Intel Core i9-7960X vs AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X

Processor comparisons 17-03-2021

   You may have difficulties with the choice of a CPU, you will solve them by reading the full tests Intel Core i9-7960X vs AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X and decide which is better for games or simple use for streaming, machine learning, programming, rendering, video editing. Here is all information from real video editing and streaming tests or many benchmarks. A thorough review of all the technical characteristics, 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 joint testing in software tests like Gears 5, Prime95, PassMark, RealBench, AIDA64, DaVinci Resolve Studio, 7zip, Dolphin Emulator, PCMark 10, UserBenchmark, Blender, GeekBench 6, 5.2, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), VeraCrypt, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, WPrime, MATLAB, Furmark, 3DMark, Handbrake, Blender, SuperPi.
   Gaming performance of processors in:

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

After reading the results these benchmarks and videos, you can already make an briefed decision about which processor is better to buy for gaming AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X 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 Threadripper 2950X

59%

This shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Ryzen Threadripper 2950X is 1% 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 Threadripper 2950X

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 the cost of this processor reaches several tens of thousands of dollars. Therefore, if you think that the selected CPU has a small game result, just 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: NBA 2K20, Ghostrunner, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Metro Exodus, League of Legends (LOL), Shadow of the Tomb Raider, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Forza Horizon 4, DOTA 2A, Half-Life: Alyx, Hitman 3, Control, Battlefield V, Monster Hunter World, Horizon Zero Dawn.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	106.9	103.3
Valorant	121.4	117.4
Cyberpunk 2077	68.0	65.7
Apex Legends	114.2	110.3
Call of Duty Warzone	91.1	88.0
Overwatch	98.4	95.1
Red Dead Redemption 2	83.8	81.0
DOOM Eternal	60.7	58.7
Warzone	94.7	91.6
Assassin's Creed	102.0	98.6
Valheim	100.8	97.4

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 tested computers not only did they have different video cards and different amounts of RAM. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: FullHD, 2K 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 i9-7960X

22%

Ryzen Threadripper 2950X

22%

Software benchmarks

Let's say you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for machine learning, video rendering or video editing, programming, streaming, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to reach maximum efficiency, the CPU includes all threads and cores that it has. You will learn 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. Because there are still many programs that can use only one core to work, and all the advantages 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 i9-7960X	AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X
Cinbench 15 Single-core	184	180
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	3161	3187
Cinbench 20 Single-core	611	449
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	5496	7003
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1103	1127
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	22189	21444

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

	Intel Core i9-7960X	AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X
Single-Core	2605	2484
Multi-Core	27039	30571

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

	Intel Core i9-7960X	AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X
Single-Core	1113	1222
Multi-Core	18501	14988

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 i9-7960X	AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X
Announcement date	October 01, 2017	August 31, 2018
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	FCLGA2066	sTR4
Core name	Skylake	Colfax
Architecture	x86	Zen+
Generation	7	2
Turbo Frequency	4.2 MHz	4.4 MHz
Frequency	2.8 MHz	3.5 MHz
Cores	16	16
Threads	32	32
Bus rate	8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography		12 nm
Transistors count	7800 millions	18800 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	165 W	180 W
Memory type	DDR4-2666	DDR4
Max. Memory	128 Gb
Memory Frequency		2933
Memory bandwidth	85 GB/s
L1 cache		1.5MB
L2 cache		8MB
L3 cache	22 MB	32MB
Overclocking	No	Yes
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number		YD295XA8UGAAF YD295XA8AFWOF

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Ryzen Threadripper 2950X 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: 22
The number of parameters for which AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X is better: 14
Although it should be understood that all the number in the text above do not mean that taking them into account you should completely trust a simple comparison of these figures. Be sure to watch the testing video and read the reviews of of people who bought Intel Core i9-7960X and AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X before making a choice which CPU to buy for gaming and which not.

• Intel Core i9-7960X specs and review.

• AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X specs and review.