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Intel Core i7-3960X

vs

AMD Ryzen 7 9700X

CPU Comparison Result

Below are the results of a comparison of Intel Core i7-3960X and AMD Ryzen 7 9700X processors based on key performance characteristics, as well as power consumption and much more.

Advantages

Intel Core i7-3960X

Newer PCI Express Version: Gen 3, 40 Lanes (CPU only) (Gen 3, 40 Lanes (CPU only) vs PCIe® 5.0)

AMD Ryzen 7 9700X

More Total Cores: 8 (6 vs 8)
Higher Max Turbo Frequency: Up to 5.5 GHz (up to 3.9 GHz vs Up to 5.5 GHz)
Larger L3 Cache: 32 MB (15 MB (shared) vs 32 MB)
Higher Technology: TSMC 4nm FinFET (32 nm vs TSMC 4nm FinFET)
Higher Memory Type: DDR5 (DDR3 vs DDR5)
Newer Launch Date: August 2024 (November 2011 vs August 2024)

Basic

Intel

Label Name

AMD

November 2011

Launch Date

August 2024

Desktop

Platform

Desktop

Core i7-3960X

Model Name

Ryzen 7 9700X

Sandy Bridge-E

Code Name

Granite Ridge AM5

Core i7 Extreme (Sandy Bridge-E)

Generation

Zen 5

OS Support

Windows 11 - 64-Bit Edition, Windows 10 - 64-Bit Edition, RHEL x86 64-Bit, Ubuntu x86 64-Bit

CPU Specifications

Total Cores

Cores is a hardware term that describes the number of independent central processing units in a single computing component (die or chip).

Total Threads

3.3 GHz

Basic Frequency

3.8 GHz

up to 3.9 GHz

Max Turbo Frequency

Up to 5.5 GHz

64 KB (per core)

L1 Cache

640 KB

256 KB (per core)

L2 Cache

8 MB

15 MB (shared)

L3 Cache

32 MB

100 MHz

Bus Frequency

Intel Socket 2011

CPU Socket

The socket is the component that provides the mechanical and electrical connections between the processor and motherboard.

AM5

33.0x

Multiplier

Yes

Multiplier Unlocked

Unlocked for Overclocking

Yes

32 nm

Technology

Lithography refers to the semiconductor technology used to manufacture an integrated circuit, and is reported in nanometer (nm), indicative of the size of features built on the semiconductor.

TSMC 4nm FinFET

130 W

TDP

65W

Max. Operating Temperature

Junction Temperature is the maximum temperature allowed at the processor die.

95°C

Gen 3, 40 Lanes (CPU only)

PCI Express Version

PCI Express Revision is the supported version of the PCI Express standard. Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (or PCIe) is a high-speed serial computer expansion bus standard for attaching hardware devices to a computer. The different PCI Express versions support different data rates.

PCIe® 5.0

Instruction Set

An instruction set architecture (ISA) defines the instructions a processor can execute. Common architectures include x86-64, ARM and RISC-V. The ISA determines software compatibility, while optional instruction extensions add specialized capabilities.

x86-64

2,270 million

Transistor Count

Memory Specifications

DDR3

Memory Type

DDR5

Max Memory Size

Max memory size refers to the maximum memory capacity supported by the processor.

256 GB

Quad-channel

Memory Channels

The number of memory channels refers to the bandwidth operation for real world application.

Maximum Memory Speed

2x1R DDR5-5600, 2x2R DDR5-5600, 4x1R DDR5-3600, 4x2R DDR5-3600

ECC Memory Support

ECC Memory Supported indicates processor support for Error-Correcting Code memory. ECC memory is a type of system memory that can detect and correct common kinds of internal data corruption. Note that ECC memory support requires both processor and chipset support.

Yes (Requires mobo support)

GPU Specifications

Integrated Graphics Model

An integrated GPU refers to the graphics core that is integrated into the CPU processor. Leveraging the processor's powerful computational capabilities and intelligent power efficiency management, it delivers outstanding graphics performance and a smooth application experience at a lower power consumption.

AMD Radeon™ Graphics

Graphics Core Count

Graphics Frequency

2200 MHz