Ryzen 9 5950X vs i9-7980XE

Place in the ranking	316	160
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	2.98	27.75
Market segment	Desktop processor	Desktop processor
Series	Intel Core i9	AMD Ryzen 9
Power efficiency	10.84	25.87
Architecture codename	Skylake (server) (2017−2018)	Vermeer (Zen 3) (2020−2022)
Release date	30 May 2017 (7 years ago)	8 October 2020 (4 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$1,999	$799

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

Ryzen 9 5950X has 831% better value for money than i9-7980XE.

Detailed specifications

Core i9-7980XE 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 cores	18 (Octadeca-Core)	16 (Hexadeca-Core)
Threads	36	32
Base clock speed	2.6 GHz	3.4 GHz
Boost clock speed	4.4 GHz	4.9 GHz
Bus type	DMI 3.0	no data
Bus rate	4 × 8 GT/s	no data
Multiplier	no data	34
L1 cache	1.125 MB	1 MB
L2 cache	18 MB	8 MB
L3 cache	24.75 MB (shared)	64 MB
Chip lithography	14 nm	7 nm, 12 nm
Die size	484 mm²	CPU cores: 2x 80.7 sq. mm., I/O: 125 mm²
Maximum core temperature	94 °C	no data
Maximum case temperature (TCase)	no data	95 °C
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	+	+
Unlocked multiplier	+	+

Compatibility

Information on Core i9-7980XE 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 configuration	1 (Uniprocessor)	1
Socket	FCLGA2066	AM4
Power consumption (TDP)	165 Watt	105 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i9-7980XE and Ryzen 9 5950X. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2, Intel® AVX-512	MMX (+), SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSSE3, SSE4.1, SSE4.2, SSE4A, AES, AVX, AVX2, FMA3, SHA
AES-NI	+	+
AVX	+	+
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	no data
Turbo Boost Technology	2.0	no data
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	no data
TSX	+	-
Turbo Boost Max 3.0	+	no data
Precision Boost 2	no data	+

Security technologies

Core i9-7980XE and Ryzen 9 5950X technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

EDB

no data

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i9-7980XE and Ryzen 9 5950X are enumerated here.

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

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i9-7980XE and Ryzen 9 5950X. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR4-2666	DDR4
Maximum memory size	128 GB	128 GB
Max memory channels	4	2
Maximum memory bandwidth	85.33 GB/s	51.196 GB/s

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card

N/A

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i9-7980XE and Ryzen 9 5950X.

PCIe version	3.0	4.0
PCI Express lanes	44	no 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.

i9-7980XE 18.90

Ryzen 9 5950X 28.70
+51.9%

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.

i9-7980XE 30021

Ryzen 9 5950X 45593
+51.9%

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.

i9-7980XE 1445

Ryzen 9 5950X 2215
+53.3%

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.

i9-7980XE 11242

Ryzen 9 5950X 12104
+7.7%

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary

Performance score	18.90	28.70
Recency	30 May 2017	8 October 2020
Physical cores	18	16
Threads	36	32
Chip lithography	14 nm	7 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	165 Watt	105 Watt

i9-7980XE has 12.5% more physical cores and 12.5% more threads.

Ryzen 9 5950X, on the other hand, has a 51.9% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 3 years, a 100% more advanced lithography process, and 57.1% lower power consumption.

The Ryzen 9 5950X is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i9-7980XE in performance tests.

Should you still have questions on choice between Core i9-7980XE and Ryzen 9 5950X, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.