AMD Ryzen Embedded V1756B vs Intel Core i7-3930K Comparison

The benchmark database pairs two processors that rarely appear in the same conversation: AMD's Ryzen Embedded V1756B, a compact Zen-based embedded part, and Intel's Core i7-3930K, a Sandy Bridge-E flagship from a much earlier and hungrier era. On paper the comparison looks lopsided, one chip has six cores and double the threads of the other, yet the recorded results show the two landing within roughly a percentage point of each other across every Cinebench test. That near-parity between designs separated by so many architectural generations is exactly what makes this matchup worth a closer look.

FAQ

Q: Which CPU wins the head-to-head benchmarks?

A: The Intel Core i7-3930K wins all six recorded head-to-head tests, but every margin is small. Its largest advantage is 1.5 percent in Cinebench R20 single-core, and its smallest is 1 percent in Cinebench R15 single-core. The Ryzen Embedded V1756B wins none of the six comparisons.

Q: How close are the two overall?

A: Extremely close. The database gives the i7-3930K an average benchmark score of 1960 against 1986 for the V1756B, and both chips sit at the 44th percentile versus all CPUs in the database. Their average scores differ by well under two percent in either direction depending on which metric is used.

Q: Which chip has the lower power draw?

A: The V1756B is rated at a 45 W TDP versus 130 W for the i7-3930K, a substantial gap that persists across the entire comparison. Neither chip's efficiency is directly measured in the recorded data, but the thermal envelope difference is nearly threefold.

Q: Does either CPU have integrated graphics?

A: Only the V1756B, which ships with Radeon Vega 8 graphics. The i7-3930K has no integrated graphics listed and therefore requires a discrete GPU for display output.

Q: Can either processor be overclocked?

A: The i7-3930K has an unlocked multiplier, so it can be overclocked. The V1756B has a locked multiplier.

Q: What memory does each platform use?

A: The V1756B supports DDR4 on a dual-channel bus, while the i7-3930K supports DDR3 on a quad-channel bus with a recorded memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s.

Architecture Differences

These two processors could hardly come from more different design philosophies. The V1756B belongs to AMD's Ryzen Embedded family built on the Zen architecture, fabricated at GlobalFoundries on a 14 nm process. The i7-3930K is a Sandy Bridge-E design produced by Intel on a 32 nm node. That node gap is one of the clearest explanations for the efficiency story in this comparison: the AMD part fits 4,950 million transistors into a 210 mm² die, while the Intel part uses a physically larger 435 mm² die to house only 2,270 million transistors.

Core topology also diverges sharply. The V1756B pairs 4 cores with 8 threads running at a 3.25 GHz base and 3.60 GHz boost. The i7-3930K offers 6 cores and 12 threads, with a 3.20 GHz base and 3.80 GHz boost. Despite having half the thread count and a slightly lower peak clock, the Zen part nearly matches the older chip everywhere, which raises an interesting question: how much of that is architecture and how much is process?

Cache design reflects each era's priorities. The Zen core carries 128 KB of L1 and 512 KB of L2 per core, but only 2 MB of shared L3. The Sandy Bridge-E part has smaller per-core caches, 64 KB L1 and 256 KB L2, but a much larger 12 MB of shared L3, a hallmark of Intel's high-end-desktop platform built to feed many cores and a wide memory subsystem.

Platform features differ as well. The V1756B uses AMD Socket FP5 and integrates Radeon Vega 8 graphics, a self-contained design typical of embedded parts. The i7-3930K uses Intel Socket 2011, offers PCIe 3.0 with 40 CPU lanes, and depends on a discrete GPU. Its launch MSRP was $583.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded head-to-head data covers six Cinebench tests, and the pattern is remarkably uniform. The i7-3930K sweeps all six, but never by more than 1.5 percent.

