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AMD Ryzen 9 3950X - The flagship for the AM4 socket in review

Full speed ahead! With the launch of the Ryzen 3000 processors, AMD has put Intel under a lot of pressure. We were already able to experience this in a striking way in our review of the AMD Ryzen 9 3900X. With 16 cores, the top model for the AM4 socket takes it a step further and shows that Intel will have a hard time in the future too, because the AMD Ryzen 9 3950X is superior to the competition in multithreaded applications. Where the 16-core processor has its weaknesses, you can find out in this review.
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X - Chip design (source: AMD)
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X - Chip design (source: AMD)

We have already explained what the new Zen2 architecture is capable of in various reviews. With the AMD Ryzen 9 3950X, we now focus on the top model of the AM4 platform. The newly developed chip design allows AMD to accommodate up to 16 cores on one board. Two CCD clusters are fully equipped with two CCX modules each, which means there is a total of 16 active computing cores. Thanks to SMT, the Ryzen 9 3950X can handle up to 32 threads in parallel, which is especially beneficial for multithreaded applications. In comparison to the slightly smaller Ryzen 9 3900X, the 16-core processor only has a base clock speed of 3.5 GHz instead of 3.9 GHz. However, the 3950X boosts 100 MHz higher with a speed of up to 4.7 GHz, which is a small advantage for single-threaded applications.

With a TDP of 105 watts, the full configuration ranks on the same level as the 12-core processor. In practice, however, it quickly becomes evident that 105 watts isn't the end of the story if the restrictions in the UEFI are deactivated.

At the market launch in November last year, the price was around 820 Euros (~$887). Since then, it has dropped a bit, but at the time of conducting our review you still have to reckon with paying 770 Euros (~$833) for the top model. A decent substructure in the form of a motherboard with the X570 chipset should be available in order to be able to use the new features such as PCI Express 4.0.

The AMD Ryzen processors at a glance

Model Cores /
Threads
Base clock speed Turbo clock speed L3 cache TDP Launch price
Ryzen R9 3950X 16/32 3.5 GHz 4.7 GHz 64 MB 105 Watt 819 Euros
Ryzen R9 3900X 12/24 3.8 GHz 4.6 GHz 64 MB 105 Watt 529 Euros
Ryzen R7 3800X 8/16 3.9 GHz 4.5 GHz 32 MB 105 Watt 429 Euros
Ryzen R7 3700X 8/16 3.6 GHz 4.4 GHz 32 MB 65 Watt 349 Euros
Ryzen R5 3600X 6/12 3.8 GHz 4.4 GHz 32 MB 95 Watt 265 Euros
Ryzen R5 3600 6/12 3.6 GHz 4.2 GHz 32 MB 65 Watt 209 Euros
Ryzen R3 3300X 4/8 3.8 GHz 4.3 GHz 16 MB 65 Watt 129 Euros
Ryzen R3 3100 4/8 3.6 GHz 3.9 GHz 16 MB 65 Watt 109 Euros

Test system details - AMD vs. Intel

We use the following system for the subsequent benchmarks and tests:

  • Raijintek Pean Benchtable
  • AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
  • Asus ROG Crosshair VIII Hero X570
  • Alphacool Eisbaer 280 AiO
  • Nvidia Titan RTX
  • Corsair RM 1000X power supply
  • G.Skill Trident Z Royal gold DDR4-3600 memory kit (2 x 8 GB), set to DDR4-3600 CL16-16-16-36
  • Intel Optane 905P 480 GB PCIe SSD
  • Microsoft Windows 10 Professional 64-bit (Version 1909)

We would like to thank Caseking at this point for providing us with the AMD Ryzen 9 3950X. The Raijintek Pean is from Caseking as well and was personalized by laser engraving. The motherboard and the RAM came directly from AMD and were included in the press kit for the release of the AMD Ryzen 9 3900X. As cooling we use the Alphacool Eisbaer 280, which Alphacool provided us with.

Processor benchmarks

If we take a closer look at the pure CPU benchmarks, it becomes clear that the AMD Ryzen 9 3950X is once again significantly faster than the AMD Ryzen 9 3900X. This is clearly due to its eight additional threads. But even in single-core performance, our test sample is a blink of an eye ahead of the 12-core processor. Nevertheless, Intel leads the popular Cinebench R15 benchmark with the Core i9-9900KS, closely followed by the Core i9-9900K. AMD is clearly superior to Intel in multithreaded applications due to the double number of computing units.

CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
HWiNFO
Cinebench R20
CPU (Single Core)
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
520 Points
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
R9 3900X, 3800 MHz
514 Points -1%
Intel Core i9-9900KS
i9-9900KS, 4000 MHz
514 Points -1%
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
R7 3700X, 3600 MHz
506 Points -3%
AMD Ryzen 3 3300X
R3 3300X, 3800 MHz
500 Points -4%
CPU (Multi Core)
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
9075 Points
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
R9 3900X, 3800 MHz
6910 Points -24%
Intel Core i9-9900KS
i9-9900KS, 4000 MHz
5176 Points -43%
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
R7 3700X, 3600 MHz
4782 Points -47%
AMD Ryzen 3 3300X
R3 3300X, 3800 MHz
2430 Points -73%
Cinebench R15
CPU Single 64Bit
Intel Core i9-9900KS
i9-9900KS, 4000 MHz
217 Points +4%
Intel Core i9-9900K
i9-9900K, 3600 MHz
213 Points +2%
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
R9 3900X, 3800 MHz
209 Points 0%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
209 Points
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
R7 3700X, 3600 MHz
204 Points -2%
AMD Ryzen 3 3300X
R3 3300X, 3800 MHz
195 Points -7%
CPU Multi 64Bit
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
4002 Points
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
R9 3900X, 3800 MHz
3049 Points -24%
Intel Core i9-9900KS
i9-9900KS, 4000 MHz
2154 Points -46%
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
R7 3700X, 3600 MHz
2092 Points -48%
Intel Core i9-9900K
i9-9900K, 3600 MHz
2040 Points -49%
AMD Ryzen 3 3300X
R3 3300X, 3800 MHz
1071 Points -73%
Cinebench R11.5
CPU Single 64Bit
Intel Core i9-9900KS
i9-9900KS, 4000 MHz
2.46 Points +4%
Intel Core i9-9900K
i9-9900K, 3600 MHz
2.44 Points +3%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
2.37 Points
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
R9 3900X, 3800 MHz
2.36 Points 0%
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
R7 3700X, 3600 MHz
2.3 Points -3%
AMD Ryzen 3 3300X
R3 3300X, 3800 MHz
2.28 Points -4%
CPU Multi 64Bit
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
43.68 Points
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
R9 3900X, 3800 MHz
33.44 Points -23%
Intel Core i9-9900KS
i9-9900KS, 4000 MHz
23.98 Points -45%
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
R7 3700X, 3600 MHz
23.19 Points -47%
Intel Core i9-9900K
i9-9900K, 3600 MHz
21.63 Points -50%
AMD Ryzen 3 3300X
R3 3300X, 3800 MHz
11.82 Points -73%
Cinebench R10
Rendering Single CPUs 64Bit
Intel Core i9-9900KS
i9-9900KS, 4000 MHz
10759 Points +2%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
10580 Points
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
R9 3900X, 3800 MHz
10352 Points -2%
Intel Core i9-9900K
i9-9900K, 3600 MHz
10294 Points -3%
AMD Ryzen 3 3300X
R3 3300X, 3800 MHz
10250 Points -3%
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
R7 3700X, 3600 MHz
10189 Points -4%
Rendering Multiple CPUs 64Bit
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
86232 Points
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
R9 3900X, 3800 MHz
76051 Points -12%
Intel Core i9-9900KS
i9-9900KS, 4000 MHz
69169 Points -20%
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
R7 3700X, 3600 MHz
66813 Points -23%
Intel Core i9-9900K
i9-9900K, 3600 MHz
63976 Points -26%
AMD Ryzen 3 3300X
R3 3300X, 3800 MHz
40869 Points -53%
Blender - v2.79 BMW27 CPU
AMD Ryzen 3 3300X
R3 3300X, 3800 MHz
449.4 Seconds * -257%
Intel Core i9-9900K
i9-9900K, 3600 MHz
219.2 Seconds * -74%
Intel Core i9-9900KS
i9-9900KS, 4000 MHz
205.1 Seconds * -63%
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
R7 3700X, 3600 MHz
181.4 Seconds * -44%
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
R9 3900X, 3800 MHz
162.3 Seconds * -29%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
125.8 Seconds *
wPrime 2.10
32m
AMD Ryzen 3 3300X
R3 3300X, 3800 MHz
6.041 s * -47%
Intel Core i9-9900K
i9-9900K, 3600 MHz
5.203 s * -27%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
4.112 s *
Intel Core i9-9900KS
i9-9900KS, 4000 MHz
3.969 s * +3%
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
R7 3700X, 3600 MHz
3.707 s * +10%
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
R9 3900X, 3800 MHz
2.564 s * +38%
1024m
AMD Ryzen 3 3300X
R3 3300X, 3800 MHz
164.5 s * -267%
