AMD Athlon X4 970 vs Intel Core i9-7980XE Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark data draws a sharp, unambiguous line between these two desktop processors. The Intel Core i9-7980XE wins every single head-to-head comparison in the shared test suite, taking all five recorded victories. The AMD Athlon X4 970 records zero wins against the Intel part. This is not a close contest by any metric; the gap is consistently massive, ranging from roughly 713% to 716% in the Intel’s favor across Cinebench workloads.

The Intel i9-7980XE dominates in multi-threaded rendering tasks, which is expected given its configuration. In Cinebench R15 multi-core, it scores 2527 against the Athlon’s 310, a delta of 715.2%. That advantage persists in newer workloads: Cinebench R20 multi-core shows 10530 versus 1294 (713.8% delta), and Cinebench R23 multi-core shows 25072 versus 3081 (713.8% delta). The pattern holds in single-core tests as well. In Cinebench R20 single-core, the Intel scores 1486 against 182, a 716.5% delta, and in R23 single-core it scores 3539 versus 435, a 713.6% delta. Even where the Athlon might be expected to compete — single-threaded performance — the Intel part is over 8 times faster in these tests.

The Athlon X4 970 does have strengths, but they are not visible in the head-to-head suite. Its own benchmark list includes PassMark tests where it achieves scores like 19174 in integer math, 6049 in floating-point math, and 62454 in data compression. These are standalone figures with no direct Intel comparison in the provided data. However, the overall picture is clear: in every directly comparable workload, the i9-7980XE wins by an enormous margin. The Intel part also holds a 63rd percentile ranking among all CPUs, identical to the Athlon’s percentile, but that ranking is misleading — the average benchmark score for the Intel is 7018, while the Athlon’s is 6850, a much smaller relative gap than the head-to-head results suggest, because the average includes different test suites.

The Verdict

The data points to one conclusion: these CPUs serve entirely different purposes, and the choice depends strictly on workload requirements. The Intel Core i9-7980XE is the clear pick for anyone running heavily multi-threaded applications like 3D rendering, video encoding, or scientific computing, where its 18 cores and 36 threads translate directly into the 700%+ performance deltas seen in Cinebench. The Athlon X4 970, with 4 cores and 4 threads, cannot approach that level of throughput.

For users whose only concern is the tested Cinebench workloads, the i9-7980XE is the only rational selection. It wins every benchmark, and the margins are not incremental — they are transformative, ranging from 713.6% to 716.5% ahead. The Athlon’s 310 score in Cinebench R15 multi-core is a fraction of the Intel’s 2527, and the R23 multi-core score of 3081 is less than one-eighth of the Intel’s 25072.

However, the Athlon X4 970 has its own niche. It is an active, current production part on the AMD Socket AM4 platform, with a 65 W TDP compared to the Intel’s 165 W. It also runs at a higher base clock (3.80 GHz versus 2.60 GHz) and a boost clock of 4.00 GHz. For basic desktop tasks, light productivity, or legacy software that does not scale beyond a few threads, the Athlon may be sufficient. But the benchmark evidence is unambiguous: where they overlap, the Intel wins outright. The Intel part is end-of-life, while the Athlon remains active, so availability may factor into a purchasing decision, but based purely on performance data, the i9-7980XE is the superior processor for every shared benchmark.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head results are a catalog of one-sided victories. The largest percentage win for the Intel comes in Cinebench R20 single-core, where it scores 1486 against the Athlon’s 182, a delta of 716.5%. This is notable because single-core performance is often a more level playing field between competing architectures; here, the Skylake-X core is overwhelmingly faster than the Excavator core in this specific test.

The multi-core results are equally lopsided. Cinebench R15 multi-core shows the Intel at 2527 and the Athlon at 310, a 715.2% advantage. Cinebench R20 multi-core and R23 multi-core both show a 713.8% delta, with scores of 10530 versus 1294 and 25072 versus 3081, respectively. The R23 single-core test rounds out the set with 3539 versus 435, a 713.6% delta. Across all five comparisons, the Intel’s advantage is remarkably consistent, hovering just above or below 715%. This consistency suggests a fundamental architectural superiority rather than a workload-specific quirk.

It is also worth noting the scale of the absolute differences. In Cinebench R23 multi-core, the Intel’s score is 25072, which is over 8 times the Athlon’s 3081. The R20 single-core difference is similarly stark: 1486 versus 182, meaning the Intel is more than 8 times faster. These are not marginal improvements; they are generational leaps in capability. The Athlon’s highest score in the shared suite is 3081 (R23 multi-core), which is still lower than the Intel’s lowest shared score of 1486 (R20 single-core). That single statistic encapsulates the performance gap.

