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As predicted earlier this week whilst we tested AMD's HEDT Threadripper, Intel is also popping out with their personal new high-quit laptop collection codenamed Cascade Lake-X. You already saw some preliminary records on the Core i9-10980XE, and now we are bringing you a full series evaluation by way of checking out the 10980XE, 10940X, 10920X and 10900X CPUs.

The 18, 14, 12 and 10-middle CPUs are all refreshes from chips that had been launched lower back in late 2017 as the 7000 collection, codenamed Skylake-X. A yr later these have been relaunched as the 9000 series, still codenamed Skylake-X. As component of the refresh, the CPUs came with a small factory overclock and featured soldered in preference to thermal paste for connecting the CPU die to the heatspreader. This basically made them worse overclockers, however slightly better for everyone else.

Cascade Lake-X is a touch greater than a directly refresh. We’re getting a little greater frequency, but we’re additionally getting some greater PCIe lanes, higher reminiscence guide, and a few hardware protection fixes. Oh, and charges have been slashed considerably.

Both the memory frequency and capability help has been upgraded, going from 128GB of DDR4-2666 to 256GB of DDR4-2933. Boost frequencies were multiplied by using 2 hundred to 300 MHz relying at the part, even though performance gains is probably offset by the hardware protection fixes for Spectre and Meltdown variations 2, three, 3a, four, and L1TF.

The biggest difference for capacity customers is the pricing change. The 18-middle 9980XE has dropped from $2,000 to $1,000 now as the 10980XE. The 14-center version is down to $800 from $1,400, the 12-center version is all the way down to $seven hundred from $1,two hundred and the ten-core model is now priced at $600, down from $1,000.

No doubt, those are seriously heavy reductions. But Intel isn't being generous, they’re clearly preventing to remain relevant and clearly we don’t think they’re combating hard sufficient, as you’re about to see.

For testing Cascade Lake-X we have the modern day MSI X299 Creator motherboard. It comes packing 10 Gigabit LAN, Wi-Fi 6, loads of m.2 ports and a whopping big 12-section vCore VRM with 90A powerstages. A massive thanks to MSI for sending this over for our checking out.

Benchmarks

First up as ordinary we've Cinebench R20 effects. The 10980XE comes in behind the Ryzen nine 3950X, the 10940X matches the 3900X, whilst the 10920X and 10900X were kind of on par with the Threadripper 2920X and a bit in advance of the Ryzen 7 3800X.

Right now the TR 2920X may be had for $500, in order that locations the slower but more pricey 10900X a Box little bit of an awkward function.

At least for lightly threaded workloads the Cascade Lake-X range is more effective than 2d-gen Threadripper, even though all models are with ease beaten via the $370 Ryzen 7 3800X.

When it comes to compression overall performance the usage of the 7-Zip File Manager, the Cascade Lake-X range does ok. The 10980XE might get dusted by means of the 3960X, but as a minimum it was a piece faster than the preceding generation 2950X.

The 2950X is now priced to compete with the 10920X, a element it just manages to edge out. Meanwhile the 3900X matched the 10900X, so AMD additionally offer extensively greater value there.

AMD does plenty higher on the subject of decompression performance and right here the 3950X without difficulty beat the 10980XE, even as the 2950X and 3900X beat the rest of the Cascade Lake-X lineup.

Adobe Premiere Pro CC 2020 sees the 3950X just edging out the 10980XE, even as the 3960X turned into an amazing bit faster. The Ryzen 9 3900X and Threadripper 2950X additionally beat the 10940X, while the 3800X wasn’t a exceptional deal slower than the 10900X and 10920X.

Using the Puget Adobe Premiere benchmark we discover similar consequences, although this time in the export test no longer simply the 3950X, however also the 2950X, beat Intel's exceptional. Meanwhile the 2920X become able to outpace the 10920X and 10900X.

Playback overall performance was quite properly with the Cascade Lake-X parts, although we see a decent grouping between the 3950X and 3900X.

The Core i9-10980XE plays properly inside the V-Ray benchmark. Sure, it's miles without problems overwhelmed by way of the 3960X which become 32% quicker, however the Threadripper CPU additionally charges forty% extra.

If you’re more focused on fee, then get the Ryzen 9 3950X is the manner to move, It’s 6% slower but costs 25% less. Then we've the 10940X in no man's land, but at $800 again you’re higher off with the quicker 3950X. Then we see the 3900X and 2950X have each the 10920X and 10900X covered.

