Intel Core i9-9940X vs AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X

Last updated: 2024-04-16

CPU comparison with benchmarks


Intel Core i9-9940X		AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X
CPU comparison Intel Core i9-9940X or AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X - 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 Intel Core i9-9940X has 14 cores with 28 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 4.50 GHz. Up to 128 GB of memory is supported in 4 memory channels. The Intel Core i9-9940X was released in Q4/2018. The AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X has 32 cores with 64 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 4.50 GHz. The CPU supports up to 2048 GB of memory in 4 memory channels. The AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X was released in Q4/2019.

Intel Core i9 (78)	Family	AMD Ryzen Threadripper (13)
Intel Core i 9000X (8)	CPU group	AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3000 (3)
9	Generation	3
Skylake X Refresh	Architecture	Castle Peak (Zen 2)
Desktop / Server	Segment	Desktop / Server
Intel Core i9-7940X	Predecessor	AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX
--	Successor	--

CPU Cores and Base Frequency The Intel Core i9-9940X is a 14 core processor with a clock frequency of 3.30 GHz (4.50 GHz). The AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X has 32 CPU cores with a clock frequency of 3.70 GHz (4.50 GHz).
Intel Core i9-9940X	Characteristic	AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X
14	Cores	32
28	Threads	64
normal	Core architecture	normal
Yes	Hyperthreading	Yes
Yes	Overclocking ?	Yes
3.30 GHz	Frequency	3.70 GHz
4.50 GHz	Turbo Frequency (1 Core)	4.50 GHz
4.20 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.
Intel Core i9-9940X	Characteristic	AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X
--	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 Intel Core i9-9940X supports a maximum of 128 GB of memory in 4 memory channels. The AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X can connect up to 2048 GB of memory in 4 memory channels.
Intel Core i9-9940X	Characteristic	AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X
DDR4-2666	Memory	DDR4-3200
128 GB	Max. Memory	2048 GB
4 (Quad Channel)	Memory channels	4 (Quad Channel)
85.4 GB/s	Max. Bandwidth	51.2 GB/s
No	ECC	Yes
--	L2 Cache	16.00 MB
19.00 MB	L3 Cache	128.00 MB
3.0	PCIe version	4.0
44	PCIe lanes	64
43.3 GB/s	PCIe Bandwidth	126.0 GB/s
Thermal Management The TDP (Thermal Design Power) of a processor specifies the required cooling solution. The Intel Core i9-9940X has a TDP of 165 W, that of the AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X is 280 W.
Intel Core i9-9940X	Characteristic	AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X
165 W	TDP (PL1 / PBP)	280 W
--	TDP (PL2)	--
--	TDP up	--
--	TDP down	--
92 °C	Tjunction max.	95 °C
Technical details The Intel Core i9-9940X has a 19.00 MB cache, while the AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X cache has a total of 144.00 MB.
Intel Core i9-9940X	Characteristic	AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X
14 nm	Technology	7 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	SSE4a, SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX2, FMA3
LGA 2066	Socket	TRX4 (sTRX4)
VT-x, VT-x EPT, VT-d	Virtualization	AMD-V, SVM
Yes	AES-NI	Yes
Windows 10, Windows 11, Linux	Operating systems	Windows 10, Windows 11, Linux
Q4/2018	Release date	Q4/2019
1387 $	Release price	1969 $

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Intel Core i9-9940X 14C 28T @ 3.30 GHz (4.50 GHz) buy now on Amazon and save! AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X 32C 64T @ 3.70 GHz (4.50 GHz) buy now on Amazon and save!

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Average performance in benchmarks

⌀ Single core performance in 4 CPU benchmarks

Intel Core i9-9940X (90%)

AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X (100%)

⌀ Multi core performance in 5 CPU benchmarks

Intel Core i9-9940X (50%)

AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X (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 i9-9940X 14C 28T @ 4.50 GHz	1174 (92%)
	AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X 32C 64T @ 4.50 GHz	1274 (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 i9-9940X 14C 28T @ 4.20 GHz	13946 (61%)
	AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X 32C 64T @ 3.80 GHz	22727 (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 i9-9940X 14C 28T @ 4.50 GHz	1459 (85%)
	AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X 32C 64T @ 4.50 GHz	1724 (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 i9-9940X 14C 28T @ 4.20 GHz	10820 (74%)
	AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X 32C 64T @ 3.80 GHz	14637 (100%)

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 i9-9940X 14C 28T @ 4.50 GHz	457 (90%)
	AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X 32C 64T @ 4.50 GHz	509 (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 i9-9940X 14C 28T @ 4.20 GHz	5912 (35%)
	AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X 32C 64T @ 3.80 GHz	17105 (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 i9-9940X 14C 28T @ 4.20 GHz	28390 (45%)
	AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X 32C 64T @ 3.80 GHz	63440 (100%)

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 i9-9940X 14C 28T @ 4.50 GHz	197 (94%)
	AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X 32C 64T @ 4.50 GHz	209 (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.


	Intel Core i9-9940X 14C 28T @ 4.20 GHz	2587 (35%)
	AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X 32C 64T @ 3.80 GHz	7398 (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 i9-9940X 14C 28T @ 4.50 GHz	0 (0%)
	AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X 32C 64T @ 4.50 GHz	1324 (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 i9-9940X 14C 28T @ 4.20 GHz	0 (0%)
	AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X 32C 64T @ 3.80 GHz	44502 (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.


	Intel Core i9-9940X 14C 28T @ 4.20 GHz	0 (0%)
	AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X 32C 64T @ 3.80 GHz	710 (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.


	Intel Core i9-9940X 14C 28T @ 4.20 GHz	0 (0%)
	AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X 32C 64T @ 3.80 GHz	44.5 (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 i9-9940X 14C 28T @ 3.30 GHz	0 (0%)
	AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X 32C 64T @ 3.70 GHz	21066 (100%)

Devices using this processor
Intel Core i9-9940X	AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X
Unknown	Unknown

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