Ryzen 5 2600 vs i9-7960X

Primary details

Comparing Core i9-7960X and Ryzen 5 2600 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking	335	916
Place by popularity	not in top-100	21
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	3.28	10.17
Market segment	Desktop processor	Desktop processor
Series	Intel Core i9	AMD Ryzen 5
Power efficiency	10.42	12.09
Architecture codename	Skylake (server) (2017−2018)	Pinnacle Riege (Zen+) (2018)
Release date	1 September 2017 (7 years ago)	19 April 2018 (6 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$1,699	$199

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

Ryzen 5 2600 has 210% better value for money than i9-7960X.

Detailed specifications

Core i9-7960X and Ryzen 5 2600 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	16 (Hexadeca-Core)	6 (Hexa-Core)
Threads	32	12
Base clock speed	2.8 GHz	3.4 GHz
Boost clock speed	4.4 GHz	3.9 GHz
Bus type	DMI 3.0	no data
Bus rate	4 × 8 GT/s	4 × 8 GT/s
Multiplier	no data	34
L1 cache	64 KB (per core)	96K (per core)
L2 cache	1 MB (per core)	3 MB
L3 cache	22 MB (shared)	16 MB (shared)
Chip lithography	14 nm	12 nm
Die size	484 mm2	192 mm2
Maximum core temperature	98 °C	95 °C
Number of transistors	no data	4,800 million
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	+	+
Unlocked multiplier	+	+

Compatibility

Information on Core i9-7960X and Ryzen 5 2600 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 (Uniprocessor)	1 (Uniprocessor)
Socket	FCLGA2066	AM4
Power consumption (TDP)	165 Watt	65 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i9-7960X and Ryzen 5 2600. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2, Intel® AVX-512	MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSSE3, SSE4A, SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX, AVX2, BMI2, ABM, FMA, ADX, SMEP, SMAP, SMT, CPB, AES-NI, RDRAND, RDSEED, SHA, SME
AES-NI	+	+
FMA	-	+
AVX	+	+
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	no data
Turbo Boost Technology	2.0	no data
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	no data
TSX	+	-
Turbo Boost Max 3.0	+	no data
Precision Boost 2	no data	+

Security technologies

Core i9-7960X and Ryzen 5 2600 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

EDB

+

no data

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i9-7960X and Ryzen 5 2600 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 i9-7960X and Ryzen 5 2600. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR4-2666	DDR4
Maximum memory size	128 GB	128 GB
Max memory channels	4	2
Maximum memory bandwidth	85.33 GB/s	46.933 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 Core i9-7960X and Ryzen 5 2600.

PCIe version	3.0	3.0
PCI Express lanes	44	20

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.

---

Pros & cons summary

---

Performance score	18.16	8.30
Recency	1 September 2017	19 April 2018
Physical cores	16	6
Threads	32	12
Chip lithography	14 nm	12 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	165 Watt	65 Watt

---

Should you still have questions on choice between Core i9-7960X and Ryzen 5 2600, 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.

---