Ryzen 9 5950X vs i7-3960X

VS

Aggregate performance score

Core i7-3960X
2011
6 cores / 12 threads, 130 Watt
5.34
Ryzen 9 5950X
2020
16 cores / 32 threads, 105 Watt
28.81
+440%

Ryzen 9 5950X outperforms Core i7-3960X by a whopping 440% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing Core i7-3960X and Ryzen 9 5950X processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking1170159
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation0.3726.36
Market segmentDesktop processorDesktop processor
SeriesCore i7 (Desktop)AMD Ryzen 9
Power efficiency3.8725.86
Architecture codenameSandy Bridge-E (2011−2013)Vermeer (Zen 3) (2020−2022)
Release date14 November 2011 (13 years ago)8 October 2020 (4 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$861$799

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

Ryzen 9 5950X has 7024% better value for money than i7-3960X.

Detailed specifications

Core i7-3960X and Ryzen 9 5950X basic parameters such as number of cores, number of threads, base frequency and turbo boost clock, lithography, cache size and multiplier lock state. These parameters indirectly say of CPU speed, though for more precise assessment you have to consider their test results.

Physical cores6 (Hexa-Core)16 (Hexadeca-Core)
Threads1232
Base clock speed3.3 GHz3.4 GHz
Boost clock speed3.9 GHz4.9 GHz
Bus rate5 GT/sno data
Multiplierno data34
L1 cache64 KB (per core)1 MB
L2 cache256 KB (per core)8 MB
L3 cache15 MB (shared)64 MB
Chip lithography32 nm7 nm, 12 nm
Die size435 mm2CPU cores: 2x 80.7 sq. mm., I/O: 125 mm2
Maximum case temperature (TCase)67 °C95 °C
Number of transistors2,270 millionno data
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility-+
Unlocked multiplier++

Compatibility

Information on Core i7-3960X and Ryzen 9 5950X compatibility with other computer components: motherboard (look for socket type), power supply unit (look for power consumption) etc. Useful when planning a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. Note that power consumption of some processors can well exceed their nominal TDP, even without overclocking. Some can even double their declared thermals given that the motherboard allows to tune the CPU power parameters.

Number of CPUs in a configuration11
SocketFCLGA2011AM4
Power consumption (TDP)130 Watt105 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-3960X and Ryzen 9 5950X. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensionsIntel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVXMMX (+), SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSSE3, SSE4.1, SSE4.2, SSE4A, AES, AVX, AVX2, FMA3, SHA
AES-NI++
AVX++
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)+no data
Turbo Boost Technology2.0no data
Hyper-Threading Technology+no data
Idle States+no data
Thermal Monitoring+-
Smart Response+no data
Demand Based Switching-no data
Precision Boost 2no data+

Security technologies

Core i7-3960X and Ryzen 9 5950X technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT-no data
EDB+no data
Identity Protection+-

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i7-3960X and Ryzen 9 5950X are enumerated here.

AMD-V-+
VT-d+no data
VT-x+no data
EPT+no data

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i7-3960X and Ryzen 9 5950X. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR3DDR4
Maximum memory size64 GB128 GB
Max memory channels42
Maximum memory bandwidth51.2 GB/s51.196 GB/s

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-3960X and Ryzen 9 5950X.

PCIe version2.04.0
PCI Express lanes40no data

Synthetic benchmark performance

Various benchmark results of the processors in comparison. Overall score is measured in points in 0-100 range, higher is better.


Combined synthetic benchmark score

This is our combined benchmark performance rating. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly.

i7-3960X 5.34
Ryzen 9 5950X 28.81
+440%

Passmark

Passmark CPU Mark is a widespread benchmark, consisting of 8 different types of workload, including integer and floating point math, extended instructions, compression, encryption and physics calculation. There is also one separate single-threaded scenario measuring single-core performance.

i7-3960X 8445
Ryzen 9 5950X 45600
+440%

GeekBench 5 Single-Core

GeekBench 5 Single-Core is a cross-platform application developed in the form of CPU tests that independently recreate certain real-world tasks with which to accurately measure performance. This version uses only a single CPU core.

i7-3960X 668
Ryzen 9 5950X 2215
+232%

GeekBench 5 Multi-Core

GeekBench 5 Multi-Core is a cross-platform application developed in the form of CPU tests that independently recreate certain real-world tasks with which to accurately measure performance. This version uses all available CPU cores.

