AMD Ryzen 9 3900 vs AMD Ryzen 9 5950X

Processor comparisons 17-03-2021

   Let's say you are thinking about choosing a CPU, you will be able to make a decision by looking at the AMD Ryzen 9 3900 vs AMD Ryzen 9 5950X tests and decide which is better for games or simple use for rendering, streaming, machine learning, programming, video editing. Here is all information from real streaming and video editing tests or different benchmarks. A thorough analysis of all the technical characteristics, so that it can be easier to read, is made by the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of joint testing in special test applications such as VeraCrypt, MATLAB, AIDA64, Furmark, WPrime, Dolphin Emulator, 7zip, Gears 5, SuperPi, Blender, Handbrake, UserBenchmark, Prime95, 3DMark, PassMark, GeekBench 6, 5.2, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Blender, PCMark 10, RealBench, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, Cinebench 23 (20, 15).
   And how good the CPUs are in games:

Valorant
Valheim
Red Dead Redemption 2
Rainbow Six Siege
Last Man Standing
Call of Duty: Warzone and Modern Warfare
Fortnite
World of Warcraft: Shadowlands
Borderlands 3
Halo Infinite
Cyberpunk 2077
Assassin's Creed Valhalla
Overwatch
Death Stranding
Watch Dogs Legion
DOOM: Eternal
Apex Legends
Fallout 76
Grand Theft Auto V

After looking at the data of parallel benchmarks and videos, you already be able to know which processor is better to buy for gaming AMD Ryzen 9 5950X or AMD Ryzen 9 3900.

Summary benchmark results

As a percentage of the maximum value based on a sample from the entire base of all processors
Processor Benchmark

Ryzen 9 3900

59%

Ryzen 9 5950X

64%

This shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Ryzen 9 5950X is 7% better than Ryzen 9 3900. The data source is several popular tests. Detailed information can be found below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Ryzen 9 3900

57%

Ryzen 9 5950X

60%

The maximum result in this parameter is 100 percent, which is the performance of the most powerful processor at the moment. And of course, this is a server processor, on which no one will run games. Because this processor costs several tens of thousands of dollars. And if it seems to you that the selected CPU has a small game result, look at the FPS that it produces in real games in the final table below.
List of other games in which processors were compared: Metro Exodus, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Battlefield V, DOTA 2A, Horizon Zero Dawn, Control, Half-Life: Alyx, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Hitman 3, Monster Hunter World, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Forza Horizon 4, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Ghostrunner, League of Legends (LOL), NBA 2K20, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	101.6	107.2
Valorant	115.5	121.9
Cyberpunk 2077	64.7	68.2
Apex Legends	108.6	114.6
Call of Duty Warzone	86.6	91.4
Overwatch	93.5	98.7
Red Dead Redemption 2	79.7	84.1
DOOM Eternal	57.7	60.9
Warzone	90.1	95.1
Assassin's Creed	97.0	102.4
Valheim	95.9	101.1

The numbers in this table indicate the maximum FPS that was received on the device with the corresponding processor. Depending on the configuration of the computer (RAM size and Video Card) and graphics quality settings (Ultra, Medium, Normal), the results may differ quite significantly. We recommend that you better study the results of the Cinebench, GeekBench and Passmark becnmarks.
The computers participating in the comparing not only were the equipped with different amounts of RAM and different video cards. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: 4K, 2K or FullHD. So the game benchmark data is approximate. But all video cards met the average system requirements of games. To be sure exactly how much performance the processor will be in games, if you compare it in one assembly with the video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

Ryzen 9 3900

67%

Ryzen 9 5950X

57%

To make a finishing choice on which processor is better, you should also consider the generation of its core. The newer the processor generation, the better its performance in games and benchmarks, as well as its energy efficiency. In this case the Ryzen 9 3900 is more energy efficient than the Ryzen 9 5950X since it has less power consumption: 65W vs. 105W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, you need to know its TDP. You need to buy a cooler that has the TDP data specified in the specification was greater than the TDP of the compared processor.

Software benchmarks

For example you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for video editing or video rendering, machine learning, streaming, programming, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to reach maximum performance, the processor turns on all threads and cores that it has. You will learn this data from the benchmark tables below. Before using the data from these tests, be sure to check whether the software you are going to use on your computer supports multi-threaded mode. Because there are still many programs that use only one core to run, and all the benefit of multi-core mode are unused.

Cinebench 23, 20 an 15
The results of this benchmark show Single-threaded and Multi-threaded CPU performance

	AMD Ryzen 9 3900	AMD Ryzen 9 5950X
Cinbench 15 Single-core	196	277
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	2922	4569
Cinbench 20 Single-core	485	647
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	6789	10428
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1149	1639
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	16943	28641

Passmark
This popular benchmark displays Multi-threaded and Single-threaded processor performance

	AMD Ryzen 9 3900	AMD Ryzen 9 5950X
Single-Core	2627	3455
Multi-Core	30807	46183

GeekBench 6, 5.2
This benchmark shows Multi-threaded and Single-threaded processor performance

	AMD Ryzen 9 3900	AMD Ryzen 9 5950X
Single-Core	1324	1814
Multi-Core	13362	18863

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the most useful will be the the possibility of overclocking it and release date of the processor. The later the processor is released, the longer it will last in your computer. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system later. The same benefits from the presence of overclocking. If the processor can be overclocked, increasing its performance, then it will continue to maintain maximum FPS in new games. The economy are obvious! Accordingly, you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	AMD Ryzen 9 3900	AMD Ryzen 9 5950X
Announcement date	September 30, 2019	November 05, 2020
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	AM4	AM4
Core name	Matisse	Vermeer
Architecture	Zen 2	Zen 3
Generation	2	5
Turbo Frequency	4.2 MHz	4.9 MHz
Frequency	3.1 MHz	3.4 MHz
Cores	12	16
Threads	24	32
Bus rate
Bit	64	64
Lithography	7 nm	7 nm
Transistors count	7800 millions	9400 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	65 W	105 W
Memory type	DDR4	DDR4
Max. Memory
Memory Frequency	3200	3200
Memory bandwidth
L1 cache	768KB
L2 cache	6MB	8MB
L3 cache	64MB	64MB
Overclocking	No	Yes
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number	100-000000072	100-000000059 100-100000059WOF

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Ryzen 9 5950X is 8% better than Ryzen 9 3900 in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Ryzen 9 5950X has 4 more core than Ryzen 9 3900. Also keep in mind that high CPU frequency affects battery life through power consumption (relevant for laptops).

Result:
The number of parameters for which AMD Ryzen 9 3900 is better: 2
The number of parameters for which AMD Ryzen 9 5950X is better: 30
Although it should be realized that the summary data that you have looked at here do not mean that taking them into account you should undividedly trust a simple comparison of these figures. Better to watch the video tests and read the reviews of of people who bought AMD Ryzen 9 3900 and AMD Ryzen 9 5950X before making a choice which of the processors to buy for gaming.

• AMD Ryzen 9 3900 specs and review.

• AMD Ryzen 9 5950X specs and review.