16-core AMD Ryzen Matisse processor amasses monumental multi-core score on Geekbench that puts Intel's 18-core i9-9980X to shame

Just as the superlatives in regard to AMD’s Ryzen 3000 series were starting to subside a little, it seems there is another new incredible benchmark result for the red team to crow about. Database explorer Tum Apisak has spotted a fascinating record labeled “AMD Myrtle” on Geekbench. The system involved scored a very good 5,868 points in the single-core test, which would place it very close to the top of the processor record benchmark scores. However, the multi-core score of 61,072, if genuine, has blown past everything in the multi-core record table, leaving the Intel Core i9-9980XE and its 18 cores in a distant second place.

Straight away, it can be presumed this astonishingly powerful processor (at least in multi-core terms) is related to AMD’s Ryzen 9 3950X. The base and boost clock rates offered in the Geekbench record are 3.29 GHz and 4.29 GHz, respectively, but it’s not uncommon for engineering samples or qualification samples to have slightly different specifications to the final product. The i9-9980XE scored 46,618 points in the multi-core benchmark, which is a very respectable result. But the Matisse processor’s tally of 61,072 puts it in another league.

This is seemingly not the first time an AMD 16-core chip has embarrassed the 18-core rival from Intel. Last month we reported on a 16-core Ryzen 9 (that eventually was revealed as the Ryzen 9 3950X) pipping Intel’s product on Cinebench R15. Arguably, one of the most important things to remember here, especially for those eyeing up this 16-core speed demon from AMD, is the respective prices of the two processors. The i9-9980XE currently costs US$1,999.99 on Newegg; the Ryzen 9 3950X is expected to cost around US$749.