Core i7-5960X vs i7-4960X Gaming-Performance - FullHD, 1440p, UHD
Category : 2015
Published by Hiwa Pouri on 27.03.15
When Intel released their new Haswell-E CPUs, we decided to rework our CPU gaming performance articles. Meanwhile we're testing different resolutions and there are FullHD, 1440p as well as UHD on our list. This way you get a more detailed understanding of the differences. Today we compare the Core i7-5960X to the old generation Ivy Bridge-E Core i7-4960X at stock clocks as well as overclocked to 4.5GHz and we're curious see how big the differences are.
[pagebreak]
Test Setup
|
Motherboard |
|
| CPU |
- Intel Core i7-5960X - Stock
- Intel Core i7-5960X - 4.5 GHz
- Intel Core i7-4960X - Stock
- Intel Core i7-4960X - 4.5 GHz
|
|
Memory |
- G.Skill Ripjaws4 DDR4-3000 CL15-15-15-35 Auto
|
|
Graphics Cards |
- ASUS Strix OC Edition GeForce GTX 980
|
| Drivers |
- Windows 7 x64
- Latest NVIDIA Drivers
|
| Games |
|
|
Games and OS |
- Windows 7 x64
- All
games were up to date on the
|
|
System Drive |
|
|
PSU |
- Seasonic Platinum SS-1000XP / 1000 Watts
|
[pagebreak]
3DMark - Fire Strike
| High Preset, 1920x1080 (1080p) |
Score |
% |
| Intel Core i7-4960X Stock |
13'410 |
100.00 |
| Intel Core i7-4960X 4.5G |
13'800 |
102.91 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X Stock
|
14'734 |
109.87 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X 4.5G |
15'012 |
111.95 |
| |
More is better |
|
High Preset, 2560x1440 (1440p) |
Score |
% |
| Intel Core i7-4960X Stock |
6'302 |
100.00 |
| Intel Core i7-4960X 4.5G |
6'390 |
101.40 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X Stock
|
6'571 |
104.27 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X 4.5G |
6'602 |
104.76 |
| |
More is better |
|
High Preset, 3840x2160 (2160p) |
Score |
% |
| Intel Core i7-4960X Stock |
3'354 |
100.00 |
| Intel Core i7-4960X 4.5G |
3'398 |
101.31 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X Stock
|
3'524 |
105.07 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X 4.5G |
3'604 |
107.45 |
| |
More is better |
[pagebreak]
Unigine Heaven 4.0 Extreme Preset
| High Preset, 1920x1080 (1080p) |
Score |
% |
| Intel Core i7-4960X Stock |
1'663 |
100.00 |
| Intel Core i7-4960X 4.5G |
1'680 |
101.02 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X Stock
|
1'772 |
106.55 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X 4.5G |
1'862 |
114.01 |
| |
More is better |
|
High Preset, 2560x1440 (1440p) |
Score |
% |
| Intel Core i7-4960X Stock |
1'008 |
100.00 |
| Intel Core i7-4960X 4.5G |
1'019 |
101.81 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X Stock
|
1'058 |
104.96 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X 4.5G |
1'080 |
107.14 |
| |
More is better |
|
High Preset, 3840x2160 (2160p) |
Score |
% |
| Intel Core i7-4960X Stock |
440 |
100.00 |
| Intel Core i7-4960X 4.5G |
446 |
101.36 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X Stock
|
456 |
103.64 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X 4.5G |
459 |
104.32 |
| |
More is better |
Unigine Heaven Settings |
|
1080p |
1440p |
2160p |
- Preset: Custom
- Quality: Ultra
- Tesselation: Extreme
- Stereo 3D: Disabled
- Multi Monitor: Disabled
- Anti Aliasing: 8x
- Full Screen: On
- Resolution: Custom
|
- Preset: Custom
- Quality: Ultra
- Tesselation: Extreme
- Stereo 3D: Disabled
- Multi Monitor: Disabled
- Anti Aliasing: 8x
- Full Screen: On
- Resolution: Custom
|
- Preset: Custom
- Quality: Ultra
- Tesselation: Extreme
- Stereo 3D: Disabled
- Multi Monitor: Disabled
- Anti Aliasing: 8x
- Full Screen: On
- Resolution: Custom
|
[pagebreak]
Bordlands - The Pre-Sequel
|
High Preset, 1920x1080 (1080p) |
Average FPS |
% |
| Intel Core i7-4960X Stock |
247.34 |
100.00 |
| Intel Core i7-4960X 4.5G |
249.65 |
100.93 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X Stock
|
250.22 |
101.16 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X 4.5G |
252.86 |
102.23 |
|
More is better |
|
High Preset, 2560x1440 (1440p) |
Average FPS |
% |
| Intel Core i7-4960X Stock |
153.22 |
100.00 |
| Intel Core i7-4960X 4.5G |
153.84 |
101.07 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X Stock
|
154.22 |
100.65 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X 4.5G |
155.98 |
101.80 |
|
More is better |
|
High Preset, 3840x2160 (2160p) |
