AMD's upcoming Ryzen 9 9900X CPU, based on the new Zen 5 architecture, is showing promising multi-threaded performance but may disappoint some gamers, according to recent leaks.
Multi-Core Prowess
The 12-core, 24-thread Ryzen 9 9900X reportedly achieves around 33,000 points in Cinebench R23 at its default 120W TDP. This represents a 14% improvement over the previous-gen Ryzen 9 7900X, despite a 50W lower power envelope. With PBO (Precision Boost Overdrive) enabled, scores climb to approximately 34,500 points – a 20% gain over its predecessor.
Key specifications:
- Base clock: 4.4 GHz
- Boost clock: Up to 5.6 GHz
- Cache: 76 MB
- TDP: 120W (vs. 170W for 7900X)
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| AMD Ryzen 9 9900X CPU, showcasing its advanced specifications and performance capabilities as highlighted in recent benchmarks |
Gaming Performance: A Different Story
While multi-threaded workloads shine, gaming benchmarks paint a less rosy picture. An Italian YouTuber's leaked review suggests the 9900X trails behind the older Ryzen 7 7800X3D in many games:
- At 1080p: ~10% slower on average
- At 1440p: ~6% slower on average
- At 4K: ~4% slower on average
Games like Cities Skylines II, Cyberpunk 2077, and Hogwarts Legacy showed the largest performance gaps favoring the 7800X3D. However, titles such as Alan Wake 2 and Starfield demonstrated minimal differences.
Analysis
The Ryzen 9 9900X appears to offer substantial gains in multi-threaded efficiency, potentially appealing to content creators and professionals. However, gamers may find better value in AMD's 3D V-Cache equipped models, which continue to excel in gaming workloads.
As we await official reviews and potential BIOS/driver updates, it's clear that AMD faces an interesting challenge in positioning its standard and 3D V-Cache product lines for different market segments.
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| The upcoming Ryzen 9 9900X, representing AMD's latest advancement aimed at balancing multi-threaded performance and gaming efficiency in the market |