Ryzen 9 5900XT vs Ryzen 9 9950X
Aggregate performance score
Ryzen 9 9950X outperforms Ryzen 9 5900XT by an impressive 50% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
Comparing Ryzen 9 9950X and Ryzen 9 5900XT processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 58 | 170 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | 65.08 | 69.95 |
| Market segment | Desktop processor | Desktop processor |
| Power efficiency | 23.12 | 24.93 |
| Architecture codename | Granite Ridge (2024) | Vermeer (2020−2024) |
| Release date | 15 August 2024 (less than a year ago) | 31 July 2024 (less than a year ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $649 | $349 |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
Ryzen 9 5900XT has 7% better value for money than Ryzen 9 9950X.
Detailed specifications
Ryzen 9 9950X and Ryzen 9 5900XT 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 cores | 16 (Hexadeca-Core) | 16 (Hexadeca-Core) |
| Threads | 32 | 32 |
| Base clock speed | 4.3 GHz | 3.3 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 5.7 GHz | 4.8 GHz |
| L1 cache | 80 KB (per core) | 64 KB (per core) |
| L2 cache | 1 MB (per core) | 512 KB (per core) |
| L3 cache | 64 MB (shared) | 64 MB |
| Chip lithography | 4 nm | 7 nm |
| Die size | 2x 70.6 mm2 | 2x 74 mm2 |
| Maximum core temperature | 95 °C | no data |
| Number of transistors | 16,630 million | 8,300 million |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Unlocked multiplier | + | + |
Compatibility
Information on Ryzen 9 9950X and Ryzen 9 5900XT 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 configuration | 1 | 1 |
| Socket | AM5 | AM4 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 170 Watt | 105 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Ryzen 9 9950X and Ryzen 9 5900XT. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| Instruction set extensions | SMT, AES, AVX, AVX2, AVX512, FMA3, MMX (+), SHA, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSSE3, SSE4.1, SSE4.2, SSE4A | no data |
| AES-NI | + | + |
| AVX | + | + |
| Precision Boost 2 | + | + |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Ryzen 9 9950X and Ryzen 9 5900XT are enumerated here.
| AMD-V | + | + |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Ryzen 9 9950X and Ryzen 9 5900XT. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | DDR5 | DDR4 |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card | AMD Radeon Graphics | N/A |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Ryzen 9 9950X and Ryzen 9 5900XT.
| PCIe version | 5.0 | 4.0 |
| PCI Express lanes | 24 | 20 |
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.
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.
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 41.75 | 27.80 |
| Chip lithography | 4 nm | 7 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 170 Watt | 105 Watt |
Ryzen 9 9950X has a 50.2% higher aggregate performance score, and a 75% more advanced lithography process.
Ryzen 9 5900XT, on the other hand, has 61.9% lower power consumption.
The Ryzen 9 9950X is our recommended choice as it beats the Ryzen 9 5900XT in performance tests.
Should you still have questions on choice between Ryzen 9 9950X and Ryzen 9 5900XT, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
Similar processor comparisons
We picked several similar comparisons of processors in the same market segment and performance relatively close to those reviewed on this page.