Average FPS |
% |
| Intel Core i7-4960X Stock |
71.25 |
100.00 |
| Intel Core i7-4960X 4.5G |
72.01 |
100.71 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X Stock
|
73.22 |
102.76 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X 4.5G |
74.65 |
104.77 |
|
More is better |
Borderlands The Pre-Sequel Settings |
|
1080p |
1440p |
2160p |
- VSNYC: Off
- Framerate: Unlimited
- Anisotropic Filtering: 16x
- Bullet Decals: High
- Foliage Distance: Far
- Texture Quality: High
- Game Detail: High
- Ambient Occlusion: On
- Depth Of Field: On
- FXAA: on
- View Distance: Ultra High
- Physx Effects: Low
- Texture Fade: On
- Colorblind: Off
|
- VSNYC: Off
- Framerate: Unlimited
- Anisotropic Filtering: 16x
- Bullet Decals: High
- Foliage Distance: Far
- Texture Quality: High
- Game Detail: High
- Ambient Occlusion: On
- Depth Of Field: On
- FXAA: on
- View Distance: Ultra High
- Physx Effects: Low
- Texture Fade: On
- Colorblind: Off
|
- VSNYC: Off
- Framerate: Unlimited
- Anisotropic Filtering: 16x
- Bullet Decals: High
- Foliage Distance: Far
- Texture Quality: High
- Game Detail: High
- Ambient Occlusion: On
- Depth Of Field: On
- FXAA: on
- View Distance: Ultra High
- Physx Effects: Low
- Texture Fade: On
- Colorblind: Off
|
[pagebreak]
BattleField 4
|
High Preset, 1920x1080 (1080p) |
Average FPS |
% |
| Intel Core i7-4960X Stock |
99.58 |
100.00 |
| Intel Core i7-4960X 4.5G |
103.66 |
104.08 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X Stock
|
105.15 |
105.59 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X 4.5G |
107.87 |
108.32 |
|
More is better |
|
High Preset, 2560x1440 (1440p) |
Average FPS |
% |
| Intel Core i7-4960X Stock |
62.24 |
100.00 |
| Intel Core i7-4960X 4.5G |
68.33 |
109.78 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X Stock
|
65.19 |
104.74 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X 4.5G |
73.87 |
118.69 |
|
More is better |
|
High Preset, 3840x2160 (2160p) |
Average FPS |
% |
| Intel Core i7-4960X Stock |
35.68 |
100.00 |
| Intel Core i7-4960X 4.5G |
37.04 |
103.81 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X Stock
|
36.42 |
102.07 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X 4.5G |
45.59 |
127.77 |
|
More is better |
Battlefield 4 Settings |
|
1080p |
1440p |
2160p |
- Graphics Quality: Custom
- Texture Quality: Ultra
- Texture Filtering: Ultra
- Lighting Quality: Ultra
- FX Quality: Ultra
- Post Process Quality: Ultra
- Mesh Quality: Ultra
- Terrain Quality: Ultra
- Terrain Decoration: Ultra
- Antialiasing Deferred: 4x MSAA
- Antialiasing Post: High
- Ambient Occlusion: HBAO
|
- Graphics Quality: Custom
- Texture Quality: Ultra
- Texture Filtering: Ultra
- Lighting Quality: Ultra
- FX Quality: Ultra
- Post Process Quality: Ultra
- Mesh Quality: Ultra
- Terrain Quality: Ultra
- Terrain Decoration: Ultra
- Antialiasing Deferred: 4x MSAA
- Antialiasing Post: High
- Ambient Occlusion: HBAO
|
- Graphics Quality: Custom
- Texture Quality: Ultra
- Texture Filtering: Ultra
- Lighting Quality: Ultra
- FX Quality: Ultra
- Post Process Quality: Ultra
- Mesh Quality: Ultra
- Terrain Quality: Ultra
- Terrain Decoration: Ultra
- Antialiasing Deferred: 4x MSAA
- Antialiasing Post: High
- Ambient Occlusion: HBAO
|
[pagebreak]
Watch Dogs
| High Preset, 1920x1080 (1080p) |
Average FPS |
% |
| Intel Core i7-4960X Stock |
61.87 |
100.00 |
| Intel Core i7-4960X 4.5G |
61.99 |
100.19 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X Stock
|
66.81 |
107.98 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X 4.5G |
79.24 |
128.75 |
|
More is better |
|
High Preset, 2560x1440 (1440p) |
Average FPS |
% |
| Intel Core i7-4960X Stock |
41.04 |
100.00 |
| Intel Core i7-4960X 4.5G |
41.12 |
100.19 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X Stock
|
43.41 |
105.77 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X 4.5G |
46.21 |
112.60 |
|
More is better |
|
High Preset, 3840x2160 (2160p) |
Average FPS |
% |
| Intel Core i7-4960X Stock |
20.80 |
100.00 |
| Intel Core i7-4960X 4.5G |
20.90 |
100.48 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X Stock
|
23.29 |
111.97 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X 4.5G |
25.14 |
120.87 |
|
More is better |
Watch Dogs Settings |
|
1080p |
1440p |
2160p |
- Vsync: Off
- Color Blind Support: Off
- Graphics Quality: Custom
