Following the launch final week of its first two Zen 5 CPUs, the 9700X and 9600X, AMD has as we speak launched the 2 prime tier chips in its new processor lineup, the Ryzen 9 9950X and 9900X. These highly effective new chips pack spectacular total efficiency, with extremely low operating temperatures, however aren’t your best option for many players proper now.
Whereas these new chips are worthy of a spot on our greatest gaming CPU information in some methods, the brief model is that it’ll be since you need nice total efficiency slightly than the very best gaming efficiency and worth proper now. For that, you’ll wish to be turning to a different of AMD‘s CPUs.
The specs and worth of the 2 new chips are proven within the desk beneath, with the 9950X being a 16-core half identical to the 7950X (and 7950X3D) that preceded it. Likewise, the 9900X is a 12-core chip identical to the older 7900X. The 2 new chips – that match into the identical AM5 motherboards as present 7000 sequence CPUs – are being launched at a worth of $649 for the 9900X and $499 for the 9700X, making them considerably dearer than the present costs for AMD’s equal 7000 sequence CPUs.
| Title | AMD Ryzen 9 9950X | AMD Ryzen 9 9900X | AMD Ryzen 7 9700X | AMD Ryzen 5 9600X |
| Cores | 16 | 12 | 8 | 6 |
| Threads | 32 | 24 | 16 | 12 |
| Base frequency | 4.3GHz | 4.4GHz | 3.8GHz | 3.9GHz |
| Turbo frequency | 5.7GHz | 5.6GHz | 5.5GHz | 5.4GHz |
| L2 cache | 13MB | 12MB | 8MB | 6MB |
| L3 cache | 64MB | 64MB | 32MB | 32MB |
| TDP | 170W | 120W | 65W | 65W |
| MSRP | $649 | $499 | $359 | $279 |
So to their efficiency and, sure, the brief model is that for those who’re in search of peak gaming efficiency from a CPU proper now, the 7800X3D continues to be our best choice because it’s both the quickest or trails solely to the 7950X3D, in response to checks of the brand new 9000 sequence chips by website’s corresponding to club386 and Anandtech.
The margins for gaming efficiency are small, with a median of below 4% separating the older chips from the brand new ones throughout a spread of gaming checks, and even then the broader variations are solely when operating at 1080p with body charges of effectively over 200fps. At greater resolutions, the distinction is commonly far lower than 1%.
In the meantime, on the subject of productiveness, AMD’s new chips blow the water out of each current AMD and Intel chip, topping the charts within the overwhelming majority of checks. This features a new document rating in Cinebench 2024 for a consumer-grade CPU, with club386 recording scores of 139 within the single thread take a look at and a pair of,308 within the multi-thread take a look at for the 9950X. In Anandtech’s Blender take a look at runs the 9950X additionally topped the charts with the 9900X solely trailing AMD’s personal 7950X and 7950X3D.
In the meantime, energy consumption is respectable for these two new chips, although it isn’t fairly so stunningly low because the 9700X and 9600X fashions. Whereas these two chips consumed below 190W at full load, the 9900X hit 278W and the 9950X ballooned to 329W. These figures are decrease than the likes of the 14900K (370W) and 7900X (339W) however are loads greater than the 7950X3D (241W).
As an alternative, it’s the temperature of those chips that’s so astonishing. The 9900X hit simply 74.4°C and the 9700X simply 68.3°C below full load. That compares to 87.2°C for the 7950X and over 90°C for the 14900K, once more in response to club386’s figures.
This all provides as much as the 9900X and 9700X being wonderful selections for those who’re after a CPU that’s simply broadly very quick, slightly than simply quick at gaming. Nonetheless, the value of those chips is excessive proper now, with AMD’s older 7000 sequence CPUs having been steadily discounted since their launch and now providing significantly better worth total.
As an alternative, on the subject of gaming CPU choices, it would probably be when X3D variants of those 9000 sequence CPUs land that we’ll actually see a significant enhance in gaming efficiency. For now, although, the gaming efficiency, common productiveness efficiency, low energy consumption, and nice worth of the 7800X3D (on the present worth of $365) make it our go-to alternative.
For extra of a significant gaming efficiency improve, try our greatest graphics card information, which incorporates the GPUs that can actually unlock large beneficial properties in your body price.