Intel Core i7-4960X vs AMD Ryzen 9 5900H

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CPU comparison with benchmarks


Intel Core i7-4960X CPU1 vs CPU2 AMD Ryzen 9 5900H
Intel Core i7-4960X AMD Ryzen 9 5900H

CPU comparison

In this CPU comparison, we compare the Intel Core i7-4960X and the AMD Ryzen 9 5900H and use benchmarks to check which processor is faster.

We compare the Intel Core i7-4960X 6 core processor released in Q3/2013 with the AMD Ryzen 9 5900H which has 8 CPU cores and was introduced in Q2/2021.
Intel Core i7 Extreme Edition (24) Family AMD Ryzen 9 (35)
Intel Core i 4000X (3) CPU group AMD Ryzen 5000H (11)
4 Generation 4
Ivy Bridge E Architecture Cezanne (Zen 3)
Desktop / Server Segment Mobile
-- Predecessor --
Intel Core i7-5960X Successor --

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The Intel Core i7-4960X is a 6 core processor with a clock frequency of 3.60 GHz (4.00 GHz). The processor can compute 12 threads at the same time. The AMD Ryzen 9 5900H clocks with 3.10 GHz (4.60 GHz), has 8 CPU cores and can calculate 16 threads in parallel.

Intel Core i7-4960X Characteristic AMD Ryzen 9 5900H
6 Cores 8
12 Threads 16
normal Core architecture normal
Yes Hyperthreading Yes
Yes Overclocking ? Yes
3.60 GHz Frequency 3.10 GHz
4.00 GHz Turbo Frequency (1 Core) 4.60 GHz
4.00 GHz Turbo Frequency (All Cores) --

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.

Intel Core i7-4960X Characteristic AMD Ryzen 9 5900H
-- 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 AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Renoir)
GPU frequency 0.40 GHz
-- GPU (Turbo) 1.75 GHz
-- GPU Generation 9
Technology 7 nm
Max. displays 3
-- Compute units 8
-- Shader 512
No Hardware Raytracing No
No Frame Generation No
-- Max. GPU Memory 8 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 AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Renoir)
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 / Encode
No Codec AV1 No
No Codec AVC Decode / Encode
No Codec VC-1 Decode
No Codec JPEG Decode / Encode

Memory & PCIe

Up to 64 GB of memory in a maximum of 4 memory channels is supported by the Intel Core i7-4960X, while the AMD Ryzen 9 5900H supports a maximum of 64 GB of memory with a maximum memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s enabled.

Intel Core i7-4960X Characteristic AMD Ryzen 9 5900H
DDR3-1866 Memory LPDDR4-4266, DDR4-3200
64 GB Max. Memory 64 GB
4 (Quad Channel) Memory channels 2 (Dual Channel)
59.7 GB/s Max. Bandwidth 51.2 GB/s
No ECC Yes
-- L2 Cache 4.00 MB
15.00 MB L3 Cache 16.00 MB
3.0 PCIe version 3.0
40 PCIe lanes 12
39.4 GB/s PCIe Bandwidth 11.8 GB/s

Thermal Management

The Intel Core i7-4960X has a TDP of 130 W. The TDP of the AMD Ryzen 9 5900H is 45 W. System integrators use the TDP of the processor as a guide when dimensioning the cooling solution.

Intel Core i7-4960X Characteristic AMD Ryzen 9 5900H
130 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) 45 W
-- TDP (PL2) --
-- TDP up 54 W
-- TDP down --
-- Tjunction max. 95 °C

Technical details

The Intel Core i7-4960X has 15.00 MB cache and is manufactured in 22 nm. The cache of AMD Ryzen 9 5900H is at 20.00 MB. The processor is manufactured in 7 nm.