- Texture Quality: Ultra
- Shadow Quality: Ultra
- FX Quality: Ultra
- Mesh Quality: Ultra
- Terrain Quality: Ultra
- Terrain Decoration: Ultra
- Antialiasing Deferred: 4x MSAA
- Antialiasing Post: High
- Motion Blur: On
- Anisotropic Filter: 16x
- Ambient Occlusion: HBAO
|
- Vsync: Off
- Color Blind Support: Off
- Graphics Quality: Custom
- Texture Quality: Ultra
- Shadow Quality: Ultra
- FX Quality: Ultra
- Mesh Quality: Ultra
- Terrain Quality: Ultra
- Terrain Decoration: Ultra
- Antialiasing Deferred: 4x MSAA
- Antialiasing Post: High
- Motion Blur: On
- Anisotropic Filter: 16x
- Ambient Occlusion: HBAO
|
- Vsync: Off
- Color Blind Support: Off
- Graphics Quality: Custom
- Texture Quality: Ultra
- Shadow Quality: Ultra
- FX Quality: Ultra
- Mesh Quality: Ultra
- Terrain Quality: Ultra
- Terrain Decoration: Ultra
- Antialiasing Deferred: 4x MSAA
- Antialiasing Post: High
- Motion Blur: On
- Anisotropic Filter: 16x
- Ambient Occlusion: HBAO
|
[pagebreak]
Tomb Raider
|
High Preset, 1920x1080 (1080p) |
Average FPS |
% |
| Intel Core i7-4960X Stock |
55.20 |
100.00 |
| Intel Core i7-4960X 4.5G
4 |
55.30 |
100.18 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X Stock
|
62.10 |
112.50 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X 4.5G |
62.40 |
113.04 |
|
More is better |
| High Preset, 2560x1440 (1440p) |
Average FPS |
% |
| Intel Core i7-4960X Stock |
32.40 |
100.00 |
| Intel Core i7-4960X 4.5G |
32.60 |
100.62 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X Stock
|
40.20 |
124.07 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X 4.5G |
40.30 |
124.38 |
|
More is better |
|
High Preset, 3840x2160 (2160p) |
Average FPS |
% |
| Intel Core i7-4960X Stock |
15.40 |
100.00 |
| Intel Core i7-4960X 4.5G |
15.70 |
101.95 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X Stock
|
18.90 |
122.73 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X 4.5G |
19.20 |
124.68 |
|
More is better |
Tomb Raider Settings |
|
1080p |
1440p |
2160p |
- Preset: Custom
- Texture Quality: Ultra
- Texture Filter: Anisotropic 16x
- Antialiasing: 4x SSAA
- Shadow: Ultra
- Shadow Resolution: High
- Level of Detail: Ultra
- Post Processing: On
- Tessellation: On
- High Precision: On
- Hair Quality: TressFX
- Reflections: High
- Depth of Field: Ultra
- SSAO: Ultra
|
- Preset: Custom
- Texture Quality: Ultra
- Texture Filter: Anisotropic 16x
- Antialiasing: 4x SSAA
- Shadow: Ultra
- Shadow Resolution: High
- Level of Detail: Ultra
- Post Processing: On
- Tessellation: On
- High Precision: On
- Hair Quality: TressFX
- Reflections: High
- Depth of Field: Ultra
- SSAO: Ultra
|
- Preset: Custom
- Texture Quality: Ultra
- Texture Filter: Anisotropic 16x
- Antialiasing: 4x SSAA
- Shadow: Ultra
- Shadow Resolution: High
- Level of Detail: Ultra
- Post Processing: On
- Tessellation: On
- High Precision: On
- Hair Quality: TressFX
- Reflections: High
- Depth of Field: Ultra
- SSAO: Ultra
|
[pagebreak]
Sniper Elite 3
|
High Preset, 1920x1080 (1080p) |
Average FPS |
% |
| Intel Core i7-4960X Stock |
58.25 |
100.00 |
| Intel Core i7-4960X 4.5G |
59.37 |
102.02 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X Stock
|
64.19 |
110.20 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X 4.5G |
70.15 |
120.43 |
|
More is better |
|
High Preset, 2560x1440 (1440p) |
Average FPS |
% |
| Intel Core i7-4960X Stock |
34.58 |
100.00 |
| Intel Core i7-4960X 4.5G |
35.28 |
102.56 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X Stock
|
37.68 |
108.96 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X 4.5G |
40.24 |
116.38 |
|
More is better |
|
High Preset, 3840x2160 (2160p) |
Average FPS |
% |
| Intel Core i7-4960X Stock |
17.14 |
100.00 |
| Intel Core i7-4960X 4.5G |
19.80 |
115.52 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X Stock
|
18.00 |
105.02 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X 4.5G |
21.00 |
122.52 |
|
More is better |
Sniper Elite 3 Settings |
|
1080p |
1440p |
2160p |
- Graphics Detail: Ultra
- AntiAliasing: High
- Texture Detail: Ultra
- Draw Distance: Ultra
- Anisotropic Filtering: 16
- Supersampling: 4.0x
- Motion Blur: Yes
- Ambient Occlusion: Yes
- V-Sync: No
- Use Tessellation: Yes
- Use Obscurance Fields: Yes
|
- Graphics Detail: Ultra
- AntiAliasing: High
- Texture Detail: Ultra
- Draw Distance: Ultra
