CPU Showdown

Core i3-9100vsRyzen Threadripper 9970X

The Core i3-9100 is a simple, budget-friendly quad-core chip for basic office work and light browsing, while the Ryzen Threadripper 9970X is a massive 32-core workstation processor built for heavy video rendering and 3D modeling.

Intel Core i3-9100
4C / 4T · 65W
VS
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 9970X
32C / 64T · 350W
Intel

Core i3-9100

Coffee Lake · 14 nm · 2019

4score
3.9/ 5
0 votes
Cores / Threads
4 / 4
TDP
65W
Boost Clock
4.2 GHz
L3 Cache
6 MB

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AMD

Ryzen Threadripper 9970X

Shimada Peak · 4 nm · 2025

64score
4.4/ 5
0 votes
Cores / Threads
32 / 64
TDP
350W
Boost Clock
5.4 GHz
L3 Cache
128 MB

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Aggregate Performance

Overall Performance Score

A unified score from combined synthetic and real-world benchmarks. 100 represents the fastest desktop CPU available.

Core i3-9100
4
Ryzen Threadripper 9970XWinner
64
Ryzen Threadripper 9970X leads by 1500.0% in aggregate performance.
Where they rank overall
#3Ryzen Threadripper 7980X82
#4Ryzen Threadripper 9970X64
#5Ryzen Threadripper 7970X60
#439Ryzen Embedded R25144
#440Core i3-91004
#441Ryzen 3 PRO 2200G4
Technical Specifications

Side-by-Side Specs

Every detail compared. Highlighted cells indicate the leading value for that metric.

SpecsCore i3-9100Ryzen Threadripper 9970X
Cores
Total Cores432
Threads464
Base Clock3.6 GHz4.0 GHz
Boost Clock4.2 GHz5.4 GHz
Cache
L2 Cache1 MB32 MB
L3 Cache6 MB128 MB
Platform
PCIePCIe 3.0PCIe 5.0
iGPUIntel UHD Graphics 630
Power
Base TDP65W350W
General
Process14 nm4 nm
Verdict

Which should you buy?

Winner overall

The Ryzen Threadripper 9970X wins overall by a massive margin, offering vastly more cores and speed for heavy workloads.

Best value

For budget buyers, the Core i3-9100 is the smarter pick due to its low cost and efficiency for basic tasks.

When the other wins

The Core i3-9100 is the right choice for a simple office PC where you need just enough power for web browsing and documents.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Is the Core i3-9100 better than the Ryzen Threadripper 9970X?

Overall the Ryzen Threadripper 9970X is the stronger processor: it ranks higher in our aggregate performance score (64 vs 4 out of 100), so it leads the Core i3-9100 in most workloads.

How much faster is the Ryzen Threadripper 9970X than the Core i3-9100?

Based on our aggregated benchmark scores the Ryzen Threadripper 9970X is roughly 1500% faster than the Core i3-9100 overall. The real-world gap varies by game, resolution and settings.

Which should you buy, the Core i3-9100 or the Ryzen Threadripper 9970X?

If you want the most performance, pick the Ryzen Threadripper 9970X. If the Core i3-9100 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.