An unofficial test of the upcoming Ryzen 9 3950X has showed it achieves a score 23% higher than Intel’s brand new i9 10980XE HEDT processor for the X299 platform. This test was done using 3DMark’s Firestrike benchmark, which, while certainly old in 2019, has a physics test which scales very well across several cores. The 3950X scored 32,082 while the 10980XE scored 25,838.
This is a remarkable score considering the 3950X has a 2 core deficit compared to the 10980XE and is on a mainstream platform (though to be clear a different platform doesn’t directly impact performance in this case). The 3950X is also about $250 cheaper than the 10980XE and consumes less power.
While the 9900K might be a better comparison for gaming performance, especially in actual games and not benchmarks which are designed to scale with more cores, the 10980XE could be a good CPU to compare against considering the 3950X is more of a prosumer CPU, not a gaming CPU. Additionally, since recent rumors indicate that the entry level Threadripper 3000 CPU is the 24 core 3960X, there is probably no direct competition for the 10980XE other than the 3950X despite the platform difference.
When the 3950X arrives, it’s highly likely we’ll be looking at a CPU with good gaming performance and good workstation performance with the slight problem of being on a platform that is a little lacking in features for the performance the 3950X is expected to deliver. If there is no 16 core Threadripper (called something like the 3955X), then in terms of performance, X570 will be going up against X299 and the new Threadripper will be in a league of its own.