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
R7 3700X, 3600 MHz
86.7 s * -93%
Intel Core i9-9900K
i9-9900K, 3600 MHz
85.6 s * -91%
Intel Core i9-9900KS
i9-9900KS, 4000 MHz
82 s * -83%
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
R9 3900X, 3800 MHz
57.5 s * -28%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
44.86 s *
X264 HD Benchmark 4.0
Pass 1
Intel Core i9-9900KS
i9-9900KS, 4000 MHz
281.5 (281min - 284max) fps +6%
Intel Core i9-9900K
i9-9900K, 3600 MHz
270 (265min - 272max) fps +2%
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
R7 3700X, 3600 MHz
269.5 (268min - 270max) fps +2%
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
R9 3900X, 3800 MHz
267.5 (266min - 268max) fps +1%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
265 (265min - 266max) fps
AMD Ryzen 3 3300X
R3 3300X, 3800 MHz
233.5 (232min - 235max) fps -12%
Pass 2
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
168 (168min - 169max) fps
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
R9 3900X, 3800 MHz
147 (147min - 148max) fps -12%
Intel Core i9-9900KS
i9-9900KS, 4000 MHz
129 (129min - 129max) fps -23%
Intel Core i9-9900K
i9-9900K, 3600 MHz
120.5 (116min - 121max) fps -28%
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
R7 3700X, 3600 MHz
115 (115min - 115max) fps -32%
AMD Ryzen 3 3300X
R3 3300X, 3800 MHz
61.8 (61.8min - 62max) fps -63%
WinRAR - Result
Intel Core i9-9900KS
i9-9900KS, 4000 MHz
8550 KB/s +15%
Intel Core i9-9900K
i9-9900K, 3600 MHz
8518 KB/s +15%
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
R9 3900X, 3800 MHz
7529 KB/s +2%
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
R7 3700X, 3600 MHz
7503 KB/s +1%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
7409 KB/s
AMD Ryzen 3 3300X
R3 3300X, 3800 MHz
7177 KB/s -3%
TrueCrypt
AES Mean 100MB
Intel Core i9-9900KS
i9-9900KS, 4000 MHz
12.2 GB/s +13%
Intel Core i9-9900K
i9-9900K, 3600 MHz
11.5 GB/s +6%
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
R7 3700X, 3600 MHz
11.4 GB/s +6%
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
R9 3900X, 3800 MHz
10.9 GB/s +1%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
10.8 GB/s
AMD Ryzen 3 3300X
R3 3300X, 3800 MHz
5.9 GB/s -45%
Twofish Mean 100MB
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
3.6 GB/s
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
R9 3900X, 3800 MHz
2.9 GB/s -19%
Intel Core i9-9900KS
i9-9900KS, 4000 MHz
2.1 GB/s -42%
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
R7 3700X, 3600 MHz
2 GB/s -44%
Intel Core i9-9900K
i9-9900K, 3600 MHz
1.9 GB/s -47%
AMD Ryzen 3 3300X
R3 3300X, 3800 MHz
0.97 GB/s -73%
Serpent Mean 100MB
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
2.3 GB/s
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
R9 3900X, 3800 MHz
1.7 GB/s -26%
Intel Core i9-9900K
i9-9900K, 3600 MHz
1.2 GB/s -48%
Intel Core i9-9900KS
i9-9900KS, 4000 MHz
1.2 GB/s -48%
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
R7 3700X, 3600 MHz
1.1 GB/s -52%
AMD Ryzen 3 3300X
R3 3300X, 3800 MHz
0.571 GB/s -75%
Geekbench 5.5
Multi-Core
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
12363 Points
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
R9 3900X, 3800 MHz
10498 Points -15%
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
R7 3700X, 3600 MHz
8960 Points -28%
AMD Ryzen 3 3300X
R3 3300X, 3800 MHz
5311 Points -57%
Single-Core
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
1306 Points
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
R7 3700X, 3600 MHz
1304 Points 0%
AMD Ryzen 3 3300X
R3 3300X, 3800 MHz
1296 Points -1%
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
R9 3900X, 3800 MHz
1250 Points -4%
Geekbench 5.0
5.0 Multi-Core
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
12976 Points
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
R9 3900X, 3800 MHz
11135 Points -14%
AMD Ryzen 3 3300X
R3 3300X, 3800 MHz
5406 Points -58%
5.0 Single-Core
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
1315 Points
AMD Ryzen 3 3300X
R3 3300X, 3800 MHz
1299 Points -1%
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
R9 3900X, 3800 MHz
1247 Points -5%
Geekbench 4.4
64 Bit Single-Core Score
Intel Core i9-9900K
i9-9900K, 3600 MHz
6339 Points +10%
Intel Core i9-9900KS
i9-9900KS, 4000 MHz
6308 Points +10%
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
R9 3900X, 3800 MHz
5880 Points +2%
