FX-8350 vs i7-3960X

VS

Aggregate performance score

Core i7-3960X
2011
6 cores / 12 threads, 130 Watt
5.33
+42.5%
FX-8350
2012
8 cores / 8 threads, 125 Watt
3.74

Core i7-3960X outperforms FX-8350 by a considerable 43% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing Core i7-3960X and FX-8350 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking11821486
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation0.420.89
Market segmentDesktop processorDesktop processor
SeriesCore i7 (Desktop)AMD FX-Series (Desktop)
Power efficiency3.882.83
Architecture codenameSandy Bridge-E (2011−2013)Vishera (2012−2015)
Release date14 November 2011 (13 years ago)23 October 2012 (12 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$861$199

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

FX-8350 has 112% better value for money than i7-3960X.

Detailed specifications

Core i7-3960X and FX-8350 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)
Threads128
Base clock speed3.3 GHz4 GHz
Boost clock speed3.9 GHz4.2 GHz
Bus rate5 GT/sno data
L1 cache64 KB (per core)no data
L2 cache256 KB (per core)8192 KB
L3 cache15 MB (shared)no data
Chip lithography32 nm32 nm
Die size435 mm2315 mm2
Maximum core temperatureno data61 °C
Maximum case temperature (TCase)67 °Cno data
Number of transistors2,270 million1,200 million
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility--
Unlocked multiplier++
P0 Vcore voltageno dataMin: 1.2 V - Max: 1.4 V

Compatibility

Information on Core i7-3960X and FX-8350 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
SocketFCLGA2011AM3+
Power consumption (TDP)130 Watt125 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-3960X and FX-8350. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensionsIntel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVXMMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSSE3, SSE4.1, SSE4.2, SSE4a, AMD64, AMD-V, AES, AVX, CLMUL, CVT16, EVP, FMA4, XOP, Turbo Core, HT3.1
AES-NI++
FMA-+
AVX++
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)+no data
Turbo Boost Technology2.0no data
Hyper-Threading Technology+no data
Idle States+no data
Thermal Monitoring+-
Smart Response+no data
Demand Based Switching-no data

Security technologies

Core i7-3960X and FX-8350 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT-no data
EDB+no data
Identity Protection+-

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i7-3960X and FX-8350 are enumerated here.

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

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i7-3960X and FX-8350. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR3DDR3
Maximum memory size64 GBno data
Max memory channels4no data
Maximum memory bandwidth51.2 GB/sno data

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics cardno dataOn certain motherboards (Chipset feature)

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-3960X and FX-8350.

PCIe version2.0n/a
PCI Express lanes40no 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.

i7-3960X 5.33
+42.5%
FX-8350 3.74

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.

i7-3960X 8460
+42.5%
FX-8350 5936

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.

i7-3960X 661
+35.7%
FX-8350 487

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.

i7-3960X 3210
+61.9%
FX-8350 1983

Cinebench 10 32-bit single-core

Cinebench R10 is an ancient ray tracing benchmark for processors by Maxon, authors of Cinema 4D. Its single core version uses just one CPU thread to render a futuristic looking motorcycle.

i7-3960X 5014
+56.6%
FX-8350 3201

Cinebench 10 32-bit multi-core

Cinebench Release 10 Multi Core is a variant of Cinebench R10 using all the processor threads. Possible number of threads is limited by 16 in this version.

i7-3960X 27190
+60.8%
FX-8350 16904

3DMark06 CPU

3DMark06 is a discontinued DirectX 9 benchmark suite from Futuremark. Its CPU part contains two scenarios, one dedicated to artificial intelligence pathfinding, another to game physics using PhysX package.

i7-3960X 8330
+25.3%
FX-8350 6648

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.

i7-3960X 5.12
+62.9%
FX-8350 8.34

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.

i7-3960X 11
+52.7%
FX-8350 7

Cinebench 15 64-bit multi-core

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

i7-3960X 1158
+82.1%
FX-8350 636

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.

i7-3960X 159
+63.9%
FX-8350 97

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.

i7-3960X 1.52
+38.2%
FX-8350 1.1

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.

i7-3960X 5.2
+44.4%
FX-8350 3.6

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.

i7-3960X 4205
FX-8350 4562
+8.5%

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.  

i7-3960X 55
+26%
FX-8350 44

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.  

i7-3960X 173
+24.7%
FX-8350 139

3DMark Fire Strike Physics

i7-3960X 12460
+68.8%
FX-8350 7380

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 5.33 3.74
Recency 14 November 2011 23 October 2012
Physical cores 6 8
Threads 12 8
Power consumption (TDP) 130 Watt 125 Watt

i7-3960X has a 42.5% higher aggregate performance score, and 50% more threads.

FX-8350, on the other hand, has an age advantage of 11 months, 33.3% more physical cores, and 4% lower power consumption.

The Core i7-3960X is our recommended choice as it beats the FX-8350 in performance tests.


Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-3960X and FX-8350, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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Intel Core i7-3960X
Core i7-3960X
AMD FX-8350
FX-8350

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Community ratings

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