CPU Showdown

Core i9-7940XvsRyzen Threadripper 9970X

The Core i9-7940X is a 14-core workstation CPU from Intel's Skylake-X family for professionals who need solid single-threaded speed, while the Ryzen Threadripper 9970X is a 32-core beast aimed at content creators and heavy multitaskers who want massive parallel power.

Intel Core i9-7940X
14C / 28T · 165W
VS
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 9970X
32C / 64T · 350W
Intel

Core i9-7940X

Skylake (server) · 14 nm · 2017

15score
4.2/ 5
0 votes
Cores / Threads
14 / 28
TDP
165W
Boost Clock
4.4 GHz
L3 Cache
19.25 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 i9-7940X
15
Ryzen Threadripper 9970XWinner
64
Ryzen Threadripper 9970X leads by 326.7% in aggregate performance.
Where they rank overall
#3Ryzen Threadripper 7980X82
#4Ryzen Threadripper 9970X64
#5Ryzen Threadripper 7970X60
#157Ryzen 5 8600G15
#158Core i9-7940X15
#159Ryzen 5 7500X3D15
Technical Specifications

Side-by-Side Specs

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

SpecsCore i9-7940XRyzen Threadripper 9970X
Cores
Total Cores1432
Threads2864
Base Clock3.1 GHz4.0 GHz
Boost Clock4.4 GHz5.4 GHz
Cache
L2 Cache14 MB32 MB
L3 Cache19.25 MB128 MB
Platform
PCIePCIe 3.0PCIe 5.0
Power
Base TDP165W350W
General
Process14 nm4 nm
Verdict

Which should you buy?

Winner overall

The Ryzen Threadripper 9970X wins decisively with far more cores and a much higher performance rating than the Core i9-7940X.

Best value

For budget buyers, the older Core i9-7940X is the smarter pick if you find it cheaply and need basic multi-threading.

When the other wins

Choose the Core i9-7940X if you already own an LGA2066 motherboard and want a simple upgrade without replacing your platform.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Is the Core i9-7940X 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 15 out of 100), so it leads the Core i9-7940X in most workloads.

How much faster is the Ryzen Threadripper 9970X than the Core i9-7940X?

Based on our aggregated benchmark scores the Ryzen Threadripper 9970X is roughly 327% faster than the Core i9-7940X overall. The real-world gap varies by game, resolution and settings.

Which should you buy, the Core i9-7940X or the Ryzen Threadripper 9970X?

If you want the most performance, pick the Ryzen Threadripper 9970X. If the Core i9-7940X 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.