i9-9980XE vs Ryzen Threadripper 2950X

VS

Aggregate performance score

Ryzen Threadripper 2950X
2018
16 cores / 32 threads, 180 Watt
19.23
+1.1%

Ryzen Threadripper 2950X outperforms Core i9-9980XE by a minimal 1% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing Ryzen Threadripper 2950X and Core i9-9980XE processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking313319
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation8.674.07
Market segmentDesktop processorDesktop processor
SeriesAMD Ryzen ThreadripperIntel Core i9
Power efficiency9.7410.52
Architecture codenameZEN+ (2018−2019)Skylake (server) (2017−2019)
Release date6 August 2018 (6 years ago)19 October 2018 (6 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$899$1,979

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

Ryzen Threadripper 2950X has 113% better value for money than i9-9980XE.

Detailed specifications

Ryzen Threadripper 2950X and Core i9-9980XE basic parameters such as number of cores, number of threads, base frequency and turbo boost clock, lithography, cache size and multiplier lock state. These parameters indirectly say of CPU speed, though for more precise assessment you have to consider their test results.

Physical cores16 (Hexadeca-Core)18 (Octadeca-Core)
Threads3236
Base clock speed3.5 GHz3 GHz
Boost clock speed4.4 GHz4.5 GHz
Bus typeno dataDMI 3.0
Bus rate4 × 8 GT/s4 × 8 GT/s
Multiplier3530
L1 cache1.5 MB64 KB (per core)
L2 cache8 MB1 MB (per core)
L3 cache32 MB24.75 MB (shared)
Chip lithography12 nm14 nm
Die size213 mm2484 mm2
Maximum core temperatureno data84 °C
Number of transistors9600 Millionno data
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility++
Unlocked multiplier++

Compatibility

Information on Ryzen Threadripper 2950X and Core i9-9980XE compatibility with other computer components: motherboard (look for socket type), power supply unit (look for power consumption) etc. Useful when planning a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. Note that power consumption of some processors can well exceed their nominal TDP, even without overclocking. Some can even double their declared thermals given that the motherboard allows to tune the CPU power parameters.

Number of CPUs in a configuration1 (Uniprocessor)1 (Uniprocessor)
SocketSocket TR4FCLGA2066
Power consumption (TDP)180 Watt165 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Ryzen Threadripper 2950X and Core i9-9980XE. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensionsno dataIntel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2, Intel® AVX-512
AES-NI++
AVX++
vProno data+
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)no data+
Turbo Boost Technologyno data2.0
Hyper-Threading Technologyno data+
TSX-+
Turbo Boost Max 3.0no data+
Precision Boost 2+no data

Security technologies

Ryzen Threadripper 2950X and Core i9-9980XE technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

EDBno data+

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Ryzen Threadripper 2950X and Core i9-9980XE are enumerated here.

AMD-V++
VT-dno data+
VT-xno data+

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Ryzen Threadripper 2950X and Core i9-9980XE. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR4 Quad-channelDDR4
Maximum memory size2 TiB128 GB
Max memory channels44
Maximum memory bandwidth93.867 GB/s85.33 GB/s
ECC memory support+-

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card-N/A

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Ryzen Threadripper 2950X and Core i9-9980XE.

PCIe versionno data3.0
PCI Express lanesno data44

Synthetic benchmark performance

Various benchmark results of the processors in comparison. Overall score is measured in points in 0-100 range, higher is better.


Combined synthetic benchmark score

This is our combined benchmark performance rating. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly.

Ryzen Threadripper 2950X 19.23
+1.1%
i9-9980XE 19.03

Passmark

Passmark CPU Mark is a widespread benchmark, consisting of 8 different types of workload, including integer and floating point math, extended instructions, compression, encryption and physics calculation. There is also one separate single-threaded scenario measuring single-core performance.

Ryzen Threadripper 2950X 29430
+1%
i9-9980XE 29127

GeekBench 5 Single-Core

GeekBench 5 Single-Core is a cross-platform application developed in the form of CPU tests that independently recreate certain real-world tasks with which to accurately measure performance. This version uses only a single CPU core.

