The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X and Ryzen 9 9900X Assessment: Flagship Zen 5 Soars

Earlier this month, AMD launched the primary two desktop CPUs utilizing their newest Zen 5 microarchitecture: the Ryzen 7 9700X and the Ryzen 5 9600X. As a part of the brand new Ryzen 9000 household, it gave us their newest Zen 5 cores to the desktop market, as AMD really launched Zen 5 by means of their cell platform final month, the Ryzen AI 300 series (which we reviewed).

In the present day, AMD is launching the remaining two Ryzen 9000 SKUs first introduced at Computex 2024, finishing the present Ryzen 9000 product stack. Each chips hail from the premium Ryzen 9 collection, which incorporates the flagship Ryzen 9 9950X, which has 16 Zen 5 cores and might increase as excessive as 5.7 GHz, whereas the Ryzen 9 9900X has 12 Zen 5 cores and presents increase clock speeds of as much as 5.6 GHz.

Though they took barely longer than anticipated to launch, as there was a delay from the initial launch date of July 31st, the complete quartet of Ryzen 9000 X collection processors armed with the most recent Zen 5 cores can be found. All the Ryzen 9000 collection processors use the identical AM5 socket because the earlier Ryzen 7000 (Zen 4) collection, which implies customers can use present X670E and X670 motherboards with the brand new chips. Sadly, as we highlighted in our Ryzen 7 9700X and Ryzen 5 9600X assessment, the X870E/X870 motherboards, which had been meant to launch alongside the Ryzen 9000 collection, will not be accessible till someday in September.

We have seen how the entry-level Ryzen 5 9600X and the mid-range Ryzen 7 9700X carry out towards the competitors, however it is time to see how far and quick the flagship Ryzen 9 pairing competes. The Ryzen 9 9950X (16C/32T) and the Ryzen 9 9900X (12C/24T) each have the next TDP (170 W/120 W respectively) than the Ryzen 7 and Ryzen 5 (65 W), however there are extra cores, and Ryzen 9 is clocked quicker at each base and turbo frequencies. With this in thoughts, it is time to see how AMD’s Zen 5 flagship Ryzen 9 collection for desktops performs with extra firepower, with our assessment of the Ryzen 9 9950X and Ryzen 9 9900 processors.

AMD Ryzen 9 9950X and 9900X:

From a product launch perspective, AMD usually launches its Ryzen portfolio as follows: we get the desktop processors first, then the cell chips, and often, the workstation and server elements come a bit later. For the launch of its newest Zen 5 microarchitecture, AMD threw a curveball as a substitute. Final month, AMD opted to first convey their cell Ryzen AI 300 collection to market, combining the complete Zen 5 cores and compact Zen 5c cores. We did review the Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 mobile SoC, which gave us our first glimpse of how Zen 5 performs.

Quick-forward simply over every week, and AMD dropped two of the 4 Zen 5-based desktop chips they introduced at Computex 2024. AMD launched the Ryzen 7 9700X, an 8C/16T chip targeting the mid-range, and the Ryzen 5 9600X, a 6C/12T variant representing the entry-level; we additionally reviewed each of those. It additionally gave us our first have a look at how Zen 5 compares with the earlier Zen 4 structure and Intel’s present 14th Gen Core collection household.

Die shot of a Ryzen 9 (Zen 5) processor with 2 x CCDs

We’ve got printed quite a lot of critiques and articles previous to at present, together with an in-depth have a look at the Zen 5 microarchitecture itself:

Specializing in the Ryzen 9 9950X and the Ryzen 9 9900X, apart from core depend, core clock speeds, and value, the primary distinction between the Ryzen 9 pairing and the Ryzen 7 9700X and Ryzen 5 9600X is the variety of energetic Core Complicated Dies (CCDs) on every chip, which AMD has codenamed Eldora. For the Ryzen 9000 collection, every CCD can assist as much as eight Zen 5 cores, with every CCD as customary (not X3D) coming with a 32 MB pool of L3 cache. Equally, L2 cache is held at 1MB per CPU core for the desktop chips. AMD’s newest Zen 5 core is constructed on TSMC’s 4nm N4P node, which is a modest step up from Zen 4. Although exterior of CPU cores/CCDs, AMD has opted to make use of the identical I/O Die (IOD) as Ryzen 7000, which is manufactured on TSMC’s 6 nm node.

