Ryzen 9 3900X vs Core 2 Duo E8400

VS

Aggregate performance score

Core 2 Duo E8400
2008
2 cores / 2 threads, 65 Watt
0.73
Ryzen 9 3900X
2019
12 cores / 24 threads, 125 Watt
20.53
+2712%

Ryzen 9 3900X outperforms Core 2 Duo E8400 by a whopping 2712% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing Core 2 Duo E8400 and Ryzen 9 3900X processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking2671269
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluationno data20.84
Market segmentDesktop processorDesktop processor
Seriesno dataAMD Ryzen 9
Power efficiency1.0615.54
Architecture codenameWolfdale (2008−2010)Matisse (Zen 2) (2019−2020)
Release date1 January 2008 (16 years ago)7 July 2019 (5 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)no data$499

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

no data

Detailed specifications

Core 2 Duo E8400 and Ryzen 9 3900X 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 cores2 (Dual-core)12 (Dodeca-Core)
Threads224
Base clock speed3 GHz3.8 GHz
Boost clock speed3 GHz4.6 GHz
Bus rate1333 MHzno data
L1 cache64 KB (per core)96K (per core)
L2 cache6 MB (shared)512K (per core)
L3 cache0 KB64 MB
Chip lithography45 nm7 nm, 12 nm
Die size104 mm2no data
Maximum core temperatureno data95 °C
Maximum case temperature (TCase)72 °Cno data
Number of transistors410 million19,200 million
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility-+
Unlocked multiplier-+
VID voltage range0.85V-1.3625Vno data

Compatibility

Information on Core 2 Duo E8400 and Ryzen 9 3900X 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 configuration11 (Uniprocessor)
SocketLGA775AM4
Power consumption (TDP)65 Watt125 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core 2 Duo E8400 and Ryzen 9 3900X. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

AES-NI-+
AVX-+
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)+no data
Turbo Boost Technology-no data
Hyper-Threading Technology-no data
Idle States+no data
Thermal Monitoring+-
Demand Based Switching-no data
FSB parity-no data
Precision Boost 2no data+

Security technologies

Core 2 Duo E8400 and Ryzen 9 3900X technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT+no data
EDB+no data

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core 2 Duo E8400 and Ryzen 9 3900X are enumerated here.

AMD-V-+
VT-d+no data
VT-x+no data

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core 2 Duo E8400 and Ryzen 9 3900X. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR1, DDR2, DDR3DDR4 Dual-channel
Maximum memory sizeno data128 GB
Max memory channelsno data2
Maximum memory bandwidthno data51.196 GB/s

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics cardOn certain motherboards (Chipset feature)-

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core 2 Duo E8400 and Ryzen 9 3900X.

PCIe version2.0no data

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.

Core 2 Duo E8400 0.73
Ryzen 9 3900X 20.53
+2712%

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.

Core 2 Duo E8400 1165
Ryzen 9 3900X 32617
+2700%

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.

Core 2 Duo E8400 370
Ryzen 9 3900X 1710
+362%

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.

Core 2 Duo E8400 604
Ryzen 9 3900X 9947
+1547%

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 0.73 20.53
Recency 1 January 2008 7 July 2019
Physical cores 2 12
Threads 2 24
Chip lithography 45 nm 7 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 65 Watt 125 Watt

Core 2 Duo E8400 has 92.3% lower power consumption.

Ryzen 9 3900X, on the other hand, has a 2712.3% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 11 years, 500% more physical cores and 1100% more threads, and a 542.9% more advanced lithography process.

The Ryzen 9 3900X is our recommended choice as it beats the Core 2 Duo E8400 in performance tests.


Should you still have questions on choice between Core 2 Duo E8400 and Ryzen 9 3900X, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

Vote for your favorite

Do you think we are right or mistaken in our choice? Vote by clicking "Like" button near your favorite CPU.


Intel Core 2 Duo E8400
Core 2 Duo E8400
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
Ryzen 9 3900X

Similar processor comparisons

We picked several similar comparisons of processors in the same market segment and performance relatively close to those reviewed on this page.

Community ratings

Here you can see how users rate the processors, as well as rate them yourself.


3.7 2278 votes

Rate Core 2 Duo E8400 on a scale of 1 to 5:

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
4.7 5143 votes

Rate Ryzen 9 3900X on a scale of 1 to 5:

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5

Questions & comments

Here you can ask a question about Core 2 Duo E8400 or Ryzen 9 3900X, agree or disagree with our judgements, or report an error or mismatch.