Ryzen 5 9600X vs Ryzen 7 7700X: We Benchmarked Both

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Shehryar Khan

Senior Editor and Content Writer:

• Lead the comparison and blog writing teams at Tech4Gamers.
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Pros And Cons

Comparison Table

Architectural Differences

1. Core Count: The Ryzen 7 7700X has 8 cores and 16 threads, whereas the Ryzen 5 9600X has 6 cores and 12 threads.
2. Clock Speed: The older 7700X has a base clock of 4.5 GHz, while the 9600X has a base frequency of 3.9 GHz. Both processors’ boost clocks reach 5.4 GHz.
3. Process Node: The 7700X uses a 5nm process node for its compute hardware, whereas the 9600X uses 4nm process nodes, which are slightly more efficient.
4. TDP: The older chip has a PL1 TDP of 105 watts, whereas the newer chip has a PL1 TDP of only 65 watts, which we will test later.
5. Memory Configuration: The 7700X supports up to 128 gigs of DDR5 5200MHz memory, whereas the 9600X increases the capacity to 192 gigs and the speed to 5600MHz.

If you’re into tech, you’ve had to make a decision about whether to buy a new midrange or an old flagship at one point or another. With AMD’s new Ryzen 9000 update, this decision might be as hard as ever, but the Ryzen 5 9600X vs. Ryzen 7 7700X will guide you as best we can!

Gaming Benchmarks – 1080p

Because of the same platform of the Ryzen 5 9600X and the Ryzen 7 7700X, it was quite easy to switch between the test benches of both chips. We made sure to use the highest-end hardware, so the CPU could be the only bottleneck. You can check out the specs of the test bench below:

Test Bench

• OS – Windows 11 
• RAM – G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB 32GB DDR5-6600
• CPU Cooler – Enermax LiqMaxFlo 360mm
• Graphics Card – GIGABYTE RTX 4090 Gaming OC 24G
• SSD – XPG Gammix S50 Lite
• Power Supply – be quiet! Dark Power Pro 13 1300W 

Baldur’s Gate 3

• Starting with Baldur’s Gate 3, we saw a performance difference of only 1.8%, with the 9600X getting an average framerate of 111 FPS while the 7700X stood close to 113 FPS.
• The 1% lows also had a small difference, with the Ryzen 7700X getting lows of 83 FPS, whereas the 9600X was around 3.75% lower with lows of 80 FPS.

The Last Of Us

• The was a bigger discrepancy in The Last Of Us, with the 9600X getting an average framerate of 162 FPS, while the 7700X was 7.4% faster with an average of 174 FPS.
• We noticed a rather large 15% difference in the 1% lows of our two CPUs, with the 9600X getting lows of 111 FPS while the 7700X had lows of around 128 FPS.

Cyberpunk 2077

• The 7700X also took the cake in Cyberpunk, with a recorded difference of 9.5% and an average of 149 FPS, while the 9600X hung around with an average of 136 FPS.
• The minimum framerates stood 12% apart, with the 7700X getting a minimum framerate of around 114 FPS, whereas the 9600X had lows of 102 FPS.

Hogwarts Legacy

• Flying around Hogwarts with the 9600X gave us an average framerate of 102 FPS, whereas the 7700X had an average framerate of 111 FPS, constituting a difference of 9%.
• The minimum framerates of the 7700X were around 80 FPS in our tests, while the 9600X was an astounding 33% behind with lows of 60 FPS.

Assetto Corsa Competizione

• Our test of this racing game gave the 9600X its first win with an average framerate of 166 FPS, whereas the 7700X was 17% behind with an average framerate of 142 FPS.
• The 9600X’s minimum framerate was around 133 FPS, 9% ahead of the Ryzen 7 7700X’s 122 FPS.

Spider-Man Remastered

• In our Spider-Man test, there was a 2% difference in the performance of these chips, with the 9600X getting an average of 149 FPS while the 7700X had an average of 146 FPS.
• The 1% lows were identical, with the 9600X getting a minimum framerate of 116 FPS.

Homeworld 3

• In this new game in our suite, the 9600X got an average framerate of 72 FPS, breaking its winning streak, while the 7700X had an average framerate of 73 FPS.
• The 9600X had 1% lows of 29 FPS, which was only a frame lower than the 30 FPS supplied by the 7700X in our testing of Homeworld 3.

A Plague Tale: Requiem

• Finally, the last game of our testing gave our Ryzen 5 9600X a win with an average framerate of 149 FPS, 2.7% higher than the 145 FPS supplied by the Ryzen 7 7700X.
• The minimum framerates were once again equivalent on both CPUs, with the 9600X and 7700X plateauing at around 112 FPS.

Overall Gaming Performance 

Average FPS

On average, the performance of the Ryzen 5 9600X vs Ryzen 7 7700X was quite comparable. Taking the median of all the average framerates from these two CPUs, we only measured a performance difference of 0.57%, which is certainly something to overlook.

1% Lows

The minimum framerates showed a greater difference between these two chips, with the 9600X being around 5.65% behind its rival. There is still nothing to be concerned about, but this difference can balloon in the future.

If we zoom in, we can see that some games ran substantially better on the 9600X while others excelled on the 7700X. Zooming out shows that these chips perform comparably, so performance is more or less a toss-up between the two.

Power Consumption

In the eight games we tested, the Ryzen 7 7700X’s power consumption was, on average, around 9% higher than that of the Ryzen 5 9600X. We expected a bigger difference, but any improvement is welcome.

Temperatures

In our testing, the 7700X was around 4% warmer than the Ryzen 5 9600X, which is very minute. The difference between the two processors was only a few degrees, which will probably never be something that will be a cause of concern.

Price And Availability

The price of these chips is barely different, making this comparison head-to-head. The 7700X is a few dollars cheaper than the 9600X, but we’re sure you can find it for even less if you look around on the used market.

What We Recommend

Ryzen 7 7700X: The Ryzen 7 has almost identical performance to the 9600X, if not a bit better. It uses the same platform and is every bit as capable. The only drawback is the slightly higher power consumption, which shouldn’t be a problem for most people.

Ryzen 5 9600X: This chip is a disappointing upgrade to the 7700X, but it matches its performance for a lower price at launch. The lower core count can be a problem in some workflows, but the higher performance per core can make up for it.

Ultimately, the comparison of the Ryzen 5 9600X vs Ryzen 7 7700X is a bit of a toss-up, with most aspects being very similar, including price. If you find both for a similar price, we recommend using the 9600X solely because it is newer.

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Shehryar Khan

[Comparisons Expert]

Shehryar Khan, a seasoned PC hardware expert, brings over three years of extensive experience and a deep passion for the world of technology. With a love for building PCs and a genuine enthusiasm for exploring the latest advancements in components, his expertise shines through his work and dedication towards this field. Currently, Shehryar is rocking a custom loop setup for his built.

Get In Touch: shehryar@tech4gamers.com