AMD Ryzen 9 3900X Desktop CPU Review: 12 cores meet Socket AM4
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AMD is on the right track to make life difficult for Intel with the continuous improvement of its Ryzen Zen series. The company is now on its third Zen generation in as many years, which should be good news for the consumer, as it challenges Intel to remain competitive too.
The Ryzen 3000 series is the first to bring 7 nm chips to the desktop market, although AMD had already introduced 7 nm manufacturing to its Radeon VII and Navi GPUs. However, the Ryzen 3000 series is not entirely 7 nm, with AMD using a 12 nm process for their I/O dies. These also include the memory controller, which AMD has separated from the CPU die underneath the heat spreader. The latter is housed under so-called CCD clusters, which TSMC manufactures.
The Ryzen 9 3900X consists of two CCD clusters, each with two CCX modules. Each CCX core integrates three CPU cores, yielding 12 cores overall. The Ryzen 9 3900X supports simultaneous multithreading (SMT) too, allowing it to execute up to 24 threads simultaneously. The CPU has 70 MB of combined L2 and L3 cache, now referred to as game cache, which is a massive improvement over the Ryzen 2000 series. AMD took a similar step with Zen+ over Zen too.
It is worth keeping in mind that there is still more to come from Zen 2, with AMD releasing the Ryzen 9 3950X in September. This will have 16 cores, which should offer even better multicore performance than the Ryzen 9 3900X.
AMD recommends using DDR4-3733 CL17 RAM with Zen 2 processors. DDR4-3600 CL16 offers better value for money, but DDR4-3733 CL17 allows Infinity Fabric (IF) to run synchronously with the RAM, resulting in the lowest possible latency speeds. However, as the graph to the right illustrates, using higher-clocked RAM forces IF to run in 2:1 mode, rather than 1:1 as it does with 3733 C17, which increases latency speeds.
Thankfully, the Zen 2 architecture does not require buying a new motherboard. AMD and its partners are publishing BIOS updates for all X470 and B450 chipsets, making them compatible with the Ryzen 3000 series. Even X370 and B350 boards are partially supported too, although we would recommend checking whether your motherboard will work with Zen 2 before buying a new CPU.
Unfortunately, full PCIe 4.0 is currently limited to the new X570 chipset. While some OEMs offer PCIe 4.0 support for older motherboards, AMD has prevented this with the current set of AGESA codes.
AMD Ryzen processors at a glance
Model | Cores/Threads | Base clock | Turbo clock | L3 cache | TDP | Launch price |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ryzen 9 3900X | 12/24 | 3.8 GHz | 4.6 GHz | 64 MB | 105 W | €529 (~US$590) |
Ryzen 7 3800X | 8/16 | 3.9 GHz | 4.5 GHz | 32 MB | 105 W | €429 (~US$480) |
Ryzen 7 3700X | 8/16 | 3.6 GHz | 4.4 GHz | 32 MB | 65 W | €349 (~US$390) |
Ryzen 5 3600X | 6/12 | 3.8 GHz | 4.4 GHz | 32 MB | 95 W | €265 (~US$297) |
Ryzen 5 3600 | 6/12 | 3.6 GHz | 4.2 GHz | 32 MB | 65 W | €209 (~US$234) |
Ryzen 7 2700X | 8/16 | 3.7 GHz | 4.3 GHz | 16 MB | 105 W | €319 (~US$357) |
Ryzen 7 2700 | 8/16 | 3.2 GHz | 4.1 GHz | 16 MB | 65 W | €289 (~US$323) |
Ryzen 5 2600X | 6/12 | 3.6 GHz | 4.2 GHz | 16 MB | 95 W | €225 (~US$252) |
Ryzen 5 2600 | 6/12 | 3.4 GHz | 3.9 GHz | 16 MB | 65 W | €195 (~US$218) |
Ryzen 7 1800X | 8/16 | 3.6 GHz | 3.7 GHz | 16 MB | 95 W | €559 (~US$626) |
Ryzen 7 1700X | 8/16 | 3.4 GHz | 3.5 GHz | 16 MB | 95 W | €439 (~US$491) |
Ryzen 5 1600X | 6/12 | 3.6 GHz | 4.0 GHz | 16 MB | 95 W | €280 (~US$313) |
Top 10 Laptops
Multimedia, Budget Multimedia, Gaming, Budget Gaming, Lightweight Gaming, Business, Budget Office, Workstation, Subnotebooks, Ultrabooks, Chromebooks
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Top 10 Smartphones
Smartphones, Phablets, ≤6-inch, Camera Smartphones
We used the following hardware for our test system:
- AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
- MSI MEG X570 Godlike (BIOS 1.20, Default Settings, XMP 1 for DDR4-3600 CL16)
- Antec 1,200 W power supply
- G-Skill Trident Z Royal Gold DDR4 3600 2 x 8 GB kit. Set to DDR4 3600 CL16-16-16-36
- Corsair MP600 2 TB M.2 PCIe 4.0 SSD
- Intel Optane 905 480 GB SSD
- AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT
- AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
- Raijintek PEAN Benchtable
AMD kindly supplied us with the CPUs, motherboard, RAM and SSDs for this system. Additionally, Caseking generously created an NBC-customised Raijintek case that we have featured in previous CPU reviews.
