Ryzen 5 3600 vs Core i7-3960X
Aggregated performance score
Ryzen 5 3600 outperforms Core i7-3960X by 112% based on our aggregated benchmark results.
Primary details
Comparing Core i7-3960X and Ryzen 5 3600 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in performance ranking | 1073 | 613 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | 12 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | 1.31 | 41.13 |
| Market segment | Desktop processor | Desktop processor |
| Series | Core i7 (Desktop) | AMD Ryzen 5 |
| Architecture codename | Sandy Bridge-E (2011−2013) | Matisse (2019−2020) |
| Release date | 14 November 2011 (12 years ago) | 7 July 2019 (4 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $861 | $199 |
| Current price | $301 (0.3x MSRP) | $148 (0.7x MSRP) |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
Ryzen 5 3600 has 3040% better value for money than i7-3960X.
Detailed specifications
Core i7-3960X and Ryzen 5 3600 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 cores | 6 (Hexa-Core) | 6 (Hexa-Core) |
| Threads | 12 | 12 |
| Base clock speed | 3.3 GHz | 3.6 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 3.9 GHz | 4.2 GHz |
| L1 cache | 64 KB (per core) | 96K (per core) |
| L2 cache | 256 KB (per core) | 512K (per core) |
| L3 cache | 15 MB (shared) | 32 MB (shared) |
| Chip lithography | 32 nm | 7 nm, 12 nm |
| Die size | 435 mm2 | no data |
| Maximum core temperature | 67 °C | no data |
| Maximum case temperature (TCase) | 67 °C | no data |
| Number of transistors | 2,270 million | 4,800 million |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | - | + |
| Unlocked multiplier | Yes | Yes |
Compatibility
Information on Core i7-3960X and Ryzen 5 3600 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 configuration | 1 | 1 (Uniprocessor) |
| Socket | FCLGA2011 | AM4 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 130 Watt | 65 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-3960X and Ryzen 5 3600. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| Instruction set extensions | Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX | no data |
| AES-NI | + | + |
| AVX | + | + |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | + | no data |
| Turbo Boost Technology | 2.0 | no data |
| Hyper-Threading Technology | + | no data |
| Idle States | + | no data |
| Thermal Monitoring | + | no data |
| Smart Response | + | no data |
| Demand Based Switching | - | no data |
| Status | Discontinued | no data |
Security technologies
Core i7-3960X and Ryzen 5 3600 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.
| TXT | - | no data |
| EDB | + | no data |
| Identity Protection | + | no data |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i7-3960X and Ryzen 5 3600 are enumerated here.
| AMD-V | no data | + |
| 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 Ryzen 5 3600. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | DDR3 | DDR4 Dual-channel |
| Maximum memory size | 64 GB | 128 GB |
| Max memory channels | 4 | 2 |
| Maximum memory bandwidth | 51.2 GB/s | 51.196 GB/s |
| ECC memory support | - | - |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-3960X and Ryzen 5 3600.
| PCIe version | 2.0 | no data |
| PCI Express lanes | 40 | no 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.
Ryzen 5 3600 outperforms Core i7-3960X by 112% based on our aggregated benchmark results.
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.
Benchmark coverage: 68%
Ryzen 5 3600 outperforms Core i7-3960X by 111% in Passmark.
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.
Benchmark coverage: 42%
Ryzen 5 3600 outperforms Core i7-3960X by 132% in GeekBench 5 Single-Core.
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.
Benchmark coverage: 42%
Ryzen 5 3600 outperforms Core i7-3960X by 105% in GeekBench 5 Multi-Core.
Cinebench 15 64-bit multi-core
Cinebench Release 15 Multi Core is a variant of Cinebench R15 which uses all the processor threads.
Benchmark coverage: 15%
Ryzen 5 3600 outperforms Core i7-3960X by 35% in Cinebench 15 64-bit multi-core.
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.
Benchmark coverage: 15%
Ryzen 5 3600 outperforms Core i7-3960X by 21% in Cinebench 15 64-bit single-core.
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 5.43 | 11.49 |
| Recency | 14 November 2011 | 7 July 2019 |
| Cost | $861 | $199 |
| Chip lithography | 32 nm | 7 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 130 Watt | 65 Watt |
The Ryzen 5 3600 is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i7-3960X in performance tests.
Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-3960X and Ryzen 5 3600, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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