what you need to know
- The Intel Xeon W9-3495X processor recently broke the Cinebench R23 world record.
- The top spot was previously held by AMD Threadripper 5995WX.
- The Xeon W9-3495X had the highest Cinebench R23 score to date, though it boasts fewer cores and threads than the previous record holder.
Intel just set the record for Cinebench R23. Specifically, the Intel Xeon W9-3495X took the top spot, beating out the previous record holder AMD Threadripper 5995WX. Intel’s processor earned a Cinebench R23 score of 132,484. The previous record held by the Threadripper processor scored 121,215 (via TechRadar).
Cinebench R23 is a tool to measure the rendering performance of PCs. Generally speaking, chips with more cores and threads perform better than those with fewer cores and threads, but that’s not strictly true. The Xeon W9-3495X features 58 cores and 116 threads compared to 64 cores and 128 threads for the Threadripper 5995WX.
Of course, all of the chips mentioned so far outperform the best CPUs compared to most personal computers. In addition to the Xeon line being aimed at high-end professionals, the specific Xeon W9-3495X that broke the record was cooled with liquid nitrogen and sped up to clock speeds approximately 184% higher than normal.
Even if you were to buy a Xeon W9-3495X for a workstation, you wouldn’t see the same level of performance.
For context, the previously record-holding Threadripper and almost every record-breaking chip in this category is cooled in a special way not available in normal systems.
While most consumers, and even professionals, won’t see Cinebench R23 scores this high on any system in front of them, this record is still impressive. As TechRadar explains, chip technology leaks over time. The advancements seen in high-end processors today find their way to other chips over time.
AMD has its Zen 4 Threadripper processors on the way, so Intel’s top spot may not last long.
