AMD Ryzen 9 3950X vs AMD Ryzen 5 1600

Processor comparisons 17-03-2021

   Let's say you are thinking about choosing a CPU, you will be able to make a decision after reading the detailed tests AMD Ryzen 9 3950X vs AMD Ryzen 5 1600 and understand which is better for games or normal use for streaming, rendering, machine learning, programming, video editing. Here is useful information from various benchmarks or real video editing and streaming tests. A thorough analysis of all the technical characteristics, so that it can be easier to read, is made by the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of parallel examination in synthetic type tests like Blender, VeraCrypt, MATLAB, AIDA64, RealBench, Handbrake, UserBenchmark, 3DMark, Gears 5, 7zip, PCMark 10, PassMark, Blender, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Prime95, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, Dolphin Emulator, WPrime, Furmark, SuperPi, GeekBench 6, 5.2, Cinebench 23 (20, 15).
   Gaming performance of processors in:

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

After looking at the data these benchmarks and videos, you already be able to figure out which CPU is better to buy for gaming AMD Ryzen 5 1600 or AMD Ryzen 9 3950X.

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 3950X

61%

Ryzen 5 1600

53%

This parameter shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Ryzen 9 3950X is 13% better than Ryzen 5 1600. The data source is several popular tests. More detailed information of the benchmarks is below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Ryzen 9 3950X

58%

Ryzen 5 1600

53%

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. Therefore, if you think that the selected CPU has a low 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: NBA 2K20, DOTA 2A, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Monster Hunter World, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Microsoft Flight Simulator, Half-Life: Alyx, Forza Horizon 4, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Control, League of Legends (LOL), Ghostrunner, Horizon Zero Dawn, Hitman 3, Metro Exodus, Battlefield V.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	103.7	93.8
Valorant	117.9	106.6
Cyberpunk 2077	66.0	59.7
Apex Legends	110.8	100.2
Call of Duty Warzone	88.4	79.9
Overwatch	95.5	86.3
Red Dead Redemption 2	81.3	73.6
DOOM Eternal	58.9	53.3
Warzone	91.9	83.1
Assassin's Creed	99.0	89.5
Valheim	97.8	88.5

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 tested computers not only did they have different amounts of RAM and different video cards. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: 2K, 4K or FullHD. Therefore, 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 get acquainted with the benchmarks that are made with the same video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

Ryzen 9 3950X

40%

Ryzen 5 1600

47%

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 5 1600 is more energy efficient than the Ryzen 9 3950X as it consumes less power: 105W vs. 65W. Power consumption is particularly important for laptops. And TDP should be taken into account when choosing a processor cooling system. 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

Let's say you plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for video editing or video rendering, streaming, programming, machine learning, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to reach maximum performance, the CPU uses all threads and cores that it has. You will learn this data from the benchmark tables below. Before you take into account the data from these tests, be sure to check whether the program you are going to use on your computer supports multi-threaded mode. Since there are still many programs that can 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 3950X	AMD Ryzen 5 1600
Cinbench 15 Single-core	217	147
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	3897	1094
Cinbench 20 Single-core	531	357
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	9148	2501
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1371	900
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	24050	6230

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

	AMD Ryzen 9 3950X	AMD Ryzen 5 1600
Single-Core	2718	2063
Multi-Core	39170	12340

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

	AMD Ryzen 9 3950X	AMD Ryzen 5 1600
Single-Core	1286	932
Multi-Core	15407	5690

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the processor release date and overclocking capability will be the most useful. The newer the processor, the longer it will last you. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system later. The same benefits from the presence of overclocking. When the processor can be overclocked, thereby increasing its performance, then it will still be able to produce maximum FPS even in new games. The economy are obvious! Accordingly, there is no longer a need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	AMD Ryzen 9 3950X	AMD Ryzen 5 1600
Announcement date	October 01, 2019	April 11, 2017
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	AM4	AM4
Core name	Matisse	Summit Ridge
Architecture	Zen 2	Zen
Generation	3	2
Turbo Frequency	4.7 MHz	3.6 MHz
Frequency	3.5 MHz	3.2 MHz
Cores	16	6
Threads	32	12
Bus rate
Bit	64	64
Lithography	7 nm	14 nm
Transistors count	7800 millions	2800 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	105 W	65 W
Memory type	DDR4	DDR4
Max. Memory
Memory Frequency	3200	2667
Memory bandwidth
L1 cache	1MB	576KB
L2 cache	8MB	3MB
L3 cache	64MB	16MB
Overclocking	Yes	Yes
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number	100-000000051 100-100000051WOF	YD1600BBM6IAE YD1600BBAEBOX YD1600BBAEMPK

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Ryzen 9 3950X is 8% better than Ryzen 5 1600 in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Ryzen 9 3950X has 10 more core than Ryzen 5 1600. 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 3950X is better: 32
The number of parameters for which AMD Ryzen 5 1600 is better: 2
Although it should be realized that all the figures in the text above do not mean that you should be guided entirely by them and trust a simple quantitative comparison. Be sure to watch the video tests and read the reviews of real owners of AMD Ryzen 9 3950X and AMD Ryzen 5 1600 before making a selection which of the CPUs to buy for gaming.

• AMD Ryzen 9 3950X specs and review.

• AMD Ryzen 5 1600 specs and review.