AMD Ryzen 9 7900X vs AMD Ryzen 5 2600X

Processor comparisons 04-02-2023

   Perhaps you can't decide which processor to buy, you can make a choice after reading the full tests AMD Ryzen 9 7900X vs AMD Ryzen 5 2600X and decide which is better for games or simple use for video editing, machine learning, rendering, streaming, programming. Here is useful information from different benchmarks or real video editing and streaming tests. A step-by-step analysis of all the specifications, so that it can be easier to read, is made by the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of joint testing in special testing software like PassMark, Blender, AIDA64, Dolphin Emulator, UserBenchmark, MATLAB, DaVinci Resolve Studio, GeekBench 6, 5.2, 3DMark, Gears 5, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, Furmark, 7zip, Prime95, SuperPi, Blender, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), WPrime, VeraCrypt, RealBench, Handbrake, PCMark 10.
   Gaming performance of CPUs in:

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

After looking at the data of all benchmarks and videos, you can already make an briefed decision about which processor is better to buy for gaming AMD Ryzen 5 2600X or AMD Ryzen 9 7900X.

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 7900X

66%

Ryzen 5 2600X

54%

This value shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Ryzen 9 7900X is 18% 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 7900X

62%

Ryzen 5 2600X

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 play games. Because the cost of this processor reaches 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 summary table below.
List of less popular games in which CPU comparisons were performed: Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Ghostrunner, League of Legends (LOL), Hitman 3, Microsoft Flight Simulator, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, NBA 2K20, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Forza Horizon 4, Half-Life: Alyx, Battlefield V, Metro Exodus, Monster Hunter World, DOTA 2A, Control, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Horizon Zero Dawn.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	110.0	94.6
Valorant	125.1	107.5
Cyberpunk 2077	70.0	60.2
Apex Legends	117.5	101.1
Call of Duty Warzone	93.8	80.6
Overwatch	101.3	87.1
Red Dead Redemption 2	86.3	74.2
DOOM Eternal	62.5	53.8
Warzone	97.5	83.9
Assassin's Creed	105.0	90.3
Valheim	103.8	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 that were in the comparisons not only did they have different amounts of RAM and different video cards. 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 get acquainted with the benchmarks that are made with the same video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

Ryzen 9 7900X

42%

Ryzen 5 2600X

39%

To make a finishing resolution 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 7900X is more energy efficient than the Ryzen 5 2600X as it consumes less power: 170W vs. 95W. Power consumption is particularly important for laptops. And TDP should be taken into account when choosing a processor cooling system. It is necessary to count so that the TDP data specified in the cooler specification is greater than the TDP of the compared processor.

Software benchmarks

If you plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for programming, streaming, video editing or video rendering, machine learning, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to achieve maximum efficiency, the CPU includes all cores and threads that it has. You will find out this data from the benchmark tables below. Before using the data from these tests, be sure to find out whether the program that you are going to use on your computer can work in multi-threaded mode. Since there are still many programs that can use only one core to work, 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 7900X	AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
Cinbench 15 Single-core	310	176
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	5138	1380
Cinbench 20 Single-core	749	421
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	12290	3048
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1918	1074
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	33781	7514

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

	AMD Ryzen 9 7900X	AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
Single-Core	4063	2438
Multi-Core	54482	14033

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

	AMD Ryzen 9 7900X	AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
Single-Core	2172	1127
Multi-Core	21612	6497

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 7900X	AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
Announcement date	September 27, 2022	April 19, 2018
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	AM5	AM4
Core name	Raphael	Pinnacle Ridge
Architecture	Zen 4	Zen
Generation	5	2
Turbo Frequency	5.6 MHz	4.2 MHz
Frequency	4.7 MHz	3.6 MHz
Cores	12	6
Threads	24	12
Bus rate
Bit	64	64
Lithography	5 nm	12 nm
Transistors count	12600 millions	3600 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	170 W	95 W
Memory type	DDR4	DDR4
Max. Memory
Memory Frequency	3200	2933
Memory bandwidth
L1 cache	768KB	576KB
L2 cache	12MB	3MB
L3 cache	64MB	16MB
Overclocking	Yes	Yes
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number	100-000000589	YD260XBCM6IAF YD260XBCAFBOX YD260XBCAFMPK

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Ryzen 9 7900X is 23% better than Ryzen 5 2600X in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Ryzen 9 7900X has 6 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 7900X is better: 32
The number of parameters for which AMD Ryzen 5 2600X is better: 2
However, it should be understood that all the number in the table above do not mean that you should be guided entirely by them and trust a simple quantitative comparison. Be sure to watch the testing video and read the reviews of real owners of AMD Ryzen 9 7900X and AMD Ryzen 5 2600X before making a selection which of the processors to buy for gaming.

AMD Ryzen 9 7900X - all data

• Cinebench r15 score
• Cinebench r20 score
• Cinebench r23 score
• GeekBench 6, 5.2 score

• AMD Ryzen 9 7900X specs and review.

• AMD Ryzen 5 2600X specs and review.