PassMark CPU Mark evaluates processor speed through complex mathematical computations. It provides a reliable metric to compare multi-core performance, where higher scores indicate faster processing for multitasking, gaming, and heavy workloads.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, productivity performance, platform differences, power efficiency, pricing context, and upgrade path so you can see which CPU actually makes more sense.

Core i9-7920X

2017

Why buy it

✅+0.3% higher PassMark.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 7 3800XT across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Smaller total L3 cache (17 MB vs 32 MB).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 19.6 vs 58.7 PassMark/$ ($1,199 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).
❌33.3% higher power demand at 140W vs 105W.

Ryzen 7 3800XT

2020

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +15.4% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+93.9% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 17 MB).
✅Costs $800 less on MSRP ($399 MSRP vs $1,199 MSRP).
✅Delivers 199.6% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 58.7 vs 19.6 PassMark/$ ($399 MSRP vs $1,199 MSRP).
✅Draws 105W instead of 140W, a 35W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (23,441 vs 23,508).

Core i9-7920X

2017

Ryzen 7 3800XT

2020

Why buy it

✅+0.3% higher PassMark.

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +15.4% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+93.9% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 17 MB).
✅Costs $800 less on MSRP ($399 MSRP vs $1,199 MSRP).
✅Delivers 199.6% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 58.7 vs 19.6 PassMark/$ ($399 MSRP vs $1,199 MSRP).
✅Draws 105W instead of 140W, a 35W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 7 3800XT across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Smaller total L3 cache (17 MB vs 32 MB).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 19.6 vs 58.7 PassMark/$ ($1,199 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).
❌33.3% higher power demand at 140W vs 105W.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (23,441 vs 23,508).

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 7 3800XT better than Core i9-7920X?

It depends on what matters more to you. For gaming, Ryzen 7 3800XT is ahead with a 15.4% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Core i9-7920X pulls ahead with 0.3% better PassMark. Ryzen 7 3800XT also has the bigger cache pool with 93.9% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 17 MB).

Which one is better for streaming, content creation, and heavy multitasking?

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Core i9-7920X is the better fit. You are getting 0.3% better PassMark, backed by 12 cores and 24 threads.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper CPU?

Ryzen 7 3800XT is the smarter buy today. Ryzen 7 3800XT is $800 cheaper on MSRP at $399 MSRP versus $1,199 MSRP, and it gives you a 15.4% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. The trade-off is that Core i9-7920X is still stronger for heavier multi-core work with 0.3% better PassMark. It is also 199.6% better value on MSRP (58.7 vs 19.6 PassMark/$), so the better CPU is not just faster, it is also the cleaner value play on paper.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

Ryzen 7 3800XT is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2020 vs 2017) and 93.9% larger total L3 cache (32 MB vs 17 MB). That makes it the safer long-term pick.

Games Benchmarks

Paired with RTX 4090

To accurately isolate CPU performance, all benchmarks below use an NVIDIA RTX 4090 as the reference GPU. This eliminates GPU-side bottlenecks and highlights pure processing throughput differences between the CPUs.

Note: Real-world results may vary based on your actual GPU. CPU performance impact is more visible in processing-intensive titles and high-refresh-rate gaming scenarios.

Core i9-7920X Benchmark Check

Ryzen 7 3800XT Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i9-7920X	Ryzen 7 3800XT
1080p
low	163 FPS	172 FPS
medium	142 FPS	145 FPS
high	113 FPS	129 FPS
ultra	96 FPS	106 FPS
1440p
low	140 FPS	147 FPS
medium	119 FPS	119 FPS
high	94 FPS	100 FPS
ultra	79 FPS	82 FPS
4K
low	76 FPS	82 FPS
medium	70 FPS	72 FPS
high	55 FPS	58 FPS
ultra	43 FPS	45 FPS

Open Core i9-7920X Open Ryzen 7 3800XT

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i9-7920X	Ryzen 7 3800XT
1080p
low	352 FPS	586 FPS
medium	300 FPS	502 FPS
high	274 FPS	387 FPS
ultra	243 FPS	341 FPS
1440p
low	315 FPS	507 FPS
medium	274 FPS	439 FPS
high	249 FPS	353 FPS
ultra	215 FPS	296 FPS
4K
low	227 FPS	315 FPS
medium	201 FPS	275 FPS
high	191 FPS	240 FPS
ultra	162 FPS	207 FPS