Ryzen Threadripper 2950X 1259
i9-9980XE 1438
+14.2%

GeekBench 5 Multi-Core

GeekBench 5 Multi-Core is a cross-platform application developed in the form of CPU tests that independently recreate certain real-world tasks with which to accurately measure performance. This version uses all available CPU cores.

Ryzen Threadripper 2950X 8501
i9-9980XE 11452
+34.7%

wPrime 32

wPrime 32M is a math multi-thread processor test, which calculates square roots of first 32 million integer numbers. Its result is measured in seconds, so that the less is benchmark result, the faster the processor.

Ryzen Threadripper 2950X 4.19
i9-9980XE 2.74
+52.9%

Cinebench 11.5 64-bit multi-core

Cinebench Release 11.5 Multi Core is a variant of Cinebench R11.5 which uses all the processor threads. A maximum of 64 threads is supported in this version.

Ryzen Threadripper 2950X 27
i9-9980XE 39
+42.5%

Cinebench 15 64-bit multi-core

Cinebench Release 15 Multi Core is a variant of Cinebench R15 which uses all the processor threads.

Ryzen Threadripper 2950X 3110
i9-9980XE 3736
+20.1%

Cinebench 15 64-bit single-core

Cinebench R15 (standing for Release 15) is a benchmark made by Maxon, authors of Cinema 4D. It was superseded by later versions of Cinebench, which use more modern variants of Cinema 4D engine. The Single Core version (sometimes called Single-Thread) only uses a single processor thread to render a room full of reflective spheres and light sources.

Ryzen Threadripper 2950X 176
i9-9980XE 198
+12.2%

Cinebench 11.5 64-bit single-core

Cinebench R11.5 is an old benchmark by Maxon, authors of Cinema 4D. It was superseded by later versions of Cinebench, which use more modern variants of Cinema 4D engine. The Single Core version loads a single thread with ray tracing to render a glossy room full of crystal spheres and light sources.

Ryzen Threadripper 2950X 1.9
i9-9980XE 2.22
+16.8%

TrueCrypt AES

TrueCrypt is a discontinued piece of software that was widely used for on-the-fly-encryption of disk partitions, now superseded by VeraCrypt. It contains several embedded performance tests, one of them being TrueCrypt AES, which measures data encryption speed using AES algorithm. Result is encryption speed in gigabytes per second.

Ryzen Threadripper 2950X 19.5
+7.7%
i9-9980XE 18.1

x264 encoding pass 2

x264 Pass 2 is a slower variant of x264 video compression that produces a variable bit rate output file, which results in better quality since the higher bit rate is used when it is needed more. Benchmark result is still measured in frames per second.  

Ryzen Threadripper 2950X 145
i9-9980XE 156
+7.7%

x264 encoding pass 1

x264 version 4.0 is a video encoding benchmark uses MPEG 4 x264 compression method to compress a sample HD (720p) video. Pass 1 is a faster variant that produces a constant bit rate output file. Its result is measured in frames per second, which means how many frames of the source video file were encoded per second.  

Ryzen Threadripper 2950X 202
i9-9980XE 207
+2.1%

WinRAR 4.0

WinRAR 4.0 is an outdated version of a popular file archiver. It contains an internal speed test, using 'Best' setting of RAR compression on large chunks of randomly generated data. Its results are measured in kilobytes per second.

Ryzen Threadripper 2950X 4548
i9-9980XE 6879
+51.3%

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 19.23 19.03
Recency 6 August 2018 19 October 2018
Physical cores 16 18
Threads 32 36
Chip lithography 12 nm 14 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 180 Watt 165 Watt

Ryzen Threadripper 2950X has a 1.1% higher aggregate performance score, and a 16.7% more advanced lithography process.

i9-9980XE, on the other hand, has an age advantage of 2 months, 12.5% more physical cores and 12.5% more threads, and 9.1% lower power consumption.

Given the minimal performance differences, no clear winner can be declared between Ryzen Threadripper 2950X and Core i9-9980XE.


Should you still have questions on choice between Ryzen Threadripper 2950X and Core i9-9980XE, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X
Ryzen Threadripper 2950X
Intel Core i9-9980XE
Core i9-9980XE

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