- Anisotropic Filtering: 16
- Supersampling: 4.0x
- Motion Blur: Yes
- Ambient Occlusion: Yes
- V-Sync: No
- Use Tessellation: Yes
- Use Obscurance Fields: Yes
|
- Graphics Detail: Ultra
- AntiAliasing: High
- Texture Detail: Ultra
- Draw Distance: Ultra
- Anisotropic Filtering: 16
- Supersampling: 4.0x
- Motion Blur: Yes
- Ambient Occlusion: Yes
- V-Sync: No
- Use Tessellation: Yes
- Use Obscurance Fields: Yes
|
[pagebreak]
Crysis 3
|
High Preset, 1920x1080 (1080p) |
Average FPS |
% |
| Intel Core i7-4960X Stock |
37.73 |
100.00 |
| Intel Core i7-4960X 4.5G |
37.75 |
100.05 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X Stock
|
40.80 |
108.14 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X 4.5G |
41.90 |
111.05 |
|
More is better |
|
High Preset, 2560x1440 (1440p) |
Average FPS |
% |
| Intel Core i7-4960X Stock |
23.90 |
100.00 |
| Intel Core i7-4960X 4.5G |
23.97 |
100.29 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X Stock
|
27.01 |
113.09 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X 4.5G |
27.55 |
115.27 |
|
More is better |
| High Preset, 3840x2160 (2160p) |
Average FPS |
% |
| Intel Core i7-4960X Stock |
14.08 |
100.00 |
| Intel Core i7-4960X 4.5G |
14.16 |
100.57 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X Stock
|
14.90 |
105.82 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X 4.5G |
15.10 |
107.24 |
|
More is better |
Crysis 3 Settings |
|
1080p |
1440p |
2160p |
- Anti Aliasing: MSAA High 8x
- Texture Resolution: Very High
- Vsync: No
- System Spec: Very High
- Game Effects: Very High
- Object: Very High
- Particles: Very High
- Post Processing: Very High
- Shading: Very High
- Shadows: Very High
- Water: Very High
- Anisotropic Filtering: 16x
- Motion Blur Amount: High
- Lense Flares: Yes
|
- Anti Aliasing: MSAA High 8x
- Texture Resolution: Very High
- Vsync: No
- System Spec: Very High
- Game Effects: Very High
- Object: Very High
- Particles: Very High
- Post Processing: Very High
- Shading: Very High
- Shadows: Very High
- Water: Very High
- Anisotropic Filtering: 16x
- Motion Blur Amount: High
- Lense Flares: Yes
|
- Anti Aliasing: MSAA High 8x
- Texture Resolution: Very High
- Vsync: No
- System Spec: Very High
- Game Effects: Very High
- Object: Very High
- Particles: Very High
- Post Processing: Very High
- Shading: Very High
- Shadows: Very High
- Water: Very High
- Anisotropic Filtering: 16x
- Motion Blur Amount: High
- Lense Flares: Yes
|
[pagebreak]
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
|
High Preset, 1920x1080 (1080p) |
Average FPS |
% |
| Intel Core i7-4960X Stock |
86.70 |
100.00 |
| Intel Core i7-4960X 4.5G |
90.20 |
104.04 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X Stock
|
87.30 |
100.69 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X 4.5G |
91.03 |
104.99 |
|
More is better |
|
High Preset, 2560x1440 (1440p) |
Average FPS |
% |
| Intel Core i7-4960X Stock |
53.20 |
100.00 |
| Intel Core i7-4960X 4.5G |
54.20 |
101.87 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X Stock
|
54.00 |
101.50 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X 4.5G |
54.90 |
103.20 |
|
More is better |
|
High Preset, 3840x2160 (2160p) |
Average FPS |
% |
| Intel Core i7-4960X Stock |
26.12 |
100.00 |
| Intel Core i7-4960X 4.5G |
26.83 |
102.72 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X Stock
|
26.81 |
102.64 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X 4.5G |
27.01 |
103.41 |
|
More is better |
Call of Duty: Advanced Wirefare Settings |
|
1080p |
1440p |
2160p |
- Vsync: No
- Render Resolution: Native
- Texture Quality: manual
- Texture Resolution: Extra
- Normal Map Resolution: Extra
- Specular Map Resolution: Extra
- Anisotropic Filtering: High
- Shadows: On
- >Shadow Map Resolutiopn: High
- Cache Sun Shadow Maps: On
- Cache Spot Shadow Maps: On
- Depth of Field: High Quality
- Motion Blur: High Quality
- Screen Space Ambient Occlusion: Normal
-
Medium Distance Ambient Occlusion: On
- Sub Surface Scattering: On
- Depth PrepaSS: oN
- Post Process Anti-Aliasing: Filmic SMAA T2x
- Super Sampling: 4x
- Shader Preload: On
- Shader Preload During Cinematics: On
- Bullet Impacts: On
- Dynamic Light Limit: 8
|
- Vsync: No
- Render Resolution: Native
- Texture Quality: manual
- Texture Resolution: Extra
- Normal Map Resolution: Extra
