AMD Ryzen 9 3950X vs AMD Ryzen 5 2600X

Processor comparisons   17-03-2021
   For example you are thinking about choosing a CPU, you will be able to make a decision after reading the comprehensive tests AMD Ryzen 9 3950X vs AMD Ryzen 5 2600X and see which is better for games or simple use for machine learning, rendering, programming, streaming, video editing. Here is all information from several benchmarks or real video editing and streaming tests. A careful analysis of all the technical characteristics, so that it can be easier to read, is summarized in the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of parallel examination in software tests like AIDA64, Dolphin Emulator, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, MATLAB, Blender, WPrime, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), Furmark, Gears 5, Blender, GeekBench 6, 5.2, 3DMark, VeraCrypt, UserBenchmark, Handbrake, PassMark, RealBench, 7zip, Prime95, SuperPi, PCMark 10, DaVinci Resolve Studio.
   Gaming performance of CPUs in:

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

After reading the results of parallel benchmarks and videos, you already be able to know which CPU is better to buy for gaming AMD Ryzen 5 2600X 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 2600X

54%

The number of this parameter shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Ryzen 9 3950X is 11% better than Ryzen 5 2600X. 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 2600X

53%

The maximum result in this parameter is 100 percent, which is the performance of the most powerful processor currently available. And it is clear that this is a server processor, on which no one will play games. Because the cost of this processor reaches 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 less popular games in which CPU comparisons were performed: PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Half-Life: Alyx, Hitman 3, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Microsoft Flight Simulator, Ghostrunner, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Metro Exodus, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, DOTA 2A, League of Legends (LOL), Monster Hunter World, Control, Forza Horizon 4, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, NBA 2K20, Horizon Zero Dawn, Battlefield V.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	103.7	94.6
Valorant	117.9	107.5
Cyberpunk 2077	66.0	60.2
Apex Legends	110.8	101.1
Call of Duty Warzone	88.4	80.6
Overwatch	95.5	87.1
Red Dead Redemption 2	81.3	74.2
DOOM Eternal	58.9	53.8
Warzone	91.9	83.9
Assassin's Creed	99.0	90.3
Valheim	97.8	89.3

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. Therefore, the game benchmark data is approximate. But all video cards met the average system requirements of games. You will get more accurate information about how powerful 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 2600X

39%

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 3950X is more energy efficient than the Ryzen 5 2600X as it consumes less power: 105W vs. 95W. 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

If you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for machine learning, programming, streaming, video rendering or video editing, 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 includes all threads and cores that it has. You will find out this data from the benchmark tables below. Before using the data from these tests, be sure to make sure that the program that you are going to use on your computer can work in multi-threaded mode. Because there are still many programs that use only one core to work, and all the advantages 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 2600X
Cinbench 15 Single-core	217	176
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	3897	1380
Cinbench 20 Single-core	531	421
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	9148	3048
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1371	1074
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	24050	7514

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

	AMD Ryzen 9 3950X	AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
Single-Core	2718	2438
Multi-Core	39170	14033

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

	AMD Ryzen 9 3950X	AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
Single-Core	1286	1127
Multi-Core	15407	6497

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the processor release date and overclocking capability will be the most helpful. The later the processor is released, the longer it will last you. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system later. The same can be said about overclocking. If the processor can be overclocked, increasing its performance, then it will still be able to produce maximum FPS in new games. It turns out that you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The economy are obvious!

	AMD Ryzen 9 3950X	AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
Announcement date	October 01, 2019	April 19, 2018
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	AM4	AM4
Core name	Matisse	Pinnacle Ridge
Architecture	Zen 2	Zen
Generation	3	2
Turbo Frequency	4.7 MHz	4.2 MHz
Frequency	3.5 MHz	3.6 MHz
Cores	16	6
Threads	32	12
Bus rate
Bit	64	64
Lithography	7 nm	12 nm
Transistors count	7800 millions	3600 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	105 W	95 W
Memory type	DDR4	DDR4
Max. Memory
Memory Frequency	3200	2933
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	YD260XBCM6IAF YD260XBCAFBOX YD260XBCAFMPK

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Ryzen 5 2600X is 2% better than Ryzen 9 3950X in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Ryzen 9 3950X has 10 more core than Ryzen 5 2600X. 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: 31
The number of parameters for which AMD Ryzen 5 2600X is better: 3
Although it should be realized that all the data in the article above do not mean that you should be guided entirely by them and trust a simple comparison of these numbers. Better to watch the testing video and read the opinion of of people who bought AMD Ryzen 9 3950X and AMD Ryzen 5 2600X before making a choice which processor to buy for gaming and which not.

• AMD Ryzen 9 3950X specs and review.

• AMD Ryzen 5 2600X specs and review.