Intel Core i9-9960X vs AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX

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CPU comparison with benchmarks


Intel Core i9-9960X CPU1 vs CPU2 AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX
Intel Core i9-9960X AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX

CPU comparison

In this CPU comparison, we compare the Intel Core i9-9960X and the AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX and use benchmarks to check which processor is faster.

We compare the Intel Core i9-9960X 16 core processor released in Q4/2018 with the AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX which has 24 CPU cores and was introduced in Q3/2018.
Intel Core i9 (78) Family AMD Ryzen Threadripper (13)
Intel Core i 9000X (8) CPU group AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2000 (4)
9 Generation 2
Skylake X Refresh Architecture Colfax (Zen+)
Desktop / Server Segment Desktop / Server
Intel Core i9-7960X Predecessor --
-- Successor AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The Intel Core i9-9960X is a 16 core processor with a clock frequency of 3.10 GHz (4.50 GHz). The processor can compute 32 threads at the same time. The AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX clocks with 3.00 GHz (4.20 GHz), has 24 CPU cores and can calculate 48 threads in parallel.

Intel Core i9-9960X Characteristic AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX
16 Cores 24
32 Threads 48
normal Core architecture normal
Yes Hyperthreading Yes
Yes Overclocking ? Yes
3.10 GHz Frequency 3.00 GHz
4.50 GHz Turbo Frequency (1 Core) 4.20 GHz
4.10 GHz Turbo Frequency (All Cores) 3.00 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.

Intel Core i9-9960X Characteristic AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX
-- 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 128 GB of memory in a maximum of 4 memory channels is supported by the Intel Core i9-9960X, while the AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX supports a maximum of GB of memory with a maximum memory bandwidth of 93.8 GB/s enabled.

Intel Core i9-9960X Characteristic AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX
DDR4-2666 Memory DDR4-2933
128 GB Max. Memory
4 (Quad Channel) Memory channels 4 (Quad Channel)
85.4 GB/s Max. Bandwidth 93.8 GB/s
No ECC Yes
-- L2 Cache 12.00 MB
22.00 MB L3 Cache 64.00 MB
3.0 PCIe version 3.0
44 PCIe lanes 64
43.3 GB/s PCIe Bandwidth 63.0 GB/s

Thermal Management

The Intel Core i9-9960X has a TDP of 165 W. The TDP of the AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX is 250 W. System integrators use the TDP of the processor as a guide when dimensioning the cooling solution.

Intel Core i9-9960X Characteristic AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX
165 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) 250 W
-- TDP (PL2) --
-- TDP up --
-- TDP down --
92 °C Tjunction max. --

Technical details

The Intel Core i9-9960X has 22.00 MB cache and is manufactured in 14 nm. The cache of AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX is at 76.00 MB. The processor is manufactured in 12 nm.

Intel Core i9-9960X Characteristic AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX
14 nm Technology 12 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 TR4 (SP3r2)
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 Q3/2018
1684 $ Release price 1299 $
show more data show more data


Rate these processors

Here you can rate the Intel Core i9-9960X to help other visitors make their purchasing decisions. The average rating is 1.0 stars (1 ratings). Rate now:
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Average performance in benchmarks

⌀ Single core performance in 4 CPU benchmarks
Intel Core i9-9960X (100%)
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX (88%)
⌀ Multi core performance in 6 CPU benchmarks
Intel Core i9-9960X (88%)
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX (93%)

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 i9-9960X Intel Core i9-9960X
16C 32T @ 4.50 GHz
1174 (100%)
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX
24C 48T @ 4.20 GHz
1020 (87%)

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 i9-9960X Intel Core i9-9960X
16C 32T @ 4.10 GHz
14314 (97%)
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX
24C 48T @ 3.00 GHz
14740 (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 i9-9960X Intel Core i9-9960X
16C 32T @ 4.50 GHz
1459 (100%)
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX
24C 48T @ 4.20 GHz
1193 (82%)

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 i9-9960X Intel Core i9-9960X
16C 32T @ 4.10 GHz
11020 (100%)
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX
24C 48T @ 3.00 GHz
9243 (84%)

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 i9-9960X Intel Core i9-9960X
16C 32T @ 4.50 GHz
457 (100%)
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX
24C 48T @ 4.20 GHz
431 (94%)

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 i9-9960X Intel Core i9-9960X
16C 32T @ 4.10 GHz
6671 (67%)
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX
24C 48T @ 3.00 GHz
10008 (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 i9-9960X Intel Core i9-9960X
16C 32T @ 4.10 GHz
30355 (100%)
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX
24C 48T @ 3.00 GHz
29970 (99%)

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 i9-9960X Intel Core i9-9960X
16C 32T @ 4.10 GHz
104.3 (100%)
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX
24C 48T @ 3.00 GHz
75.3 (72%)

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 i9-9960X Intel Core i9-9960X
16C 32T @ 4.50 GHz
200 (100%)
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX
24C 48T @ 4.20 GHz
173 (87%)

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 i9-9960X Intel Core i9-9960X
16C 32T @ 4.10 GHz
2872 (66%)
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX
24C 48T @ 3.00 GHz
4324 (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 i9-9960X Intel Core i9-9960X
16C 32T @ 4.10 GHz
0 (0%)
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX
24C 48T @ 3.00 GHz
418 (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 i9-9960X Intel Core i9-9960X
16C 32T @ 3.10 GHz
0 (0%)
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX
24C 48T @ 3.00 GHz
12793 (100%)

Devices using this processor

Intel Core i9-9960X AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX
Unknown Unknown

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