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
R7 3700X, 3600 MHz
5799 Points +1%
AMD Ryzen 3 3300X
R3 3300X, 3800 MHz
5753 Points 0%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
5749 Points
64 Bit Multi-Core Score
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
48962 Points
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
R9 3900X, 3800 MHz
43978 Points -10%
Intel Core i9-9900KS
i9-9900KS, 4000 MHz
35586 Points -27%
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
R7 3700X, 3600 MHz
34757 Points -29%
Intel Core i9-9900K
i9-9900K, 3600 MHz
34233 Points -30%
AMD Ryzen 3 3300X
R3 3300X, 3800 MHz
20529 Points -58%
3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance Physics
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
21016 Points
Intel Core i9-9900KS
i9-9900KS, 4000 MHz
18531 Points -12%
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
R9 3900X, 3800 MHz
18270 Points -13%
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
R7 3700X, 3600 MHz
18222 Points -13%
AMD Ryzen 3 3300X
R3 3300X, 3800 MHz
12952 Points -38%
7-Zip 18.03
7z b 4
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
99467 MIPS
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
R9 3900X, 3800 MHz
82119 MIPS -17%
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
R7 3700X, 3600 MHz
57307 MIPS -42%
Intel Core i9-9900KS
i9-9900KS, 4000 MHz
56406 MIPS -43%
AMD Ryzen 3 3300X
R3 3300X, 3800 MHz
30353 MIPS -69%
7z b 4 -mmt1
Intel Core i9-9900KS
i9-9900KS, 4000 MHz
5794 MIPS +9%
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
R9 3900X, 3800 MHz
5533 MIPS +4%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
5340 MIPS
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
R7 3700X, 3600 MHz
5333 MIPS 0%
AMD Ryzen 3 3300X
R3 3300X, 3800 MHz
5329 MIPS 0%
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2 - 4k Preset
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
R9 3900X, 3800 MHz
20.9 fps +32%
Intel Core i9-9900KS
i9-9900KS, 4000 MHz
17.2 fps +9%
Intel Core i9-9900K
i9-9900K, 3600 MHz
16.3 fps +3%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
15.8 fps
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
R7 3700X, 3600 MHz
15.4 fps -3%
AMD Ryzen 3 3300X
R3 3300X, 3800 MHz
8.28 fps -48%
R Benchmark 2.5 - Overall mean
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
R9 3900X, 3800 MHz
0.542 sec * -3%
AMD Ryzen 3 3300X
R3 3300X, 3800 MHz
0.533 sec * -2%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
0.524 sec *
LibreOffice - 20 Documents To PDF
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
R9 3900X, 3800 MHz
56.5 s * -5%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
53.6 s *
AMD Ryzen 3 3300X
R3 3300X, 3800 MHz
52.5 s * +2%
WebXPRT 3 - Overall
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
239 Points
AMD Ryzen 3 3300X
R3 3300X, 3800 MHz
233 Points -3%
Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total
AMD Ryzen 3 3300X
R3 3300X, 3800 MHz
716 ms * -1%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
706 ms *
3DMark
3840x2160 Fire Strike Ultra Physics
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
31881 Points
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
R9 3900X, 3800 MHz
28865 Points -9%
Intel Core i9-9900KS
i9-9900KS, 4000 MHz
26419 Points -17%
Intel Core i9-9900K
i9-9900K, 3600 MHz
24477 Points -23%
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
R7 3700X, 3600 MHz
24279 Points -24%
AMD Ryzen 3 3300X
R3 3300X, 3800 MHz
14688 Points -54%
1920x1080 Fire Strike Physics
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
32004 Points
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
R9 3900X, 3800 MHz
28747 Points -10%
Intel Core i9-9900KS
i9-9900KS, 4000 MHz
26016 Points -19%
Intel Core i9-9900K
i9-9900K, 3600 MHz
24559 Points -23%
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
R7 3700X, 3600 MHz
23423 Points -27%
AMD Ryzen 3 3300X
R3 3300X, 3800 MHz
14632 Points -54%
2560x1440 Time Spy CPU
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
R9 3950X, 3500 MHz
12404 Points
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
R9 3900X, 3800 MHz
11880 Points -4%
Intel Core i9-9900KS
i9-9900KS, 4000 MHz
11375 Points -8%
Intel Core i9-9900K
i9-9900K, 3600 MHz
11298 Points -9%
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
R7 3700X, 3600 MHz
9909 Points -20%
AMD Ryzen 3 3300X
R3 3300X, 3800 MHz
5161 Points -58%

