AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3990X vs Intel Core i9-9980XE

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CPU comparison with benchmarks


AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3990X CPU1 vs CPU2 Intel Core i9-9980XE
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3990X Intel Core i9-9980XE

CPU comparison

In this CPU comparison, we compare the AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3990X and the Intel Core i9-9980XE and use benchmarks to check which processor is faster.

We compare the AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3990X 64 core processor released in Q1/2020 with the Intel Core i9-9980XE which has 18 CPU cores and was introduced in Q4/2018.
AMD Ryzen Threadripper (13) Family Intel Core i9 (78)
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3000 (3) CPU group Intel Core i 9000X (8)
3 Generation 9
Castle Peak (Zen 2) Architecture Skylake X Refresh
Desktop / Server Segment Desktop / Server
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2990WX Predecessor Intel Core i9-7980XE
-- Successor Intel Core i9-10980XE

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3990X is a 64 core processor with a clock frequency of 2.90 GHz (4.30 GHz). The processor can compute 128 threads at the same time. The Intel Core i9-9980XE clocks with 3.00 GHz (4.50 GHz), has 18 CPU cores and can calculate 36 threads in parallel.

AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3990X Characteristic Intel Core i9-9980XE
64 Cores 18
128 Threads 36
normal Core architecture normal
Yes Hyperthreading Yes
Yes Overclocking ? Yes
2.90 GHz Frequency 3.00 GHz
4.30 GHz Turbo Frequency (1 Core) 4.50 GHz
3.20 GHz Turbo Frequency (All Cores) 4.00 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 3990X Characteristic Intel Core i9-9980XE
-- AI hardware --
-- AI specifications --

Internal Graphics

Graphics (iGPU) integrated into the processor not only enable image output without having to rely on a dedicated graphics solution, but can also efficiently accelerate video playback.

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

Up to 2048 GB of memory in a maximum of 4 memory channels is supported by the AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3990X, while the Intel Core i9-9980XE supports a maximum of 128 GB of memory with a maximum memory bandwidth of 42.7 GB/s enabled.

AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3990X Characteristic Intel Core i9-9980XE
DDR4-3200 Memory DDR4-2666
2048 GB Max. Memory 128 GB
4 (Quad Channel) Memory channels 4 (Quad Channel)
51.2 GB/s Max. Bandwidth 42.7 GB/s
Yes ECC No
32.00 MB L2 Cache --
256.00 MB L3 Cache 25.00 MB
4.0 PCIe version 3.0
64 PCIe lanes 48
126.0 GB/s PCIe Bandwidth 47.3 GB/s

Thermal Management

The AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3990X has a TDP of 280 W. The TDP of the Intel Core i9-9980XE is 165 W. System integrators use the TDP of the processor as a guide when dimensioning the cooling solution.

AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3990X Characteristic Intel Core i9-9980XE
280 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) 165 W
-- TDP (PL2) --
-- TDP up --
-- TDP down --
95 °C Tjunction max. 84 °C

Technical details

The AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3990X has 288.00 MB cache and is manufactured in 7 nm. The cache of Intel Core i9-9980XE is at 25.00 MB. The processor is manufactured in 14 nm.

AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3990X Characteristic Intel Core i9-9980XE
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 2066
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
Q1/2020 Release date Q4/2018
3990 $ Release price 1979 $
show more data show more data


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Average performance in benchmarks

⌀ Single core performance in 4 CPU benchmarks
⌀ Multi core performance in 6 CPU benchmarks

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 3990X AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3990X
64C 128T @ 4.30 GHz
1219 (100%)
Intel Core i9-9980XE Intel Core i9-9980XE
18C 36T @ 4.50 GHz
1174 (96%)

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 3990X AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3990X
64C 128T @ 3.20 GHz
34670 (100%)
Intel Core i9-9980XE Intel Core i9-9980XE
18C 36T @ 4.00 GHz
15725 (45%)

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 3990X AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3990X
64C 128T @ 4.30 GHz
1639 (100%)
Intel Core i9-9980XE Intel Core i9-9980XE
18C 36T @ 4.50 GHz
1459 (89%)

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 3990X AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3990X
64C 128T @ 3.20 GHz
15832 (100%)
Intel Core i9-9980XE Intel Core i9-9980XE
18C 36T @ 4.00 GHz
12177 (77%)

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 3990X AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3990X
64C 128T @ 4.30 GHz
495 (100%)
Intel Core i9-9980XE Intel Core i9-9980XE
18C 36T @ 4.50 GHz
459 (93%)

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 3990X AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3990X
64C 128T @ 3.20 GHz
24763 (100%)
Intel Core i9-9980XE Intel Core i9-9980XE
18C 36T @ 4.00 GHz
7516 (30%)

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 3990X AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3990X
64C 128T @ 3.20 GHz
81100 (100%)
Intel Core i9-9980XE Intel Core i9-9980XE
18C 36T @ 4.00 GHz
32092 (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 3990X AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3990X
64C 128T @ 2.90 GHz
26731 (100%)
Intel Core i9-9980XE Intel Core i9-9980XE
18C 36T @ 3.00 GHz
9092 (34%)

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 3990X AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3990X
64C 128T @ 4.30 GHz
200 (100%)
Intel Core i9-9980XE Intel Core i9-9980XE
18C 36T @ 4.50 GHz
201 (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 3990X AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3990X
64C 128T @ 3.20 GHz
10542 (100%)
Intel Core i9-9980XE Intel Core i9-9980XE
18C 36T @ 4.00 GHz
3240 (31%)

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 3990X AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3990X
64C 128T @ 4.30 GHz
74 (100%)
Intel Core i9-9980XE Intel Core i9-9980XE
18C 36T @ 4.50 GHz
0 (0%)

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 3990X AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3990X
64C 128T @ 4.30 GHz
3302 (100%)
Intel Core i9-9980XE Intel Core i9-9980XE
18C 36T @ 4.50 GHz
0 (0%)

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 3990X AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3990X
64C 128T @ 4.30 GHz
1284 (100%)
Intel Core i9-9980XE Intel Core i9-9980XE
18C 36T @ 4.50 GHz
0 (0%)

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 3990X AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3990X
64C 128T @ 3.20 GHz
64355 (100%)
Intel Core i9-9980XE Intel Core i9-9980XE
18C 36T @ 4.00 GHz
0 (0%)

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 3990X AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3990X
64C 128T @ 3.20 GHz
1087 (100%)
Intel Core i9-9980XE Intel Core i9-9980XE
18C 36T @ 4.00 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 3990X AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3990X
64C 128T @ 3.20 GHz
28.9 (100%)
Intel Core i9-9980XE Intel Core i9-9980XE
18C 36T @ 4.00 GHz
0 (0%)

Devices using this processor

AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3990X Intel Core i9-9980XE
Unknown Unknown

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