AMD's Upcoming Zen 5 Flagship Shows Promise in Early Tests
Leaked benchmarks for AMD's upcoming Ryzen 9 9900X processor have surfaced, offering an early glimpse at the performance of the new Zen 5 architecture. While the CPU shows significant gains in synthetic benchmarks, its gaming performance appears to trail behind AMD's current gaming champion.
Impressive Synthetic Benchmark Results
A Geekbench 6.2.1 entry for the Ryzen 9 9900X revealed:
- Single-core score: 3401
- Multi-core score: 19756
This represents a substantial improvement over the previous generation Ryzen 9 7900X:
- 16.3% higher single-core performance
- 10.7% higher multi-core performance
The tested chip reached a maximum frequency of 5664 MHz and maintained an average of 5654 MHz during the benchmark run.
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| Benchmark results for the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X, showcasing significant improvements in performance |
Key Specifications
- Architecture: Zen 5
- Cores/Threads: 12/24
- Base Clock: 4.4 GHz
- Boost Clock: Up to 5.6 GHz
- L3 Cache: 64 MB
- TDP: 120W (down from 170W on 7900X)
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| The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X CPU, representing the cutting-edge Zen 5 architecture |
Gaming Performance: A Different Story
While synthetic benchmarks paint an impressive picture, early gaming tests tell a more nuanced tale. Italian YouTuber SaddyTech conducted gaming benchmarks comparing the 9900X to the current Ryzen 7 7800X3D:
- 1080p: 8.83% slower (average FPS)
- 1440p: 5.60% slower (average FPS)
- 4K: 6.01% slower (average FPS)
The 1% low framerates showed an even larger gap, with the 9900X trailing by 7.5% to 11.08% depending on resolution.
Efficiency Gains
Despite the gaming performance deficit, the Ryzen 9 9900X shows promising efficiency improvements:
- Power consumption while gaming: 102W average, 111W peak
- Temperature while gaming: 66°C (peaks at 85°C in Cyberpunk 2077)
These figures represent a significant reduction compared to the high power draw and temperatures seen in the Ryzen 7000 series.
Analysis
The Ryzen 9 9900X demonstrates AMD's continued focus on improving single-threaded performance and efficiency. However, the gaming benchmarks suggest that the 3D V-Cache technology used in the 7800X3D still provides a significant advantage in gaming workloads.
It's important to note that these are early leaks, and final performance may change before the official release. AMD is expected to launch the Ryzen 9000 series, including the 9900X, on July 31st. Pricing information is not yet available, but it will be crucial in determining the CPU's overall value proposition.