Ryzen 7 7700X Vs Ryzen 9 7900X: Worth Upgrading?

Choosing the right processor for your rig is extremely important. And to help you select the right one, we will do an in-depth Ryzen 7 7700X vs Ryzen 9 7900X comparison to see if the extra cost to get the higher-end model is backed up by improvements in performance.

Key Takeaways

• While gaming at 1080p, the performance difference between these two processors was 1.1%, favoring the Ryzen 9 7900X.
• On average, the Ryzen 7900X consumed about 13.3% more power than the Ryzen 7700X in the gaming benchmarks.
• During our testing, the Ryzen 7700X remained about 3.5% cooler than the Ryzen 9 7900X.
• The higher clock speeds, greater core count, and larger cache allow the Ryzen 7900X to be a much more powerful processor for multithreaded workloads.

Basic Differences 

Comparison Table

Core Counts And Clock Speed

The Ryzen 9 7900X has 4 more multithreaded cores than the Ryzen 7 7700X. The difference in core counts is hardly a surprise as the 7900X, being a higher-end CPU, is expected to best the 7700X in performance, and much of the difference in performance is facilitated by the extra cores. The difference in core counts allows the Ryzen 9 to perform better in multithreaded workloads like video editing.

Also Read: Intel i7-13700k Vs Ryzen 7 7700X

The base and boost clocks are clocked at 200 MHz higher on the Ryzen 9 than the Ryzen 7, allowing it to have slightly more horsepower in single-threaded performance.

The clock speeds of both CPUs can be manually tweaked to get a little more performance out of your CPU. If you wish to learn how to do so, read our guide on overclocking.

Architecture

Unsurprisingly, both CPUs have the same architecture, Zen4, to be more specific. This new platform brings some iterative yet substantial differences from the architectures of years past.

Most of the performance benefits come from updating the manufacturing process of these CPUs using TSMC’s 5nm manufacturing nodes. This upgrade, along with the Chiplet design of these processors, helps in performance efficiency and performance-per-watt.

Another notable improvement in this generation is integrating graphics into the entire lineup. This allows users to always have a backup if their graphics card fails.

CPU Sockets

AMD finally switched to a newer CPU socket in this generation, utilizing the AM5 socket for its 7000 series CPUs. This added much-needed functionality to the lineup with features like DDR5 and PCIe 5.

This socket also marks the shift of the Ryzen CPU socket from a PGA to an LGA interface, meaning the physical pins that connect your CPU to the rest of your computer are no longer on the CPU itself but on the motherboard. 

The AM5 socket has 1718 connection pins that allow data transfer from your CPU to the rest of your PC components.

Unfortunately, using a new CPU socket is not all sunshine and rainbows. The newer design is not compatible with the motherboards of any previous generation, adding cost to your total platform upgrade. Though AM5 motherboards are getting cheaper by the day, they are still on the pricier side.

If you’re wondering what the differences between AM4 and AM5 are, read our comparison guide.

Memory

With the Ryzen 7000 series of processors, AMD has finally caught up to Intel in terms of memory technology. Both these CPUs support DDR5 memory but in a very unconventional way. The Ryzen 7000 CPUs do not support DDR4 memory, bringing your platform cost up even further.

Also Check: Ryzen 7 5800X3D Vs Ryzen 7 7700X

Both of these CPUs support the same maximum memory configuration. The maximum memory speed on these CPUs is 5200 MHz of DDR5 Dual Channel memory.

If you are wondering how big of a jump the transition to DDR5 is, read our article on DDR4 vs DDR5.

Cache

The cache is an overlooked CPU spec, instrumental to a processor’s gaming performance. This is evident by the record-shattering performance of the X3D chips from AMD, which utilize more cache to give an unrivaled degree of performance.

Once again, the Ryzen 7900X does better than the 7700X in this category. The 7900X has double the L3 cache as the 7700X, a metric promising better gaming performance. 

TDP 

During heavy workloads, you can expect the Ryzen 9 7900X to consume as much as 65 Watts more performance than the Ryzen 7 7700X. This means you can get away with using less power with the Ryzen 7, increasing the difference in platform cost between the two processors even further.

The higher power draw of the Ryzen 9 is something to consider while upgrading your computer, as you might also have to get a power supply to feed the power-hungry chip.

