AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X vs Intel Xeon E3-1231 v3

Last updated:

CPU comparison with benchmarks


AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X CPU1 vs CPU2 Intel Xeon E3-1231 v3
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X Intel Xeon E3-1231 v3

CPU comparison

AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X or Intel Xeon E3-1231 v3 - 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 Xeon E3-1231 v3 has 4 cores with 8 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 3.80 GHz. The CPU supports up to 32 GB of memory in 2 memory channels. The Intel Xeon E3-1231 v3 was released in Q2/2014.
AMD Ryzen Threadripper (13) Family Intel Xeon E3 (43)
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3000 (3) CPU group Intel Xeon E3 v3 (15)
3 Generation 4
Castle Peak (Zen 2) Architecture Haswell S
Desktop / Server Segment Desktop / Server
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX Predecessor --
-- Successor --

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 Xeon E3-1231 v3 has 4 CPU cores with a clock frequency of 3.40 GHz (3.80 GHz).
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X Characteristic Intel Xeon E3-1231 v3
32 Cores 4
64 Threads 8
normal Core architecture normal
Yes Hyperthreading Yes
Yes Overclocking ? No
3.70 GHz Frequency 3.40 GHz
4.50 GHz Turbo Frequency (1 Core) 3.80 GHz
3.80 GHz Turbo Frequency (All Cores) 3.80 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 Xeon E3-1231 v3
-- 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 no iGPU
GPU frequency --
-- GPU (Turbo) --
-- GPU Generation --
Technology
Max. displays
-- Compute units --
-- Shader --
No Hardware Raytracing No
No Frame Generation No
-- Max. GPU Memory --
-- DirectX Version --

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 no iGPU
No Codec h265 / HEVC (8 bit) No
No Codec h265 / HEVC (10 bit) No
No Codec h264 No
No Codec VP9 No
No Codec VP8 No
No Codec AV1 No
No Codec AVC No
No Codec VC-1 No
No Codec JPEG No

Memory & PCIe

The AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X supports a maximum of 2048 GB of memory in 4 memory channels. The Intel Xeon E3-1231 v3 can connect up to 32 GB of memory in 2 memory channels.
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X Characteristic Intel Xeon E3-1231 v3
DDR4-3200 Memory DDR3-1600
2048 GB Max. Memory 32 GB
4 (Quad Channel) Memory channels 2 (Dual Channel)
51.2 GB/s Max. Bandwidth 25.6 GB/s
Yes ECC Yes
16.00 MB L2 Cache --
128.00 MB L3 Cache 8.00 MB
4.0 PCIe version 3.0
64 PCIe lanes 16
126.0 GB/s PCIe Bandwidth 15.8 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 Xeon E3-1231 v3 is 80 W.
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X Characteristic Intel Xeon E3-1231 v3
280 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) 80 W
-- TDP (PL2) --
-- TDP up --
-- TDP down --
95 °C Tjunction max. --

Technical details

The AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X has a 144.00 MB cache, while the Intel Xeon E3-1231 v3 cache has a total of 8.00 MB.
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X Characteristic Intel Xeon E3-1231 v3
7 nm Technology 22 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
TRX4 (sTRX4) Socket LGA 1150
AMD-V, SVM Virtualization VT-x, VT-x EPT, VT-d
Yes AES-NI Yes
Windows 10, Windows 11, Linux Operating systems Windows 10, Linux
Q4/2019 Release date Q2/2014
1969 $ Release price 210 $
show more data show more data


Rate these processors

Here you can rate the AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X to help other visitors make their purchasing decisions. The average rating is 2.7 stars (3 ratings). Rate now:
Here you can rate the Intel Xeon E3-1231 v3 to help other visitors make their purchasing decisions. The average rating is 4.1 stars (9 ratings). Rate now:


Average performance in benchmarks

⌀ Single core performance in 5 CPU benchmarks
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X (100%)
Intel Xeon E3-1231 v3 (71%)
⌀ Multi core performance in 7 CPU benchmarks
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X (100%)
Intel Xeon E3-1231 v3 (13%)

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 AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X
32C 64T @ 4.50 GHz
1324 (100%)
Intel Xeon E3-1231 v3 Intel Xeon E3-1231 v3
4C 8T @ 3.80 GHz
842 (64%)

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 AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X
32C 64T @ 3.80 GHz
44502 (100%)
Intel Xeon E3-1231 v3 Intel Xeon E3-1231 v3
4C 8T @ 3.80 GHz
4207 (9%)

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 AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X
32C 64T @ 4.50 GHz
1274 (100%)
Intel Xeon E3-1231 v3 Intel Xeon E3-1231 v3
4C 8T @ 3.80 GHz
1020 (80%)

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 AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X
32C 64T @ 3.80 GHz
22727 (100%)
Intel Xeon E3-1231 v3 Intel Xeon E3-1231 v3
4C 8T @ 3.80 GHz
3849 (17%)

