The Ryzen 9 5950X is the highest performance processor designed for the “small” AMD AM4 socket. At the same time, it is a rarity that has essentially no competition (Intel has nothing against it) and is roughly halfway to high-end Threadrippers. Compared to those, however, it has a higher gaming performance and a cheap motherboard will also suffice. This processor is even sometimes more power-efficient than the slower 5900X.
Test setup
| Test configuration | |
| CPU Cooler | Noctua NH-U14S@12 V |
| Thermal compound | Noctua NT-H2 |
| Motherboard* | MSI MEG X570 Ace |
| Memory (RAM) | Patriot Blackout, 4× 8 GB, 3600 MHz/CL18 |
| Graphics card | MSI RTX 3080 Gaming X Trio, Resizable BAR off |
| SSD | 2× Patriot Viper VPN100 (512 GB + 2 TB) |
| PSU | BeQuiet! Dark Power Pro 12 (1200 W) |
*Following motherboard BIOS versions are used: v1.14 on MSI MEG Z590 Ace, v1E on MSI MEG X570 and v17 on MSI MEG Z490.
Note.: Graphics drivers used at the time of testing: Nvidia GeForce 466.77 and OS Windows 10 build 19043.
