Intel Core i9-9960X vs AMD Ryzen 7 1700

Processor comparisons 17-03-2021

   Let's say you are thinking about choosing a processor, you will be able to make a choice after reading the comprehensive tests Intel Core i9-9960X vs AMD Ryzen 7 1700 and decide which is better for games or simple use for video editing, programming, streaming, machine learning, rendering. Here you can find useful information from real video editing and streaming tests or several benchmarks. A step-by-step analysis of all the specifications, 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 parallel examination in software tests such as Dolphin Emulator, 3DMark, PassMark, Prime95, DaVinci Resolve Studio, UserBenchmark, Handbrake, SuperPi, 7zip, Furmark, Blender, Blender, WPrime, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), MATLAB, VeraCrypt, GeekBench 6, 5.2, Gears 5, PCMark 10, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, AIDA64, RealBench.
   Gaming performance of processors in:

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

After reading the results of parallel benchmarks and videos, you can already make an briefed decision about which CPU is better to buy for gaming AMD Ryzen 7 1700 or Intel Core i9-9960X.

Summary benchmark results

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

Core i9-9960X

59%

Ryzen 7 1700

54%

This shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Core i9-9960X is 8% better than Ryzen 7 1700. The data source is several popular tests. Detailed information can be found below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i9-9960X

60%

Ryzen 7 1700

54%

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	106.4	95.3
Valorant	120.9	108.3
Cyberpunk 2077	67.7	60.6
Apex Legends	113.6	101.8
Call of Duty Warzone	90.7	81.2
Overwatch	97.9	87.7
Red Dead Redemption 2	83.4	74.7
DOOM Eternal	60.5	54.1
Warzone	94.3	84.5
Assassin's Creed	101.6	91.0
Valheim	100.3	89.9

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 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 i9-9960X

24%

Ryzen 7 1700

49%

To make a finishing choice 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 Ryzen 7 1700 is more energy efficient than the Core i9-9960X since it has less power consumption: 165W vs. 65W. Power consumption is particularly important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, you must 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

For example you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for machine learning, video rendering or video editing, programming, streaming, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the CPU uses 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 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. 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 i9-9960X	AMD Ryzen 7 1700
Cinbench 15 Single-core	200	151
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	2872	1403
Cinbench 20 Single-core	457	331
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	6671	3189
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1086	954
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	22943	8065

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

	Intel Core i9-9960X	AMD Ryzen 7 1700
Single-Core	2684	1968
Multi-Core	30816	14629

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

	Intel Core i9-9960X	AMD Ryzen 7 1700
Single-Core	1230	972
Multi-Core	18032	7152

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 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 can be said about overclocking. When the processor can be overclocked, increasing its performance, then it will continue to maintain 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 i9-9960X	AMD Ryzen 7 1700
Announcement date	January 01, 2019	March 02, 2017
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	FCLGA2066	AM4
Core name	Skylake	Summit Ridge
Architecture	x86	Zen
Generation	9	1
Turbo Frequency	4.4 MHz	3.7 MHz
Frequency	3.1 MHz	3 MHz
Cores	16	8
Threads	32	16
Bus rate	8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	14 nm	14 nm
Transistors count	8600 millions	3200 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	165 W	65 W
Memory type	DDR4-2666	DDR4
Max. Memory	128 Gb
Memory Frequency		2667
Memory bandwidth	85 GB/s
L1 cache		768KB
L2 cache		4MB
L3 cache	22 MB	16MB
Overclocking	Yes	Yes
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number		YD1700BBM88AE YD1700BBAEBOX YD1700BBAEMPK

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Core i9-9960X is 3% better than Ryzen 7 1700 in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i9-9960X has 8 more core than Ryzen 7 1700. 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 i9-9960X is better: 32
The number of parameters for which AMD Ryzen 7 1700 is better: 4
However, it should be understood that all the number in the text above do not mean that taking them into account you should undividedly trust a simple quantitative comparison. Better to watch benchmarks video and read the reviews of of people who bought Intel Core i9-9960X and AMD Ryzen 7 1700 before making a selection which processor to buy for gaming and which not.

• Intel Core i9-9960X specs and review.

• AMD Ryzen 7 1700 specs and review.