FAQ

Q: Which processor wins in multi-core Cinebench tests?

A: The Intel Core i9-7980XE wins every multi-core test. In Cinebench R15 multi-core, it scores 2527 versus 310 (715.2% delta). In R20 multi-core, it scores 10530 versus 1294 (713.8% delta). In R23 multi-core, it scores 25072 versus 3081 (713.8% delta).

Q: Is the AMD Athlon X4 970 competitive in single-core performance?

A: No. The Intel wins all single-core head-to-head tests. In Cinebench R20 single-core, the Intel scores 1486 against the Athlon’s 182 (716.5% delta). In R23 single-core, the Intel scores 3539 against 435 (713.6% delta). The Athlon’s standalone PassMark single-thread score is 1658, but there is no Intel comparison for that test in the data.

Q: What are the core and thread counts for each CPU?

A: The Intel Core i9-7980XE has 18 cores and 36 threads. The AMD Athlon X4 970 has 4 cores and 4 threads.

Q: Which processor has a higher base clock speed?

A: The AMD Athlon X4 970 has a higher base clock at 3.80 GHz, compared to the Intel’s 2.60 GHz. The Intel has a higher boost clock at 4.40 GHz versus the Athlon’s 4.00 GHz.

Q: Are both processors currently in production?

A: No. The Intel Core i9-7980XE is marked as end-of-life, while the AMD Athlon X4 970 is listed as active production.

Q: What is the average benchmark score for each CPU?

A: The Intel Core i9-7980XE has an average benchmark score of 7018, while the AMD Athlon X4 970 has an average of 6850. Both CPUs are at the 63rd percentile among all CPUs.

Architecture Differences

The two processors come from fundamentally different architectural lineages. The Intel Core i9-7980XE is built on the Skylake-X architecture, a high-end desktop design that uses a 14 nm process node fabricated by Intel. Its die size is 484 mm². The AMD Athlon X4 970 uses the Excavator architecture, codenamed Bristol Ridge, built on a 28 nm process node from GlobalFoundries, with a die size of 250 mm² and a transistor count of 3,100 million. The Intel part does not list a transistor count in the data.

The cache hierarchies differ substantially. The Intel has 64 KB of L1 cache per core, 1 MB of L2 cache per core, and 24.75 MB of shared L3 cache. The AMD has a total of 320 KB L1 cache and 2 MB L2 cache, with no L3 cache listed. This means the Intel’s L3 cache alone is over 12 times larger than the Athlon’s entire L2 cache, which helps explain the Intel’s multi-threaded superiority in cache-sensitive workloads.

Memory architecture also separates the two. The Intel supports quad-channel DDR4 memory with a bandwidth of 85.3 GB/s, while the AMD supports dual-channel DDR4 with a bandwidth of 38.4 GB/s. Neither supports ECC memory. Both use PCIe Gen 3, but the Intel provides 44 lanes (CPU only) versus the AMD’s 8 lanes (CPU only). The Intel has an unlocked multiplier, while the AMD does not. The Intel is part of the Core i9 Extreme (X-Series 7th Gen) generation, while the AMD is part of the Athlon (Bristol Ridge) generation.

Specification Differences

The specification sheets reveal a wide gulf in nearly every category. The Intel has 18 cores and 36 threads versus the AMD’s 4 cores and 4 threads. Base clocks differ: the Intel runs at 2.60 GHz, the AMD at 3.80 GHz. Boost clocks are closer but still favor the Intel: 4.40 GHz versus 4.00 GHz. The Intel’s TDP is 165 W, more than double the AMD’s 65 W.

The sockets are incompatible: the Intel uses Intel Socket 2066, while the AMD uses AMD Socket AM4. The Intel’s cache is dramatically larger, as noted above, with 24.75 MB of shared L3 cache versus no L3 on the AMD. Memory bandwidth favors the Intel at 85.3 GB/s versus 38.4 GB/s, and the Intel has quad-channel memory support versus dual-channel on the AMD. PCIe lane counts differ: 44 lanes on the Intel versus 8 on the AMD.

Production status differs: the Intel is end-of-life, the AMD is active. The Intel launched on 2017-08-31 with a launch MSRP of $1999; the AMD launched on 2017-07-26 with no launch MSRP listed. The Intel’s part number is SR3RS, while the AMD’s is AD970XAUABBOXAD970XAUM44AB. Both lack integrated graphics and ECC support. The Intel has an unlocked multiplier; the AMD does not. The market segment for both is Desktop.