In Cinebench R15 multi-core, the i7-3930K scores 701 against 692 for the V1756B, a 1.3 percent gap. Single-core R15 reads 98 to 97, just 1 percent apart. Cinebench R20 multi-core lands at 2921 versus 2884, again 1.3 percent, while R20 single-core is 412 to 406, the Intel chip's widest margin at 1.5 percent. Cinebench R23 multi-core shows 6955 against 6867, a 1.3 percent difference, and R23 single-core closes the set at 981 to 969, 1.2 percent apart.

What the numbers imply is worth pausing on. A six-core, twelve-thread processor with a quad-channel DDR3 memory subsystem beats a four-core, eight-thread embedded part by barely one percent in every multi-core rendering test. Per core, the Zen architecture is doing dramatically more work, and per watt the gap would be even more dramatic given the 130 W versus 45 W TDP ratings. The database also holds Geekbench results for the i7-3930K, 2991 multi-core and 617 single-core, but no corresponding V1756B entries, so that test cannot be compared directly here.

Context from each chip's rival list reinforces how evenly matched they are. The V1756B's average score of 1986 sits within a fraction of a percent of the Intel Core i5-8279U (1987, a 0 delta), the Intel Xeon E3-1585L v5 (1989, -0.2 percent), the Intel Xeon E3-1285L v4 (1991, -0.2 percent), and the AMD Ryzen 5 1500X (1992, -0.3 percent). The i7-3930K's 1960 average similarly hugs the Intel Xeon D-2712T (1964), AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 3400GE (1954), AMD Ryzen 5 2600H (1967), and AMD Ryzen 3 2300X (1968), all within half a percent. Both chips occupy the exact same 44th percentile band against the full database.

Specification Differences

The spec sheet diverges on nearly every line. Cores and threads: 6/12 for Intel versus 4/8 for AMD. Base clocks are close, 3.20 GHz versus 3.25 GHz, with the i7-3930K reaching higher at 3.80 GHz boost versus 3.60 GHz. TDP splits them hardest: 130 W versus 45 W.

The i7-3930K supports DDR3 on a quad-channel bus rated at 51.2 GB/s; the V1756B supports DDR4 on a dual-channel bus with no bandwidth figure recorded. Cache goes opposite ways: per-core L1 and L2 are double on the AMD part, while shared L3 is six times larger on the Intel side, 12 MB versus 2 MB. Only the Intel chip has unlocked multipliers and 40 PCIe Gen 3 lanes; only the AMD chip has integrated graphics, the Radeon Vega 8.

Their market positions differ too. The i7-3930K is an end-of-life desktop flagship released in November 2011. The V1756B remains an active desktop-market part, released in February 2018. Transistor count favors AMD at 4,950 million versus 2,270 million, and die size favors it as well at 210 mm² versus 435 mm².

Where Each One Wins

The i7-3930K wins on raw benchmark placement, however slim: every Cinebench score, single- and multi-threaded, favors it. Its higher boost clock, larger L3, and quad-channel memory give it the edge in sustained rendering workloads, and its unlocked multiplier leaves room to push further. The 40 PCIe lanes also suit it to expansion-heavy configurations with discrete GPUs.

The V1756B wins on everything the benchmarks do not measure but the spec sheet records: a 45 W thermal envelope instead of 130 W, integrated Radeon Vega 8 graphics instead of none, a modern 14 nm process instead of 32 nm, DDR4 support instead of DDR3, and active production status instead of end-of-life. It delivers near-identical Cinebench results for a fraction of the platform's power and thermal demands.

The Verdict

Strictly from the data, the i7-3930K is the pick when every last percentage point of recorded performance matters: it wins all six head-to-head tests, up to 1.5 percent. But that is the entire size of its victory. The V1756B matches it within roughly one percent everywhere while drawing under half the rated power, on a newer process, with newer memory support, with integrated graphics, and while still being an active product. For anyone weighing these two today, the data suggests the performance argument for the Sandy Bridge-E part is marginal at best, and the platform arguments, efficiency, graphics, and longevity, all point the other way.