AMD Ryzen 9 9950X vs Ryzen 5 9600X – specs comparison
Table of Contents
The Ryzen 9 9950X and Ryzen 5 9600X have now launched and are available for purchase through different retailers. They are a part of the 9000 series lineup and offer the latest Zen 5 architecture.
The 9950X is the top variant in the series, while the 9600X is the least powerful one. So, we’re going to compare them to help you understand the performance difference between the two. We also reviewed the 9600X and found it to be a great processor for budget-conscious builders, but let’s see how it stacks up against the powerhouse.
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In case you are interested in getting any of the two CPUs, check out our Where to Buy 9950X and Where to Buy 9600X pages, where we have listed all major retailers offering these processors.
AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
Cores
16
Threads
32
Boost clock speed
5.7 GHz
Base clock speed
4.3 GHz
L3 Cache
64 MB
TDP
170 W
Platform
AMD Socket AM5
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CHECK PRICEAMD Ryzen 5 9600X
Cores
6
Threads
12
Boost clock speed
5.4 GHz
Base clock speed
3.9 GHz
L3 Cache
32 MB
TDP
65 W
Platform
AMD Socket AM5
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CHECK PRICESpecifications
Both CPUs on this list have vastly different specifications, but the architecture and core structure are the same below surface level. It makes sense given that both of the CPUs belong to the same generation and manufacturer. We grabbed these specifications from the page published on each of the CPUs by AMD.
Specifications comparison
Specification | Ryzen 9 9950X | Ryzen 5 9600X |
---|---|---|
Cores | 16 | 6 |
Threads | 32 | 12 |
Base Clock | 4.3GHz | 3.9GHz |
Boost Clock | up to 5.7GHz | up to 5.4GHz |
L3 Cache | 64MB (shared) | 32MB (shared) |
TDP | 170W | 65W |
PPT | 230W | 88W |
As you can see, the Ryzen 9 9950X is vastly more powerful than the 9600X in terms of pure power, but as the cores are basically physically the same (just clocked higher on the 9950X) the performance in single-core workloads should be similar.
Cores & Threads
The 9950X has many more cores than the 9600X, meaning it will be much better in multithreaded workloads. All of the Ryzen’s Zen 5 cores are multi-threaded, so you don’t have to worry about split cores and strange thread numbers. But these were never really designed to compete head-to-head.
Clock speed
There’s a 0.4GHz difference in these two CPUs, in both the base clocks and the boost clocks, this is done to preserve power in the lesser 9600X model and make it more efficient for smaller or more efficient builds. Naturally, the 9950X is clocked higher in both cases as it consumes much more power than the 9600X (over 100W more).
But if you want to be pedantic, the CPU cores in each of the two CPUs are capable of the same speeds, you just can’t push the 9600X that far because it’s hard limited to produce what it does. However, back in reality you will see the 9950X will be slightly better in single-core workloads thanks to its slightly faster clocks. But in use, these might vary as overclocks and cooling solutions differ between usage.
We tested the 9600X in different benchmarking tools, where it was able to hit 6,435 points in CPU Z multi-core test, 16,315 points in Cinebench R23 multi-core tests, and 14,909 points in Geekbench multi-core tests. On the other hand, in single-core tests, it was able to achieve 827, 2,149, and 3,283 points, respectively. Considering the 9950X has a higher clock speed and many more cores than the 9600X, you can expect its performance to be significantly better.
Cache
L3 cache is the slowest yet most plentiful layer of cache, it is dipped into by all of the CPU cores in the chip, and it’s not just allocated to a single core like the L1 and L2 cache is. The 9600X has half the cache of the 9950X because it has much fewer cores to feed.
TDP & PPT
TDP is the maximum amount of energy that your CPU can use under normal operating conditions. As you can imagine, the TDP is much higher in the 9950X (170W) than it is in the 9600X (65W). This is because there are more cores, and each of those cores is clocked higher, consuming more power. With that, for the pick you might have to consider a better CPU cooler.
