Ryzen 5 9600X vs Ryzen 7 9700X: Our Recommendation

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Uzair Qureshi

At Tech4Gamers, I proudly wear the title of Comparisons Specialist. Focused on CPUs and GPUs, I bring forth a wealth of hands-on experience and a keen eye for detail to provide our audience with the latest insights and analyses.

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Pros And Cons 

Comparison Table 

Architectural Differences

1. Core Count: The 9600X has 6 cores and 12 threads, whereas the Ryzen 7 9700X has 8 cores and 16 threads.
2. Clock Speed: The 9700X has a base frequency of 3.8 GHz and a boost frequency of 5.5 GHz, while the 9600X has a base clock of 3.9 GHz and a boost frequency of 5.4 GHz.
3. Memory Support: Both chips only support DDR5 memory up to 5600 MHz. You can have a max memory size of 192 GB while having 2 channels of memory.
4. L3 Cache: Both these processors come with 32 megabytes of L3 cache.
5. TDP: Both chips have a rated PL1 TDP of only 65 watts, though that is to be measured in our testing later on.

AMD’s new Zen 5 processors might confuse people with which processor suits their needs. The Ryzen 5 9600X vs Ryzen 7 9700X comparison will compare two of these processors to make your purchasing decision easier.

Gaming Benchmarks – 1080p

With our field of expertise being gaming, it’s only natural that we go from the specs that we were previously discussing to the gaming benchmarks. These benchmarks were measured on a controlled test bench, the specs of which are written below:

Test Bench

• OS – Windows 11 
• RAM – V-Color Manta XPrism RGB DDR5 7200MHz 32GB RAM
• CPU Cooler – Thermaltake UX200
• Graphics Card – MSI GeForce RTX 3090
• SSD – CORSAIR MP700 PRO 2TB
• Power Supply – be quiet! Dark Power Pro 13 1300W 

Call Of Duty Warzone

• The Ryzen 7 9700X had an average framerate of 217 FPS in COD Warzone, while the 9600 had an average of around 13.6% lower at 191 FPS.
• The minimum framerates in our testing showed that the 9700X had lows of around 137 FPS, whereas the 9600X was around 14% behind with lows of 120 FPS.

Microsoft Flight Simulator

• Our testing of Flight Sim 2024 showed an exact tie between the average framerates of the two chips, with both getting 98 FPS.
• The minimums were somehow a frame lower on the 9700X at around 94 FPS instead of the 95 FPS of the 9600X.

Remnant 2

• The Ryzen 7 was ahead by around 1.8% in this game, with an average framerate of 112 FPS, while the Ryzen 5 got an average framerate of around 110 FPS.
• We saw over a 4% difference in the 1% lows, with the 9700X getting 72 FPS in the demanding scenes while the 9600X held around 69 FPS.

A Plague Tale: Requiem

• Once again, we saw an unperceivable frame of difference between the two chips, with the 9700X getting an average of 129 FPS while the 9600X held around 83 FPS.
• The 1% lows were substantially different in a Plague Tale Requiem, though, with the Ryzen 7 getting minimums of around 82 FPS, whereas the 9600X held closer to 77 FPS.

Starfield

• We saw the biggest delta yet with Starfield, with the 9700X getting an average of 97 FPS, while the 9600X was lacking by 17% at an average of around 83 FPS.
• Our measurements of the 1% lows had less of a difference, though, with the 9600X getting minimums of around 58 FPS, while the 9700X was 8.6% higher at 63 FPS.

Cyberpunk 2077

• Our test of Cyberpunk had the 9700X running at an average of 142 FPS, around 5% faster than the 135 FPS average of the 9600X.
• The 1% lows had a difference of around 7%, with the 9700X getting lows closer to 105 FPS, whereas the Ryzen 5 had lows closer to 98 FPS.

Horizon Forbidden West

• We saw a 9% difference in our run of this game, with the 9700X getting an average framerate of 172 FPS while the 9600X hung closer to an average of 158 FPS.
• There was an 8% difference when it came to the 1% lows of Horizon Forbidden West, with the 9700X getting lows of 117 FPS, whereas the 9600X had around 108 FPS.

F1 23

• Finally, this racing game ended our testing with a difference of almost 3%, with the 9700X hovering around 180 FPS while the 9600X was closer to 175 FPS.
• The minimum framerates showed a much bigger difference of around 12.5%, with the 9700X plateauing at around 99 FPS, while the 9600X had minimums of 88 FPS.

Overall Gaming Performance

Average FPS

After testing the Ryzen 7 9700X vs Ryzen 5 9600X in eight games, we saw an average difference of 6.4% when it came to the average framerates of these processors. The delta from game to game did vary quite a bit, with the 9700X usually being much ahead.

1% Lows

The 1% lows varied slightly more than the average framerates, with the Ryzen 7 being around 7.8% ahead of its little brother. This difference did add up to a meaningful difference in our gaming tests, with the extra jitters on the Ryzen 5 being more noticeable.

The Ryzen 7 beat the Ryzen 5 in some games where the difference was perceivable, which will weigh into our recommendation at the end.

Power Consumption

Our testing showed a small 5% difference between the power consumption of the two chips, with the Ryzen 5 taking less power. The difference is not large enough to be worrisome, which is understandable considering the similar architecture of the two chips.

Temperatures

Our testing showed the thermals to be almost exactly the same on average between these two chips, both of which did perform excellently in regards to head-dissipation. These good temperatures will come in handy if you plan on overclocking these CPUs.

Price And Availability

At the time of writing this article, the Ryzen 7 9700X costs around 28.5% more than the Ryzen 5 9600X while performing only marginally better. As for availability, you can get your hands on these processors in any retail store near you.

What We Recommend

Ryzen 5 9600X: Out of all the 9000 series chips we’ve tested so far, the 9600X might be the one that gives the best bang for your buck. It’s performant, reliable, efficient, and very affordable. Still, we’d wait for a successor to the 5600X3D to release if you’re purely concerned with gaming.

Ryzen 7 9700X: Despite performing well, the Ryzen 7 9700X doesn’t seem like a great level to buy into. It’s not budget enough to have a great price while also not being high-end enough to have top-tier performance.

Having discussed all the ins and outs of these chips, we would definitely have to side with the cheaper processor when it comes to the Ryzen 5 9600X vs Ryzen 7 9700X comparison, as the increase in performance does not seem to justify the increase in price.

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Uzair Qureshi

[Comparisons Specialist]

I’m a passionate computer hardware expert specializing in CPUs and GPUs. With a lifelong curiosity for hardware and extensive hands-on experience, I provide valuable insights, practical advice, and in-depth analysis on these components. Engaging with the hardware community, I exchange knowledge and stay at the forefront of technological advancements.

Get In Touch: uzair@tech4gamers.com