* ... smaller is better

With 16 cores in the Cinebench R15 multi-loop

Our test sample has no difficulties in the first extreme load test with the Cinebench R15 multi-loop. The built-in AiO with the 280-millimeter radiator has no problem cooling the AMD Ryzen 9 3950X reliably.

0200400600800100012001400160018002000220024002600280030003200340036003800Tooltip
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X: Ø3967 (3957.65-3990.42)

Application performance

Many applications do not benefit from this amount of cores as is shown in our test. The AMD Ryzen 9 3950X is almost on par with the Intel Core i9-9900KS. The same applies to the synthetic 3D benchmarks. These don't benefit from the additional cores of the AMD Ryzen 9 3950X either. Even the recently tested AMD Ryzen 3 3300X can keep up very well with the flagship here.

Performance Rating - Percent
Intel Core i9-9900KS
NVIDIA Titan RTX
99.1 pt
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
97 pt
AMD Ryzen 3 3300X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
93.1 pt
PCMark 10 - Score
Intel Core i9-9900KS
NVIDIA Titan RTX
8112 Points +3%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
7869 Points
AMD Ryzen 3 3300X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
6848 Points -13%
PCMark 8
Work Score Accelerated v2
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
5388 Points
Intel Core i9-9900KS
NVIDIA Titan RTX
5349 Points -1%
AMD Ryzen 3 3300X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
5244 Points -3%
Creative Score Accelerated v2
Intel Core i9-9900KS
NVIDIA Titan RTX
10910 Points +5%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
10402 Points
AMD Ryzen 3 3300X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
10271 Points -1%
Home Score Accelerated v2
Intel Core i9-9900KS
NVIDIA Titan RTX
5820 Points +8%
AMD Ryzen 3 3300X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
5410 Points 0%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
5404 Points
3DMark 11
1280x720 Performance
Intel Core i9-9900KS
NVIDIA Titan RTX
35034 Points +1%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
34558 Points
AMD Ryzen 3 3300X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
28884 Points -16%
1280x720 Performance GPU
Intel Core i9-9900KS
NVIDIA Titan RTX
49961 Points +8%
AMD Ryzen 3 3300X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
49047 Points +6%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
46329 Points
3DMark
1920x1080 Fire Strike Score
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
29655 Points
Intel Core i9-9900KS
NVIDIA Titan RTX
28339 Points -4%
AMD Ryzen 3 3300X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
23629 Points -20%
1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics
Intel Core i9-9900KS
NVIDIA Titan RTX
36036 Points +8%
AMD Ryzen 3 3300X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
35423 Points +6%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
33377 Points
3840x2160 Fire Strike Ultra Score
Intel Core i9-9900KS
NVIDIA Titan RTX
8895 Points +2%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
8726 Points
AMD Ryzen 3 3300X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
8695 Points 0%
3840x2160 Fire Strike Ultra Graphics
AMD Ryzen 3 3300X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
8882 Points +5%
Intel Core i9-9900KS
NVIDIA Titan RTX
8720 Points +3%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
8461 Points
2560x1440 Time Spy Score
Intel Core i9-9900KS
NVIDIA Titan RTX
14007 Points 0%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
14003 Points
AMD Ryzen 3 3300X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
11627 Points -17%
2560x1440 Time Spy Graphics
AMD Ryzen 3 3300X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
14929 Points +4%
Intel Core i9-9900KS
NVIDIA Titan RTX
14604 Points +2%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
14330 Points
SPECviewperf 12
1900x1060 Solidworks (sw-03)
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
157.6 fps
