AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X vs Intel Core i9-11900K

Last updated: 2023-11-03

CPU comparison with benchmarks


AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X		Intel Core i9-11900K
CPU comparison AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X or Intel Core i9-11900K - which processor is faster? In this comparison we look at the differences and analyze which of these two CPUs is better. We compare the technical data and benchmark results. The AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X has 32 cores with 64 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 4.50 GHz. Up to 2048 GB of memory is supported in 4 memory channels. The AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X was released in Q4/2019. The Intel Core i9-11900K has 8 cores with 16 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 5.30 GHz. The CPU supports up to 128 GB of memory in 2 memory channels. The Intel Core i9-11900K was released in Q1/2021.

AMD Ryzen Threadripper (13)	Family	Intel Core i9 (78)
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3000 (3)	CPU group	Intel Core i 11000 (22)
3	Generation	11
Castle Peak (Zen 2)	Architecture	Rocket Lake S
Desktop / Server	Segment	Desktop / Server
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX	Predecessor	Intel Core i9-10900K
--	Successor	Intel Core i9-12900K

CPU Cores and Base Frequency The AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X is a 32 core processor with a clock frequency of 3.70 GHz (4.50 GHz). The Intel Core i9-11900K has 8 CPU cores with a clock frequency of 3.50 GHz (5.30 GHz).
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X	Characteristic	Intel Core i9-11900K
32	Cores	8
64	Threads	16
normal	Core architecture	normal
Yes	Hyperthreading	Yes
Yes	Overclocking ?	Yes
3.70 GHz	Frequency	3.50 GHz
4.50 GHz	Turbo Frequency (1 Core)	5.30 GHz
3.80 GHz	Turbo Frequency (All Cores)	4.80 GHz

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Processors with the support of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) can process many calculations, especially audio, image and video processing, much faster than classic processors. Algorithms for ML improve their performance the more data they have collected via software. ML tasks can be processed up to 10,000 times faster than with a classic processor.
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X	Characteristic	Intel Core i9-11900K
--	AI hardware	--
--	AI specifications	--

Internal Graphics The integrated graphics unit of a processor is not only responsible for the pure image output on the system, but can also significantly increase the efficiency of the system with the support of modern video codecs.
no iGPU	GPU	Intel UHD Graphics 750
	GPU frequency	0.35 GHz
--	GPU (Turbo)	1.30 GHz
--	GPU Generation	12
	Technology	14 nm
	Max. displays	3
--	Compute units	32
--	Shader	256
No	Hardware Raytracing	No
No	Frame Generation	No
--	Max. GPU Memory	64 GB
--	DirectX Version	12

Hardware codec support A photo or video codec that is accelerated in hardware can greatly accelerate the working speed of a processor and extend the battery life of notebooks or smartphones when playing videos.
no iGPU	GPU	Intel UHD Graphics 750
No	Codec h265 / HEVC (8 bit)	Decode / Encode
No	Codec h265 / HEVC (10 bit)	Decode / Encode
No	Codec h264	Decode / Encode
No	Codec VP9	Decode / Encode
No	Codec VP8	Decode
No	Codec AV1	Decode
No	Codec AVC	Decode / Encode
No	Codec VC-1	Decode
No	Codec JPEG	Decode / Encode

