Reviews of Ryzen 5 9600X and Ryzen 7 9700X processors have been released: only 2-3% faster than their predecessors in games

Tomorrow, after a short delay, sales of the first AMD desktop processors based on the Zen 5 architecture will begin – Ryzen 5 9600X and Ryzen 7 9700X. Today, reviews of these chips appeared on the pages of the specialized press. Reviewers note the high performance of Zen 5 cores and energy efficiency, as well as a significant increase in gaming performance compared to previous generation Ryzen chips.

Image Source: Computer Base

The Ryzen 5 9600X is currently the most affordable Zen 5 desktop chip with a suggested price of $279. This processor includes six Zen 5 cores, which operate on 12 threads and are equipped with 38 MB of cache in the second and third levels. The base clock frequency is 3.9 GHz, and in Boost mode the maximum frequency reaches 5.4 GHz. In turn, the Ryzen 7 9700X is an eight-core processor with 16 threads, frequencies of 3.8–5.5 GHz, and 40 MB of L2+L3 cache. Both new products have a TDP of 65 W, and maximum consumption (PPT) reaches 88 W. The chips are supported by all motherboards with Socket AM5 processor socket.

Image Source: TechSpot

In games, the Ryzen 5 9600X and Ryzen 7 9700X show fairly close results. According to ComputerBase, on average the older model is 4% faster than the younger one. Both new products, according to tests from the same German resource, are also faster than the previous flagship Ryzen 9 7950X. However, the performance increase for new products in games compared to their predecessors turns out to be very insignificant – on average, according to TechPowerUp, TechSpot and other publications, new products are only 2-3% faster than the Ryzen 5 7600X and Ryzen 7 7700X.

Also in tests by Computer Base, TechSpot and many other observers, the new chips are inferior in games to the Core i5-14600K, as well as other older Intel Raptor Lake Refresh, as well as the Ryzen 7 7800X3D and Ryzen 9 7950X3D.

The Zen 5 cores turned out to be quite fast – the Ryzen 5 9600X and Ryzen 7 9700X were the fastest desktop processors in terms of single-threaded performance. Even the Core i9-14900K was slower. Of course, in multi-threaded workloads the situation is different: the lower-end Ryzen 9000 simply has fewer cores than many higher-end chips. For example, the Core i5-14500 turns out to be faster than the Ryzen 5 9600X, and the Core i5-14600K outperforms the Ryzen 7 9700X without overclocking.

Separately, observers note the high energy efficiency of new AMD processors. If Intel has been increasing power consumption in the last few generations of processors, which ultimately led to problems with unstable operation, then AMD has taken a completely different path in the case of the Ryzen 9000. The company reduced the power consumption of the younger Ryzen 9000 by 40% and at the same time provided a noticeable increase in performance. As a result, AMD chips with a power consumption of 65/88 W significantly outperform Intel’s Core i5 and i7 with a power consumption of 125/253 W in games. So, on AMD you will be able to build a cooler, quieter and faster gaming system.

As observers note, the new products will face stiff competition from other AMD chips – the existing Ryzen 5000X3D and 7000X3D processors are able to offer the best price-performance ratio. This is especially true for the Ryzen 7 9700X. In addition, Ryzen 9000X3D processors will soon hit the market. Previous-generation Ryzen 7000 processors can also be found at significant discounts, and prices will drop as new models are released, so some older options may be better value if the price is right.

Intel, which is preparing to release its new Arrow Lake for desktop PCs, may also soon put pressure on the new Ryzen 9000.