Intel Core i9-7980XE vs AMD Ryzen 9 4900U

Processor comparisons   17-03-2021
   If you can't decide which processor to buy, you can make a choice after reading the full tests Intel Core i9-7980XE vs AMD Ryzen 9 4900U and see which is better for games or normal use for streaming, video editing, machine learning, rendering, programming. Here you can find useful information from real video editing and streaming tests or several benchmarks. A step-by-step analysis of all the technical characteristics, so that it can be easier to read, is made by the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of joint testing in synthetic type tests such as 3DMark, Blender, Handbrake, WPrime, PCMark 10, VeraCrypt, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, Dolphin Emulator, Blender, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), PassMark, RealBench, Gears 5, AIDA64, Prime95, 7zip, DaVinci Resolve Studio, MATLAB, Furmark, SuperPi, GeekBench 6, 5.2, UserBenchmark.
   And how good the processors are in games:

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

After looking at the data these benchmarks and videos, you already be able to figure out which CPU is better to buy for gaming AMD Ryzen 9 4900U or Intel Core i9-7980XE.

Summary benchmark results

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

Core i9-7980XE

58%

Ryzen 9 4900U

56%

This shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Core i9-7980XE is 3% better than Ryzen 9 4900U. The data source is several popular tests. Detailed information can be found below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i9-7980XE

60%

Ryzen 9 4900U

53%

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	107.0	94.6
Valorant	121.6	107.5
Cyberpunk 2077	68.1	60.2
Apex Legends	114.3	101.0
Call of Duty Warzone	91.2	80.6
Overwatch	98.5	87.0
Red Dead Redemption 2	83.9	74.1
DOOM Eternal	60.8	53.7
Warzone	94.9	83.8
Assassin's Creed	102.2	90.3
Valheim	100.9	89.2

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 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 compare it in one assembly with the video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

Core i9-7980XE

23%

Ryzen 9 4900U

267%

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 Ryzen 9 4900U is more energy efficient than the Core i9-7980XE as it consumes less power: 165W vs. 15W. Power consumption is particularly important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, it will be useful to know its TDP. It is necessary to count so that the TDP data specified in the cooler specification is greater than the TDP of the compared processor.

Software benchmarks

If you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for machine learning, video rendering or video editing, streaming, programming, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to achieve maximum performance, the processor includes all cores and threads that it has. You will find out this data from the benchmark tables below. Before you take into account the data from these tests, be sure to find out whether the software that you are going to use on your computer can work in multi-threaded mode. Since there are still many programs that use only one core to work, 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 i9-7980XE	AMD Ryzen 9 4900U
Cinbench 15 Single-core	184	208
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	3455	1398
Cinbench 20 Single-core	446	503
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	7671	3307
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1281	1270
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	28196	10053

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

	Intel Core i9-7980XE	AMD Ryzen 9 4900U
Single-Core	2490	2015
Multi-Core	29612	21586

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

	Intel Core i9-7980XE	AMD Ryzen 9 4900U
Single-Core	1158	1203
Multi-Core	18658	6431

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the processor release date and overclocking capability will be the most helpful. The later the processor is released, the longer it will last in your computer. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system later. The same benefits from the presence of overclocking. If the processor can be overclocked, increasing its performance, then it will continue to maintain maximum FPS in the newest 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 i9-7980XE	AMD Ryzen 9 4900U
Announcement date	April 01, 2017	January 12, 2021
Type	Desktop	Laptop
Socket	FCLGA2066	FP6
Core name	Skylake	Renoir
Architecture	x86	Zen 2
Generation	9	4
Turbo Frequency	4.2 MHz	4.4 MHz
Frequency	2.6 MHz	2 MHz
Cores	18	8
Threads	36	16
Bus rate	8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	14 nm	7 nm
Transistors count	7800 millions	8600 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	165 W	15 W
Memory type	DDR4-2666	DDR4-3200 LPDDR4-4266
Max. Memory	128 Gb	32 Gb
Memory Frequency		4266
Memory bandwidth	85 GB/s
L1 cache
L2 cache		2MB
L3 cache	24.75 MB	8MB
Overclocking	Yes	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 i9-7980XE is 23% better than Ryzen 9 4900U in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i9-7980XE has 10 more core than Ryzen 9 4900U. 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 i9-7980XE is better: 25
The number of parameters for which AMD Ryzen 9 4900U is better: 11
Although it should be understood that all the figures in the text above do not mean that taking them into account you should entirely trust a simple comparison of these numbers. Better to watch the testing video and read the opinion of real owners of Intel Core i9-7980XE and AMD Ryzen 9 4900U before making a decision which processor to buy for gaming and which not.

• Intel Core i9-7980XE specs and review.

• AMD Ryzen 9 4900U specs and review.