Ryzen 9 5950X vs Ryzen 9 3900

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Aggregate performance score

Ryzen 9 3900
2019
12 cores / 24 threads, 65 Watt
20.17
Ryzen 9 5950X
2020
16 cores / 32 threads, 105 Watt
29.88
+48.1%

Ryzen 9 5950X outperforms Ryzen 9 3900 by a considerable 48% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing Ryzen 9 3900 and Ryzen 9 5950X processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking284155
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation21.6128.28
Market segmentDesktop processorDesktop processor
SeriesAMD Matisse (Ryzen 3000 Desktop)AMD Ryzen 9
Architecture codenameMatisse (Zen 2) (2019−2020)Vermeer (Zen 3) (2020−2022)
Release date24 September 2019 (5 years ago)8 October 2020 (3 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$499$799

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

Ryzen 9 5950X has 31% better value for money than Ryzen 9 3900.

Detailed specifications

Ryzen 9 3900 and Ryzen 9 5950X basic parameters such as number of cores, number of threads, base frequency and turbo boost clock, lithography, cache size and multiplier lock state. These parameters indirectly say of CPU speed, though for more precise assessment you have to consider their test results.

Physical cores12 (Dodeca-Core)16 (Hexadeca-Core)
Threads2432
Base clock speed3.1 GHz3.4 GHz
Boost clock speed4.3 GHz4.9 GHz
Multiplierno data34
L1 cache768 KB1 MB
L2 cache6 MB8 MB
L3 cache64 MB64 MB
Chip lithography7 nm, 12 nm7 nm, 12 nm
Die size2x 74 mm2CPU cores: 2x 80.7 sq. mm., I/O: 125 mm2
Maximum case temperature (TCase)no data95 °C
Number of transistors7,600 millionno data
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility-+
Unlocked multiplier++

Compatibility

Information on Ryzen 9 3900 and Ryzen 9 5950X compatibility with other computer components: motherboard (look for socket type), power supply unit (look for power consumption) etc. Useful when planning a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. Note that power consumption of some processors can well exceed their nominal TDP, even without overclocking. Some can even double their declared thermals given that the motherboard allows to tune the CPU power parameters.

Number of CPUs in a configuration11
SocketAM4AM4
Power consumption (TDP)65 Watt105 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Ryzen 9 3900 and Ryzen 9 5950X. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions86x MMX(+), SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSSE3, SSE4.1, SSE4.2, SSE4A,-64, AMD-V, AES, AVX, AVX2, FMA3, SHA, Precision Boost 2MMX (+), SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSSE3, SSE4.1, SSE4.2, SSE4A, AES, AVX, AVX2, FMA3, SHA
AES-NI++
AVX++
Precision Boost 2++

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Ryzen 9 3900 and Ryzen 9 5950X are enumerated here.

AMD-V++

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Ryzen 9 3900 and Ryzen 9 5950X. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR4-3200DDR4
Maximum memory size128 GB128 GB
Max memory channels22
Maximum memory bandwidth51.196 GB/s51.196 GB/s

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics cardN/A-

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Ryzen 9 3900 and Ryzen 9 5950X.

PCIe version4.04.0
PCI Express lanes24no data

Synthetic benchmark performance

Various benchmark results of the processors in comparison. Overall score is measured in points in 0-100 range, higher is better.


Combined synthetic benchmark score

This is our combined benchmark performance rating. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly.

Ryzen 9 3900 20.17
Ryzen 9 5950X 29.88
+48.1%

Passmark

Passmark CPU Mark is a widespread benchmark, consisting of 8 different types of workload, including integer and floating point math, extended instructions, compression, encryption and physics calculation. There is also one separate single-threaded scenario measuring single-core performance.

Ryzen 9 3900 30803
Ryzen 9 5950X 45629
+48.1%

GeekBench 5 Single-Core

GeekBench 5 Single-Core is a cross-platform application developed in the form of CPU tests that independently recreate certain real-world tasks with which to accurately measure performance. This version uses only a single CPU core.

Ryzen 9 3900 1677
Ryzen 9 5950X 2217
+32.2%

GeekBench 5 Multi-Core

GeekBench 5 Multi-Core is a cross-platform application developed in the form of CPU tests that independently recreate certain real-world tasks with which to accurately measure performance. This version uses all available CPU cores.