The Ryzen 9 9950X makes use of two CCDs for a complete of 16 cores (32 threads), with a base frequency of 4.3 GHz and a turbo frequency of as much as 5.7 GHz; that is just like the earlier Zen 4 primarily based Ryzen 9 7950X, which additionally has a max increase clock of as much as 5.7 GHz. The Ryzen 9 9950X additionally has 64 MB of L3 cache (32 MB per CCD), with a 170 Watt TDP.

AMD Ryzen 9 9950X in CPU-Z

For the Ryzen 9 9900X, AMD has really lowered the TDP right down to 120 W for his or her 12C/24T SKU in comparison with the earlier generations’ Ryzen 9 7900X, which has a 170 W TDP. Benefiting from Zen 5 cores, the Ryzen 9 9900X has a base frequency of 4.4 GHz and a turbo frequency of as much as 5.6 GHz. The Ryzen 9 9900X additionally makes use of two CCDs on the die, which supplies it 64 MB (2 x 32 MB) of L3 cache.

The Return of The PPM Provisioning Driver: However There’s No 3D V-Cache, So Why?

Particularly regarding the Ryzen 9 9950X and the Ryzen 9 9900X, AMD has introduced again their PPM Provisioning driver. The final time we noticed the PPM driver was again in our Ryzen 9 7950X3D review, when AMD first launched it alongside their first multi-CCD X3D processor. This chip was particular as a result of one (and only one) CCD got here packaged with AMD’s 3D V-Cache, which primarily provides a big slice of L3 cache (64 MB) on prime of the present 32 MB of L3 cache on that CCD.

The PPM driver is a elementary component that works to make sure that the 3D V-Cache is absolutely utilized inside video games, which in any other case could inadvertently bypass the CCD with the additional cache. It really works by parking the ‘vanilla’ CCD, in order that the sport is operating solely on the cores from the CCD with the 3D V-Cache.

For the Ryzen 7000 technology, the PPM driver was solely required on the X3D chips with a number of CCDs, such because the Ryzen 9 7950X3D. However that is not the case anymore, it appears, as AMD is deploying it for all multi-CCD Ryzen 9000 processors.

The AMD 3D V-Cache Efficiency Optimizer course of operating within the background (PPM provisioning)

The PPM Provisioning driver is bundled throughout the AMD chipset drivers (ver 6.0.6.28.910), together with the standard Promontory motherboard chipset drivers for AM5 motherboards. In tandem with Microsoft’s Sport Bar and Sport Mode, the PPM driver operates when Sport Mode is enabled. As soon as a sport is detected to be operating, the PPM driver parks up one of many CCDs, so this primarily means when gaming, the chip is operating at half capability except a sport deliberately spins up sufficient threads to require the second CCD. Microsoft has a comprehensive guide to its Provisioning packages, which particulars most of the advantages and situations the place it could profit efficiency. AMD is leveraging this in cooperation with Sport Mode, which is enabled with the Ryzen 9 9950X and Ryzen 9 9900X.

AMD Ryzen 9 9950X in Activity Supervisor with one CCD fired up whereas enjoying Firm of Heroes 3

AMD has but to firmly doc why it’s utilizing the PPM Provisioning/3D V-Cache Optimizer with non-X3D chips from the Ryzen 9000 collection. We’ve got reached out to AMD for a solution, they usually responded by stating that the core parking function incorporates important sport processes in a single cache area for one of the best gaming efficiency. Whereas it is a technically correct description of what the PPM driver is doing, it does not actually reply the query of why multi-CCD Ryzen 9000 chips have been deemed to want this type of assist when the 7950X/7900X didn’t.