Processor Benchmarks
The Ryzen 9 3900X completed our CPU benchmarks with flying colours, often outperforming the Core i9-9900K by a clear margin. However, our review unit could not do so in every discipline, with AMD still falling short of Intel in single-core tasks. Zen 2 has improved massively over Zen+, but the Ryzen 9 3900X scored around 2% less than the Core i9-9900K in Cinebench R15 Single 64Bit, for example. By contrast, the Ryzen 9 3900X outscored the Ryzen 7 2700X and Threadripper 2920X by 19% and 17%, respectively. Above all, these differences underline the improved performance that additional cores and the switch to 7 nm brings.
Recent AMD processors have had better multicore performance than their Intel counterparts, so it is unsurprising to see the Ryzen 9 3900X continue this trend. Our review unit scored a colossal 49% more than the Core i9-9900K in CB R15 Multi 64Bit, while it achieved a healthy 16% lead over the Threadripper 2920X too. Incidentally, the latter also has 12 cores and can execute up to 24 threads, underlining the improvements that AMD has made between generations.
Please see our CPU benchmarks page for further processor comparisons.
Performance Rating - Percent | |
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X | |
Intel Core i9-9900K -5! | |
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X | |
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2920X -2! | |
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X -4! | |
AMD Ryzen 7 1800X -9! | |
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X -4! | |
Intel Core i7-8700K -6! | |
AMD Ryzen 5 1600 -12! | |
AMD Ryzen 5 2400G | |
AMD Ryzen 7 1700X -8! | |
AMD Ryzen 3 2200G -4! | |
AMD Ryzen 5 1500X -5! | |
AMD Ryzen 5 1600 -9! |
Cinebench R15 | |
CPU Single 64Bit | |
Intel Core i9-9900K | |
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X | |
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X | |
Intel Core i7-8700K | |
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2920X | |
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X | |
AMD Ryzen 7 1800X | |
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X | |
AMD Ryzen 5 2400G | |
AMD Ryzen 5 1500X | |
AMD Ryzen 7 1700X | |
AMD Ryzen 3 2200G | |
AMD Ryzen 5 1600 | |
AMD Ryzen 5 1600 | |
CPU Multi 64Bit | |
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X | |
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2920X | |
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X | |
Intel Core i9-9900K | |
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X | |
AMD Ryzen 7 1800X | |
AMD Ryzen 7 1700X | |
Intel Core i7-8700K | |
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X | |
AMD Ryzen 5 1600 | |
AMD Ryzen 5 1600 | |
AMD Ryzen 5 2400G | |
AMD Ryzen 5 1500X | |
AMD Ryzen 3 2200G |
Cinebench R11.5 | |
CPU Single 64Bit | |
Intel Core i9-9900K | |
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X | |
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X | |
Intel Core i7-8700K | |
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2920X | |
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X | |
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X | |
AMD Ryzen 5 2400G | |
AMD Ryzen 7 1700X | |
AMD Ryzen 5 1500X | |
AMD Ryzen 3 2200G | |
AMD Ryzen 5 1600 | |
CPU Multi 64Bit | |
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X | |
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X | |
Intel Core i9-9900K | |
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X | |
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2920X | |
AMD Ryzen 7 1700X | |
Intel Core i7-8700K | |
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X | |
AMD Ryzen 5 1600 | |
AMD Ryzen 5 2400G | |
AMD Ryzen 5 1500X | |
AMD Ryzen 3 2200G |
Blender - v2.79 BMW27 CPU | |
AMD Ryzen 3 2200G | |
AMD Ryzen 5 2400G | |
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X | |
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X | |
Intel Core i9-9900K | |
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2920X | |
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X | |
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X |
wPrime 2.10 | |
32m | |
AMD Ryzen 3 2200G | |
AMD Ryzen 5 1500X | |
AMD Ryzen 5 2400G | |
AMD Ryzen 7 1700X | |
Intel Core i9-9900K | |
