Intel Core i9-7960X vs AMD Ryzen 9 3950X

Processor comparisons 17-03-2021

   If you have difficulties with the choice of a processor, you will solve them by reading the comprehensive tests Intel Core i9-7960X vs AMD Ryzen 9 3950X and understand which is better for games or normal use for video editing, machine learning, rendering, streaming, programming. Here is all information from various benchmarks or real streaming and video editing tests. A thorough analysis of all the specifications, to make it easier to understand, 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 Blender, Blender, 3DMark, Prime95, DaVinci Resolve Studio, SuperPi, MATLAB, Dolphin Emulator, Handbrake, Gears 5, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), GeekBench 6, 5.2, WPrime, UserBenchmark, PassMark, AIDA64, Furmark, VeraCrypt, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, RealBench, 7zip, PCMark 10.
   And how good the processors are in games:

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

After looking at the data of all benchmarks and videos, you can already make an briefed decision about which CPU is better to buy for gaming AMD Ryzen 9 3950X or Intel Core i9-7960X.

Summary benchmark results

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

Core i9-7960X

58%

Ryzen 9 3950X

61%

This parameter shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Ryzen 9 3950X is 4% better than Core i9-7960X. The data source is several popular tests. More detailed information of the benchmarks is below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i9-7960X

60%

Ryzen 9 3950X

58%

The maximum result in this parameter is 100 percent, which is the performance of the most powerful processor at the moment. And of course, this is a server processor, on which no one will run games. Because this processor costs several tens of thousands of dollars. And if it seems to you that the selected CPU has a small game result, look at the FPS that it produces in real games in the final table below.
List of less popular games in which processors were compared: Metro Exodus, Hitman 3, Ghostrunner, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Control, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), NBA 2K20, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, DOTA 2A, Half-Life: Alyx, Forza Horizon 4, Battlefield V, Monster Hunter World, League of Legends (LOL), Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Horizon Zero Dawn.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	106.9	103.7
Valorant	121.4	117.9
Cyberpunk 2077	68.0	66.0
Apex Legends	114.2	110.8
Call of Duty Warzone	91.1	88.4
Overwatch	98.4	95.5
Red Dead Redemption 2	83.8	81.3
DOOM Eternal	60.7	58.9
Warzone	94.7	91.9
Assassin's Creed	102.0	99.0
Valheim	100.8	97.8

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 amounts of RAM and different video cards. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: 2K, FullHD or 4K. 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 i9-7960X

22%

Ryzen 9 3950X

40%

To make a finishing choice 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 3950X is more energy efficient than the Core i9-7960X as it consumes less power: 165W vs. 105W. Power consumption is particularly important for laptops. And TDP should be taken into account when choosing a processor cooling system. 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 rendering or video editing, machine learning, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the processor includes all cores and threads that it has to the maximum to reach maximum performance. You will find out this data from the benchmark tables below. Before using the data from these tests, be sure to check whether the program you are going to use on your computer supports multi-threaded mode. Since there are still many programs that can use only one core to run, and all the advantages 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 i9-7960X	AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
Cinbench 15 Single-core	184	217
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	3161	3897
Cinbench 20 Single-core	611	531
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	5496	9148
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1103	1371
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	22189	24050

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

	Intel Core i9-7960X	AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
Single-Core	2605	2718
Multi-Core	27039	39170

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

	Intel Core i9-7960X	AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
Single-Core	1113	1286
Multi-Core	18501	15407

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the processor release date and overclocking capability will be the most helpful. 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 can be said about overclocking. If the processor can be overclocked, increasing its performance, then it will continue to maintain maximum FPS in the newest games. The economy are obvious! It turns out that you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	Intel Core i9-7960X	AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
Announcement date	October 01, 2017	October 01, 2019
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	FCLGA2066	AM4
Core name	Skylake	Matisse
Architecture	x86	Zen 2
Generation	7	3
Turbo Frequency	4.2 MHz	4.7 MHz
Frequency	2.8 MHz	3.5 MHz
Cores	16	16
Threads	32	32
Bus rate	8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography		7 nm
Transistors count	7800 millions	7800 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	165 W	105 W
Memory type	DDR4-2666	DDR4
Max. Memory	128 Gb
Memory Frequency		3200
Memory bandwidth	85 GB/s
L1 cache		1MB
L2 cache		8MB
L3 cache	22 MB	64MB
Overclocking	No	Yes
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number		100-000000051 100-100000051WOF

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Ryzen 9 3950X is 20% better than Core i9-7960X in terms of CPU frequency. 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 i9-7960X is better: 18
The number of parameters for which AMD Ryzen 9 3950X is better: 17
However, it should be realized that all the data that you have looked at here do not mean that taking them into account you should fully trust a simple quantitative comparison. Better to watch the testing video and read the reviews of of people who bought Intel Core i9-7960X and AMD Ryzen 9 3950X before making a selection which CPU to buy for gaming and which not.

• Intel Core i9-7960X specs and review.

• AMD Ryzen 9 3950X specs and review.