i7-3960X 3218
Ryzen 9 5950X 12130
+277%

Cinebench 10 32-bit single-core

Cinebench R10 is an ancient ray tracing benchmark for processors by Maxon, authors of Cinema 4D. Its single core version uses just one CPU thread to render a futuristic looking motorcycle.

i7-3960X 5014
Ryzen 9 5950X 6690
+33.4%

Cinebench 10 32-bit multi-core

Cinebench Release 10 Multi Core is a variant of Cinebench R10 using all the processor threads. Possible number of threads is limited by 16 in this version.

i7-3960X 27190
Ryzen 9 5950X 56641
+108%

3DMark06 CPU

3DMark06 is a discontinued DirectX 9 benchmark suite from Futuremark. Its CPU part contains two scenarios, one dedicated to artificial intelligence pathfinding, another to game physics using PhysX package.

i7-3960X 8330
Ryzen 9 5950X 17657
+112%

wPrime 32

wPrime 32M is a math multi-thread processor test, which calculates square roots of first 32 million integer numbers. Its result is measured in seconds, so that the less is benchmark result, the faster the processor.

i7-3960X 5.12
Ryzen 9 5950X 4.23
+21%

Cinebench 11.5 64-bit multi-core

Cinebench Release 11.5 Multi Core is a variant of Cinebench R11.5 which uses all the processor threads. A maximum of 64 threads is supported in this version.

i7-3960X 11
Ryzen 9 5950X 48
+355%

Cinebench 15 64-bit multi-core

Cinebench Release 15 Multi Core is a variant of Cinebench R15 which uses all the processor threads.

i7-3960X 1158
Ryzen 9 5950X 4324
+273%

Cinebench 15 64-bit single-core

Cinebench R15 (standing for Release 15) is a benchmark made by Maxon, authors of Cinema 4D. It was superseded by later versions of Cinebench, which use more modern variants of Cinema 4D engine. The Single Core version (sometimes called Single-Thread) only uses a single processor thread to render a room full of reflective spheres and light sources.

i7-3960X 159
Ryzen 9 5950X 267
+67.6%

Cinebench 11.5 64-bit single-core

Cinebench R11.5 is an old benchmark by Maxon, authors of Cinema 4D. It was superseded by later versions of Cinebench, which use more modern variants of Cinema 4D engine. The Single Core version loads a single thread with ray tracing to render a glossy room full of crystal spheres and light sources.

i7-3960X 1.52
Ryzen 9 5950X 3.08
+103%

TrueCrypt AES

TrueCrypt is a discontinued piece of software that was widely used for on-the-fly-encryption of disk partitions, now superseded by VeraCrypt. It contains several embedded performance tests, one of them being TrueCrypt AES, which measures data encryption speed using AES algorithm. Result is encryption speed in gigabytes per second.

i7-3960X 5.2
Ryzen 9 5950X 26
+400%

x264 encoding pass 2

x264 Pass 2 is a slower variant of x264 video compression that produces a variable bit rate output file, which results in better quality since the higher bit rate is used when it is needed more. Benchmark result is still measured in frames per second.  

i7-3960X 55
Ryzen 9 5950X 212
+287%

x264 encoding pass 1

x264 version 4.0 is a video encoding benchmark uses MPEG 4 x264 compression method to compress a sample HD (720p) video. Pass 1 is a faster variant that produces a constant bit rate output file. Its result is measured in frames per second, which means how many frames of the source video file were encoded per second.  

i7-3960X 173
Ryzen 9 5950X 330
+90.8%

WinRAR 4.0

WinRAR 4.0 is an outdated version of a popular file archiver. It contains an internal speed test, using 'Best' setting of RAR compression on large chunks of randomly generated data. Its results are measured in kilobytes per second.

i7-3960X 4205
Ryzen 9 5950X 12736
+203%

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 5.34 28.81
Recency 14 November 2011 8 October 2020
Physical cores 6 16
Threads 12 32
Chip lithography 32 nm 7 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 130 Watt 105 Watt

Ryzen 9 5950X has a 439.5% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 8 years, 166.7% more physical cores and 166.7% more threads, a 357.1% more advanced lithography process, and 23.8% lower power consumption.

The Ryzen 9 5950X is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i7-3960X in performance tests.


Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-3960X and Ryzen 9 5950X, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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Intel Core i7-3960X
Core i7-3960X
AMD Ryzen 9 5950X
Ryzen 9 5950X

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Community ratings

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