AMD Ryzen 3 3300X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
146.5 fps -7%
Intel Core i9-9900KS
NVIDIA Titan RTX
144.9 fps -8%
1900x1060 Siemens NX (snx-02)
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
254.8 fps
Intel Core i9-9900KS
NVIDIA Titan RTX
250.1 fps -2%
AMD Ryzen 3 3300X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
241.6 fps -5%
1900x1060 Showcase (showcase-01)
Intel Core i9-9900KS
NVIDIA Titan RTX
194.9 fps +4%
AMD Ryzen 3 3300X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
189.8 fps +1%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
188.3 fps
1900x1060 Medical (medical-01)
Intel Core i9-9900KS
NVIDIA Titan RTX
94.8 fps +8%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
88.1 fps
AMD Ryzen 3 3300X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
87.6 fps -1%
1900x1060 Maya (maya-04)
Intel Core i9-9900KS
NVIDIA Titan RTX
184.6 fps +7%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
172.2 fps
AMD Ryzen 3 3300X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
158.5 fps -8%
1900x1060 Energy (energy-01)
Intel Core i9-9900KS
NVIDIA Titan RTX
28.69 fps +2%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
28.18 fps
AMD Ryzen 3 3300X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
28.17 fps 0%
1900x1060 Creo (creo-01)
Intel Core i9-9900KS
NVIDIA Titan RTX
154.5 fps +15%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
134.8 fps
AMD Ryzen 3 3300X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
132.8 fps -1%
1900x1060 Catia (catia-04)
Intel Core i9-9900KS
NVIDIA Titan RTX
224 fps +3%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
218.4 fps
AMD Ryzen 3 3300X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
205.1 fps -6%
1900x1060 3ds Max (3dsmax-05)
Intel Core i9-9900KS
NVIDIA Titan RTX
284.5 fps +4%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
274.5 fps
AMD Ryzen 3 3300X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
257.7 fps -6%
SPECviewperf 13
Solidworks (sw-04)
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
153.2 fps
Intel Core i9-9900KS
NVIDIA Titan RTX
152.8 fps 0%
AMD Ryzen 3 3300X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
144.8 fps -5%
Siemens NX (snx-03)
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
460 fps
Intel Core i9-9900KS
NVIDIA Titan RTX
450.6 fps -2%
AMD Ryzen 3 3300X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
436.5 fps -5%
Showcase (showcase-02)
Intel Core i9-9900KS
NVIDIA Titan RTX
194.1 fps +4%
AMD Ryzen 3 3300X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
188.5 fps +1%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
186.8 fps
Medical (medical-02)
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
90.3 fps
AMD Ryzen 3 3300X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
88.9 fps -2%
Intel Core i9-9900KS
NVIDIA Titan RTX
88.5 fps -2%
Maya (maya-05)
Intel Core i9-9900KS
NVIDIA Titan RTX
407.9 fps +3%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
394.9 fps
AMD Ryzen 3 3300X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
365.8 fps -7%
Energy (energy-02)
AMD Ryzen 3 3300X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
53.5 fps +2%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
52.4 fps
Intel Core i9-9900KS
NVIDIA Titan RTX
52.3 fps 0%
Creo (creo-02)
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
328.8 fps
Intel Core i9-9900KS
NVIDIA Titan RTX
327.9 fps 0%
AMD Ryzen 3 3300X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
311.4 fps -5%
Catia (catia-05)
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
355.2 fps
Intel Core i9-9900KS
NVIDIA Titan RTX
346.2 fps -3%
AMD Ryzen 3 3300X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
333.5 fps -6%
3ds Max (3dsmax-06)
Intel Core i9-9900KS
NVIDIA Titan RTX
280.4 fps +2%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
274.5 fps
AMD Ryzen 3 3300X
NVIDIA Titan RTX
258.9 fps -6%

Energy consumption - Efficient on stock settings

The AMD Ryzen 9 3950X in the stress test.
The AMD Ryzen 9 3950X in the stress test.
The AMD Ryzen 9 3950X in the stress test.

