Conclusion
AMD has finally dropped the AMD Ryzen 9 CPU models for the new Ryzen 9000 series CPUs based on the Zen 5 architecture. The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X and AMD Ryzen 9 9900X will be available on August 15th, 2024, and in our review today we took a look at the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X.
The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X is a high-end CPU model for client, desktop PC on the AM5 platform. The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X is the 12-core/24-thread variant of Zen 5, sitting right under the Ryzen 9 9950X for the high-end desktop. The official MSRP of the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X is $499.
To date, we have reviewed the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X, and the AMD Ryzen 5 9600X CPUs, so make sure to check out those reviews. We have now also reviewed the Ryzen 9 9950X, as well as the Ryzen 9 9900X, completing the Zen 5 set for now up and down the price segments and core/thread count.
In our reviews, we focused on a varied workload of testing to show you what you can expect out of the CPUs in various and different workloads, which also includes gaming. This was not a 100% gaming-focused review, but rather a review that should give you an overall look at what to expect when using your CPU for regular desktop use, as well as gaming. We will have some gaming-oriented reviews to follow, so stay tuned.
The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X has an officially set MSRP of $499 from AMD, coming in 9% cheaper at launch MSRP than its predecessor, the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X which launched in September of 2022 at $549. Similar to the Ryzen 9 9950X, and the other Zen 5 CPUs, the main problem for the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X is the Ryzen 9 7900X since its pricing has dropped a lot over the past 2 years. At the time of writing, the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X can be found online for around $360, which is quite a difference from its initial launch pricing. With the Ryzen 9 7900X at $360, the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X has quite a hill to climb.
At its heart, the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X is a 12-core/24-thread high-end CPU, similar to the Ryzen 9 7900X with a boost clock that remains the same, with the same cache configuration. The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X does decrease the TDP to 120W with a PPT of 162W compared to the Ryzen 9 7900X with a TDP of 170W and a PPT of 230W and the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X also runs cooler.
Synthetics Performance Summary
Let’s start by summarizing our experiences with the new AMD Ryzen 9 9900X in comparison to the Ryzen 9 7900X and the competition’s Intel Core i9-14900K. In our system benchmarks, like PCMark 10 Express which stresses lighter workloads the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X performs decent, but it is only a 3% performance advantage over the 7900X. However, it’s enough of a bump in this benchmark to perform over the 7950X. This is replicated in PassMark where the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X is about 5% faster than the previous generation Ryzen 9 7900X.
Moving on to multi-thread and single-thread testing, we look at Geekbench in multi-thread where the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X has an 8% uplift over the Ryzen 9 7900X, which is decent. This is confirmed in 3DMark’s multi-thread test where the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X is 7% faster than the 7900X. Where the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X shines is in single-thread performance where in Geekbench it is an 11% uplift compared to the Ryzen 9 7900X, which looks better and now outperforms the Intel Core i9-14900K. This is also confirmed in 3DMark’s single-thread test where it is 14% faster than the 7900X and outperforms the 14900K again.
In AIDA64 we see that the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X has the same memory bandwidth as all other Ryzen CPUs. In the integer testing, the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X is 12% faster than the Ryzen 9 7900X which is a decent uplift. Where it shines is AVX performance where in AES the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X is 80% faster than the Ryzen 9 7900X.
In Cinebench R23’s multi-thread performance testing for rendering the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X ends up being 12% faster than the Ryzen 9 7900X. In single-thread, it is 11% faster, but the 14900K edges it out. In Blender, we find that the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X is around 12% faster compared to the Ryzen 9 7900X. V-Ray 6 is a bit of an outlier, with a 21% uplift compared to the Ryzen 9 7900X. Finally, in HandBrake the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X is about 6% faster.
Overall, there’s around a 12% uplift in performance with the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X compared to the Ryzen 9 7900X. Depending on the workload, you’ll find more or less. The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X will shine in single-thread performance uplifts and specific AVX performance. It has overall less of an uplift in multi-thread scenarios. In system office type of daily workload tasks, there will only be a very minor uplift over the Ryzen 9 7900X.
8 Game Average
In the graph above we have averaged the performance on each CPU across the 8 games we tested at 1080p. The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X has an average of 0.2% game performance regression compared to the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X across 8 games shown, or practically the same performance.
Gaming Performance Summary
We tested across 8 games on the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X, at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K to cover the entire range for comparison and the whole picture. Starting in Horizon Forbidden West the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X practically performed at the same performance level as the Ryzen 9 7900X. It was no faster, in fact, there was a very minor regression, but we are using a manual run-through, though our run-through is very consistent across multiple runs. The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X does perform at the bottom of the graph, in the CPU comparisons.