- Specular Map Resolution: Extra
- Anisotropic Filtering: High
- Shadows: On
- >Shadow Map Resolutiopn: High
- Cache Sun Shadow Maps: On
- Cache Spot Shadow Maps: On
- Depth of Field: High Quality
- Motion Blur: High Quality
- Screen Space Ambient Occlusion: Normal
-
Medium Distance Ambient Occlusion: On
- Sub Surface Scattering: On
- Depth PrepaSS: oN
- Post Process Anti-Aliasing: Filmic SMAA T2x
- Super Sampling: 4x
- Shader Preload: On
- Shader Preload During Cinematics: On
- Bullet Impacts: On
- Dynamic Light Limit: 8
|
- Vsync: No
- Render Resolution: Native
- Texture Quality: manual
- Texture Resolution: Extra
- Normal Map Resolution: Extra
- Specular Map Resolution: Extra
- Anisotropic Filtering: High
- Shadows: On
- >Shadow Map Resolutiopn: High
- Cache Sun Shadow Maps: On
- Cache Spot Shadow Maps: On
- Depth of Field: High Quality
- Motion Blur: High Quality
- Screen Space Ambient Occlusion: Normal
-
Medium Distance Ambient Occlusion: On
- Sub Surface Scattering: On
- Depth PrepaSS: oN
- Post Process Anti-Aliasing: Filmic SMAA T2x
- Super Sampling: 4x
- Shader Preload: On
- Shader Preload During Cinematics: On
- Bullet Impacts: On
- Dynamic Light Limit: 8
|
[pagebreak]
Thief
|
High Preset, 1920x1080 (1080p) |
Average FPS |
% |
| Intel Core i7-4960X Stock |
86.80 |
100.00 |
| Intel Core i7-4960X 4.5G |
87.00 |
100.23 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X Stock
|
92.80 |
106.91 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X 4.5G |
93.60 |
107.83 |
|
More is better |
|
High Preset, 2560x1440 (1440p) |
Average FPS |
% |
| Intel Core i7-4960X Stock |
58.20 |
100.00 |
| Intel Core i7-4960X 4.5G |
58.40 |
100.34 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X Stock
|
62.90 |
108.08 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X 4.5G |
63.00 |
108.25 |
|
More is better |
|
High Preset, 3840x2160 (2160p) |
Average FPS |
% |
| Intel Core i7-4960X Stock |
30.00 |
100.00 |
| Intel Core i7-4960X 4.5G |
30.20 |
100.67 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X Stock
|
32.10 |
107.00 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X 4.5G |
32.60 |
108.67 |
|
More is better |
Thief Settings |
|
1080p |
1440p |
2160p |
- Vsync: Off
- Preset: Custom
- Texture Quality: Very High
- Shadow Quality: Very High
- Depth of Field Quality: High
- Texture Filtering Quality: 16x Anisotropic
- SSAA: High
- Automatically limit Texture Quality: On
- Screen Space Reflection: On
- Parallax Occlusion Mapping: On
- FXAA: On
- Contact Hardening Shadows: On
- Tesselation: On
- Image Based Reflection: On
|
- Vsync: Off
- Preset: Custom
- Texture Quality: Very High
- Shadow Quality: Very High
- Depth of Field Quality: High
- Texture Filtering Quality: 16x Anisotropic
- SSAA: High
- Automatically limit Texture Quality: On
- Screen Space Reflection: On
- Parallax Occlusion Mapping: On
- FXAA: On
- Contact Hardening Shadows: On
- Tesselation: On
- Image Based Reflection: On
|
- Vsync: Off
- Preset: Custom
- Texture Quality: Very High
- Shadow Quality: Very High
- Depth of Field Quality: High
- Texture Filtering Quality: 16x Anisotropic
- SSAA: High
- Automatically limit Texture Quality: On
- Screen Space Reflection: On
- Parallax Occlusion Mapping: On
- FXAA: On
- Contact Hardening Shadows: On
- Tesselation: On
- Image Based Reflection: On
|
[pagebreak]
GRID Autosport
|
High Preset, 1920x1080 (1080p) |
Average FPS |
% |
| Intel Core i7-4960X Stock |
106.80 |
100.00 |
| Intel Core i7-4960X 4.5G |
107.90 |
101.03 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X Stock
|
113.80 |
106.55 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X 4.5G |
117.80 |
110.30 |
|
More is better |
|
High Preset, 2560x1440 (1440p) |
Average FPS |
% |
| Intel Core i7-4960X Stock |
95.58 |
100.00 |
| Intel Core i7-4960X 4.5G |
96.02 |
100.46 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X Stock
|
109.40 |
114.45 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X 4.5G |
112.22 |
117.91 |
|
More is better |
|
High Preset, 3840x2160 (2160p) |
Average FPS |
% |
| Intel Core i7-4960X Stock |
62.20 |
100.00 |
| Intel Core i7-4960X 4.5G |
62.70 |
100.80 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X Stock
|
71.12 |
114.34 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X 4.5G |
73.55 |
118.25 |
|
More is better |