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 AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X
32C 64T @ 4.50 GHz
1724 (100%)
Intel Xeon E3-1231 v3 Intel Xeon E3-1231 v3
4C 8T @ 3.80 GHz
1217 (71%)

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 AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X
32C 64T @ 3.80 GHz
14637 (100%)
Intel Xeon E3-1231 v3 Intel Xeon E3-1231 v3
4C 8T @ 3.80 GHz
4096 (28%)

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 AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X
32C 64T @ 4.50 GHz
509 (100%)
Intel Xeon E3-1231 v3 Intel Xeon E3-1231 v3
4C 8T @ 3.80 GHz
353 (69%)

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 AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X
32C 64T @ 3.80 GHz
17105 (100%)
Intel Xeon E3-1231 v3 Intel Xeon E3-1231 v3
4C 8T @ 3.80 GHz
1683 (10%)

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 AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X
32C 64T @ 3.80 GHz
63440 (100%)
Intel Xeon E3-1231 v3 Intel Xeon E3-1231 v3
4C 8T @ 3.80 GHz
7054 (11%)

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 AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X
32C 64T @ 3.70 GHz
21066 (100%)
Intel Xeon E3-1231 v3 Intel Xeon E3-1231 v3
4C 8T @ 3.40 GHz
1952 (9%)

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 AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X
32C 64T @ 4.50 GHz
209 (100%)
Intel Xeon E3-1231 v3 Intel Xeon E3-1231 v3
4C 8T @ 3.80 GHz
148 (71%)

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 AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X
32C 64T @ 3.80 GHz
7398 (100%)
Intel Xeon E3-1231 v3 Intel Xeon E3-1231 v3
4C 8T @ 3.80 GHz
742 (10%)

Cinebench 2024 (Single-Core)

The Cinebench 2024 benchmark is based on the Redshift rendering engine, which is also used in Maxon's 3D program Cinema 4D. The benchmark runs are each 10 minutes long to test whether the processor is limited by its heat generation.
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X
32C 64T @ 4.50 GHz
0 (0%)
Intel Xeon E3-1231 v3 Intel Xeon E3-1231 v3
4C 8T @ 3.80 GHz
53 (100%)

Cinebench 2024 (Multi-Core)

The Multi-Core test of the Cinebench 2024 benchmark uses all cpu cores to render using the Redshift rendering engine, which is also used in Maxons Cinema 4D. The benchmark run is 10 minutes long to test whether the processor is limited by its heat generation.
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X
32C 64T @ 4.50 GHz
0 (0%)
Intel Xeon E3-1231 v3 Intel Xeon E3-1231 v3
4C 8T @ 3.80 GHz
246 (100%)

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 AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X
32C 64T @ 3.80 GHz
710 (100%)
Intel Xeon E3-1231 v3 Intel Xeon E3-1231 v3
4C 8T @ 3.80 GHz
0 (0%)

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 AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X
32C 64T @ 3.80 GHz
44.5 (100%)
Intel Xeon E3-1231 v3 Intel Xeon E3-1231 v3
4C 8T @ 3.80 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 AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X
32C 64T @ 3.80 GHz
0 (0%)
Intel Xeon E3-1231 v3 Intel Xeon E3-1231 v3
4C 8T @ 3.80 GHz
379 (100%)

Devices using this processor
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X Intel Xeon E3-1231 v3
Unknown Unknown

Popular comparisons containing this CPUs

1. Intel Core i7-4790KIntel Xeon E3-1231 v3 Intel Core i7-4790K vs Intel Xeon E3-1231 v3
2. AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970XAMD Ryzen 9 5950X AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X vs AMD Ryzen 9 5950X
3. Intel Xeon E3-1231 v3Intel Core i7-4790 Intel Xeon E3-1231 v3 vs Intel Core i7-4790
4. Intel Core i7-4770Intel Xeon E3-1231 v3 Intel Core i7-4770 vs Intel Xeon E3-1231 v3
5. Intel Core i5-4460Intel Xeon E3-1231 v3 Intel Core i5-4460 vs Intel Xeon E3-1231 v3
6. Intel Xeon E3-1230 v3Intel Xeon E3-1231 v3 Intel Xeon E3-1230 v3 vs Intel Xeon E3-1231 v3
7. Intel Core i5-6500Intel Xeon E3-1231 v3 Intel Core i5-6500 vs Intel Xeon E3-1231 v3
8. Intel Core i5-4590Intel Xeon E3-1231 v3 Intel Core i5-4590 vs Intel Xeon E3-1231 v3
9. AMD Ryzen 9 3950XAMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X AMD Ryzen 9 3950X vs AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X
10. AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970XAMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3975WX AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X vs AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3975WX


back to index