Our interpretation is that AMD has run into sufficient points on the Ryzen 7000 collection with video games inadvertently straddling a number of CCDs, that they’ve determined it is higher to chew the bullet and use the PPM driver right here as effectively, even with the additional complexity it entails. PPM core parking on the Ryzen 9 9950X and Ryzen 9 9900X CPUs permits AMD to extra forcefully consolidate all gaming calls for inside a single cache area (single CCD), which might keep away from the latency-induced efficiency penalty of threads messaging one another from opposing CCDs or attempting to entry the L3 cache from exterior their very own native CCD.

In essence, it might be all the identical rationale for why AMD applied the PPM driver for the Ryzen 7000X3D chips within the first place: as a result of poor die-to-die latency, having sport threads unfold out over a number of CCDs is unhealthy for efficiency. Although it does awkwardly counsel that the present Ryzen 9 7900X/7950X processors are under-performing because of their loosely managed thread allocations, which in flip could also be why AMD does not wish to discuss in regards to the difficulty in any element.

The opposite thought in flight is that as a result of AMD is reusing their IOD and Infinity Cloth from the Ryzen 7000 collection (simply the CCDs are new), elevated useful resource competition has compelled AMDs hand. In different phrases, that Ryzen 7000 was wonderful, however the quicker CPU cores on Ryzen 9000 are simply quick sufficient to make for a big drawback that wants addressed. Both approach the end result for the Ryzen 9000 collection is identical, nevertheless it paints Ryzen 7000 in a greater gentle.

Sport efficiency apart, the core parking function additionally lowers the ability draw and helps with thermal dissipation. So AMD might be seeing some fringe advantages moreover simply maintaining video games from by chance strangling themselves by working throughout the CCDs.

As we highlighted in our Ryzen 7 9700X and Ryzen 5 9600X assessment, the Ryzen 9000 collection makes use of the AM5 socket, very similar to the Ryzen 7000 collection does. Whereas there is a wave of recent motherboards primarily based on the X870E and X870 chipsets coming to market, these aren’t anticipated till September. All the present AM5 socket motherboards in the marketplace, resembling X670E and X670 fashions, are appropriate with Ryzen 9000, so customers need not wait. The incoming X870E/X870 motherboards and the present X670E/X670 use the identical ASMedia Promontory 21 chipset, so the one distinction is within the function set. 

The newer boards make the most of new controllers resembling Wi-Fi 7, to not point out that X870E/X870 additionally contains USB 4.0 assist, which might be ubiquitous on all X870(E) boards, the place it was beforehand solely elective for X670(E) collection boards. There may even be a requirement to function at the very least one PCIe 5.0 NVMe slot, which is able to proceed to be a compulsory inclusion. AMD additionally notes that motherboards primarily based on each platforms “function 44 complete PCIe lanes,” which might break right down to 24 lanes from the CPU and one other 20 lanes from the chipset.

Relating to pricing, your entire Ryzen 9000 collection line-up is launching at a less expensive value than the counterpart from the Ryzen 7000 collection it’s changing. The flagship Ryzen 9 9950X has an MSRP of $649, which is $50 cheaper than the Ryzen 9 7950X when launched again in 2022. The Ryzen 9 9900X can also be $50 cheaper at launch than the Ryzen 9 7900X got here at, with the 9900X having an MSRP of $499. Even going again to when AMD launched Zen 3 with the Ryzen 5000 collection in 2020, AMD is persistently bringing costs down on every subsequent SKU, which exhibits AMD is much more aggressive in pricing with every technology we have seen.

Now that AMD has launched the flagship Ryzen 9 chips, we are able to lastly see how AMD’s greatest Zen 5 desktop chips stack up towards the competitors.