GRID Autosport Settings |
|
1080p |
1440p |
2160p |
- Full Screen: On
- Vsync: Off
- Nigh Lightning: Ultra
- Advanced Fog: On
- Particles: Ultra
- Cloths: Ultra
- Ambient Occlusion: Ultra
- Soft Ambient Occlusion: On
- Ground Cover: Ultra
- Vehicle Details: Ultra
- Vehicle Reflections: Ultra
- Objects: Ultra
- Trees: Ultra
- Crowds: Ultra
- Water: High
- Advanced Lighting: Enabled
- Global Illumination: On
- Texture Quality: High
- Shader Quality: High
- Anisotropic Filtering: Ultra
- Smoke: Shadows: on
|
- Full Screen: On
- Vsync: Off
- Nigh Lightning: Ultra
- Advanced Fog: On
- Particles: Ultra
- Cloths: Ultra
- Ambient Occlusion: Ultra
- Soft Ambient Occlusion: On
- Ground Cover: Ultra
- Vehicle Details: Ultra
- Vehicle Reflections: Ultra
- Objects: Ultra
- Trees: Ultra
- Crowds: Ultra
- Water: High
- Advanced Lighting: Enabled
- Global Illumination: On
- Texture Quality: High
- Shader Quality: High
- Anisotropic Filtering: Ultra
- Smoke: Shadows: on
|
- Full Screen: On
- Vsync: Off
- Nigh Lightning: Ultra
- Advanced Fog: On
- Particles: Ultra
- Cloths: Ultra
- Ambient Occlusion: Ultra
- Soft Ambient Occlusion: On
- Ground Cover: Ultra
- Vehicle Details: Ultra
- Vehicle Reflections: Ultra
- Objects: Ultra
- Trees: Ultra
- Crowds: Ultra
- Water: High
- Advanced Lighting: Enabled
- Global Illumination: On
- Texture Quality: High
- Shader Quality: High
- Anisotropic Filtering: Ultra
- Smoke: Shadows: on
|
[pagebreak]
Sleeping Dogs - Benchmark
|
High Preset, 1920x1080 (1080p) |
Average FPS |
% |
| Intel Core i7-4960X Stock |
85.80 |
100.00 |
| Intel Core i7-4960X 4.5G |
86.20 |
112.09 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X Stock
|
92.00 |
107.23 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X 4.5G |
102.50 |
119.46 |
|
More is better |
|
High Preset, 2560x1440 (1440p) |
Average FPS |
% |
| Intel Core i7-4960X Stock |
50.20 |
100.00 |
| Intel Core i7-4960X 4.5G |
50.40 |
100.40 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X Stock
|
52.20 |
103.98 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X 4.5G |
52.40 |
104.39 |
|
More is better |
|
High Preset, 3840x2160 (2160p) |
Average FPS |
% |
| Intel Core i7-4960X Stock |
20.80 |
100.00 |
| Intel Core i7-4960X 4.5G |
21.20 |
101.92 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X Stock
|
21.30 |
102.40 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X 4.5G |
22.70 |
109.13 |
|
More is better |
Sleeping Dogs Settings |
|
1080p |
1440p |
2160p |
- Full Screen: On
- Graphics Level: Extreme
- Enable Quality Anti Aliasing: Extreme
- Enable High Res Textures: On
- Shadow Resolution: High
- Shadow Filtering: High
- Screen Space Ambient Occlusion: High
- Enable Vsync: Off
- Enable Quality Motion Blur: High
- World Density: Extreme
|
- Full Screen: On
- Graphics Level: Extreme
- Enable Quality Anti Aliasing: Extreme
- Enable High Res Textures: On
- Shadow Resolution: High
- Shadow Filtering: High
- Screen Space Ambient Occlusion: High
- Enable Vsync: Off
- Enable Quality Motion Blur: High
- World Density: Extreme
|
- Full Screen: On
- Graphics Level: Extreme
- Enable Quality Anti Aliasing: Extreme
- Enable High Res Textures: On
- Shadow Resolution: High
- Shadow Filtering: High
- Screen Space Ambient Occlusion: High
- Enable Vsync: Off
- Enable Quality Motion Blur: High
- World Density: Extreme
|
[pagebreak]
Metro: Last Light - Benchmark
|
High Preset, 1920x1080 (1080p) |
Average FPS |
% |
| Intel Core i7-4960X Stock |
56.98 |
100.00 |
| Intel Core i7-4960X 4.5G |
57.71 |
101.28 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X Stock
|
61.87 |
108.59 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X 4.5G |
62.98 |
110.53 |
|
More is better |
|
High Preset, 2560x1440 (1440p) |
Average FPS |
% |
| Intel Core i7-4960X Stock |
37.64 |
100.00 |
| Intel Core i7-4960X 4.5G |
38.80 |
103.08 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X Stock
|
40.21 |
106.83 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X 4.5G |
41.27 |
109.64 |
|
More is better |
|
High Preset, 3840x2160 (2160p) |
Average FPS |
% |
| Intel Core i7-4960X Stock |
18.57 |
100.00 |
| Intel Core i7-4960X 4.5G |
18.96 |
102.10 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X Stock
|
20.13 |
108.40 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X 4.5G |
20.32 |
109.42 |
