AMD Ryzen 9 9900X in a megatest of 40 CPUs

Conclusion

We’re wrapping up tests of the new Ryzen 9000 desktop CPUs. This with a model that once increased the number of cores compared to its predecessor, or a pilot model (Ryzen 9 3900X) from eight to twelve on AMD’s mainstream platform. Even compared to the Ryzen 9 5900X, the new Ryzen 9 9900X is more than twice as fast in some practical situations. This model is also the best when it comes to efficiency.

Conclusion

When 16 cores (Ryzen 9 9950X) is too expensive, 8 cores (Ryzen 7 9700X) strikes you as not enough and you have reservations about Intel’s big.LITTLE, then there’s the Ryzen 9 9900X. This processor with twelve cores (in 24 threads) finds itself well suited across many application scenarios. It has above-standard performance in both multi-threaded and single-threaded tasks.

The Ryzen 9 9900X may be an attractive choice precisely because of its high multi-threaded performance (ST performance is already extremely high even with the Ryzen 5 9600X). In this respect, the R9 9900X has a 10–15% advantage over its predecessor (R9 7900X). Depends on the application. In 3D rendering, we saw an average increase of around 14%, with x264/x265 video encoding it’s slightly less. But at higher loads you still get to at least 10%, even without AVX-512 instructions active.
To see how these change the situation when encoding video in HandBrake, we are preparing a separate test that will capture the results of not only all the new Ryzen 9000s, but actually most of the processors that support these 512-bit instructions (including Intel Rocket Lake).

When it comes to competing Intel processors, it’s again debatable which model the Ryzen 9 9900X is appropriate to compare to. In any case, even the cheaper Core i7-14700K processor is a bit (5–10%) faster in multithreaded tasks. This is thanks to E-cores and at the expense of higher power consumption and lower efficiency. When aligned for equal performance, these differences would be erased or perhaps even reversed, and only the Core i9-14900K processor with as many 24 cores would have the upper hand. But that one is already more expensive. Most of the time though, the 9000 Ryzens will face the Arrow Lake generation of processors on the market, which hits the stores starting October 24, 2024. Then, the perspective on some things will change. To what extent, it remains to be seen.

Even the Ryzen 9 9900X can’t be described as a superbly “low-power” processor, although computing performance per unit watt is higher than that of the Ryzen 9 7900X. We measured the power consumption of the R9 9900X at around 200W. With hardware, on the cables, so this value also includes losses on the VRM. However, we deliberately select motherboards for CPU tests that are always overdimensioned in this respect, so that the comparison is fair across all platforms. The power consumption under heavy load is comparable to the R9 7900X, under a gaming load it’s a little lower (with the R9 9900X) and v under single-threaded load and in idle, it’s still lower. The power consumption values may vary to some extent depending on the motherboard used. We’ll see how significantly soon when we start testing X870 boards. Either way, idle power consumption appears to be excessively high with the R9 9900 (similar to the R9 9950X), going as high as 40W. It should be noted here that the power consumption of AMD Ryzen chiplet processors is always increased by the I/O chip.

One of the highest power consumptions (R9 9900X) in a single-threaded workload is primarily due to really high single-threaded performance, which is unparalleled in terms of older generations. Within its class, the Ryzen 9 9900X shares the highest rankings alongside the Ryzen 9 9950X in PCMark’s office tests or for working in a web interface. The lower Granite Ridge models of the Ryzen 5 and Ryzen 7 series are also high, but in the case of the Ryzen 9 9900X, in contrast, exceedingly high multi-threaded performance is already available. High ST performance is also due to higher SC boost clock speeds than what a comparable cooler could sustain within the previous generation (for example with the Ryzen 9 7900X).

The Ryzen 9 9900X is a versatile processor that is also suitable for gaming PCs. Maybe even one that is used for some editing of game footage or other work activities related to video editing or 2D/3D graphics creation, for example. Even in such tasks, the Ryzen 9 9900X is not out of its depth, as you can see in tests like Adobe Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve Studio (19), Adobe After Effect, Adobe Photoshop or Affinity Photo. The Ryzen 9 9900X also tops the charts in photo editing applications.
In AI Topaz Labs, it also benefits from AVX-512, or rather VNNI, which is also the reason why Intel’s competing processors aren’t catching up here. But these have the upper hand again in XnView or partly in Adobe Lightroom.

The 9000 Ryzens don’t (generally) push the boundaries of gaming performance, but we can’t talk about any poor results either. Especially in the case of builds with Ryzen 9 processors, which are often paired with very powerful graphics cards and especially monitors with such a high resolution that the impact of the CPU on the result tends to be negligible (with the notable exceptions of specific titles). For builds with monitors that have relatively lower resolutions and push more for high refresh rates, on the AMD AM5 platform, Ryzen 7000s with 3D V-cache are “gaming-wise” still preferable.

The temperature with the Noctua NH-U14S is up to 80 °C at maximum performance (of the fan on the cooler, but also of the CPU itself). Similar results will be achieved with other coolers with above-standard cooling performance. For the most powerful coolers, the headroom will be even higher.

There is nothing left to do but to come to a brief verdict, within which we must pronounce a positive evaluation: The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X is a top-notch processor with a very high multi-threaded, single-threaded and gaming performance and with reasonable operating characteristics. This simultaneously at a relatively fair price, which will certainly decrease over time.

English translation and edit by Jozef Dudáš

We would like to thank the Datacomp e-shop for their cooperation in providing the tested hardware

Special thanks also to Blackmagic Design (for DaVinci Resolve Studio license), Topaz Labs (for licenses to DeNoise AI, Gigapixel AI and Sharpen AI) and Zoner (for Photo Studio X license)

• Contents
• AMD Ryzen 9 9900X in detail
• Methodology: performance tests
• Methodology: how we measure power draw
• Methodology: temperature and clock speed tests
• Test setup
• 3DMark
• Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla
• Borderlands 3
• Counter-Strike: GO
• Cyberpunk 2077
• DOOM Eternal
• F1 2020
• Metro Exodus
• Microsoft Flight Simulator
• Shadow of the Tomb Raider
• Total War Saga: Troy
• Overall gaming performance
• Gaming performance per euro
• PCMark and Geekbench
• Web performance
• 3D rendering: Cinebench, Blender, ...
• Video 1/2: Adobe Premiere Pro
• Video 2/2: DaVinci Resolve Studio
• Graphics effects: Adobe After Effects
• Video encoding
• Audio encoding
• Broadcasting (OBS and Xsplit)
• Photos 1/2: Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom
• Photos 2/2: Affinity Photo, Topaz Labs AI Apps, ZPS X, ...
• (De)compression
• (De)encryption
• Numerical computing
• Simulations
• Memory and cache tests
• Processor power draw curve
• Average processor power draw
• Performance per watt
• Achieved CPU clock speed
• CPU temperature
• Conclusion