What is the difference between Ryzen 9 5900 and Ryzen 9 5900X?

What is the difference between Ryzen 9 5900 and Ryzen 9 5900X?
The Ryzen 9 5900 CPU is featured in select pre-built gaming rigs like the Alienware Aurora. (Image Source: Sticker Library)

Even though the non-X processors come with a 61.5% lower TDP, 700 MHz lower base clock and 100 MHz lower boost clocks, the performance loss is barely noticeable with the UserBenchmark suite versus the 5900X models. The Ryzen 9 5900 is an OEM-only model and is now available in select pre-built gaming rigs like the Alienware Aurora.

It is still unclear why AMD chooses to restrict sales of certain CPUs only through OEMs. Most notable recent examples are the non-X Ryzen 9 5900 and Ryzen 7 5800 that are now starting to make an appearance in select premium pre-built gaming rigs. Apparently, AMD is lowering the TDP on these non-X versions just to allow OEMs to include cheaper worse-performing coolers. There is still a good chance we could find these versions available at certain online retailers later on, since the Ryzen 4000 desktop APUs that were also supposed to be OEM-only have been consistently selling at big online retailers for some time. In case you were wondering how the 12-core non-X Ryzen 9 5900 processor is faring against the more power-hungry 5900X version, Tum_Apisak recently discovered an entry in the UserBenchmark database, which shows that the difference is not at all too big, despite the 61.5% higher TDP on the X model.

Now, UserBenchmark is hardly held in high regard by most serious reviewers, but that is the only source, for now. Also, note that the 5900X model has more than 30,000 benchmark entries, while the non-X version only has 2 entries, one of which comes from an Alienware Aurora Ryzen Edition. As far as effective speed differences are concerned, UserBenchmark is reporting that the 5900X is 1% faster, while the non-X versions appears to be 3% slower in the average score category, and 7% slower in the overclocked score category. That said, the non-X model is still a smidge faster in 4-core loads and shaves off a few ns for the RAM latency.

We were expecting to see a greater gap for single-core loads, due to the non-X model having a 700 MHz lower base clock, but this does not seem to influence scores that much, at least for the UserBenchmark suite. Boost clock is only 100 MHz lower, so that pretty much guarantees the multi-core performance is essentially the same on both models. If other benchmark suites prove that the performance difference is indeed that low, retailers selling tray versions of the non-X processors may not even bother to apply any discounts, especially now that the chip shortages are in full effect.

Buy the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 4750G APU on Amazon

What is the difference between Ryzen 9 5900 and Ryzen 9 5900X?

Bogdan Solca - Senior Tech Writer - 1850 articles published on Notebookcheck since 2017

I first stepped into the wondrous IT&C world when I was around seven years old. I was instantly fascinated by computerized graphics, whether they were from games or 3D applications like 3D Max. I'm also an avid reader of science fiction, an astrophysics aficionado, and a crypto geek. I started writing PC-related articles for Softpedia and a few blogs back in 2006. I joined the Notebookcheck team in the summer of 2017 and am currently a senior tech writer mostly covering processor, GPU, and laptop news.

Bogdan Solca, 2021-04-10 (Update: 2021-04-11)



What is the difference between Ryzen 9 5900 and Ryzen 9 5900X?

What is the difference between Ryzen 9 5900 and Ryzen 9 5900X?

Comparison of the technical characteristics between the processors, with the AMD Ryzen 9 5900X on one side and the AMD Ryzen 9 5900 on the other side. The first is dedicated to the desktop sector, It has 12 cores, 24 threads, a maximum frequency of 4.8GHz. The second is used on the desktop segment, it has a total of 12 cores, 24 threads, its turbo frequency is set to 4.7 GHz. The following table also compares the lithography, the number of transistors (if indicated), the amount of cache memory, the maximum RAM memory capacity, the type of memory accepted, the release date, the maximum number of PCIe lanes, the values ​​obtained in Geekbench 4 and Cinebench R15.

Note: Commissions may be earned from the links above.

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Specifications:


Processor AMD Ryzen 9 5900X AMD Ryzen 9 5900
Market (main) Desktop Desktop
ISA x86-64 (64 bit) x86-64 (64 bit)
Microarchitecture Zen 3 Zen 3
Core name Vermeer Vermeer
Family Ryzen 9 5000 Ryzen 9 5000
Part number(s), S-Spec 100-000000061,
100-100000061WOF
100-000000062
Release date 2020 Q4 2021 Q1
Lithography 7 nm FinFET 7 nm FinFET
Cores 12 12
Threads 24 24
Base frequency 3.7 GHz 3.0 GHz
Turbo frequency 4.8 GHz 4.7 GHz
Cache memory 64 MB 64 MB
Max memory capacity 128 GB 128 GB
Memory types DDR4-3200 DDR4-3200
Max # of memory channels 2 2
Max PCIe lanes 20 20
TDP 105 W 65 W
Suggested PSU 600W ATX Power Supply
What is the difference between Ryzen 9 5900 and Ryzen 9 5900X?
600W ATX Power Supply
What is the difference between Ryzen 9 5900 and Ryzen 9 5900X?
GPU integrated graphics None None
Socket AM4 AM4
Compatible motherboard Socket AM4 Motherboard 
What is the difference between Ryzen 9 5900 and Ryzen 9 5900X?
Socket AM4 Motherboard 
What is the difference between Ryzen 9 5900 and Ryzen 9 5900X?
Maximum temperature 90°C 95°C
Cinebench R23 single thread 1,601 1,581
Cinebench R23 multi-thread 21,189 20,942
PassMark single thread 3,519 3,515
PassMark CPU Mark 39,566 38,102
(Windows)
Geekbench 5 single core
1,653 1,602
(Windows)
Geekbench 5 multi-core
13,244 10,748
Amazon
What is the difference between Ryzen 9 5900 and Ryzen 9 5900X?
What is the difference between Ryzen 9 5900 and Ryzen 9 5900X?
eBay
What is the difference between Ryzen 9 5900 and Ryzen 9 5900X?
What is the difference between Ryzen 9 5900 and Ryzen 9 5900X?

