CPU Showdown

Core i5-9400FvsRyzen Threadripper 7970X

The Core i5-9400F is a budget-minded 6-core chip for everyday gaming and office work, while the Ryzen Threadripper 7970X is a 32-core workstation monster built for heavy rendering and multitasking.

Intel Core i5-9400F
6C / 6T · 65W
VS
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 7970X
32C / 64T · 350W
Intel

Core i5-9400F

Coffee Lake-R · 14 nm · 2019

6score
4.9/ 5
0 votes
Cores / Threads
6 / 6
TDP
65W
Boost Clock
4.1 GHz
L3 Cache
9 MB

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AMD

Ryzen Threadripper 7970X

Storm Peak · 5 nm · 2023

60score
4/ 5
0 votes
Cores / Threads
32 / 64
TDP
350W
Boost Clock
5.3 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 i5-9400F
6
Ryzen Threadripper 7970XWinner
60
Ryzen Threadripper 7970X leads by 900.0% in aggregate performance.
Where they rank overall
#4Ryzen Threadripper 9970X64
#5Ryzen Threadripper 7970X60
#6Ryzen Threadripper 9960X56
#382Core i5-85006
#383Core i5-9400F6
#384Core i5-94006
Technical Specifications

Side-by-Side Specs

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

SpecsCore i5-9400FRyzen Threadripper 7970X
Cores
Total Cores632
Threads664
Base Clock2.9 GHz4.0 GHz
Boost Clock4.1 GHz5.3 GHz
Cache
L2 Cache1.5 MB32 MB
L3 Cache9 MB128 MB
Platform
MemoryDDR4DDR5
PCIePCIe 3.0PCIe 5.0
Power
Base TDP65W350W
General
Process14 nm5 nm
Verdict

Which should you buy?

Winner overall

The Ryzen Threadripper 7970X easily wins overall for anyone needing extreme multi-core performance, while the Core i5-9400F is only suitable for very basic tasks.

Best value

The Core i5-9400F is the smarter pick for budget buyers on a tight build, but the Threadripper 7970X offers far more processing power for the cost.

When the other wins

The Core i5-9400F is the right choice for a simple office PC where the Threadripper's high cost and power draw are wasteful.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Is the Core i5-9400F better than the Ryzen Threadripper 7970X?

Overall the Ryzen Threadripper 7970X is the stronger processor: it ranks higher in our aggregate performance score (60 vs 6 out of 100), so it leads the Core i5-9400F in most workloads.

How much faster is the Ryzen Threadripper 7970X than the Core i5-9400F?

Based on our aggregated benchmark scores the Ryzen Threadripper 7970X is roughly 900% faster than the Core i5-9400F overall. The real-world gap varies by game, resolution and settings.

Which should you buy, the Core i5-9400F or the Ryzen Threadripper 7970X?

If you want the most performance, pick the Ryzen Threadripper 7970X. If the Core i5-9400F 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.