Core i9-7920X vs Ryzen 9 5980HX

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

✅+0.9% higher PassMark.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 9 5980HX across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Launch MSRP is still $1,199 MSRP, while Ryzen 9 5980HX mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌211.1% higher power demand at 140W vs 45W.
❌No integrated graphics, while Ryzen 9 5980HX can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Ryzen 9 5980HX

2021

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +15.8% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Draws 45W instead of 140W, a 95W reduction.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (16 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with Radeon Graphics (8CU), while Core i9-7920X needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (23,300 vs 23,508).

Core i9-7920X

2017

Ryzen 9 5980HX

2021

Why buy it

✅+0.9% higher PassMark.

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +15.8% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Draws 45W instead of 140W, a 95W reduction.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (16 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with Radeon Graphics (8CU), while Core i9-7920X needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 9 5980HX across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Launch MSRP is still $1,199 MSRP, while Ryzen 9 5980HX mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌211.1% higher power demand at 140W vs 45W.
❌No integrated graphics, while Ryzen 9 5980HX can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (23,300 vs 23,508).

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 9 5980HX better than Core i9-7920X?

It depends on what matters more to you. For gaming, Ryzen 9 5980HX is ahead with a 15.8% 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 0.9% better PassMark.

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 0.9% better PassMark, backed by 12 cores and 24 threads.

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

Ryzen 9 5980HX is the smarter buy by a wide margin for a fresh build. Ryzen 9 5980HX is at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus $1,199 MSRP, and it gives you a 15.8% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. Core i9-7920X only looks stronger on raw value math because it is extremely cheap, but that is mostly used-market pricing on an obsolete 2017 platform. Even with 100.0% better value on paper (19.6 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), it really only makes sense as a very cheap stopgap or a niche existing-platform option for someone already on LGA2066.

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

Ryzen 9 5980HX is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2021 vs 2017). 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 9 5980HX Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i9-7920X	Ryzen 9 5980HX
1080p
low	163 FPS	260 FPS
medium	142 FPS	239 FPS
high	113 FPS	201 FPS
ultra	96 FPS	170 FPS
1440p
low	140 FPS	231 FPS
medium	119 FPS	192 FPS
high	94 FPS	156 FPS
ultra	79 FPS	136 FPS
4K
low	76 FPS	159 FPS
medium	70 FPS	134 FPS
high	55 FPS	103 FPS
ultra	43 FPS	91 FPS

Open Core i9-7920X Open Ryzen 9 5980HX

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i9-7920X	Ryzen 9 5980HX
1080p
low	352 FPS	427 FPS
medium	300 FPS	356 FPS
high	274 FPS	308 FPS
ultra	243 FPS	273 FPS
1440p
low	315 FPS	357 FPS
medium	274 FPS	312 FPS
high	249 FPS	276 FPS
ultra	215 FPS	236 FPS
4K
low	227 FPS	245 FPS
medium	201 FPS	220 FPS
high	191 FPS	207 FPS
ultra	162 FPS	180 FPS

Open Core i9-7920X Open Ryzen 9 5980HX

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i9-7920X	Ryzen 9 5980HX
1080p
low	560 FPS	582 FPS
medium	468 FPS	582 FPS
high	420 FPS	576 FPS
ultra	366 FPS	472 FPS
1440p
low	507 FPS	582 FPS
medium	431 FPS	532 FPS
high	385 FPS	451 FPS
ultra	334 FPS	372 FPS
4K
low	390 FPS	456 FPS
medium	322 FPS	396 FPS
high	284 FPS	347 FPS
ultra	231 FPS	282 FPS

Open Core i9-7920X Open Ryzen 9 5980HX

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i9-7920X	Ryzen 9 5980HX
1080p
low	588 FPS	582 FPS
medium	588 FPS	582 FPS
high	588 FPS	582 FPS
ultra	588 FPS	582 FPS
1440p
low	588 FPS	582 FPS
medium	588 FPS	582 FPS
high	579 FPS	554 FPS
ultra	502 FPS	475 FPS
4K
low	531 FPS	511 FPS
medium	480 FPS	460 FPS
high	424 FPS	405 FPS
ultra	366 FPS	348 FPS

Open Core i9-7920X Open Ryzen 9 5980HX

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i9-7920X and Ryzen 9 5980HX

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 9 5980HX

The Ryzen 9 5980HX is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 12 January 2021 (4 years ago). It is based on the Cezanne-HX (Zen 3) (2021) architecture. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 3.3 GHz, with boost up to 4.8 GHz. L3 cache: 16 MB (total). L2 cache: 512 kB (per core). Built on 7 nm process technology. Socket: FP6. Thermal design power (TDP): 45 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 23,300 points. Launch price was $299.

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Processing Power

The Core i9-7920X packs 12 cores / 24 threads, while the Ryzen 9 5980HX 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 4.8 GHz on the Ryzen 9 5980HX — a 8.7% clock advantage for the Ryzen 9 5980HX (base: 2.9 GHz vs 3.3 GHz). The Core i9-7920X uses the Skylake (server) (2017−2018) architecture (14 nm), while the Ryzen 9 5980HX uses Cezanne-HX (Zen 3) (2021) (7 nm). In PassMark, the Core i9-7920X scores 23,508 against the Ryzen 9 5980HX's 23,300 — a 0.9% lead for the Core i9-7920X. L3 cache: 16.5 MB (total) on the Core i9-7920X vs 16 MB (total) on the Ryzen 9 5980HX.

Feature	Core i9-7920X	Ryzen 9 5980HX
Cores / Threads	12 / 24+50%	8 / 16
Boost Clock	4.4 GHz	4.8 GHz+9%
Base Clock	2.9 GHz	3.3 GHz+14%
L3 Cache	16.5 MB (total)+3%	16 MB (total)
L2 Cache	1 MB (per core)+100%	512 kB (per core)
Process	14 nm	7 nm-50%
Architecture	Skylake (server) (2017−2018)	Cezanne-HX (Zen 3) (2021)
PassMark	23,508	23,300

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Memory & Platform

The Core i9-7920X uses the LGA2066 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Ryzen 9 5980HX uses FP6 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Core i9-7920X	Ryzen 9 5980HX
Socket	LGA2066	FP6
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	—	LPDDR4-4266
Max RAM Capacity	—	64 GB
RAM Channels	—	2
ECC Support	—	No
PCIe Lanes	—	16

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Advanced Features

Virtualization: not specified (Core i9-7920X) / AMD-V (Ryzen 9 5980HX). The Ryzen 9 5980HX includes integrated graphics (Radeon Graphics (8CU)), while the Core i9-7920X requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Ryzen 9 5980HX targets Mobile High-End.