Ryzen 9 3900 9581
Ryzen 9 5950X 12132
+26.6%

Cinebench 10 32-bit single-core

Cinebench R10 is an ancient ray tracing benchmark for processors by Maxon, authors of Cinema 4D. Its single core version uses just one CPU thread to render a futuristic looking motorcycle.

Ryzen 9 3900 5700
Ryzen 9 5950X 6690
+17.4%

Cinebench 10 32-bit multi-core

Cinebench Release 10 Multi Core is a variant of Cinebench R10 using all the processor threads. Possible number of threads is limited by 16 in this version.

Ryzen 9 3900 44191
Ryzen 9 5950X 56641
+28.2%

3DMark06 CPU

3DMark06 is a discontinued DirectX 9 benchmark suite from Futuremark. Its CPU part contains two scenarios, one dedicated to artificial intelligence pathfinding, another to game physics using PhysX package.

Ryzen 9 3900 13817
Ryzen 9 5950X 17657
+27.8%

Cinebench 11.5 64-bit multi-core

Cinebench Release 11.5 Multi Core is a variant of Cinebench R11.5 which uses all the processor threads. A maximum of 64 threads is supported in this version.

Ryzen 9 3900 31
Ryzen 9 5950X 48
+54.5%

Cinebench 15 64-bit multi-core

Cinebench Release 15 Multi Core is a variant of Cinebench R15 which uses all the processor threads.

Ryzen 9 3900 2804
Ryzen 9 5950X 4324
+54.2%

Cinebench 15 64-bit single-core

Cinebench R15 (standing for Release 15) is a benchmark made by Maxon, authors of Cinema 4D. It was superseded by later versions of Cinebench, which use more modern variants of Cinema 4D engine. The Single Core version (sometimes called Single-Thread) only uses a single processor thread to render a room full of reflective spheres and light sources.

Ryzen 9 3900 197
Ryzen 9 5950X 267
+35.3%

Cinebench 11.5 64-bit single-core

Cinebench R11.5 is an old benchmark by Maxon, authors of Cinema 4D. It was superseded by later versions of Cinebench, which use more modern variants of Cinema 4D engine. The Single Core version loads a single thread with ray tracing to render a glossy room full of crystal spheres and light sources.

Ryzen 9 3900 2.22
Ryzen 9 5950X 3.08
+38.7%

TrueCrypt AES

TrueCrypt is a discontinued piece of software that was widely used for on-the-fly-encryption of disk partitions, now superseded by VeraCrypt. It contains several embedded performance tests, one of them being TrueCrypt AES, which measures data encryption speed using AES algorithm. Result is encryption speed in gigabytes per second.

Ryzen 9 3900 10.4
Ryzen 9 5950X 26
+150%

WinRAR 4.0

WinRAR 4.0 is an outdated version of a popular file archiver. It contains an internal speed test, using 'Best' setting of RAR compression on large chunks of randomly generated data. Its results are measured in kilobytes per second.

Ryzen 9 3900 7145
Ryzen 9 5950X 12736
+78.2%

x264 encoding pass 2

x264 Pass 2 is a slower variant of x264 video compression that produces a variable bit rate output file, which results in better quality since the higher bit rate is used when it is needed more. Benchmark result is still measured in frames per second.  

Ryzen 9 3900 132
Ryzen 9 5950X 212
+60.7%

x264 encoding pass 1

x264 version 4.0 is a video encoding benchmark uses MPEG 4 x264 compression method to compress a sample HD (720p) video. Pass 1 is a faster variant that produces a constant bit rate output file. Its result is measured in frames per second, which means how many frames of the source video file were encoded per second.  

Ryzen 9 3900 256
Ryzen 9 5950X 330
+29.2%

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 20.17 29.88
Recency 24 September 2019 8 October 2020
Physical cores 12 16
Threads 24 32
Power consumption (TDP) 65 Watt 105 Watt

Ryzen 9 3900 has 61.5% lower power consumption.

Ryzen 9 5950X, on the other hand, has a 48.1% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 1 year, and 33.3% more physical cores and 33.3% more threads.

The Ryzen 9 5950X is our recommended choice as it beats the Ryzen 9 3900 in performance tests.


Should you still have questions on choice between Ryzen 9 3900 and Ryzen 9 5950X, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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AMD Ryzen 9 3900
Ryzen 9 3900
AMD Ryzen 9 5950X
Ryzen 9 5950X

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