Introduction
This is our review of the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X CPU, AMD’s next-generation Zen 4 architecture CPU which launched in September of 2022. If you haven’t read our previous reviews, check out our Ryzen 9 7900X review and Ryzen 5 7600X review.
In this review, we will look at several synthetic benchmarks, including multi-core and single-core performance, and gaming performance at 4K, 1440p and 1080p. Our CPU comparisons today are very comprehensive, culminating in 11 total CPUs, 4 from the Ryzen 7000 series, 2 from the Intel 13th Generation Series and 5 from the Ryzen 5000 series.
Back on August 29th, AMD announced the Ryzen 7000 Series CPUs at its AMD Together we Advance PC Tech Day in Austin, TX. We were present to bring you the official announcement, information, and specifications. In our AMD Ryzen 7000 Series CPU Introduction we detailed the CPUs that would be launching on September 27th, specifications, and pricing. Since then, we have been hard at work to bring you the best comparisons and benchmarks we can. Today’s review will focus on the Ryzen 9 7950X specifically.
AMD Ryzen 9 7950X
The AMD Ryzen 9 7950X is AMD’s flagship SKU CPU for the 5nm Zen 4 architecture. It has the most cores, the most threads, the highest clocks, and the highest price tag. The official MSRP of the Ryzen 9 7950X is $699. In total, it is a 16-core/32-thread CPU that can run up to 5.7GHz at a 170W TDP. This is as good as it gets right now, on the new AM5 platform from AMD. The new AM5 platform brings PCIe 5.0 support and DDR5 support.
The AMD Ryzen 9 7950X is a 16/32 Cores/Threads CPU and has a Max Boost of 5.7GHz and a Base Clock of 4.5GHz. It has an L2 cache configuration of 16x1MB and 64MB of L3 cache for a total of 80MB of cache. The TDP is 170W, but the Max Socket Power (PPT) is 230W and this is closer to the actual package power usage you will see at maximum load. The Max Current (EDC) is 225A and the Mac Current Thermally Limited (TDC) is 160A. TjMax is 95c and Typical Loaded Temperatures are 70-90c and the recommended cooler is a 240-280mm liquid AIO. Stock/Auto Voltage Range is 0.650-1.475V and it does support Precision Boost 2. Official memory support is DDR5-5200, but 6000 is the sweet spot. CCD Transistor Count is 6.5 billion and IOD Transistor Count is 3.4 billion.
AMD Ryzen 9 7950X Installation
The AMD Ryzen 9 7950X uses AMD’s new Socket AM5 which uses LGA 1718 pins. The Ryzen 9 7950X looks exactly the same as the other Zen 4 CPUs, it has a unique cutout design that allows circuitry on the front of the CPU saving space on the back for all the LGA pads.
Installation of the CPU into our ASUS ROG CROSSHAIR X670E HERO motherboard went flawlessly. We utilizes G.SKILL DDR5-6000 RAM and enabled the EXPO I profile in BIOS, and we also updated it to the latest BIOS at the time of testing. As you can see from HWiNFO64 and CPU-Z the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X is codenamed Raphael and has a stepping of RPL-B2 and is 5nm with a 170W TDP.