VRMark, 3DMark & AotS: Escalation
Test Notes
The Threadripper processors feature a unique architecture that underperforms AMD's other Ryzen chips in some games. To offset the 1900X's compromises, AMD facilitates its novel Game Mode, which switches the processor into NUMA mode and disables one die. We covered the feature in-depth in our AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1950X Game Mode, Benchmarked article.
AMD aims Threadripper at content creators, heavy multitaskers, and gamers who stream simultaneously. It also says the processors are ideal for gaming at high resolutions. Threadripper CPUs and the GPUs they're likely paired with aren't intended for playing around at low resolutions, particularly in older, lightly-threaded titles. Still, we test at 1920x1080 to emphasize the difference between competing processors, rather than show you results bound by our graphics card.
VRMark & 3DMark
We aren't big fans of using synthetic benchmarks to measure game performance, but 3DMark's DX11 and DX12 CPU tests provide useful insight into the amount of horsepower available to game engines.
Futuremark's VRMark test lets you gauge your system's suitability for use with the HTC Vive or Oculus Rift, even if you don't currently own an HMD. The Orange Room test is based on the suggested system requirements for current-generation HTC Vive and Oculus Rift HMDs. Futuremark defines a passing score as anything above 109 FPS.
As expected in VRMark, Threadripper 1900X offers its best performance in Game Mode, even beating the tuned Creator Mode configuration. VRMark tends to favor high clock rates, so the Ryzen 7 1800X suffers at stock settings due to its lower frequency. However, it nearly catches the 1900X after tuning.
The 1900X in Creator Mode takes a healthy lead over its competition during the DX12 tests, even beating out Intel's tuned Core i7-7820X. It suffers in Game Mode, though. That isn't surprising; we disable half of the chip's compute resources in a test that scales well with core count, after all.
Ashes of the Singularity: Escalation
Ashes of the Singularity is the poster child for threaded game engines. And while the Core i7-7820X at 4.6 GHz leads, the Ryzen 7 1800X at 4 GHz challenges Intel's Skylake-X solution. The 1900X trails mightily in Game Mode, but fares better in Creator Mode with eight threads available.
Even in heavily threaded games, mainstream processors like Ryzen 7 1800X offer the best value.
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