Ryzen 9 3950X vs i9-9990XE
Aggregate performance score
Ryzen 9 3950X outperforms Core i9-9990XE by a significant 28% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
Comparing Core i9-9990XE and Ryzen 9 3950X processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 311 | 210 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | 2.94 | 18.76 |
| Market segment | Workstation | Desktop processor |
| Series | Intel Core i9 | AMD Ryzen 9 |
| Power efficiency | 7.05 | 21.96 |
| Architecture codename | Skylake (server) (2017−2018) | Matisse (Zen 2) (2019−2020) |
| Release date | 3 January 2019 (5 years ago) | 11 June 2019 (5 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $2,800 | $799 |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
Ryzen 9 3950X has 538% better value for money than i9-9990XE.
Detailed specifications
Core i9-9990XE and Ryzen 9 3950X 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 | 14 (Tetradeca-Core) | 16 (Hexadeca-Core) |
| Threads | 28 | 32 |
| Base clock speed | 4 GHz | 3.5 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 4 GHz | 4.7 GHz |
| Bus type | DMI 3.0 | no data |
| Bus rate | 4 × 8 GT/s | no data |
| Multiplier | 40 | no data |
| L1 cache | 896 KB | 1 MB |
| L2 cache | 14 MB | 8 MB |
| L3 cache | 19.25 MB (shared) | 64 MB |
| Chip lithography | 14 nm | 7 nm, 12 nm |
| Die size | no data | 2 x 72 mm + 125 mm (IO-Die) mm2 |
| Number of transistors | no data | 19,200 million |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | - | + |
| Unlocked multiplier | + | + |
Compatibility
Information on Core i9-9990XE and Ryzen 9 3950X 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 (Uniprocessor) |
| Socket | 2066 | AM4 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 255 Watt | 105 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i9-9990XE and Ryzen 9 3950X. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| Instruction set extensions | no data | 86x MMX(+), SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSSE3, SSE4.1, SSE4.2, SSE4A,-64, AMD-V, AES, AVX, AVX2, FMA3, SHA, Precision Boost 2 |
| AES-NI | + | + |
| AVX | + | + |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | + | no data |
| TSX | + | - |
| Precision Boost 2 | no data | + |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i9-9990XE and Ryzen 9 3950X 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 i9-9990XE and Ryzen 9 3950X. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | DDR4 Quad-channel | DDR4 Dual-channel |
| Maximum memory size | 128 GB | 128 GB |
| Max memory channels | 4 | no data |
| Maximum memory bandwidth | 85.33 GB/s | 51.196 GB/s |
| ECC memory support | - | + |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card | N/A | - |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i9-9990XE and Ryzen 9 3950X.
| PCIe version | 3.0 | no data |
| 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.
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.
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 18.99 | 24.37 |
| Recency | 3 January 2019 | 11 June 2019 |
| Physical cores | 14 | 16 |
| Threads | 28 | 32 |
| Chip lithography | 14 nm | 7 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 255 Watt | 105 Watt |
Ryzen 9 3950X has a 28.3% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 5 months, 14.3% more physical cores and 14.3% more threads, a 100% more advanced lithography process, and 142.9% lower power consumption.
The Ryzen 9 3950X is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i9-9990XE in performance tests.
Be aware that Core i9-9990XE is a server/workstation processor while Ryzen 9 3950X is a desktop one.
Should you still have questions on choice between Core i9-9990XE and Ryzen 9 3950X, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
Similar processor comparisons
We picked several similar comparisons of processors in the same market segment and performance relatively close to those reviewed on this page.
