![Intel Core i7 3970x vs 5820K Benchmark & Comparison](https://performancepsu.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/intel-core-i7-3970x-in-motherboard-970x600.jpg)
The i7 3970x is now becoming a somewhat dated CPU, and yet is still going for $800 on ebay.com (at the time of this review).
I thought to myself “is this CPU really worth the money?” and so I began testing it to see if, in fact, the Intel Core i7 3970x is still worth the extreme premium price tag it carries, or if you should just buy a newer, less expensive processor instead for half the price?.
Over the course of this article, I am going to pit the 3970x against the 5820K as well as a few other choice processors available on the market today.
Our Test Rig
- MSI X79A GD45 motherboard
- 16GB DDR3 1600 mhz OCZ Gold RAM
- OCZ Revodrive PCIE SSD
- 2x Radeon 6670s in crossfire
I will have the i7 3970x CPU clocked at two speeds, 3.50 GHz, and at 4.2 GHz (overclocked)
CPU Tests
No processor benchmark comparison would be without a solid set of tests, I will be using a variety of tests from Passmark Performance Test software.
![Intel Core i7 3970x vs 5820K Benchmark & Comparison compression](https://performancepsu.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/compression.png)
i7 3970x Compression Test
The i7 3970x does very well in the compression test, both at stock (orange) and at overclocked settings (green).
![Intel Core i7 3970x vs 5820K Benchmark & Comparison encryption](https://performancepsu.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/encryption.png)
i7 3970x Encryption Test
![Intel Core i7 3970x vs 5820K Benchmark & Comparison flotpoint](https://performancepsu.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/flotpoint.png)
i7 3970x Floatpoint Calculations
![Intel Core i7 3970x vs 5820K Benchmark & Comparison physics](https://performancepsu.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/physics.png)
i7 3970x Physics Test
As you can see, the i7 3970x is still one heck of a processing beast, outperforming all but the i7 5820k in most tests.
![Intel Core i7 3970x vs 5820K Benchmark & Comparison primenums](https://performancepsu.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/primenums.png)
i7 3970x Prime Numbers Test
Beats the 5820K by over 9.6% in prime number calculation tests.
![Intel Core i7 3970x vs 5820K Benchmark & Comparison sorting](https://performancepsu.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/sorting.png)
i7 3970x Sorting Test
![Intel Core i7 3970x vs 5820K Benchmark & Comparison sse](https://performancepsu.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/sse.png)
i7 3970x Extended Instructions(SSE) Test
![Intel Core i7 3970x vs 5820K Benchmark & Comparison single thread](https://performancepsu.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/single-thread.png)
i7 3970x Single CPU-thread Test
6.5% performance increase over 5820K
Conclusion
The Intel Core i7 Extreme Edition i7 3970x is still a monster of a CPU, but considering that the i7 5820k has nearly the same specifications, and is as fast as the 3970x, for only $400 means that the i7 3970x is NOT a good purchase for $800.
The only benefit that the i7 3970x has over the newer 5820k is the fact that the 3970x has 40 PCI-E lanes, where the 5820k only has 28, but most people will not need more than 16 PCI-E lanes at any one time anyway. What do you think? Would you get