AMD Ryzen 9 3950X vs AMD Ryzen 5 3600X

Processor comparisons   17-03-2021
   Let's say you have difficulties with the choice of a processor, you will solve them by reading the comprehensive tests AMD Ryzen 9 3950X vs AMD Ryzen 5 3600X and understand which is better for games or normal use for machine learning, rendering, streaming, video editing, programming. Here is all information from many benchmarks or real video editing and streaming tests. A thorough review of all the technical characteristics, to make it easier to read, is summarized in the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of parallel examination in software tests such as PCMark 10, Blender, 3DMark, Furmark, UserBenchmark, SuperPi, Blender, Handbrake, Gears 5, PassMark, Dolphin Emulator, RealBench, WPrime, Prime95, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), GeekBench 6, 5.2, VeraCrypt, 7zip, MATLAB, DaVinci Resolve Studio, AIDA64.
   Gaming performance of CPUs in:

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

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 3600X 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 3600X

55%

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 9% better than Ryzen 5 3600X. The data source is several popular tests. Detailed information can be found below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Ryzen 9 3950X

58%

Ryzen 5 3600X

54%

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	103.7	96.0
Valorant	117.9	109.1
Cyberpunk 2077	66.0	61.1
Apex Legends	110.8	102.6
Call of Duty Warzone	88.4	81.9
Overwatch	95.5	88.4
Red Dead Redemption 2	81.3	75.3
DOOM Eternal	58.9	54.6
Warzone	91.9	85.1
Assassin's Creed	99.0	91.7
Valheim	97.8	90.6

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 video cards and different amounts of RAM. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: FullHD, 2K or 4K. 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 3950X

40%

Ryzen 5 3600X

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 3600X is more energy efficient than the Ryzen 9 3950X as it consumes less power: 105W vs. 95W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, you must know its TDP. It is necessary to calculate so that the TDP data specified in the cooler specification is 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 streaming, programming, video editing or video rendering, machine learning, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to achieve maximum performance, the processor turns on 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 make sure that the software that you are going to use on your computer can work in multi-threaded mode. Since there are still many programs that use only one core to work, and all the benefit of multi-core mode turns out to be unnecessary.
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 3600X
Cinbench 15 Single-core	217	204
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	3897	1647
Cinbench 20 Single-core	531	501
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	9148	3751
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1371	1286
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	24050	9588

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

	AMD Ryzen 9 3950X	AMD Ryzen 5 3600X
Single-Core	2718	2651
Multi-Core	39170	18377

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

	AMD Ryzen 9 3950X	AMD Ryzen 5 3600X
Single-Core	1286	1341
Multi-Core	15407	7891

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the processor release date and overclocking capability will be the most helpful. 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, increasing its performance, then it will continue to maintain maximum FPS even in the newest games. The savings are obvious! Accordingly, you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	AMD Ryzen 9 3950X	AMD Ryzen 5 3600X
Announcement date	October 01, 2019	July 07, 2019
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	AM4	AM4
Core name	Matisse	Matisse
Architecture	Zen 2	Zen 2
Generation	3	3
Turbo Frequency	4.7 MHz	4.4 MHz
Frequency	3.5 MHz	3.8 MHz
Cores	16	6
Threads	32	12
Bus rate
Bit	64	64
Lithography	7 nm	7 nm
Transistors count	7800 millions	4200 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	105 W	95 W
Memory type	DDR4	DDR4
Max. Memory
Memory Frequency	3200	3200
Memory bandwidth
L1 cache	1MB	384KB
L2 cache	8MB	3MB
L3 cache	64MB	32MB
Overclocking	Yes	Yes
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number	100-000000051 100-100000051WOF	100-000000022 100-100000022BOX 100-100000022MPK

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Ryzen 5 3600X is 7% better than Ryzen 9 3950X in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Ryzen 9 3950X has 10 more core than Ryzen 5 3600X. 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: 27
The number of parameters for which AMD Ryzen 5 3600X is better: 4
Although it should be understood that all the number in the text above do not mean that taking them into account you should completely trust a simple quantitative comparison. Be sure to watch benchmarks video and read the reviews of of people who bought AMD Ryzen 9 3950X and AMD Ryzen 5 3600X before making a selection which of the CPUs to buy for gaming.

• AMD Ryzen 9 3950X specs and review.

• AMD Ryzen 5 3600X specs and review.