Ryzen 7700X vs Ryzen 7900X: Gaming Tests

In this section, we will compare the gaming prowess of the Ryzen 7 7700X vs Ryzen 9 7900X. These tests have been performed in a controlled environment on a test bench, the specifications of which are as follows:

• OS – Windows 10 pro
• CPU – RYZEN 7 7700X
• CPU – RYZEN 9 7900X
• MOBO – MSI MEG X670E ACE
• COOLER – CORSAIR ICUE H150I ELITE
• GPU – Asus TUF Gaming RTX 4090 24GB
• RAM – Corsair Dominator Platinum RGB 32GB DDR5 6000MHz
• SSD – Samsung 980 PRO 2TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2
• HDD – WD Blue 4TB Desktop Hard Disk Drive
• PSU – CORSAIR RMX SERIES RM1000X 1000 WATT

All of these games were tested at 1080p with their respective Ultra presets.

Horizon Zero Dawn

• In the first game of our benchmarks, the Ryzen 7 7700X had an average of about 192 FPS, whereas the Ryzen 9 7900X had an average of about 196 FPS.
• The 1% lows showed a larger discrepancy, with the Ryzen 7700X having about 158 FPS as its 1% lows and the Ryzen 7900X having about 173 FPS.
• Power was another factor that showed a noticeable difference. The Ryzen 7 7700X drew 107 Watts, whereas the Ryzen 9 7900X drew about 122 Watts.
• Finally, the temperature on the 7900X was higher, with a peak of about 71°C, while the Ryzen 7 7700X peaked at about 67°C.

Also Read: Ryzen 7 7700X vs Ryzen 5 7600X

Hitman 3

• The Ryzen 7 7700X showed an average of around 204 FPS in Hitman 3, whereas the 7900X had an average of about 207 FPS.
• The 1% lows were also higher on the Ryzen 9, with 184 FPS compared to the Ryzen 7’s 184 FPS.
• Regarding the power draw, the Ryzen 7 7700X consumed about 107 Watts, whereas the Ryzen 9 7900X consumed 119 Watts.
• Temperatures were significantly higher on the Ryzen 7 in this test, reaching 61°C, while the Ryzen 9 7900X was marginally cooler at around 60°C.

God Of War

• In God of War, the 7700X faired better than the Ryzen 7900X, with an average framerate of 214 FPS vs 212 FPS.
• This game’s 1% low framerates were better for the 7700X, once again, 170 FPS compared to 168 FPS on the 7900X.
• Despite the Ryzen 9 having slightly worse performance, it drew substantially more power. The Ryzen 7900X drew 121 Watts compared to the 99 Watts of the Ryzen 7700X.
• Temperatures while playing God Of War were similar between the two processors. The Ryzen 7 7700X peaked at 63°C, whereas the Ryzen 9 7900X was slightly higher with a peak of 65°C.

Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla

• In Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla, both the processors had the same average; 214 FPS. 
• This time, the 7900X had a 1% low framerate of 158 FPS, whereas the 7700X had a minimum framerate of 156 FPS.
• The Ryzen 9 7900X power draw was about 118 Watts, whereas the Ryzen 7 7700X drew 103 Watts.
• In this game, the Ryzen 9 7900X had a peak temperature of 63°C compared to the 66°C on the Ryzen 7 7700X.

Also Check: Ryzen 7 7700X Vs Intel i7-12700K

Far Cry 6

• The Ryzen 7 770X and the Ryzen 9 7900X had an average frame rate of 165 FPS in Far Cry 6.
• The Ryzen 7 7700X had 131 FPS as its 1% low framerate, whereas the Ryzen 9 7900X pulled ahead with 152 FPS.
• Far Cry 6 required 103 Watts of power from the 7700X, whereas the 7900X managed to run it with 117 W.
• The temperatures were the same on both of these chips, reaching a temperature of 61°C at their peaks.

Cyberpunk 2077

• Cyberpunk 2077 performed better on the 7900X, with an average framerate of 144 FPS compared to the 140 FPS of the Ryzen 7700X.
• For 1% lows, the 7900X also came ahead with 120 FPS, while the 7700X had 123 FPS.
• The Ryzen 7 7700X consumed about 97 Watts of power, whereas the Ryzen 9 7900X drew 111 Watts from the wall.
• When playing Cyberpunk 2077, both processors had vastly different temperatures. The Ryzen 7 7700X reached a peak temperature of 65°C, while the Ryzen 9 7900X was slightly higher with a peak of 73°C.

