Intel Core i9-10980XE vs AMD Threadripper 3970X

BY CHRISTIAN GUYTON

It’s a flagship showdown! Intel and AMD both have ridiculously expensive desktop CPUs to offer, but which is better? In the Blue corner, we’ve got the Core i9-10980XE, a creative powerhouse built on Intel’s 14nm architecture. In the Red corner, it’s the Threadripper 3970X, a monster of a chip with 32 cores and AMD’s 7nm FinFET process. Zen 2 microarchitecture makes the AMD chip more advanced in some areas, but Intel’s chip has its own benefits too.

ROUND 1

Value

At first glance, the Threadripper dominates here. The i9-10980XE is currently priced at over $2,000, despite previous sales at closer to $1,000. The price will no doubt drop again, but the 3970X is available at the time of writing for $1,899.99, placing it far below the 10980XE in terms of price-per-core. The Threadripper also has higher base memory support and more cache memory, despite its lower price.

However, the Intel chip’s RRP was in fact dropped to $979. One imagines that the high prices we’re seeing right now could be tied to COVID-triggered production issues, or general stock shortages, or simply a price hike for Intel to capitalize on lockdown demand. If we consider that sub-grand price point, the 10980XE looks a lot more reasonable. The 3970X, on the other hand, is a newer chip that isn’t likely to see a significant price drop anytime soon. It looks practically affordable next to the comically expensive 3990X, which is currently priced at $4,170, but it’s still a crazy amount of money to spend on a processor. Neither of these CPUs are truly good value, but nothing in the HEDT sphere is right now. It’s tricky, but assuming you actually can find a 10980XE for closer to $1,000, Intel wins.