AMD Threadripper 3970X Review: Premiere, Blender, Overclocking, & Thermal Benchmarks

This review shows our benchmarks for the AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X CPU, particularly vs. the AMD R9 3950X and Intel i9-10980XE CPUs.

We're comparing the best high-end CPUs of 2019. As we close 2019, we're finally able to start recapping the best high-end CPUs in the HEDT class of parts. This year, HEDT expanded to include a "budget" $750 16-core CPU -- the R9 3950X -- and a similarly affordable 3900X 12-core CPU. Now, with AM4 launches behind us, the Threadripper 3970X and 3960X are coming out to contest the Intel Core i9-10980XE. The 3970X is on bench for review in this video (our 3960X review will follow shortly). Our focus is on finding the best CPUs for video editing and rendering, 3D modeling and animation, Photoshop, and compression and decompression, but with information on overclocking, power, thermals, and gaming along the way. AMD vs. Intel battles are as old as the industry, and with the two companies both launching new HEDT CPUs on the same day, we get to test whose offers the best value for workstation applications. This comparison tests the 3970X vs. 10980XE, 3950X, 3900X, 2990WX, 1950X, and just about every other CPU that's nearby.

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Editorial, Testing: Steve Burke
Testing: Patrick Lathan
Video: Andrew Coleman

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[MrMortadelas]

2015: Nah, i'll stick with my old CPU, it's not like anything changed.
2019: Nah, i'll stick with my old CPU, if I wait 2 months something twice as fast will have launched.

[iwasapirateonce]

AMD is one of the greatest comeback stories in tech history. Amazing how their CPU division over a few years crushed Intel.

[Salehalanazi-]

The engineer that named it Threadripper most be so proud, I don't blame them

[iSteve]

"Absurd amount of charts" the original working title for the channel...

[rusparmesan]

I think, ECC support for Threadripper should have been mentioned.

[DrearierSpider]

Let's be honest: Threadripper is just too damn cool of a name for it to be a second place part.

[tomikivela]

Intel holds the new record of obsolescence with the 10980xe grats intel!

[macktheinterloper]

Well, at least Intel still has the lead in power consumption.

[_Koozebane_]

The first few minutes of this presentation do nothing but demonstrate Adobe's catastrophic failure to take advantage of cutting edge hardware.

[CptPatch]

Minor criticism: I feel like overclocked results could use some color coding or some other visual indicator (like just a little dot next to the number or something) on these crowded graphs so that it's easier to compare apples to apples at a glance. Having the clock/voltage on the side is great, but I think that readability could be improved so that I don't have to constantly pause to get the full information load of the video. Keep up the great work!

[junkiexl]

The gap between 2nd and 3rd gen TR's is damn impressive.

[jasongooden]

The scary part is the 3990X hasn't even come out yet

[tuckerhiggins]

I guess Amd just decided to slaughter Intel today

[junkawakami]

3990X confirmed, dang what a rock and a hard place for intel

[randocrypto]

AMD now has the objectively best desktop CPU. How many years has it been since that was the case? Longer than I can remember.

[EUArrow]

This is the most exciting time to be a PC enthusiast that I can remember :)

[InternetEntity]

17:29
That graph being drawn...
It is beautiful.

[toppsballer]

Hey freak777power, any thoughts on your precious 10980XE that you've been literally hyping up for weeks being *DOA* in less than 24 hours?

[roamr]

Jeez I get 5 notifications whenever these embargoes get lifted

[AlexandreMS]

Intel playing the value card is something to be apreciated.