Pricing
The Ryzen 9 9950X is currently available for $649 on Amazon. On the other hand, the 9600X has a price tag of $279 on Amazon. So, there is a price difference of $370 between the two.
Graphics capabilities
Both of the CPUs we have listed today have the same graphics processor, similar to the previous generation, we have an integrated GPU with 2 RDNA 3-based compute units. The iGPU has a dynamic frequency range from 400MHz to 2,200MHz, this is the same for both CPUs.
As per WEPC’s testing of the RDNA 2-based iGPUs in the 7000 series, it handled games such as CS:GO pretty well, getting over 130FPS on the third-party benchmark map.
How have these CPUs changed from the last generation?
Last generation’s 7950X and 7600X used Zen 4 cores which were built upon the 5nm manufacturing process from TSMC, this time around, the cores are Zen 5, built on the 4nm manufacturing process. This allows more transistors to be packed into the Zen 5 cores allowing for an uplift in IPC (instructions per cycle), as there are more transistors present to do the calculating.
What this means is, that the CPU is faster per core, and it’s improved the amount of instructions the CPU can execute per core cycle. An instruction is an order that comes from the program you are running on your PC, and a cycle is a full completion of the fetch, decode, and execute cycle.
Alternatives to the 9950X and the 9600X
If these two CPUs don’t tickle your fancy, you can always go for Team Blue. Intel has yet to answer to the Ryzen 9000 series and is expected to in September, but there are a few CPUs from the 14th generation that we would consider close to these two Ryzen 9000 series CPUs.
-
Intel Core i9-14900K
- Cores: 24 (8P-16E)
- Threads: 32
- Boost speed: P-Core 5.6GHz / E-Core 4.4GHz
- Base speed: P-Core 3.2GHz / E-Core 2.4GHz
- L3 cache: 36 MB
- TDP: 125 W
-
Intel Core i5 14600K
- Cores: 14 (6P-8E)
- Threads: 20
- Boost clock speed: P-Core 5.3GHz / E-Core 4.0GHz
- Base clock speed: P-Core 2.6GHz / E-Core 3.5GHz
- L3 Cache : 24 MB
- TDP : 125W
-
AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D
- Cores: 16
- Thread: 32
- Base Clock Speed: 100 MHz
- Boost Clock Speed: 5.7 GHz
- L3 Cache: 128 MB (shared)
- TDP: 120 W
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AMD Ryzen 5 7600X
- Cores: 6
- Threads : 12
- Boost clock speed: 5.3 GHz
- Base clock speed: 4.7 GHz
- L3 Cache: 32 MB
- TDP: 105W
Leaks suggest that the 14900K is very much on Par with the 9950X, but of course, we will have to wait until the CPUs are released and we get to test them ourselves to find out.
Which one is best for you?
While we’d advise hanging on till the reviews come in, there is an argument for both CPUs here. If you are comparing these CPUs, you know that they’re at opposite ends of the scale when it comes to both price and performance. Only if you’re the most avid data cruncher will you ever realistically need the full power of the 9950X, I know it’s nice to have all of that power at your fingertips, but do you really need it?
If you have room in your budget and you really want it, then go for it, who am I to tell you differently? But you might be able to save yourself some money, electricity, and unnecessary cooling equipment if you opt for something closer to your needs.
On the other hand, if you’re looking at the more efficient 9600X because if all you do is some light gaming and office applications, then that’s what’s probably going to be best for you, you don’t need all that power to do very simple tasks. Not to mention all that money you’d save on the energy bill by opting for a more efficient CPU.
If you’re running your system without a GPU, it literally doesn’t matter which one you choose as the iGPU in both of these CPUs runs exactly the same, so you will have to consider a secondary factor when choosing if that was your sole basis. Although I’d lean into getting a more powerful CPU so it’ll make a good pairing with future prospective GPUs.