|
More is better |
Metro: Last Light Settings |
| 1080p |
1440p |
2160p |
- Quality: Very High
- Texture Filtering: AF16x
- Motion Blur: Normal
- SSAA: On
- Tesselation: Very High
- Scene: D6
- Runs: 3
|
- Quality: Very High
- Texture Filtering: AF16x
- Motion Blur: Normal
- SSAA: On
- Tesselation: Very High
- Scene: D6
- Runs: 3
|
- Quality: Very High
- Texture Filtering: AF16x
- Motion Blur: Normal
- SSAA: On
- Tesselation: Very High
- Scene: D6
- Runs: 3
|
[pagebreak]
Assassin’s Creed Unity
|
High Preset, 1920x1080 (1080p) |
Average FPS |
% |
| Intel Core i7-4960X Stock |
48.54 |
100.00 |
| Intel Core i7-4960X 4.5G |
50.08 |
103.17 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X Stock
|
51.75 |
106.61 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X 4.5G |
53.44 |
110.30 |
|
More is better |
|
High Preset, 2560x1440 (1440p) |
Average FPS |
% |
| Intel Core i7-4960X Stock |
29.27 |
100.00 |
| Intel Core i7-4960X 4.5G |
30.74 |
105.02 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X Stock
|
31.11 |
106.29 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X 4.5G |
32.62 |
111.45 |
|
More is better |
|
High Preset, 3840x2160 (2160p) |
Average FPS |
% |
| Intel Core i7-4960X Stock |
14.20 |
100.00 |
| Intel Core i7-4960X 4.5G |
14.50 |
102.11 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X Stock
|
16.20 |
114.08 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X 4.5G |
17.10 |
120.42 |
|
More is better |
Assassin’s Creed Unity Settings |
| 1080p |
1440p |
2160p |
- Blood Fx : On
- Companion app : On
- Graphics Quality: Ultra High
- VSync: Of
- Streching: on
- Envirnoment Quality: Ultra High
- Texture Quality: Ultra High
- Shadow Quality : PCSS
- Ambient Occlusion: HBAO+
- Anti-Aliasing Quality: MSAA-4X
- Bloom: On
|
- Blood Fx : On
- Companion app : On
- Graphics Quality: Ultra High
- VSync: Of
- Streching: on
- Envirnoment Quality: Ultra High
- Texture Quality: Ultra High
- Shadow Quality : PCSS
- Ambient Occlusion: HBAO+
- Anti-Aliasing Quality: MSAA-4X
- Bloom: On
|
- Blood Fx : On
- Companion app : On
- Graphics Quality: Ultra High
- VSync: Of
- Streching: on
- Envirnoment Quality: Ultra High
- Texture Quality: Ultra High
- Shadow Quality : PCSS
- Ambient Occlusion: HBAO+
- Anti-Aliasing Quality: MSAA-4X
- Bloom: On
|
[pagebreak]
Far Cry 4
|
High Preset, 1920x1080 (1080p) |
Average FPS |
% |
| Intel Core i7-4960X Stock |
56.20 |
100.00 |
| Intel Core i7-4960X 4.5G |
59.60 |
106.05 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X Stock
|
58.10 |
103.38 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X 4.5G |
61.23 |
108.95 |
|
More is better |
|
High Preset, 2560x1440 (1440p) |
Average FPS |
% |
| Intel Core i7-4960X Stock |
37.53 |
100.00 |
| Intel Core i7-4960X 4.5G |
41.27 |
109.96 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X Stock
|
38.99 |
103.89 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X 4.5G |
42.67 |
113.69 |
|
More is better |
|
High Preset, 3840x2160 (2160p) |
Average FPS |
% |
| Intel Core i7-4960X Stock |
25.00 |
100.00 |
| Intel Core i7-4960X 4.5G |
26.09 |
104.36 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X Stock
|
25.19 |
100.76 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X 4.5G |
26.21 |
104.84 |
|
More is better |
Far Cry 4 Settings |
| 1080p |
1440p |
2160p |
- Graphics Quality: Custom
- Motion Blur : On
- Textures: Ultra
- VSync: Off
- Shadow: Ultra
- Post FX: Ultra
- Geometry: Ultra
- Vegetation: Ultra
- Terrain: Ultra
- Water: Ultra
- Environment: Ultra
- Ambient Occlusion: HBAO+
- Anti-Aliasing Quality: MSAA-4X
- Godrays: Volumetric fog
- Fur : On
- Trees relief : On
|
- Graphics Quality: Custom
- Motion Blur : On
- Textures: Ultra
- VSync: Off
- Shadow: Ultra
- Post FX: Ultra
- Geometry: Ultra
- Vegetation: Ultra
- Terrain: Ultra
- Water: Ultra
- Environment: Ultra
- Ambient Occlusion: HBAO+
- Anti-Aliasing Quality: MSAA-4X
- Godrays: Volumetric fog
- Fur : On
- Trees relief : On
|
- Graphics Quality: Custom
- Motion Blur : On
- Textures: Ultra
- VSync: Off
- Shadow: Ultra
- Post FX: Ultra
- Geometry: Ultra
- Vegetation: Ultra
- Terrain: Ultra
- Water: Ultra
- Environment: Ultra
- Ambient Occlusion: HBAO+
- Anti-Aliasing Quality: MSAA-4X
- Godrays: Volumetric fog
- Fur : On
- Trees relief : On
|
[pagebreak]
Power Consumption
