Ryzen 9 9950X vs Ryzen 9 7900X3D: Our Recommendation

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Shehryar Khan

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Pros And Cons

Comparison Table

Architectural Differences

1. Core Count: The Ryzen 9 9950X has 16 cores and 32 threads, a substantial difference from the 12 cores and 24 threads of the 7900X.
2. Clock Speed: The 9950X’s base clock is slightly lower at 4.3GHz than that of the 7900X3D, at 4.4GHz. The newer processor’s boost clock is slightly higher at 5.7GHz compared to the 7900X3D’s 5.6GHz.
3. Process Node: The 9950X uses a more modern 4nm processing node from TSMC, whereas the 7900X3D uses slightly older 5nm processing nodes.
4. TDP: The 9950X’s maximum TDP is 230 watts, whereas the 7900X3D’s PL2 TDP is around 162 watts.
5. L3 Cache: The 7900X3D specializes in its L3 cache, which has a buffer of 128 megabytes instead of the 64 megabytes of the 9950X.

All eyes are on AMD’s new Ryzen 9000 series, but the X3D processors, like the Ryzen 7 5800X3D, have consistently led in gaming performance. We will compare the two in the Ryzen 9 9950X vs Ryzen 9 7900X3D comparison!

Gaming Benchmarks – 1080p

Gaming has been the best indication of how processors will handle the heaviest tasks in any workload, so we won’t keep you for long before discussing the gaming benchmarks of the Ryzen 9 9950X vs Ryzen 9 7900X3D. However, please take a moment to evaluate the test bench we used for these tests.

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 

Baldur’s Gate 3

• The 7900X3D came swinging with our test of Baldur’s Gate 3 with an average framerate of 135 FPS, while the 9950X was around 9.7% behind with an average of 123 FPS.
• 1% lows were also higher on the 7900X3D at around 93 FPS, leading by around 5.6% compared to the 9950X’s 88 FPS.

The Last Of Us

• The newer chip took the lead in our test of The Last Of Us with an average framerate of 182 FPS, which was 1.6% higher than the 179 FPS of the 7900X3D.
• The last generation punched back with a 4% advantage in the 1% lows with a framerate of 130 FPS, while the 9950X hovered closer to 125 FPS in hard-to-render scenes.

Cyberpunk 2077

• Testing Cyberpunk 2077 showed us an average framerate of 150 FPS on the 9950X, which was 2% higher than the 147 FPS we witnessed with the 7900X3D.
• The minimums were still better on the 7900X3D, with a framerate of 120 FPS instead of the 9950X’s 113 FPS. The Zen 4 processor led by around 6.2%.

Hogwarts Legacy

• The 3D V-cache processor had better average framerates, around 130 FPS, while the 9950X was over 9% slower, with an average of 119 FPS.
• The 1% lows stood around 12% apart, with the 7900X3D having the advantage with a framerate of 91 FPS instead of the 9950X’s 81 FPS.

Assetto Corsa Competizione

• In our tests of this game, the delta was close to 11%, with an average framerate of 168 FPS on the 9950X and closer to 186 FPS on the 7900X3D.
• Miraculously, the minimum framerates were higher on the 9950X at around 141 FPS, whereas the Ryzen 9 7900X3D had a framerate of around 133 FPS.

Spider-Man Remastered

• Swinging through New York with the 7900X3D gave us an average framerate of around 188 FPS, while the 9950X had an average framerate of around 187 FPS.
• The 9950X had 1% lows of around 142 FPS on the 9950X, whereas the 7900X3D had a framerate closer to 137 FPS.

Starfield

• Our test of Starfield had an average framerate of 114 FPS on the 7900X3D, while the 9950X rendered out 111 FPS on average, leading to a 2.7% difference.
• The 7900X3D was 7% faster when it came to the 1% lows of this game, with a minimum framerate of around 91 FPS, while the 9950X had a framerate of 85 FPS.

A Plague Tale: Requiem

• To round out our testing, the 9950X took a 9% lead in average framerates in A Plague Tale: Requiem, with a framerate of 144 FPS. The 7900X3D had a framerate of 132 FPS, in contrast.
• Finally, the difference in the minimum framerates was teetering on 11%, with the 9950X hanging out around 102 FPS, whereas the 7900X3D had a framerate of 92 FPS.

Overall Gaming Performance

Average FPS

The results of the eight games we tested showed that the Ryzen 9 7900X3D was around 2.28% faster than the Ryzen 9 9950X. Bear in mind that this difference is the median of all the differences across our testing, and game-to-game tests usually favoured the 7900X3D.

1% Lows

The average difference in the 1% lows across the games we tested was 1.4%, with the 7900X3D in the lead. Once again, the results were more favourable to the 7900X3D in specific games; only a few wins of the 9950X have skewed the results to seem small.

Going into this comparison, we were expecting that the 7900X3D would lead in terms of raw performance, and that is exactly what we saw. In this category, the Ryzen 9 7900X3D takes the lead over the Ryzen 9 9950X.

Power Consumption

AMD has spent countless dollars shrinking the processing nodes to make the Ryzen 9000 series more efficient, but the 3D V-cache is so much better at making these chips more power efficient. During our testing, we saw a 76% reduction in power going from the 9950X to the 7900X3D.

Temp

In addition to its higher power consumption, the 9950X also ran slightly hotter, by only about 2.7%. This temperature difference is more or less benign, with no actual difference in the power performance of these processors. Temperatures should not weigh heavily in your decision.

Price 

According to our research, the current price of the Ryzen 9 7900X3D is around 32.55% or around 150 dollars lower than that of the 9950X. This difference is remarkable, especially given the performance difference. 

What We Recommend

Ryzen 9 9950X: Our testing showed that the Ryzen 9 9950X had worse performance in games, much worse power consumption, slightly higher thermals, and a considerable price hike. All these reasons put together make it really hard to sell.

Ryzen 9 7900X3D: We found the 7900X3D to be quite a favourable little chip. It performs slightly better than the Ryzen 9 9950X, costing a significant chunk less. This, coupled with its excellent power efficiency, makes it one of the best processors in the gaming market.

In all our tests, a 3D V-cache chip from AMD has rarely been beaten in all aspects, and this is no exception. In our testing of the Ryzen 9 9950X vs Ryzen 9 7900X3D, the latter takes the recommendation.

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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