The Corona outcomes are more of the sport, the 3950X is very near the 10980XE and in case you need maximum performance get the 3960X or 3970X. The 3950X additionally beats the 10940X while costing much less and the 3900X does the equal to the 10920X and 10900X.

Finally we've got the Blender consequences and that is every other horrific one for Intel, right here the 3950X beats the 10980XE, while the 3900X matched the 10940X which renders the rest of the lineup even more needless.

Power Consumption

AMD's more current 7nm Zen 2 platform shows a actual advantage in power intake. The Ryzen nine 3950X was quicker than the 10980XE on this take a look at but we see the Intel CPU push total machine intake 29% higher. Due to clock speeds and voltages required to run at the ones speeds, the decrease core remember CPUs use extra strength, at the least the 12 and 14 core models.

Gaming Benchmarks

The Core i9-10980XE gives a strong result in Battlefield V, kind of on par with the Ryzen 9 3950X. For a few reason though, the 1% low performance of the 10900X or even the 10920X type of sucked.

Where things get manner out of hand is with the better center matter models, the 10980XE saw general device strength utilization boom with the aid of ninety one%, hitting 602 watts, so properly good fortune with that.

Looking at thermals, both stock and overclocked, the Cascade Lake-X processors together with the 3960X and 3970X had been cooled the use of Corsair’s HydroX kits, at the side of a 360mm radiator. Stock the 3rd-gen Threadripper and Cascade Lake-X CPUs all ran among 63 and 70 degrees, so a reasonably tight range there.

Then while overclocked the temps quickly got out of control with the 14 and 18 core fashions, essentially a 360mm rad a Chip: custom loop isn’t enough, despite excellent voltage tuning. For the 10980XE, four.5 to four.6 GHz would be greater practical on water.

Price vs. Performance

Here’s a have a look at price vs. Performance the usage of Puget's Adobe Premiere export check. If you’re a content material writer it seems clean, get the 3950X, and in case you require extra PCIe lanes get the TR 2950X. Even Intel's own 9900K does a better activity right here, at the least in terms of value. Of direction, if you’re no longer that inquisitive about price and just need overall performance, nicely there’s the Threadripper 3960X.

The margins in Cinebench R20 have been very just like what was visible in V-Ray, Blender and Corona, so that they’re a good representation of the form of price to overall performance you could assume to look in those programs.

In phrases of fee and performance the Threadripper 3960X destroys any and all Cascade Lake-X processors and in case you truely care about value, then get the Ryzen nine 3950X. The 3900X, 2920X and 2950X also dominate those Cascade Lake-X processors.

Conclusion

After finding out each the Ryzen 9 3950X and Threadripper 3970X & 3960X, these tests went quite a whole lot as predicted. We knew performance of Intel components became going to be just like the preceding generation Skylake-X, but unluckily for Intel they simply haven’t reduce costs sufficient to be competitive.

If you can’t provide the quickest HEDT parts, you have to inspect fee, some thing AMD did for the primary two generations of Threadripper at launch and later Chip: AMDs it saved discounting them.

The Ryzen 9 3950X isn't simplest less expensive than the Core i9-10980XE, however it’s faster in the sizable majority of workloads, from time to time a whole lot quicker. When the 3950X turned into slower, the distance changed into not very huge. Then for the ones now not concerned with rate, the more $400 for the TR 3960X is worth it as it’s a significantly advanced product.

AMD additionally plans to maintain promoting 2nd-gen Threadripper processors as price-orientated HEDT alternatives. On paper this can appear like an appealing alternative, but for new consumers we’d endorse fending off them. If you in reality require sixteen excessive-overall performance cores, get the 3950X which also runs on a great deal less expensive motherboards. We’d simplest endorse 2nd-gen Threadripper proper now if you require greater PCIe lanes and may’t find the money for to drop $1,400 at the 3960X. Be conscious the X399 platform is lifeless, much like Intel’s X299 platform.

Bottom line, the handiest manner we see Cascade Lake-X becoming possible is if they reduce pricing further. The 10980XE wishes to come down at the least any other $two hundred, which could make it $50 extra than the 3950X. The 10940X desires to drop all the way down to $seven-hundred, and the 10920X down to $six hundred... The 10900X wishes to be dropped entirely. The only benefit those provide over AMD’s mainstream AM4 processors is more PCIe lanes, though they are best gen-three spec lanes. It's thoughts-boggling to suppose how a good deal matters have changed in this sort of brief time period.

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