Note: Commissions may be earned from the links above.

We can better compare what are the technical differences between the two processors.

Suggested PSU: We assume that we have An ATX computer case, a high end graphics card, 16GB RAM, a 512GB SSD, a 1TB HDD hard drive, a Blu-Ray drive. We will have to rely on a more powerful power supply if we want to have several graphics cards, several monitors, more memory, etc.

Price: For technical reasons, we cannot currently display a price less than 24 hours, or a real-time price. This is why we prefer for the moment not to show a price. You should refer to the respective online stores for the latest price, as well as availability.

We see that the two processors have an equivalent number of cores, the maximum frequency of AMD Ryzen 9 5900X is greater, that the thermal dissipation power of AMD Ryzen 9 5900 is less. The AMD Ryzen 9 5900 was started more recently.

Performances :

Performance comparison between the two processors, for this we consider the results generated on benchmark software such as Geekbench 4.

Cinebench R23 - Multi-thread & single thread score
AMD Ryzen 9 5900X
What is the difference between Ryzen 9 5900 and Ryzen 9 5900X?
1,601
21,189
AMD Ryzen 9 5900
What is the difference between Ryzen 9 5900 and Ryzen 9 5900X?
1,581
20,942

In single core, the difference is 1%. In multi-core, the differential gap is 1%.

Note: Commissions may be earned from the links above. These scores are only an
average of the performances got with these processors, you may get different results.

Cinebench R23 is cross-platform testing software that allows you to assess the hardware capabilities of a device such as a computer, tablet, server. This version of Cinebench takes into account recent developments in processors with multiple cores and the latest improvements in rendering techniques. The evaluation is ultimately even more relevant. The test scene contains no less than 2,000 objects and more than 300,000 polygons in total.

PassMark - CPU Mark & single thread
AMD Ryzen 9 5900X
What is the difference between Ryzen 9 5900 and Ryzen 9 5900X?
3,519
39,566
AMD Ryzen 9 5900
What is the difference between Ryzen 9 5900 and Ryzen 9 5900X?
3,515
38,102

In single core, the difference is 0%. In multi-core, the differential gap is 4%.

Note: Commissions may be earned from the links above. These scores are only an
average of the performances got with these processors, you may get different results.

PassMark is a benchmarking software that performs several performance tests including prime numbers, integers, floating point, compression, physics, extended instructions, encoding, sorting. The higher the score is, the higher is the device capacity.

On Windows:

Geekbench 5 - Multi-core & single core score - Windows
AMD Ryzen 9 5900X
What is the difference between Ryzen 9 5900 and Ryzen 9 5900X?
1,653
13,244
AMD Ryzen 9 5900
What is the difference between Ryzen 9 5900 and Ryzen 9 5900X?
1,602
10,748

In single core, the difference is 3%. In multi-core, the differential gap is 23%.

Note: Commissions may be earned from the links above. These scores are only an
average of the performances got with these processors, you may get different results.

Geekbench 5 is a software for measuring the performance of a computer system, for fixed devices, mobile devices, servers. This platform makes it possible to better compare the power of the CPU, the computing power and to compare it with similar or totally different systems. Geekbench 5 includes new workloads that represent work tasks and applications that we can find in reality.

Equivalence:

AMD Ryzen 9 5900X Intel equivalentAMD Ryzen 9 5900 Intel equivalent

See also:

AMD Ryzen 9 5900HAMD Ryzen 9 5900HSAMD Ryzen 9 5900HX

Is Ryzen 9 5900X worth getting?

Because the AMD Ryzen 9 5900X features such a huge jump in single-core performance over the Ryzen 9 3900X, it's genuinely worth the upgrade, especially if one of the main things you're doing with your PC is playing PC games.

Is Ryzen 9 5900 HS good?

The AMD Ryzen 9 5900HS is one of the most powerful laptop processors. This eight core processor with fast clock speed of up to 4.6 GHz is commonly used in top-tier gaming laptops.

Is Ryzen 9 5900X enough for gaming?

The AMD Ryzen 9 5900X could be good for gaming for a number of reasons. Firstly, it has a very high base clock speed of 3.7GHz, which can be boosted up to 4.8GHz. This means that it should be able to handle even the most demanding games without any issues.

What is a Ryzen 9 5900X equivalent to?

Add CPUs to start comparisons.