AMD Ryzen 5 1600 | |
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X | |
Intel Core i7-8700K | |
AMD Ryzen 7 1800X | |
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X | |
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X | |
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2920X | |
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X | |
1024m | |
AMD Ryzen 3 2200G | |
AMD Ryzen 5 1500X | |
AMD Ryzen 5 2400G | |
AMD Ryzen 5 1600 | |
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X | |
Intel Core i7-8700K | |
AMD Ryzen 7 1700X | |
AMD Ryzen 7 1800X | |
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X | |
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X | |
Intel Core i9-9900K | |
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2920X | |
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X |
X264 HD Benchmark 4.0 | |
Pass 1 | |
Intel Core i9-9900K | |
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X | |
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X | |
Intel Core i7-8700K | |
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X | |
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2920X | |
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X | |
AMD Ryzen 7 1800X | |
AMD Ryzen 3 2200G | |
AMD Ryzen 5 1600 | |
AMD Ryzen 5 1500X | |
AMD Ryzen 7 1700X | |
AMD Ryzen 5 2400G | |
Pass 2 | |
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X | |
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2920X | |
Intel Core i9-9900K | |
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X | |
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X | |
AMD Ryzen 7 1800X | |
AMD Ryzen 7 1700X | |
Intel Core i7-8700K | |
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X | |
AMD Ryzen 5 1600 | |
AMD Ryzen 5 1500X | |
AMD Ryzen 5 2400G | |
AMD Ryzen 3 2200G |
WinRAR - Result | |
Intel Core i9-9900K | |
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X | |
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X | |
Intel Core i7-8700K | |
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X | |
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2920X | |
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X | |
AMD Ryzen 7 1800X | |
AMD Ryzen 5 1500X | |
AMD Ryzen 5 2400G | |
AMD Ryzen 5 1600 | |
AMD Ryzen 7 1700X | |
AMD Ryzen 3 2200G | |
AMD Ryzen 5 1600 |
TrueCrypt | |
AES Mean 100MB | |
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2920X | |
Intel Core i9-9900K | |
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X | |
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X | |
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X | |
AMD Ryzen 7 1800X | |
AMD Ryzen 7 1700X | |
Intel Core i7-8700K | |
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X | |
AMD Ryzen 5 1600 | |
AMD Ryzen 5 1600 | |
AMD Ryzen 5 2400G | |
AMD Ryzen 5 1500X | |
AMD Ryzen 3 2200G | |
Twofish Mean 100MB | |
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X | |
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2920X | |
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X | |
Intel Core i9-9900K | |
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X | |
AMD Ryzen 7 1800X | |
AMD Ryzen 7 1700X | |
Intel Core i7-8700K | |
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X | |
AMD Ryzen 5 1600 | |
AMD Ryzen 5 1600 | |
AMD Ryzen 5 2400G | |
AMD Ryzen 5 1500X | |
AMD Ryzen 3 2200G | |
Serpent Mean 100MB | |
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X | |
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2920X | |
Intel Core i9-9900K | |
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X | |
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X | |
AMD Ryzen 7 1800X | |
AMD Ryzen 7 1700X | |
Intel Core i7-8700K | |
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X | |
AMD Ryzen 5 1600 | |
AMD Ryzen 5 1600 | |
AMD Ryzen 5 2400G | |
AMD Ryzen 5 1500X | |
AMD Ryzen 3 2200G |
Geekbench 4.1 - 4.4 | |
64 Bit Single-Core Score | |
Intel Core i9-9900K | |
Intel Core i7-8700K | |
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X | |
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X | |
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X | |
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2920X | |
