AMD Ryzen 9 9900X vs AMD Ryzen 9 5950X

Comparative analysis of AMD Ryzen 9 9900X and AMD Ryzen 9 5950X processors for all known characteristics in the following categories: Essentials, Performance, Memory, Compatibility, Peripherals, Advanced Technologies, Virtualization. Benchmark processor performance analysis: PassMark - Single thread mark, PassMark - CPU mark, 3DMark Fire Strike - Physics Score.

AMD Ryzen 9 9900X

AMD Ryzen 9 5950X

Differences

Reasons to consider the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X

CPU is newer: launch date 3 year(s) 9 month(s) later
Around 14% higher clock speed: 5.6 GHz vs 4.9 GHz
A newer manufacturing process allows for a more powerful, yet cooler running processor: 4 nm vs 7 nm
Around 50% more L2 cache; more data can be stored in the L2 cache for quick access later
Around 58% better performance in PassMark - Single thread mark: 4683 vs 2972
4.1x better performance in PassMark - CPU mark: 54838 vs 13220
Around 23% better performance in 3DMark Fire Strike - Physics Score: 14233 vs 11613

Specifications (specs)
Launch date	15 Aug 2024 vs 5 Nov 2020
Maximum frequency	5.6 GHz vs 4.9 GHz
Manufacturing process technology	4 nm vs 7 nm
L2 cache	1 MB (per core) vs 8 MB
Benchmarks
PassMark - Single thread mark	4683 vs 2972
PassMark - CPU mark	54838 vs 13220
3DMark Fire Strike - Physics Score	14233 vs 11613

Reasons to consider the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X

Around 7% more L1 cache; more data can be stored in the L1 cache for quick access later
Around 14% lower typical power consumption: 105 Watt vs 120 Watt

L1 cache	1 MB vs 80 KB (per core)
Thermal Design Power (TDP)	105 Watt vs 120 Watt

Compare benchmarks

CPU 1: AMD Ryzen 9 9900X
CPU 2: AMD Ryzen 9 5950X

PassMark - Single thread mark

CPU 1

CPU 2

4683

2972

PassMark - CPU mark

CPU 1

CPU 2

54838

13220

3DMark Fire Strike - Physics Score

CPU 1

CPU 2

14233

11613

Name	AMD Ryzen 9 9900X	AMD Ryzen 9 5950X
PassMark - Single thread mark	4683	2972
PassMark - CPU mark	54838	13220
3DMark Fire Strike - Physics Score	14233	11613

Compare specifications (specs)

	AMD Ryzen 9 9900X	AMD Ryzen 9 5950X
Essentials
Launch date	15 Aug 2024	5 Nov 2020
Launch price (MSRP)	$499	$799
Place in performance rating	39	489
Architecture codename		Zen 3
OPN PIB		100-100000059WOF
OPN Tray		100-000000059
Vertical segment		Desktop
Performance
Base frequency	4.4 GHz	3.4 GHz
Die size	2x 70.6 mm²
L1 cache	80 KB (per core)	1 MB
L2 cache	1 MB (per core)	8 MB
L3 cache	64 MB (shared)	64 MB
Manufacturing process technology	4 nm	7 nm
Maximum core temperature	95°C	95 °C
Maximum frequency	5.6 GHz	4.9 GHz
Number of cores	12	12
Number of threads	24	24
Transistor count	16,630 million
Unlocked
Memory
ECC memory support
Supported memory types	DDR5	DDR4-3200
Max memory channels		2
Maximum memory bandwidth		47.68 GB/s
Maximum memory size		128 GB
Compatibility
Max number of CPUs in a configuration	1
Sockets supported	AM5	AM4
Thermal Design Power (TDP)	120 Watt	105 Watt
Peripherals
PCIe configurations	Gen 5, 24 Lanes, (CPU only)	1x16+x4, 2x8+x4, 1x8+2x4+x4
Max number of PCIe lanes		20
PCI Express revision		4.0
Advanced Technologies
AMD SenseMI
AMD StoreMI technology
Fused Multiply-Add 3 (FMA3)
Intel® Advanced Vector Extensions (AVX)
Intel® Advanced Vector Extensions 2 (AVX2)
Intel® AES New Instructions
Virtualization
AMD Virtualization (AMD-V™)