Memory & PCIe The AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X supports a maximum of 2048 GB of memory in 4 memory channels. The Intel Core i9-11900K can connect up to 128 GB of memory in 2 memory channels.
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X	Characteristic	Intel Core i9-11900K
DDR4-3200	Memory	DDR4-3200
2048 GB	Max. Memory	128 GB
4 (Quad Channel)	Memory channels	2 (Dual Channel)
51.2 GB/s	Max. Bandwidth	51.2 GB/s
Yes	ECC	No
16.00 MB	L2 Cache	4.00 MB
128.00 MB	L3 Cache	16.00 MB
4.0	PCIe version	4.0
64	PCIe lanes	20
126.0 GB/s	PCIe Bandwidth	39.4 GB/s
Thermal Management The TDP (Thermal Design Power) of a processor specifies the required cooling solution. The AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X has a TDP of 280 W, that of the Intel Core i9-11900K is 125 W.
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X	Characteristic	Intel Core i9-11900K
280 W	TDP (PL1 / PBP)	125 W
--	TDP (PL2)	251 W @ 56 s
--	TDP up	--
--	TDP down	95 W
95 °C	Tjunction max.	100 °C
Technical details The AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X has a 144.00 MB cache, while the Intel Core i9-11900K cache has a total of 20.00 MB.
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X	Characteristic	Intel Core i9-11900K
7 nm	Technology	14 nm
Chiplet	Chip design	Monolithic
x86-64 (64 bit)	Instruction set (ISA)	x86-64 (64 bit)
SSE4a, SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX2, FMA3	ISA extensions	SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX2, AVX-512
TRX4 (sTRX4)	Socket	LGA 1200
AMD-V, SVM	Virtualization	VT-x, VT-x EPT, VT-d
Yes	AES-NI	Yes
Windows 10, Windows 11, Linux	Operating systems	Windows 10, Windows 11, Linux
Q4/2019	Release date	Q1/2021
1969 $	Release price	539 $

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AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X 32C 64T @ 3.70 GHz (4.50 GHz) buy now on Amazon and save! Intel Core i9-11900K 8C 16T @ 3.50 GHz (5.30 GHz) buy now on Amazon and save!

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Average performance in benchmarks

⌀ Single core performance in 5 CPU benchmarks

AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X (75%)

Intel Core i9-11900K (100%)

⌀ Multi core performance in 8 CPU benchmarks

AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X (100%)

Intel Core i9-11900K (44%)

Cinebench R23 (Single-Core)

Cinebench R23 is the successor of Cinebench R20 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The single-core test only uses one CPU core, the amount of cores or hyperthreading ability doesn't count.


	AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X 32C 64T @ 4.50 GHz	1324 (79%)
	Intel Core i9-11900K 8C 16T @ 5.30 GHz	1686 (100%)

Cinebench R23 (Multi-Core)

Cinebench R23 is the successor of Cinebench R20 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The multi-core test involves all CPU cores and taks a big advantage of hyperthreading.


	AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X 32C 64T @ 3.80 GHz	44502 (100%)
	Intel Core i9-11900K 8C 16T @ 4.80 GHz	16211 (36%)

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Single-Core)

Geekbench 5 is a cross plattform benchmark that heavily uses the systems memory. A fast memory will push the result a lot. The single-core test only uses one CPU core, the amount of cores or hyperthreading ability doesn't count.


	AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X 32C 64T @ 4.50 GHz	1274 (68%)
	Intel Core i9-11900K 8C 16T @ 5.30 GHz	1878 (100%)

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Multi-Core)

Geekbench 5 is a cross plattform benchmark that heavily uses the systems memory. A fast memory will push the result a lot. The multi-core test involves all CPU cores and taks a big advantage of hyperthreading.


	AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X 32C 64T @ 3.80 GHz	22727 (100%)
	Intel Core i9-11900K 8C 16T @ 4.80 GHz	11645 (51%)

Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)

Geekbench 6 is a benchmark for modern computers, notebooks and smartphones. What is new is an optimized utilization of newer CPU architectures, e.g. based on the big.LITTLE concept and combining CPU cores of different sizes. The single-core benchmark only evaluates the performance of the fastest CPU core, the number of CPU cores in a processor is irrelevant here.


	AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X 32C 64T @ 4.50 GHz	1724 (69%)
	Intel Core i9-11900K 8C 16T @ 5.30 GHz	2491 (100%)

Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)

Geekbench 6 is a benchmark for modern computers, notebooks and smartphones. What is new is an optimized utilization of newer CPU architectures, e.g. based on the big.LITTLE concept and combining CPU cores of different sizes. The multi-core benchmark evaluates the performance of all of the processor's CPU cores. Virtual thread improvements such as AMD SMT or Intel's Hyper-Threading have a positive impact on the benchmark result.


	AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X 32C 64T @ 3.80 GHz	14637 (100%)
	Intel Core i9-11900K 8C 16T @ 4.80 GHz	12679 (87%)

Cinebench R20 (Single-Core)

Cinebench R20 is the successor of Cinebench R15 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The single-core test only uses one CPU core, the amount of cores or hyperthreading ability doesn't count.


	AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X 32C 64T @ 4.50 GHz	509 (78%)
	Intel Core i9-11900K 8C 16T @ 5.30 GHz	650 (100%)

Cinebench R20 (Multi-Core)

Cinebench R20 is the successor of Cinebench R15 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The multi-core test involves all CPU cores and taks a big advantage of hyperthreading.


	AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X 32C 64T @ 3.80 GHz	17105 (100%)
	Intel Core i9-11900K 8C 16T @ 4.80 GHz	6187 (36%)

Blender 3.1 Benchmark

In the Blender Benchmark 3.1, the scenes "monster", "junkshop" and "classroom" are rendered and the time required by the system is measured. In our benchmark we test the CPU and not the graphics card. Blender 3.1 was presented as a standalone version in March 2022.


	AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X 32C 64T @ 3.80 GHz	710 (100%)
	Intel Core i9-11900K 8C 16T @ 4.80 GHz	243 (34%)

Estimated results for PassMark CPU Mark

Some of the CPUs listed below have been benchmarked by CPU-monkey. However the majority of CPUs have not been tested and the results have been estimated by a CPU-monkey’s secret proprietary formula. As such they do not accurately reflect the actual Passmark CPU mark values and are not endorsed by PassMark Software Pty Ltd.


	AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X 32C 64T @ 3.80 GHz	63440 (100%)
	Intel Core i9-11900K 8C 16T @ 4.80 GHz	25385 (40%)

CPU-Z Benchmark 17 (Multi-Core)

The CPU-Z benchmark measures a processor's performance by measuring the time it takes the system to complete all benchmark calculations. The faster the benchmark is completed, the higher the score.


	AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X 32C 64T @ 3.70 GHz	21066 (100%)
	Intel Core i9-11900K 8C 16T @ 3.50 GHz	6539 (31%)

Cinebench R15 (Single-Core)

Cinebench R15 is the successor of Cinebench 11.5 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The single-core test only uses one CPU core, the amount of cores or hyperthreading ability doesn't count.


	AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X 32C 64T @ 4.50 GHz	209 (80%)
	Intel Core i9-11900K 8C 16T @ 5.30 GHz	262 (100%)

Cinebench R15 (Multi-Core)

Cinebench R15 is the successor of Cinebench 11.5 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The multi-core test involves all CPU cores and taks a big advantage of hyperthreading.


	AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X 32C 64T @ 3.80 GHz	7398 (100%)
	Intel Core i9-11900K 8C 16T @ 4.80 GHz	2515 (34%)

iGPU - FP32 Performance (Single-precision GFLOPS)

The theoretical computing performance of the internal graphics unit of the processor with simple accuracy (32 bit) in GFLOPS. GFLOPS indicates how many billion floating point operations the iGPU can perform per second.


	AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X @ 0.00 GHz	0 (0%)
	Intel Core i9-11900K Intel UHD Graphics 750 @ 1.30 GHz	666 (100%)

Blender 2.81 (bmw27)

Blender is a free 3D graphics software for rendering (creating) 3D bodies, which can also be textured and animated in the software. The Blender benchmark creates predefined scenes and measures the time (s) required for the entire scene. The shorter the time required, the better. We selected bmw27 as the benchmark scene.


	AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X 32C 64T @ 3.80 GHz	44.5 (100%)
	Intel Core i9-11900K 8C 16T @ 4.80 GHz	0 (0%)

CPU-Z Benchmark 17 (Single-Core)

The CPU-Z benchmark measures a processor's performance by measuring the time it takes the system to complete all benchmark calculations. The faster the benchmark is completed, the higher the score.


	AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X 32C 64T @ 3.80 GHz	0 (0%)
	Intel Core i9-11900K 8C 16T @ 4.80 GHz	676 (100%)

Devices using this processor
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X	Intel Core i9-11900K
Unknown	Unknown

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