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X | |
AMD Ryzen 5 1500X | |
AMD Ryzen 5 2400G | |
AMD Ryzen 3 2200G | |
64 Bit Multi-Core Score | |
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X | |
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2920X | |
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X | |
Intel Core i9-9900K | |
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X | |
Intel Core i7-8700K | |
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X | |
AMD Ryzen 5 1500X | |
AMD Ryzen 5 2400G | |
AMD Ryzen 3 2200G |
3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance Physics | |
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X | |
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X | |
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X | |
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2920X | |
AMD Ryzen 7 1800X | |
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X | |
AMD Ryzen 5 1600 | |
AMD Ryzen 5 1500X | |
AMD Ryzen 5 2400G | |
AMD Ryzen 3 2200G |
Cinebench R20 | |
CPU (Single Core) | |
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X | |
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X | |
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2920X | |
AMD Ryzen 5 2400G | |
CPU (Multi Core) | |
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X | |
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2920X | |
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X | |
AMD Ryzen 5 2400G |
7-Zip 18.03 | |
7z b 4 | |
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X | |
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X | |
AMD Ryzen 5 2400G | |
7z b 4 -mmt1 | |
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X | |
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X | |
AMD Ryzen 5 2400G |
* ... smaller is better
Gaming Performance
Most games currently lack the optimisation for utilising more than 8 cores, which means that the Ryzen 9 3900X cannot make use of its full potential. The same goes for synthetic gaming benchmarks, with the Ryzen 9 3900X often scoring less than the Ryzen 7 3700X in 3DMark, for example. The difference between the two CPUs is often only around 2% though, which is negligible. The Ryzen 9 3900X also has a 6% lower performance rating than the Core i9-9900K, but again, this is not a massive difference. Incidentally, the Core i7-8700K achieves the highest performance rating of the CPUs in our comparison table, despite not being the best gaming CPU that money can buy.
The same is true in most of the games that we tested at 720p, although the Ryzen 9 3900X occasionally achieves a few frames more than the Ryzen 7 3700X. Forza Horizon 4 and For Honor are good examples of the Ryzen 9 3900X having an advantage over its lesser Zen 2 sibling, but the latter enjoys a 2% advantage in other games like The Witcher 3. By contrast, the Core i9-9900K consistently scores more than the Ryzen 9 3900X in our gaming benchmarks, despite AMD having narrowed that gap by up to 25% compared to the Ryzen 7 2700X.
The gaps between the best AMD and Intel CPUs narrow further at higher resolutions, although mainly in the games that are not CPU heavy. Generally, the Core i9-9900K enjoys a 4% advantage over the Ryzen 7 3700X and Ryzen 9 3900X at 1080p and beyond. The two Zen 2 processors are on par with each other though.
Performance Rating - Percent | |
Intel Core i7-8700K | |
Intel Core i9-9900K -1! | |
Intel Core i5-9600K | |
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X | |
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X | |
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X | |
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X | |
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2920X | |
Intel Core i7-9700K | |
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X | |
Intel Core i5-8500T | |
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX |
3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance GPU | |
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X | |
Intel Core i5-8500T | |
Intel Core i5-9600K | |
Intel Core i7-8700K | |
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X | |
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X | |
Intel Core i7-9700K | |
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X | |