Intel Core i7-4960X Characteristic AMD Ryzen 9 5900H
22 nm Technology 7 nm
Monolithic Chip design Chiplet
x86-64 (64 bit) Instruction set (ISA) x86-64 (64 bit)
SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX ISA extensions SSE4a, SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX2, FMA3
LGA 2011 Socket AM4 (PGA 1331)
VT-x, VT-x EPT, VT-d Virtualization AMD-V, SVM
Yes AES-NI Yes
Windows 10, Linux Operating systems Windows 10, Windows 11, Linux
Q3/2013 Release date Q2/2021
960 $ Release price --
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Rate these processors

Here you can rate the Intel Core i7-4960X to help other visitors make their purchasing decisions. The average rating is 3.0 stars (1 ratings). Rate now:
Here you can rate the AMD Ryzen 9 5900H to help other visitors make their purchasing decisions. The average rating is 5.0 stars (1 ratings). Rate now:


Average performance in benchmarks

⌀ Single core performance in 1 CPU benchmarks
Intel Core i7-4960X (54%)
AMD Ryzen 9 5900H (100%)
⌀ Multi core performance in 2 CPU benchmarks
Intel Core i7-4960X (54%)
AMD Ryzen 9 5900H (100%)

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.
Intel Core i7-4960X Intel Core i7-4960X
6C 12T @ 4.00 GHz
806 (54%)
AMD Ryzen 9 5900H AMD Ryzen 9 5900H
8C 16T @ 4.60 GHz
1488 (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.
Intel Core i7-4960X Intel Core i7-4960X
6C 12T @ 4.00 GHz
5189 (61%)
AMD Ryzen 9 5900H AMD Ryzen 9 5900H
8C 16T @ 3.10 GHz
8449 (100%)

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.
Intel Core i7-4960X Intel Core i7-4960X
6C 12T @ 4.00 GHz
10145 (47%)
AMD Ryzen 9 5900H AMD Ryzen 9 5900H
8C 16T @ 3.10 GHz
21400 (100%)

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.
Intel Core i7-4960X Intel Core i7-4960X
6C 12T @ 4.00 GHz
0 (0%)
AMD Ryzen 9 5900H AMD Ryzen 9 5900H
8C 16T @ 4.60 GHz
1478 (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.
Intel Core i7-4960X Intel Core i7-4960X
6C 12T @ 4.00 GHz
0 (0%)
AMD Ryzen 9 5900H AMD Ryzen 9 5900H
8C 16T @ 3.10 GHz
12892 (100%)

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.
Intel Core i7-4960X Intel Core i7-4960X
6C 12T @ 4.00 GHz
757 (100%)
AMD Ryzen 9 5900H AMD Ryzen 9 5900H
8C 16T @ 4.60 GHz
0 (0%)

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.
Intel Core i7-4960X Intel Core i7-4960X
6C 12T @ 4.00 GHz
3062 (100%)
AMD Ryzen 9 5900H AMD Ryzen 9 5900H
8C 16T @ 3.10 GHz
0 (0%)

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.
Intel Core i7-4960X Intel Core i7-4960X
6C 12T @ 4.00 GHz
0 (0%)
AMD Ryzen 9 5900H AMD Ryzen 9 5900H
8C 16T @ 4.60 GHz
578 (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.
Intel Core i7-4960X Intel Core i7-4960X
6C 12T @ 4.00 GHz
0 (0%)
AMD Ryzen 9 5900H AMD Ryzen 9 5900H
8C 16T @ 3.10 GHz
4998 (100%)

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.
Intel Core i7-4960X Intel Core i7-4960X
@ 0.00 GHz
0 (0%)
AMD Ryzen 9 5900H AMD Ryzen 9 5900H
AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Renoir) @ 1.75 GHz
1792 (100%)

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.
Intel Core i7-4960X Intel Core i7-4960X
6C 12T @ 3.60 GHz
2868 (100%)
AMD Ryzen 9 5900H AMD Ryzen 9 5900H
8C 16T @ 3.10 GHz
0 (0%)

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.
Intel Core i7-4960X Intel Core i7-4960X
6C 12T @ 4.00 GHz
151 (100%)
AMD Ryzen 9 5900H AMD Ryzen 9 5900H
8C 16T @ 4.60 GHz
0 (0%)

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.
Intel Core i7-4960X Intel Core i7-4960X
6C 12T @ 4.00 GHz
1092 (100%)
AMD Ryzen 9 5900H AMD Ryzen 9 5900H
8C 16T @ 3.10 GHz
0 (0%)

Devices using this processor

Intel Core i7-4960X AMD Ryzen 9 5900H
Unknown Unknown

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