Test Methodology
Comparison Configurations |
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|---|---|---|---|
| Model | |||
| Firmware Version | 7C59v11 |
7B96v10 |
|
| Chipset | TRX40 |
X299 |
|
| CPU | AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3960X |
Intel Core i9-10980XE |
|
| CPU Cores / Threads | 24 / 48 |
18 / 36 |
|
| CPU Base Clock / Turbo | 3.8GHz / 4.5GHz |
3.0GHz / 4.8GHz |
|
| CPU TDP | 280W |
165W |
|
| Memory | Corsair Dominator Platinum RGB DDR4-3600 64GB |
||
| Memory Speed | DDR4-3200 |
DDR4-2933 |
|
| Memory Timings | 14-14-14-34-1T |
||
| Graphics | Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Ti FE (441.20) |
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| Primary Storage Device | SK hynix Canvas SC300 (512GB) |
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| Secondary Storage Device | Corsair MP600 2TB PCIe 4.0 |
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| CPU cooling | Fractal Design Celsius S24 |
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| Power Supply | be quiet! Dark Power Pro 10 (1,000W) |
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| Operating System | Windows 10 v1909 (64-bit) |
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Benchmark Suite |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
CPU Benchmarks |
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| HEXUS PiFast | Our number-crunching benchmark stresses a single core by calculating Pi to 10m places | ||||||||||
| Cinebench R20 | Using Cinebench's multi-CPU render, this cross-platform benchmark stresses all cores | ||||||||||
| Blender 2.80 | Running the Gooseberry benchmark | ||||||||||
Storage Benchmarks |
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| CrystalDiskMark | Popular free-to-use storage benchmark, used to gauge read and write performance via M.2 (2TB Corsair MP600), SATA (512GB SK hynix Canvas SC300) and USB 3.1 (512GB SK hynix Canvas SC300) | ||||||||||
Memory Benchmarks |
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| AIDA64 | Benchmark that analyses memory bandwidth and latency | ||||||||||
System Benchmarks |
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| 3DMark Time Spy | DX12 graphics benchmark run using the Time Spy test | ||||||||||
| PCMark 10 | System test using the standard preset | ||||||||||
| World of Tanks | Graphics benchmark run at FHD to determine CPU involvement | ||||||||||
Gaming Benchmarks |
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| Civilization VI: Gathering Storm | 1,920x1,080 ultra settings | ||||||||||
| Shadow of the Tomb Raider | 1,920x1,080 highest settings | ||||||||||
| Total War: Three Kingdoms | 1,920x1,080 ultra settings | ||||||||||
Miscellaneous Benchmarks |
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| Power Consumption | To emulate real-world usage scenarios, we record system-wide mains power draw when idle, when rendering via KeyShot 9 and while playing SOTTR | ||||||||||
Notes
We have chosen to use the Ryzen Threadripper 3960X as it is closer in price to the Core i9-10980XE. Even so, the AMD combination costs over £2,000 for the CPU and motherboard alone, compared to around £1,650 for Intel.
