Core i9-7980XEvsRyzen Threadripper 9970X
The Core i9-7980XE is an older 18-core workstation chip for those who needed high-end desktop power in its day, while the Ryzen Threadripper 9970X is a modern 32-core monster built for today’s heaviest creative and rendering workloads.
Core i9-7980XE
Skylake (server) · 14 nm · 2017
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Ryzen Threadripper 9970X
Shimada Peak · 4 nm · 2025
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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 9970X wins overall with far more cores, faster boost speeds, and much higher performance than the older Core i9-7980XE.
For budget or value buyers, the Core i9-7980XE is the smarter pick if found cheaply used, as it offers respectable multi-core work at a lower cost.
The Core i9-7980XE is the right choice if you need a capable workstation CPU on a tight budget and can tolerate slower performance in heavily threaded tasks.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Core i9-7980XE 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 18 out of 100), so it leads the Core i9-7980XE in most workloads.
How much faster is the Ryzen Threadripper 9970X than the Core i9-7980XE?
Based on our aggregated benchmark scores the Ryzen Threadripper 9970X is roughly 256% faster than the Core i9-7980XE overall. The real-world gap varies by game, resolution and settings.
Which should you buy, the Core i9-7980XE or the Ryzen Threadripper 9970X?
If you want the most performance, pick the Ryzen Threadripper 9970X. If the Core i9-7980XE 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.