15127	18658

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 you. 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 still be able to produce maximum FPS even in the newest games. The savings are obvious! It turns out that you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	Intel Core i9-7940X	Intel Core i9-7980XE
Announcement date	April 01, 2017	April 01, 2017
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	FCLGA2066	FCLGA2066
Core name	Skylake	Skylake
Architecture	x86	x86
Generation	7	9
Turbo Frequency	4.3 MHz	4.2 MHz
Frequency	3.1 MHz	2.6 MHz
Cores	14	18
Threads	28	36
Bus rate	8 GT/s	8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography		14 nm
Transistors count	7800 millions	7800 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	165 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	19.25 MB	24.75 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 i9-7940X is 16% better than Core i9-7980XE in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i9-7980XE has 4 more core than Core i9-7940X. 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: 8
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i9-7980XE is better: 21
However, it should be realized that the summary data in the text above do not mean that taking them into account you should completely trust a simple quantitative comparison. Be sure to watch benchmarks video and read the reviews of of people who bought Intel Core i9-7940X and Intel Core i9-7980XE before deciding which of the CPUs to buy for gaming.

• Intel Core i9-7940X specs and review.

• Intel Core i9-7980XE specs and review.