Intel Core i9-7960X vs Intel Core i9-10940X

Processor comparisons 17-03-2021

   Let's say you are thinking about choosing a processor, you will be able to make a decision after reading the comprehensive tests Intel Core i9-7960X vs Intel Core i9-10940X and understand which is better for games or normal use for video editing, streaming, machine learning, rendering, programming. Here is useful information from real video editing and streaming tests or different benchmarks. A careful review of all the technical characteristics, to make it easier to read, is summarized in the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of parallel examination in special testing software such as PCMark 10, Handbrake, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, UserBenchmark, GeekBench 6, 5.2, Blender, Gears 5, 7zip, VeraCrypt, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Furmark, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), AIDA64, RealBench, SuperPi, 3DMark, Blender, WPrime, Prime95, Dolphin Emulator, MATLAB, PassMark.
   Gaming performance of CPUs in:

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

After looking at the data these benchmarks and videos, you can already make an informed decision about which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i9-10940X 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%

Core i9-10940X

58%

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i9-7960X

60%

Core i9-10940X

59%

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 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 other games in which processors were compared: NBA 2K20, Forza Horizon 4, Control, League of Legends (LOL), Hitman 3, Horizon Zero Dawn, Battlefield V, DOTA 2A, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Metro Exodus, Ghostrunner, Half-Life: Alyx, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Monster Hunter World, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG).

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	106.9	104.3
Valorant	121.4	118.5
Cyberpunk 2077	68.0	66.4
Apex Legends	114.2	111.4
Call of Duty Warzone	91.1	88.9
Overwatch	98.4	96.0
Red Dead Redemption 2	83.8	81.8
DOOM Eternal	60.7	59.2
Warzone	94.7	92.4
Assassin's Creed	102.0	99.5
Valheim	100.8	98.3

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 participating in the comparing 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. 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%

Core i9-10940X

24%

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 Core i9-10940X is more energy efficient than the Core i9-7960X as it consumes less power: 165W vs. 165W. 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

If you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for streaming, programming, machine learning, video editing or video rendering, 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 uses 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 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	Intel Core i9-10940X
Cinbench 15 Single-core	184	201
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	3161	3117
Cinbench 20 Single-core	611	442
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	5496	7609
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1103	1263
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	22189	21309

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

	Intel Core i9-7960X	Intel Core i9-10940X
Single-Core	2605	2704
Multi-Core	27039	29374

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

	Intel Core i9-7960X	Intel Core i9-10940X
Single-Core	1113	1226
Multi-Core	18501	15950

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the processor release date and overclocking capability will be the most useful. The newer the processor, the longer it will last you. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system later. 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 new games. Accordingly, there is no longer a need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The savings are obvious!

	Intel Core i9-7960X	Intel Core i9-10940X
Announcement date	October 01, 2017	October 01, 2019
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	FCLGA2066	FCLGA2066
Core name	Skylake	Cascade Lake
Architecture	x86	x86
Generation	7	10
Turbo Frequency	4.2 MHz	4.8 MHz
Frequency	2.8 MHz	3.3 MHz
Cores	16	14
Threads	32	28
Bus rate	8 GT/s	8 GT/s DMI3
Bit	64	64
Lithography		14 nm
Transistors count	7800 millions	9200 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	165 W	165 W
Memory type	DDR4-2666	DDR4-2933
Max. Memory	128 Gb	256 Gb
Memory Frequency
Memory bandwidth	85 GB/s	94 GB/s
L1 cache
L2 cache
L3 cache	22 MB	19.25 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 i9-10940X is 15% better than Core i9-7960X in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i9-7960X has 2 more core than Core i9-10940X. 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: 19
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i9-10940X is better: 15
However, it should be understood that all the figures in the table above do not mean that taking them into account you should completely trust a simple comparison of these figures. Better to watch the video tests and read the reviews of of people who bought Intel Core i9-7960X and Intel Core i9-10940X before making a choice which of the processors to buy for gaming.

• Intel Core i9-7960X specs and review.

• Intel Core i9-10940X specs and review.