AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3945WX vs Intel Core i9-9990XE Comparison

The AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3945WX is the clear benchmark victor over the Intel Core i9-9990XE, winning all six head-to-head tests by a consistent margin of roughly 11%. Despite having fewer cores and threads, the AMD part’s newer architecture delivers superior performance across every Cinebench iteration, making it the stronger choice for multi-threaded and single-threaded workloads alike.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The data is unambiguous: the Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3945WX wins every single benchmark comparison, with no tests going to the Intel Core i9-9990XE. In Cinebench R15, the AMD chip scores 2869 in multi-core versus Intel’s 2584, a delta of 11%. The single-core test tells the same story: 404 for AMD against 364 for Intel, again an 11% advantage. This pattern repeats exactly in Cinebench R20, where AMD leads 11956 to 10767 in multi-core (11%) and 1687 to 1519 in single-core (11.1%).

Moving to Cinebench R23, the results remain consistent. The Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3945WX posts 28469 in multi-core, while the Intel Core i9-9990XE manages 25637 — a 11% gap. In single-core R23, AMD scores 4019 versus Intel’s 3619, a 11.1% lead. Notably, the AMD part achieves these wins despite having 12 cores and 24 threads, compared to Intel’s 14 cores and 28 threads. This suggests the Zen 2 architecture is far more efficient per core than the older Skylake design.

The consistency of the deltaPct across all tests — hovering between 11% and 11.1% — indicates that the performance advantage is not workload-specific but rather a fundamental architectural superiority. The AMD chip’s lead is nearly identical in both multi-core and single-core scenarios, which is unusual; typically, one CPU might excel in parallel tasks while another wins in single-threaded work. Here, AMD dominates both dimensions.

Looking at average benchmark scores, the Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3945WX averages 7741, while the Intel Core i9-9990XE sits at 7415. The AMD part’s percentile rank is 64 versus Intel’s 63, a narrow but real edge. Interestingly, the AMD chip’s nearest rival by average score is the Intel Core i9-10980XE at 7910, which beats it by 2.1%, while the Intel Core i9-9990XE’s closest competitor is the Intel Core i5-4570 at 7421, with a delta of -0.1%. This shows that the 9990XE is not even competitive with its own generation’s top-end parts.

The Verdict

The verdict is straightforward: the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3945WX is the better processor for essentially any workload measured. It wins all six head-to-head benchmarks with margins between 11% and 11.1%, and it does so with fewer cores and threads. This means that for users who prioritize raw performance in Cinebench-style rendering tasks, the AMD part is the clear choice.

The Intel Core i9-9990XE, despite having 14 cores and 28 threads, cannot overcome the architectural deficit. Its Skylake design, built on a 14 nm process, is simply outclassed by AMD’s 7 nm Zen 2. The Intel chip’s only advantage — a higher boost clock of 5.10 GHz versus AMD’s 4.30 GHz — does not translate into benchmark wins, indicating that clock speed alone cannot compensate for the IPC (instructions per clock) efficiency of the newer AMD architecture.

For users who must choose strictly from this data, the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3945WX is the recommended purchase. It is also currently in active production, whereas the Intel Core i9-9990XE is end-of-life, meaning the AMD part has a future-proofing advantage. The Intel chip’s launch MSRP was $2800, but that figure is not relevant to performance conclusions here.

Where Each One Wins

Based on the benchmark results, the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3945WX wins in every measured category. There is no test in the head-to-head data where the Intel Core i9-9990XE comes out ahead. This makes the use-case split unusually lopsided: AMD wins for multi-threaded rendering (Cinebench R15, R20, R23 multi-core) and for single-threaded responsiveness (all single-core tests).

The AMD part’s consistent 11% lead in multi-core tests suggests it is the superior choice for professional rendering, video encoding, and other parallel workloads. Its single-core wins, though smaller in absolute terms (404 vs 364, 1687 vs 1519, 4019 vs 3619), indicate better day-to-day responsiveness in applications that rely on single-threaded performance.

The Intel Core i9-9990XE does not have a single benchmark win to recommend it. Even in areas where it might theoretically excel — such as having more cores (14 vs 12) and a higher boost clock (5.10 GHz vs 4.30 GHz) — it loses by the same ~11% margin. This means there is no workload in the data where Intel is the better pick.