Open Core i9-7920X Open Ryzen 7 3800XT

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i9-7920X	Ryzen 7 3800XT
1080p
low	560 FPS	586 FPS
medium	468 FPS	586 FPS
high	420 FPS	554 FPS
ultra	366 FPS	459 FPS
1440p
low	507 FPS	586 FPS
medium	431 FPS	562 FPS
high	385 FPS	485 FPS
ultra	334 FPS	405 FPS
4K
low	390 FPS	504 FPS
medium	322 FPS	414 FPS
high	284 FPS	367 FPS
ultra	231 FPS	301 FPS

Open Core i9-7920X Open Ryzen 7 3800XT

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i9-7920X	Ryzen 7 3800XT
1080p
low	588 FPS	586 FPS
medium	588 FPS	586 FPS
high	588 FPS	586 FPS
ultra	588 FPS	586 FPS
1440p
low	588 FPS	586 FPS
medium	588 FPS	586 FPS
high	579 FPS	586 FPS
ultra	502 FPS	547 FPS
4K
low	531 FPS	570 FPS
medium	480 FPS	510 FPS
high	424 FPS	460 FPS
ultra	366 FPS	398 FPS

Open Core i9-7920X Open Ryzen 7 3800XT

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i9-7920X and Ryzen 7 3800XT

Core i9-7920X

The Core i9-7920X is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 10 September 2017 (8 years ago). It is based on the Skylake (server) (2017−2018) architecture. It features 12 cores and 24 threads. Base frequency is 2.9 GHz, with boost up to 4.4 GHz. L3 cache: 16.5 MB (total). L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA2066. Thermal design power (TDP): 140 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2666. Passmark benchmark score: 23,508 points. Launch price was $1,199.

Ryzen 7 3800XT

The Ryzen 7 3800XT is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 7 July 2020 (5 years ago). It is based on the Matisse (Zen 2) (2019−2020) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 3.8 GHz, with boost up to 4.7 GHz. L3 cache: 32 MB. L2 cache: 512K (per core). Built on 7 nm, 12 nm process technology. Socket: AM4. Thermal design power (TDP): 105 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 23,441 points. Launch price was $399.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core i9-7920X packs 12 cores / 24 threads, while the Ryzen 7 3800XT offers 8 cores / 16 threads — the Core i9-7920X has 4 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.4 GHz on the Core i9-7920X versus 4.7 GHz on the Ryzen 7 3800XT — a 6.6% clock advantage for the Ryzen 7 3800XT (base: 2.9 GHz vs 3.8 GHz). The Core i9-7920X uses the Skylake (server) (2017−2018) architecture (14 nm), while the Ryzen 7 3800XT uses Matisse (Zen 2) (2019−2020) (7 nm, 12 nm). In PassMark, the Core i9-7920X scores 23,508 against the Ryzen 7 3800XT's 23,441 — a 0.3% lead for the Core i9-7920X. L3 cache: 16.5 MB (total) on the Core i9-7920X vs 32 MB on the Ryzen 7 3800XT.

Feature	Core i9-7920X	Ryzen 7 3800XT
Cores / Threads	12 / 24+50%	8 / 16
Boost Clock	4.4 GHz	4.7 GHz+7%
Base Clock	2.9 GHz	3.8 GHz+31%
L3 Cache	16.5 MB (total)	32 MB+94%
L2 Cache	1 MB (per core)+100%	512K (per core)
Process	14 nm	7 nm, 12 nm-50%
Architecture	Skylake (server) (2017−2018)	Matisse (Zen 2) (2019−2020)
PassMark	23,508	23,441

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i9-7920X uses the LGA2066 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Ryzen 7 3800XT uses AM4 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Core i9-7920X	Ryzen 7 3800XT
Socket	LGA2066	AM4
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 4.0+33%
Max RAM Speed	—	DDR4-3200
Max RAM Capacity	—	128 GB
RAM Channels	—	2
ECC Support	—	Yes
PCIe Lanes	—	24

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: not specified (Core i9-7920X) / AMD-V (Ryzen 7 3800XT). Primary use case: Ryzen 7 3800XT targets Desktop.

Feature	Core i9-7920X	Ryzen 7 3800XT
Integrated GPU	—	No
Unlocked	—	Yes
AVX-512	—	No
Virtualization	—	AMD-V
Target Use	—	Desktop

💰

Value Analysis

The Core i9-7920X launched at $1199 MSRP, while the Ryzen 7 3800XT debuted at $399. On MSRP ($1199 vs $399), the Ryzen 7 3800XT is $800 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Core i9-7920X delivers 19.6 pts/$ vs 58.7 pts/$ for the Ryzen 7 3800XT — making the Ryzen 7 3800XT the 99.9% better value option.