Intel Core i9-7960X vs AMD EPYC 9254

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CPU comparison with benchmarks


Intel Core i9-7960X CPU1 vs CPU2 AMD EPYC 9254
Intel Core i9-7960X AMD EPYC 9254

CPU comparison

In this CPU comparison, we compare the Intel Core i9-7960X and the AMD EPYC 9254 and use benchmarks to check which processor is faster.

We compare the Intel Core i9-7960X 16 core processor released in Q4/2017 with the AMD EPYC 9254 which has 24 CPU cores and was introduced in Q4/2022.
Intel Core i9 (78) Family AMD EPYC (129)
Intel Core i 7000X (9) CPU group AMD EPYC 9004 (21)
7 Generation 4
Skylake X Architecture Genoa / Genoa-X (Zen 4)
Desktop / Server Segment Desktop / Server
-- Predecessor --
Intel Core i9-9960X Successor AMD EPYC 9255

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The Intel Core i9-7960X is a 16 core processor with a clock frequency of 2.80 GHz (4.20 GHz). The processor can compute 32 threads at the same time. The AMD EPYC 9254 clocks with 2.90 GHz (4.15 GHz), has 24 CPU cores and can calculate 48 threads in parallel.

Intel Core i9-7960X Characteristic AMD EPYC 9254
16 Cores 24
32 Threads 48
normal Core architecture normal
Yes Hyperthreading Yes
Yes Overclocking ? No
2.80 GHz Frequency 2.90 GHz
4.20 GHz Turbo Frequency (1 Core) 4.15 GHz
3.60 GHz Turbo Frequency (All Cores) 3.90 GHz

NPU AI performance

The performance values of the processor's AI unit. The isolated NPU performance is specified here, the total AI performance (NPU+CPU+iGPU) can be higher. Processors with support for artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) can process many calculations, especially audio, image and video processing, much faster than classic processors.

Intel Core i9-7960X Characteristic AMD EPYC 9254
-- AI hardware --
-- AI specifications --
-- NPU + CPU + iGPU --

Integrated graphics (iGPU)

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 128 GB of memory in a maximum of 4 memory channels is supported by the Intel Core i9-7960X, while the AMD EPYC 9254 supports a maximum of 6144 GB of memory with a maximum memory bandwidth of 460.8 GB/s enabled.

Intel Core i9-7960X Characteristic AMD EPYC 9254
DDR4-2666 Memory DDR5-4800
128 GB Max. Memory 6144 GB
4 (Quad Channel) Memory channels 12
85.4 GB/s Max. Bandwidth 460.8 GB/s
No ECC Yes
-- L2 Cache 24.00 MB
22.00 MB L3 Cache 128.00 MB
3.0 PCIe version 5.0
44 PCIe lanes 128
43.3 GB/s PCIe Bandwidth 504.1 GB/s

Thermal Management

The Intel Core i9-7960X has a TDP of 165 W. The TDP of the AMD EPYC 9254 is 200 W. System integrators use the TDP of the processor as a guide when dimensioning the cooling solution.

Intel Core i9-7960X Characteristic AMD EPYC 9254
165 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) 200 W
-- TDP (PL2) --
-- TDP up 240 W
-- TDP down --
-- Tjunction max. 100 °C

Technical details

The Intel Core i9-7960X has 22.00 MB cache and is manufactured in 14 nm. The cache of AMD EPYC 9254 is at 152.00 MB. The processor is manufactured in 5 nm.

Intel Core i9-7960X Characteristic AMD EPYC 9254
14 nm Technology 5 nm
Monolithic Chip design Chiplet
x86-64 (64 bit) Instruction set (ISA) x86-64 (64 bit)
SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX2, AVX-512 ISA extensions SSE4.2, AVX2, AVX-512, BFLOAT16, VNNI
LGA 2066 Socket SP5
VT-x, VT-x EPT, VT-d Virtualization AMD-V, SVM
Yes AES-NI Yes
Windows 10, Linux Operating systems Windows Server 2022, Linux, Windows 11
Q4/2017 Release date Q4/2022
1699 $ Release price 2299 $
show more data show more data


Rate these processors

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Average performance in benchmarks

⌀ Single core performance in 1 CPU benchmarks
Intel Core i9-7960X (62%)
AMD EPYC 9254 (100%)
⌀ Multi core performance in 1 CPU benchmarks
Intel Core i9-7960X (66%)
AMD EPYC 9254 (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 i9-7960X Intel Core i9-7960X
16C 32T @ 4.20 GHz
1394 (62%)
AMD EPYC 9254 AMD EPYC 9254
24C 48T @ 4.15 GHz
2233 (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.
Intel Core i9-7960X Intel Core i9-7960X
16C 32T @ 3.60 GHz
11810 (66%)
AMD EPYC 9254 AMD EPYC 9254
24C 48T @ 3.90 GHz
18023 (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 i9-7960X Intel Core i9-7960X
16C 32T @ 4.20 GHz
1103 (100%)
AMD EPYC 9254 AMD EPYC 9254
24C 48T @ 4.15 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.
Intel Core i9-7960X Intel Core i9-7960X
16C 32T @ 3.60 GHz
22189 (100%)
AMD EPYC 9254 AMD EPYC 9254
24C 48T @ 3.90 GHz
0 (0%)

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 i9-7960X Intel Core i9-7960X
16C 32T @ 4.20 GHz
1121 (100%)
AMD EPYC 9254 AMD EPYC 9254
24C 48T @ 4.15 GHz
0 (0%)

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 i9-7960X Intel Core i9-7960X
16C 32T @ 3.60 GHz
13468 (100%)
AMD EPYC 9254 AMD EPYC 9254
24C 48T @ 3.90 GHz
0 (0%)

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 i9-7960X Intel Core i9-7960X
16C 32T @ 3.60 GHz
27022 (100%)
AMD EPYC 9254 AMD EPYC 9254
24C 48T @ 3.90 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.
Intel Core i9-7960X Intel Core i9-7960X
16C 32T @ 3.60 GHz
111.4 (100%)
AMD EPYC 9254 AMD EPYC 9254
24C 48T @ 3.90 GHz
0 (0%)

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 i9-7960X Intel Core i9-7960X
16C 32T @ 2.80 GHz
8088 (100%)
AMD EPYC 9254 AMD EPYC 9254
24C 48T @ 2.90 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 i9-7960X Intel Core i9-7960X
16C 32T @ 4.20 GHz
184 (100%)
AMD EPYC 9254 AMD EPYC 9254
24C 48T @ 4.15 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 i9-7960X Intel Core i9-7960X
16C 32T @ 3.60 GHz
3161 (100%)
AMD EPYC 9254 AMD EPYC 9254
24C 48T @ 3.90 GHz
0 (0%)

Devices using this processor

Intel Core i9-7960X AMD EPYC 9254
Unknown Unknown

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