That the AMD Ryzen 9 3950X is not an energy-efficient processor should quickly become clear when looking at the technical data. Nevertheless, AMD specifies a TDP of only 105 watts for the flagship processor just like with the Ryzen 9 3900X. However, this is usually exceeded and in the stress test, which we carried out with Prime95, the CPU alone allowed itself up to 140 watts. This is in line with the manufacturer's specifications for the entire CPU package. For the entire system without a monitor, we measured just under 199 watts in the stress test, which is significantly less than with the Intel Core i9-9900KS (about 260 watts).

The AMD system is also a full 35% more economical in the popular Cinebench R15 Multi test, although our AMD test system consumes almost 50 watts more energy without load. However, we've seen this more often in other models of the AMD Ryzen 3000 series. The manufacturer needs to make improvements in the future in this respect in order to beat Intel. Our test system with the AMD Ryzen 9 3950X is the hungriest for power when playing games, however, and it strains the power supply with almost 424 watts. The two Intel counterparts are a bit more economical here, even if not by very much.

In terms of temperatures under load, you should definitely use a powerful cooler. Even the AiO we used can't prevent the AMD Ryzen 9 3950X from heating up to 84 °C (~183 °F) in our open test setup. But this is only the peak value during the stress test. On average, the CPU temperature sat at a pleasant 68 °C (~154 °F).

Note: The determined energy consumption always refers only to the test system without monitor.

Power Consumption
1920x1080 The Witcher 3 ultra (external Monitor)
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X, NVIDIA Titan RTX
NVIDIA Titan RTX, R9 3950X, Intel Optane 905P 480GB 2.5 (Idle: 95 W)
423.6 (400min - 442max) Watt *
AMD Ryzen 3 3300X, NVIDIA Titan RTX
NVIDIA Titan RTX, R3 3300X, Intel Optane 905P 480GB 2.5 (Idle: 88.8 W)
397.6 (356min - 412max) Watt * +6%
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
RX Vega 64, R9 3900X, Corsair MP600 (Idle: 81.56 W)
392.1 (329min - 466max) Watt * +7%
Intel Core i9-9900KS, NVIDIA Titan RTX
NVIDIA Titan RTX, i9-9900KS (Idle: 48.6 W)
387.6 (381min - 461max) Watt * +8%
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
RX Vega 64, R7 3700X, Corsair MP600 (Idle: 79.2 W)
378 (316min - 411max) Watt * +11%
Intel Core i9-9900K, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
RX Vega 64, i9-9900K (80 fps)
366.1 Watt * +14%
Prime95 V2810 Stress (external Monitor)
Intel Core i9-9900KS, NVIDIA Titan RTX
NVIDIA Titan RTX, i9-9900KS (Idle: 48.6 W)
259.6 (231min - 317max) Watt * -31%
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
RX Vega 64, R9 3900X, Corsair MP600 (Idle: 81.56 W)
210.6 (195min - 256max) Watt * -6%
Intel Core i9-9900K, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
RX Vega 64, i9-9900K
202 Watt * -2%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X, NVIDIA Titan RTX
NVIDIA Titan RTX, R9 3950X, Intel Optane 905P 480GB 2.5 (Idle: 95 W)
198.8 (185min - 240max) Watt *
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
RX Vega 64, R7 3700X, Corsair MP600 (Idle: 79.2 W)
170.3 (161min - 187max) Watt * +14%
AMD Ryzen 3 3300X, NVIDIA Titan RTX
NVIDIA Titan RTX, R3 3300X, Intel Optane 905P 480GB 2.5 (Idle: 88.8 W)
144.7 (139min - 195max) Watt * +27%
Cinebench R15 Multi (external Monitor)
Intel Core i9-9900KS, NVIDIA Titan RTX
NVIDIA Titan RTX, i9-9900KS (Idle: 48.6 W)
295.4 (291min - 298max) Watt * -35%
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
RX Vega 64, R9 3900X, Corsair MP600 (Idle: 81.56 W)
229.2 (228min - 230max) Watt * -4%
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X, NVIDIA Titan RTX
NVIDIA Titan RTX, R9 3950X, Intel Optane 905P 480GB 2.5 (Idle: 95 W)
219.5 (218min - 225max) Watt *
Intel Core i9-9900K, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
RX Vega 64, i9-9900K
203.2 (197min - 205max) Watt * +7%
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X, AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
RX Vega 64, R7 3700X, Corsair MP600 (Idle: 79.2 W)
171.6 (171min - 173max) Watt * +22%
AMD Ryzen 3 3300X, NVIDIA Titan RTX
NVIDIA Titan RTX, R3 3300X, Intel Optane 905P 480GB 2.5 (Idle: 88.8 W)
137.3 (136min - 139max) Watt * +37%

