Athlon X4 970vsRyzen Threadripper 7980X
The Athlon X4 970 is a basic quad-core chip for budget office PCs, while the Ryzen Threadripper 7980X is a 64-core monster for extreme workstation tasks.
Athlon X4 970
Bristol Ridge · 28 nm · 2017
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Ryzen Threadripper 7980X
Storm Peak · 5 nm · 2023
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Overall Performance Score
A unified score from combined synthetic and real-world benchmarks. 100 represents the fastest desktop CPU available.
Side-by-Side Specs
Every detail compared. Highlighted cells indicate the leading value for that metric.
Which should you buy?
The Ryzen Threadripper 7980X is the clear winner overall, offering vastly more processing power for demanding workloads.
For budget buyers, the Athlon X4 970 is the smarter pick, costing far less for basic tasks.
The Athlon X4 970 is the right choice for a simple office PC where extreme performance isn't needed.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Athlon X4 970 better than the Ryzen Threadripper 7980X?
Overall the Ryzen Threadripper 7980X is the stronger processor: it ranks higher in our aggregate performance score (82 vs 2 out of 100), so it leads the Athlon X4 970 in most workloads.
How much faster is the Ryzen Threadripper 7980X than the Athlon X4 970?
Based on our aggregated benchmark scores the Ryzen Threadripper 7980X is roughly 4000% faster than the Athlon X4 970 overall. The real-world gap varies by game, resolution and settings.
Which should you buy, the Athlon X4 970 or the Ryzen Threadripper 7980X?
If you want the most performance, pick the Ryzen Threadripper 7980X. If the Athlon X4 970 is meaningfully cheaper where you shop, it can be the better value for similar real-world results — check current prices and the full spec comparison above before deciding.