Ryzen 9 7940HS vs i7-3960X Extreme Edition

Aggregate performance score

Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition
2011
6 cores / 12 threads, 130 Watt
5.80
Ryzen 9 7940HS
2023
8 cores / 16 threads, 35 Watt
19.85
+242%

Ryzen 9 7940HS outperforms Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition by a whopping 242% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition and Ryzen 9 7940HS processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking1139299
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Market segmentDesktop processorLaptop
SeriesIntel Core i7EEno data
Power efficiency4.0751.72
Architecture codenameSandy Bridge (2011−2013)Phoenix-HS (Zen 4) (2023)
Release date14 November 2011 (12 years ago)January 2023 (1 year ago)

Detailed specifications

Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition and Ryzen 9 7940HS 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 cores6 (Hexa-Core)8 (Octa-Core)
Threads1216
Base clock speedno data4 GHz
Boost clock speed3.3 GHz5.2 GHz
Bus typeDMI 2.0no data
Bus rate5 GT/sno data
Multiplier33no data
L1 cacheno data64K (per core)
L2 cache1,536 KB1 MB (per core)
L3 cache15 MB16 MB (shared)
Chip lithography32 nm4 nm
Die size434.72 mm2178 mm2
Maximum core temperatureno data100 °C
Number of transistors2270 Million25,000 million
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility-+

Compatibility

Information on Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition and Ryzen 9 7940HS 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
Socketno dataFP8
Power consumption (TDP)130 Watt35 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition and Ryzen 9 7940HS. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensionsno dataRyzen AI, MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSSE3, SSE4A, SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX, AVX2, AVX-512, BMI2, ABM, FMA, ADX, SMEP, SMAP, SMT, CPB, AES-NI, RDRAND, RDSEED, SHA, SME
AES-NI++
FMA-+
AVX++
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)+no data
Precision Boost 2no data+

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition and Ryzen 9 7940HS are enumerated here.

AMD-V-+

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition and Ryzen 9 7940HS. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesno dataDDR5
Maximum memory size64 GBno data

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics cardno dataAMD Radeon 780M

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition and Ryzen 9 7940HS.

PCIe version2.004.0
PCI Express lanes4020

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 5.80 19.85
Physical cores 6 8
Threads 12 16
Chip lithography 32 nm 4 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 130 Watt 35 Watt

Ryzen 9 7940HS has a 242.2% higher aggregate performance score, 33.3% more physical cores and 33.3% more threads, a 700% more advanced lithography process, and 271.4% lower power consumption.

The Ryzen 9 7940HS is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition in performance tests.

Note that Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition is a desktop processor while Ryzen 9 7940HS is a notebook one.


Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition and Ryzen 9 7940HS, 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 i7-3960X Extreme Edition
Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition
AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS
Ryzen 9 7940HS

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.


3.8 39 votes

Rate Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition on a scale of 1 to 5:

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
4.4 985 votes

Rate Ryzen 9 7940HS on a scale of 1 to 5:

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5

Questions & comments

Here you can ask a question about Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition or Ryzen 9 7940HS, agree or disagree with our judgements, or report an error or mismatch.