* ... smaller is better

Test system power consumption (idle)
Test system power consumption (idle)
Test system power consumption (Cinebench R15 Multi)
Test system power consumption (Cinebench R15 Multi)
Test system power consumption (Prime95)
Test system power consumption (Prime95)
Test system power consumption (when gaming - The Witcher 3 Ultra preset)
Test system power consumption (when gaming - The Witcher 3 Ultra preset)
Prime95 stress test
Prime95 stress test

Overclocking - Destruction of efficiency

Cinebench R15 Multi power consumption @ 4.2 GHz
Cinebench R15 Multi power consumption @ 4.2 GHz

The AMD Ryzen 9 3950X can also be overclocked with a few simple steps. We did it with the Ryzen Master tool and were able to achieve a stable operation at 4.2 GHz on all 16 cores. As a result, you get between 5% and 10% more power, but this also results in the power consumption increasing exponentially. In our case, this means a 100-watt higher power consumption in the Cinebench R15 Multi test.

Because PBO (Precision Boost Overdrive) is disabled by overclocking, the processor doesn't boost to 4.7 GHz anymore, which can be achieved on stock settings when one core is loaded. If you still want to overclock your AMD Ryzen 9 3950X, you should be aware that this will void the processor's warranty and that a very powerful cooling solution is needed. From a pure user's point of view, it doesn't make sense to overclock the already very fast processor.

Cinebench R15 Multi @ 4.2 GHz
Cinebench R15 Multi @ 4.2 GHz
Cinebench R20 Multi @ 4.2 GHz
Cinebench R20 Multi @ 4.2 GHz
3DMark Fire Strike @ 4.2 GHz
3DMark Fire Strike @ 4.2 GHz
3DMark Time Spy @ 4.2 GHz
3DMark Time Spy @ 4.2 GHz

Pros

+ consistently very good system performance
+ very good gaming performance
+ 16 cores and 32 threads
+ energy-efficient
+ future-proof
+ PCI Express 4.0 support
+ still AM4 socket
+ soldered heat spreader

Cons

- unreliable TDP specification
- X570 platform relatively expensive
- hardly any room for overclocking
- high price

Verdict - 16 cores - It's better to have than to need

The AMD Ryzen 9 3950X in review: Provided by
The AMD Ryzen 9 3950X in review: Provided by

The AMD Ryzen 3000 family scores overall with good energy efficiency when the processors are operated within their specifications. With the AMD Ryzen 9 3950X, AMD has introduced a 16-core processor for the popular AM4 socket, which can even be used on older X370 motherboards. Users who decide to lay just under 770 Euros on the table (~$833) for the processor will be rewarded with top performance. The AMD Ryzen 9 3950X scores points especially in multithread applications, but it also masters games very well, and the gap to Intel can be increasingly closed.

Intel is still the first choice when it comes to pure gaming performance. But in times when anyone can quickly become a content creator with Twitch and YouTube, the AMD processor is once again a step ahead since gaming and streaming on one PC can be done without issues thanks to the 16 cores and 32 threads.

Those who can call the AMD Ryzen 9 3950X their own can sit back and relax while they confidently skip the next CPU generation.

The same is possible with the AMD Ryzen 9 3900X with 12 cores and 24 threads. But if you want that little bit of extra performance, the only option is the AMD Ryzen 9 3950X. The latter is a bit faster in the tests. In the end, users need to decide for themselves what they want to do with their PC to make a purchase decision. With an AMD Ryzen 9 3950X in your hands, you'll be able to bridge the next few years well to then be able to make a sensible leap to Zen4.

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Reviews > AMD Ryzen 9 3950X - The flagship for the AM4 socket in review
Sebastian Bade, 2020-05-18 (Update: 2020-05-17)