In Alan Wake 2 the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X again performs at the same level of performance as the previous generation Ryzen 9 7900X with no change in performance. The Ryzen 9 9950X was a little bit faster than it. In Returnal the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X is only 1% faster than the Ryzen 9 7900X and comes in at the same performance level as the 14900K in the Performance Profile. In Avatar Frontiers of Pandora, the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X had no difference in performance.
Cyberpunk 2077 performed quite poorly on the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X, as it has a performance regression of 6% behind the Ryzen 9 7900X from the previous generation. Therefore, it was at the bottom of the graph, with the worst performance. We have sent our data to AMD to analyze this performance, it is possible there is a bug at play, follow-up testing is needed. In Dying Light 2 the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X did better and provided a 5% performance uplift compared to the Ryzen 9 7900X, it’s not a lot, but at least it is a positive improvement and does outperform the 7950X in this game slightly. The Ryzen 9 9950X has a bigger leg up on performance, however.
Starfield was another troubled spot for the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X, but that is also true for the Ryzen 9 7900X in this game. Both CPUs performed rather poorly, by comparison. The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X was just a tad under the Ryzen 9 7900X on performance as well in this game. In Assassin’s Creed Mirage, the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X performed exactly the same as the previous generation Ryzen 9 7900X.
Overall, the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X is a very mixed bag in gaming performance. On one hand, we experienced an uplift in Dying Light 2, by 5%. However, for the most part, performance in games was either identical to the previous generation Ryzen 9 7900X or we experienced a performance regression. Cyberpunk 2077 and Starfield were notable troubled games out of our 8 games, and it was just a tad under in Horizon Forbidden West. For the most part, the new AMD Ryzen 9 9900X provides the same performance as the Ryzen 9 7900X, with no change.
Do keep in mind that this is just a sampling of 8 games, it is not a huge game roundup using the latest and greatest titles that have recently been released, save for Horizon Forbidden West. It is possible there are games where the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X does better, and it is possible there are other troubled games where there is a performance regression. We do need a larger sample size of testing to come to final conclusions. For today’s testing, the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X provided no real advantages for gaming performance compared to the previous generation Ryzen 9 7900X.
Final Points
The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X, similar to other Zen 5 CPUs we have tested is a mixed bag of performance advantages compared to the previous generation Ryzen 9 7900X. There are specific scenarios and workloads where it does quite well and has a very strong and noticeable uplift, and then there are other areas where it has a very minimal uplift or performance difference compared to the previous generation.
The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X, like all other Zen 5 CPUs has a strong single-thread/single-core performance uplift compared to the Ryzen 9 7900X. However, it does seem to be a little less than CPUs like the Ryzen 9 9950X. For the most part, you’ll see a 12% to maybe 14% single-thread performance uplift at best. The uplift for multi-thread is a lot less, typically under 10%, in the 8% range or thereabouts. If we look at lighter workloads and typical office work, you are talking percentages below 5% of an uplift. Again, it does very well in specific AVX workloads.
In terms of gaming performance, the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X does not offer any discernable difference or change or upgrade compared to the Ryzen 9 7900X in the games we tested. Most of the time, the competition’s 14900K also, was faster. We also found the 16-core Ryzen 9 9950X to provide better game performance.
The gaming performance showed some regression, and most of the time it was at the same performance level as the 7900X. It is possible there are scheduling issues in Windows, or early BIOS woes, but that is our experience right now. Perhaps over time, this will improve. Further follow-up testing and re-testing over time with more games will be important to see how the state of gaming performance changes on the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X over time.
When it comes to pricing, the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X’s own enemy is the Ryzen 9 7900X, which is currently priced at $360 online at the time of writing. If you are a content creation or productivity user, the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X will offer a decent single-thread performance uplift, if you need that, but it won’t give you a large multi-thread performance uplift. For gaming, there won’t be any advantage to upgrading to the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X from the Ryzen 9 7900X. Therefore, the Ryzen 9 7900X now at well under $400 is a good value CPU.
If you are on a Zen 4 CPU already, then the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X would be a good upgrade if you are on an 8-core or less CPU and need a core upgrade. The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X would provide a nice bump to single-thread performance over the 7900X, you will be paying more for it. If you are on an older platform from AMD or Intel, the jump to Zen 5 makes more sense.
One cannot deny the current pricing of the Ryzen 9 7900X as an option currently. Keep in mind that over time Ryzen 7000 CPUs inventory will dry up as they are phased out of production, and Zen 5 prices will fall. The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X’s appeal will increase as these things happen. For 2024, the Ryzen 9 7900X remains a good value, or if you want pure gaming, look forward to the X3D variants. The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X, provides slightly better than Ryzen 9 7900X performance for productivity, while consuming less power, and running cooler.