One caveat: the Intel chip has an unlocked multiplier, which allows for overclocking, whereas the AMD part is locked. This could theoretically allow the Intel CPU to close the gap, but the FACT PACK provides no overclocked benchmark data, so this remains speculative. In stock configuration, AMD wins everywhere.

FAQ

Q: Which CPU has a higher multi-core score in Cinebench R23?

A: The AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3945WX scores 28469, which is 11% higher than the Intel Core i9-9990XE’s 25637.

Q: Does the Intel Core i9-9990XE win any benchmark?

A: No. The Intel Core i9-9990XE loses all six head-to-head tests, with the AMD part winning 6 and Intel winning 0.

Q: How many cores and threads does each processor have?

A: The AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3945WX has 12 cores and 24 threads, while the Intel Core i9-9990XE has 14 cores and 28 threads.

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

A: The AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3945WX has an average score of 7741, while the Intel Core i9-9990XE averages 7415.

Q: Which CPU has a higher single-core score in Cinebench R20?

A: The AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3945WX scores 1687, beating the Intel Core i9-9990XE’s 1519 by 11.1%.

Q: Is the Intel Core i9-9990XE still in production?

A: No, the Intel Core i9-9990XE is marked as end-of-life, while the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3945WX is listed as active.

Architecture Differences

The two processors come from fundamentally different design philosophies. The AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3945WX uses the Zen 2 architecture, codenamed Castle Peak, built on a 7 nm process at TSMC. It packs 7,600 million transistors across a die size of 2x 74 mm². The Intel Core i9-9990XE, by contrast, uses the Skylake architecture, codenamed Skylake-X, built on a 14 nm process at Intel’s own foundry. No transistor or die size data is available for the Intel part.

The cache configurations differ significantly. The AMD chip has 64 KB of L1 cache and 512 KB of L2 cache per core, with a massive 64 MB of shared L3 cache. The Intel part also has 64 KB of L1 per core, but doubles the L2 to 1 MB per core, while its L3 is much smaller at 19.25 MB shared. This larger L3 cache on the AMD part likely contributes to its benchmark advantage, especially in multi-threaded workloads.

Memory architecture is another key divergence. The AMD processor supports eight-channel DDR4 memory, providing a memory bandwidth of 204.8 GB/s, while the Intel chip is limited to quad-channel DDR4, yielding only 85.3 GB/s. This is more than a 2x difference in theoretical bandwidth, which is crucial for memory-intensive applications. Additionally, the AMD part supports ECC memory, whereas the Intel chip does not.

PCIe connectivity also favors AMD. The Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3945WX offers PCIe Gen 4 with 128 lanes (CPU only), while the Intel Core i9-9990XE provides PCIe Gen 3 with just 44 lanes. This makes the AMD part far more suitable for workstations with multiple GPUs, NVMe drives, or other high-bandwidth peripherals.

The AMD chip’s socket is AMD Socket WRX8, while Intel uses Socket 2066. The Intel part has an unlocked multiplier for overclocking, while the AMD part is locked. The production status also differs: AMD is active, Intel is end-of-life. The Intel part’s release date was 2018-10-18, while the AMD part launched later on 2020-07-13.

Specification Differences

The core and thread counts differ: the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3945WX has 12 cores and 24 threads, while the Intel Core i9-9990XE has 14 cores and 28 threads. Base clocks are identical at 4.00 GHz for both, but the boost clocks diverge sharply: AMD boosts to 4.30 GHz, while Intel boosts to 5.10 GHz. Despite the higher boost on Intel, AMD still wins all benchmarks.

The TDP ratings are 280 W for AMD and 255 W for Intel, a modest difference. The process nodes are starkly different: AMD uses 7 nm, Intel uses 14 nm. The AMD chip’s L3 cache is 64 MB, while Intel’s is 19.25 MB shared. The L2 cache per core is 512 KB on AMD versus 1 MB on Intel. Memory bus widths are eight-channel for AMD and quad-channel for Intel, with corresponding bandwidths of 204.8 GB/s and 85.3 GB/s.

ECC memory support is present on AMD but absent on Intel. PCIe versions and lane counts differ: Gen 4 with 128 lanes for AMD, Gen 3 with 44 lanes for Intel. The AMD chip is locked, while Intel is unlocked. The market segments differ: AMD targets Server/Workstation, Intel targets Desktop. The AMD part number is 100-000000168, while Intel’s is SREZA. The launch MSRP for the Intel part was $2800, and the AMD part has no listed MSRP.