Also Read: Ryzen 9 7900X Vs Core i9-12900K

Forza Horizon 5

• In the last game in our tests, the 7700X had an average of 198 FPS, whereas the Ryzen 9 7900X had an average of about 203 FPS.
• The 1% lows were again higher on the Ryzen 9 7900X, with 165 FPS compared to 161 FPS.
• Power consumption was, to no surprise, higher on the Ryzen 9 7900X, drawing about 112 Watts compared to 103 Watts on the Ryzen 7 7700X. 
• Temperatures remained the same in this test, with both processors having a peak of 71°C.

Overall Gaming Performance

In this section of the Ryzen 7700X vs Ryzen 7900X comparison, we will look at the performance of both of these processors over the duration of our testing. Note that these results may vary from game to game or system to system. These results are a good gauge of the relative performance of these CPUs.

Framerates

Looking at our tests, the Ryzen 9 7900X bests the Ryzen 7 7700X in most of our benchmarks. This is expected as the Ryzen 9 is a much higher-end chip than the 7700X. 

Similar Comparisons: Intel i9-13900k Vs Ryzen 9 7900X

The performance delta between these two chips is not huge, though. In our testing, the Ryzen 7 7700X averaged 189.6 FPS in terms of average FPS, whereas the Ryzen 9 7900X was only slightly ahead with 191.6 FPS on average. 

The difference in metrics is a bit higher when talking about 1% lows. The Ryzen 7 7700X had an average here of 151.7 FPS, whereas the Ryzen 9 7900X had an average of 160.1 FPS. The difference in this metric might seem substantial, but save for the people who own monitors that refresh higher than 165 Hz; you will likely be hard-pressed to tell the difference.

Power

Regarding power draw, the Ryzen 7 7700X seemed to have a much lower average than its bigger brother. Tallying the results, we see that the Ryzen 9 7900X had an average power draw of 117.1 Watts during our testing, whereas the Ryzen 7 7700X drew 102.8 Watts on average.

Gaming tasks do not demand the most power out of your CPU, so you might see higher power draw levels if you intend to use your new processor in a  more CPU-intensive work case. Either way, the extra power required for the Ryzen 9 7900X in gaming workloads does not substantiate it being disqualified from the list of possibilities of your next gaming CPU.

Temperatures

Using the same thermal solution for both of these CPUs yielded similar average temperatures in our testing. 

Also Check: i7-13700K Vs Ryzen 9 7900X

Throughout 7 games, the Ryzen 7 7700X had an average peak temperature of 64.4°C, whereas the Ryzen 9 7900X had an average peak temperature of about 66.7°C. Once again, though the difference in temperatures is not negligible, it is also not enough of a difference to dismiss one CPU over the other.

Pricing And Availability

The launch MSRP of the Ryzen 9 7900X is about $549, whereas the Ryzen 7 7700X has an MSRP of about $399.

These CPUs will be available at any online retailer or brick-and-mortar computer hardware store like Microcenter. These CPUs will start appearing in the used markets once they age a bit, but as of writing this comparison, it is unlikely that you will find either of these somewhere like Craigslist.

Is Ryzen 9 7900x Better Than Ryzen 7 7700x?

• Though the Ryzen 9 7900X performs slightly better in most games, the difference is usually unnoticeable.
• Note that we used 1080p benchmarks as a performance measure, and you should see a smaller and smaller difference as you scale the resolution up.
• We recommend the Ryzen 7 7700X for the average gamer for these reasons.
• On the other hand, if you focus on productivity workflows, few processors beat the Ryzen 7900X.
• We recommend spending your money on the Ryzen 7800X3D if your priority is no-limits gaming. Before leaving, make sure to read our Ryzen 9 7950x vs Ryzen 9 7900x comparison as well. 

Pros And Cons

Ryzen 7 7700X		Ryzen 9 7900X
Pros	Cons	Pros	Cons
A good deal with great performance and a decent price.	Slightly worse gaming performance than the 7900X.	Excellent in multi-threaded workflows.	Outperformed in gaming performance by cheaper processors like the 7800X3D.
Lower power draw.	Worse at multithreaded workflows because of fewer cores.	Better performance overall.	Greater power draw.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do these two CPUs have any difference in the iGPU?

No, the Ryzen 7 7700X and the Ryzen 9 7900X have the identical iGPU.

Is the Ryzen 7900X the best CPU for gaming?

No, the Ryzen 7950X3D, 7900X3D and 7800X3D all beat the 7900X in gaming performance.

How much performance difference is between the 7700X and the 7900X?

The real-world differences between the two chips are barely noticeable, with the Ryzen 9 7900X having a bit more performance.