| Power Consumption Idle* |
Watts |
% |
| Intel Core i7-4960X Stock |
90 |
100.00 |
| Intel Core i7-4960X 4.5G |
111 |
123.33 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X Stock
|
92 |
102.22 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X 4.5G |
126 |
140.00 |
| *Entire system |
Less is better |
| Power Consumption Load (FurMark)* |
Watts |
% |
| Intel Core i7-4960X Stock |
404 |
100.00 |
| Intel Core i7-4960X 4.5G |
435 |
107.67 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X Stock
|
385 |
95.29 |
| Intel Core i7-5960X 4.5G |
416 |
102.97 |
| *Entire system |
Less is better |
[pagebreak]
Performance
| High Preset, 1920x1080 (1080p) |
Performance Index |
| Intel Core i7-4960X Stock |
100.00 % |
| Intel Core i7-4960X 4.5G |
102.62 % |
| Intel Core i7-5960X Stock
|
106.79 % |
| Intel Core i7-5960X 4.5G |
112.14 % |
| High Preset,
2560x1440 (1440p) |
Performance Index,
% |
| Intel Core i7-4960X Stock |
100.00 % |
| Intel Core i7-4960X 4.5G |
103.47 % |
| Intel Core i7-5960X Stock
|
107.44 % |
| Intel Core i7-5960X 4.5G |
111.30 % |
|
High Preset, 3840x2160 (2160p) |
Performance Index,
% |
| Intel Core i7-4960X Stock |
100.00 % |
| Intel Core i7-4960X 4.5G |
102.69 % |
| Intel Core i7-5960X Stock
|
107.23 % |
| Intel Core i7-5960X 4.5G |
112.92 % |
| Average all resolutions |
Performance Index,
% |
| Intel Core i7-4960X Stock |
100.00 % |
| Intel Core i7-4960X 4.5G |
102.92 % |
| Intel Core i7-5960X Stock
|
107.15 % |
| Intel Core i7-5960X 4.5G |
112.20 % |
[pagebreak]
Prices
| |
Price |
| Intel Core i7-4960X |
|
| Intel
Core i7-5960X |
|
[pagebreak]
Conclusion
Stock Clocks
First, we’re going to talk about the average performance differences of the two CPUs we've tested here. To keep things as simple as possible, we've averaged all the results that we gathered at different resolutions. This allows us to create an overall performance index. The Core i7-4960X is defining the 100.00% baseline, to which we're going to compare all other results. On average the Core i7-5960X is
7.15% quicker than its predecessor.
A closer look at the different resolutions reveals, that at FullHD the Core i7-5960X performs
6.79 percent faster. In the case of 1440p the 5960X offers on average 7.44 % higher frame rates. Last but not least we’ve tested the games at UHD and the differences are very similar. The
system with Core i7-5960X runs games
7.23 % quicker than equipped with the i7-4960X.
Another interesting value to investigate is power consumption. In idle our test system with Core i7-5960X burns
2.22 % more power than the setup with Core i7-4960X. At this point we have to mention, that the two CPUs have to be tested with different motherboards. With the system under full load – the graphics card is also loaded – the percentage differences are smaller. The system with Core i7-4960X needs
4.93 percent more power than the setup with i7-5960X, despite the fact, that the
latter has two cores more.
Overclocked
Following the same approach – but much shorter - like with the CPUs at stock clocks we’re now going to talk about the results gathered with the CPUs overclocked to 4.5 GHz. Again, the Core i7-4960X is setting the 100.00% baseline. On average the new Core i7-5960X opens a
9.02 percent gap. In other words, overclocking the CPUs to 4.5 GHz has no effect on performance scaling and it doesn’t open any bottleneck. The reason for this is simple: the CPU isn't the limiting factor, it's the graphics card and this is the case even at FullHD.
Recommendation
As we've already mentioned in the overclocking part of this conclusion it's not the CPU, which is limiting performance in recent gaming systems, it is the graphics card. This already implies that the CPU only plays a secondary role when it comes to gaming performance in general. In other words: if you upgrade from an Intel Core i7-4960X to its successor only for gaming performance, you're going to pay more than 1000 Euro for
on average 7.15 percent higher frame rates.
Should you be thinking about upgrading to the latest Intel Core i7-5960X, then we recommend you to do so if you really see a benefit in having a CPU with eight cores and 16 threads. These days only demanding applications are capable of fully loading this many cores and threads simultaneously.
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