Conclusion
Announced at Computex 2024 in early June, the AMD Ryzen 9000 series Zen 5 desktop CPUs are here. The first off-the-block, and will be available in retail is the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and AMD Ryzen 7 9600X on the shelf on August 8th, 2024.
The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X has an official set MSRP of $279 from AMD, coming in 6% cheaper than its predecessor, the AMD Ryzen 5 7600X which launched in September of 2022 at $299. Two years later, the Ryzen 5 9600X replaces it, at a lower price at launch, and based on a new architecture, and a better process node from TSMC. The Ryzen 5 9600X ushers in a new wave of efficiency, yet performance that exceeds the previous generation in some key areas and comes close to some higher-end previous generation CPUs.
At its heart, the Ryzen 5 9600X is a midrange CPU with a 6-core/12-thread CPU, similar to the Ryzen 5 7600X with a boost clock that is 100MHz higher at 5.4GHz, and the same 38MB of total cache, and 32MB of L3 cache. The differences come down to the process node at 4nm for the CCD, compared to 5nm on the 7600X, and a lower overall TDP of 65W compared to 105W on the 7600X. With architecture changes, the AMD Ryzen 5 9600X is able to surpass the Ryzen 6 7600X in multi-thread and single-thread workloads, as well as gaming performance to a good amount.
In our review of the Ryzen 5 9600X today, we put it through a hard course of testing in system benchmarks, synthetic testing of multi-thread and single-thread workloads, content creation, and of course gaming. Our goal was to see what the differences were compared to the Ryzen 5 7600X it is replacing, as well as include the competition’s CPUs for reference. Stay tuned for even more game testing in the future.
Power to Performance Efficiency
Similar to the Ryzen 7 9700X testing, the new Ryzen 5 9600X is an incredibly power-efficient CPU. It is able to surpass the Ryzen 5 7600X in performance in multi-thread, and single-thread workloads while consuming a lot less power. The TDP of the Ryzen 5 9600X is 65W, while the TDP of the Ryzen 5 7600X is 105W. In our power testing, the Ryzen 5 9600X reached 88W while the Ryzen 5 7600X reached 119W. That’s a 26% lower power draw for the Ryzen 5 7600X, yet it performed faster in every test, and in some cases by sizable differences.
It is also doubly as impressive because the Ryzen 5 9600X was running at a lower all-core/full-load core frequency of 4.9GHz, while the Ryzen 7 7600X was running at 5.2GHz. This goes to show the clear advantages and improvements of the Zen 5 architecture. We said it in the Ryzen 7 9700X review, but this power efficiency and performance is Zen 5’s claim to fame, as well as the single-thread IPC performance uplift. We really cannot shine enough light on the fact of this incredible power efficiency improvement and performance uplift at this power profile. We are also excited to see how PBO helps to improve performance, and we will test that in the future.
Single Thread Performance and IPC
Similar to our Ryzen 7 9700X testing, the Ryzen 5 9600X has an incredible single-thread/single-core IPC performance uplift from the Ryzen 5 7600X. We did see the Ryzen 5 7600X provide percentages in the mid-teens to upper-teens of precentage over the 7600X, and this put its performance at the top of the charts. It was able to surpass the competition’s single-thread performance all of the time, and that’s impressive for a 6-core part. When it comes to lightly threaded workloads, like office type applications with Microsoft Office, the Ryzen 5 9600X pushes fast performance. It was fast in PCMark 10, and synthetic testing in 3DMark and Geekbench.
It was also no slouch in multi-thread performance, providing benefits over the Ryzen 5 7600X that were notable. It really shined in AES encryption and did well in Cinebench and V-Ray. It will of course struggle compared to higher core count CPUs in multi-thread applications, but regardless we experienced real improvements over the Ryzen 5 7600X in multi-thread applications as well.
We actually want to hone in on this single-thread IPC performance improvement a bit, because we always felt the Ryzen 5 7600X was a little lackluster in this department, especially in gaming performance. We don’t feel that way about the Ryzen 5 9600X, however. The Ryzen 5 7600X really needed a single-thread/core IPC uplift in performance, and we seem to get that with the new Ryzen 5 9600X CPU. With the improvement in gaming performance, the Ryzen 5 9600X rivals the competition’s 14600K now for gaming, and it really starts to become the value option for gaming performance. We cannot wait to dive into more gaming with it, and test that more.
Pricing
We talked about this in our Ryzen 7 9700X CPU review, and the same is true in our Ryzen 5 9600X CPU review, AMD’s own worst enemy is itself. The Ryzen 5 9600X has an MSRP of $279, which is less than the Ryzen 5 7600X launched at in 2022 at $299. The problem is, that 2 years have passed and the Ryzen 5 7600X has dropped to just $200 online. This really puts the Ryzen 5 9600X in a tough place when you can get that one for so much cheaper right now. If you just want an entry into the AM5 platform, $200 is a lot easier of a price to swallow.
The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X has a place, though, and that is for those who are coming from older AM4 platforms, or the Intel equivalents. It will cost a little more than the 7600X, but in our testing, it offers a substantial single-thread/IPC improvement that will translate to games, especially over time. The Ryzen 5 7600X was a bit underpowered for gaming performance, and our results show it holding back some games. The Ryzen 5 9600X improves upon this and gives the lower-end AM5 segment a general boost.
The Ryzen 5 9600X has a very decent uplift in gaming performance, and with faster GPUs on the horizon, it will eventually make a difference in your gameplay experience and have longer legs to stand on over time. You will also need to consider that the 7600X inventory will dry up over time, and as time marches on, the 9600X may start to come down as well just like the 7600X did. With AMD now making it clear that AM5’s longevity has been extended to 2027+, there is no time better right now to jump on the platform.
Final Points
As we said in our Ryzen 7 9700X review, the AMD Ryzen 5 9600X is a continued evolution of the AM5 platform from AMD and extends leadership in 6-core CPU performance for business, content creation, and gaming. It’s not a revolutionary leap, but rather an evolutionary step in desktop CPU performance that offers strict competition and options for entry into the AM5 platform. It provides an uplift in some key areas for a 6-core CPU such as multi-threading, and single-core IPC uplifts that will make a difference over time. There really is no time like now to jump on the AM5 platform, and the Ryzen 5 9600X is a great starting place.
