AMD Ryzen 9 9950X Review - We've Seen This Before...

Summary

The video script reviews AMD's Ryzen 9 7950X, a 16-core Zen 5 CPU, focusing on its performance in gaming and productivity tasks. Despite boasting architectural improvements for energy efficiency and computational capabilities, the 7950X only shows marginal gains over its predecessor, with some tests even revealing performance regressions. The script criticizes AMD's marketing claims and suggests that the 7950X is a disappointment, especially for gamers seeking substantial performance boosts.

Takeaways

• 😀 AMD has released the Ryzen 9 5950X, its most powerful desktop CPU, without a retail box.
• 🤔 The Ryzen 9 5950X is designed for both gaming and productivity tasks, but its gaming performance improvements over previous generations are minimal.
• 📈 The Ryzen 9 5950X features a 16-core, 32-thread design with a boost clock of up to 5.7 GHz, similar to the 7950X.
• 🔍 Zen 5 CPUs have shown only small improvements over Zen 4 for desktop users, especially in gaming performance, with the 9700X only 3% faster than the 7700X.
• 💡 AMD claims the 5950X is on average 8% faster than the 7950X for gaming, but real-world testing shows minimal gains.
• 🔥 The 5950X showed a 14% performance uplift in the Corona 10 Benchmark, outperforming Intel's Core i9-13900K by 26%.
• 📉 However, the 5950X experienced a performance regression in the 7-Zip file manager compression test, being 5% slower than the 7750X.
• 🛠 For productivity tasks, the 5950X showed only a 5% improvement over the 7950X in Photoshop and a mere 2% uplift in Premiere Pro.
• 💻 Upgrading to the 5950X from a previous Ryzen CPU may require a fresh Windows install to avoid performance degradation.
• 💰 The 5950X is more expensive than the 7950X and 7750X, offering less cost-effective performance per frame for gaming.

Q & A

What is the primary focus of the review for the Ryzen 9 9950X CPU?

The review focuses on evaluating the Ryzen 9 9950X from a PC enthusiast's perspective, covering general tasks, video editing, 3D modeling, and gaming, with a particular emphasis on gaming performance.

How does the Ryzen 9 9950X compare to its predecessor, the Ryzen 9 7950X, in terms of core count and clock speeds?

The Ryzen 9 9950X and the Ryzen 9 7950X both have 16 cores and a maximum boost clock of 5.7 GHz. However, the 9950X has a slightly lower base clock speed, with a 200 MHz reduction compared to the 7950X.

What are the key architectural improvements introduced with AMD's Zen 5 architecture?

Zen 5 architecture brings improvements in energy efficiency, performance, and AVX-512VNNI computational capabilities for machine learning and AI workloads.

Why might the Ryzen 9 9950X be considered disappointing for gaming performance?

The Ryzen 9 9950X shows minimal gaming performance improvements over its predecessor, with only a 1% increase on average across 13 games tested. In some cases, it even shows a performance regression compared to the Ryzen 9 7950X.

How does the Ryzen 9 9950X perform in productivity tasks compared to the Ryzen 9 7950X?

The Ryzen 9 9950X offers only minor improvements in productivity tasks, such as a 4% improvement in Cinebench multicore score and a 5% improvement in Blender. However, it shows performance regressions in file compression and decompression tasks.

What are some of the specific benchmark results mentioned for the Ryzen 9 9950X?

In Cinebench, the Ryzen 9 9950X achieved a 4% improvement over the 7950X. In Corona 10, it outperformed the 7950X by 14% and was 26% faster than Intel's Core i9-14900K. However, it was 5% slower in file compression and 22% slower in decompression compared to the 7950X.

What are the power consumption characteristics of the Ryzen 9 9950X during testing?

The Ryzen 9 9950X consumed the same level of power as the 7950X during testing, with a peak temperature of 92°C and an average operating temperature of 82°C. With PBO enabled, it saw a 15% increase in power consumption for only a 2% performance boost.

How does the Ryzen 9 9950X fare in gaming benchmarks like 'Cyberpunk 2077' and 'Hogwarts Legacy'?

In 'Cyberpunk 2077,' the Ryzen 9 9950X was 1% faster than the 7950X but consumed 5% more power. In 'Hogwarts Legacy,' it achieved a 4% lead over the 7950X, though the performance gain is still considered minor.

What are the potential drawbacks of upgrading to the Ryzen 9 9950X from previous Ryzen models?

Upgrading to the Ryzen 9 9950X may require a fresh Windows installation to avoid performance degradation, especially when moving from older dual CCD designs. The dual CCD setup can also be challenging to optimize for consistent performance.

What alternative AMD processors are recommended over the Ryzen 9 9950X for those seeking better value or performance?

For those looking for better value or performance, the Ryzen 9 7950X3D or the Ryzen 9 7900X3D are recommended alternatives, offering more cost-effective solutions for both gaming and productivity tasks.