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2920X | |
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X | |
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX |
Ryzen 9 3900X & Radeon RX Vega 64
low | med. | high | ultra | QHD | 4K | |
The Witcher 3 (2015) | 321 | 136 | 76 | 48 | ||
Dota 2 Reborn (2015) | 161.6 | 156.5 | 148.1 | 131.4 | 94.6 | |
Rise of the Tomb Raider (2016) | 282 | 110 | 97 | 48.5 | ||
For Honor (2017) | 358.8 | 159 | 150.5 | 121.6 | 48.1 | |
X-Plane 11.11 (2018) | 83 | 72 | 61 | 47.5 | ||
Far Cry 5 (2018) | 137 | 116 | 109 | 103 | 80 | 43 |
Strange Brigade (2018) | 443 | 202 | 164 | 143 | 100 | 59.2 |
Shadow of the Tomb Raider (2018) | 168 | 115 | 103 | 91 | 62 | 33 |
Forza Horizon 4 (2018) | 238 | 166 | 155 | 125 | 98 | 60 |
Far Cry New Dawn (2019) | 123 | 108 | 104 | 94 | 81 | 45 |
Anno 1800 (2019) | 111 | 111 | 82 | 42.5 | 30 | 17.1 |
Total War: Three Kingdoms (2019) | 241.1 | 128.1 | 83.4 | 57.7 | 36.7 | 17.7 |
F1 2019 (2019) | 290 | 203 | 175 | 131 | 99 | 57 |
Control (2019) | 231 | 96 | 67 | 43.7 | 22.2 | |
Borderlands 3 (2019) | 140.3 | 114 | 78 | 58.1 | 42.2 | 23.4 |
FIFA 20 (2019) | 302 | 302 | 285 | 281 | 257 | 175 |
Ghost Recon Breakpoint (2019) | 70 | 68 | 65 | 54 | 45 | 25 |
GRID 2019 (2019) | 198 | 147 | 112 | 82 | 69 | 44.6 |
Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2019 (2019) | 192 | 147 | 121 | 106 | 78 | 44.3 |
Need for Speed Heat (2019) | 108 | 103 | 96 | 84 | 62 | 35.4 |
Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order (2019) | 116 | 103 | 89 | 62 | 31.2 | |
Red Dead Redemption 2 (2019) | 146 | 100 | 68 | 45.1 | 36.7 | 24.1 |
Escape from Tarkov (2020) | 121 | 121 | 121 | 106 | 71.3 | 35.2 |
Hunt Showdown (2020) | 208 | 126 | 92 | 59.3 | 28 | |
Doom Eternal (2020) | 241 | 182 | 153 | 140 | 95.3 | 48.6 |
Gears Tactics (2020) | 348.7 | 195.5 | 128 | 83.7 | 56.6 | 29.8 |
Valorant (2020) | 318.8 | 314.9 | 293.3 | 262.8 | 204.6 | |
F1 2020 (2020) | 256 | 167 | 140 | 99.5 | 79.7 | 51.6 |
Death Stranding (2020) | 170 | 118 | 107 | 103 | 72.1 | 38.9 |
Horizon Zero Dawn (2020) | 111 | 80 | 68 | 56 | 44 | 26 |
Flight Simulator 2020 (2020) | 81.2 | 60.9 | 41.8 | 26.9 | 21.3 | 13.1 |
Serious Sam 4 (2020) | 148.6 | 101.1 | 88.5 | 68.1 | 55.5 | 38.2 |
Mafia Definitive Edition (2020) | 129.4 | 93.9 | 83.7 | 58 | 30.8 | |
Star Wars Squadrons (2020) | 475.1 | 314.6 | 259.7 | 241.2 | 161.2 | 82.5 |
FIFA 21 (2020) | 264 | 261 | 247 | 248 | 243 | 152 |
Watch Dogs Legion (2020) | 139 | 100 | 86.7 | 54.1 | 38.1 | 20.7 |
Performance Rating - Percent | |
Intel Core i9-9900K -6! | |
Intel Core i7-9700K -6! | |
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X | |
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X | |
Intel Core i5-9600K -6! | |
Intel Core i7-8700K -6! | |
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X -2! | |
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X -7! | |
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2920X -5! | |
Intel Core i5-8500T -6! | |
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X -7! | |
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX -5! | |
AMD Ryzen 5 2400G -4! | |
AMD Ryzen 3 2200G -4! |
The Witcher 3 - 1024x768 Low Graphics & Postprocessing | |
Intel Core i9-9900K | |
Intel Core i5-9600K | |
Intel Core i7-9700K | |
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X | |
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X | |
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X | |
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X | |
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2920X | |
Intel Core i7-8700K | |
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X | |
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX | |
Intel Core i5-8500T |
Dota 2 Reborn - 1280x720 min (0/3) fastest | |
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X | |
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X | |
AMD Ryzen 5 2400G | |
AMD Ryzen 3 2200G |
Rise of the Tomb Raider - 1024x768 Lowest Preset | |
Intel Core i9-9900K | |
Intel Core i7-9700K | |
Intel Core i5-9600K | |
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2920X | |
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X | |
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X | |
Intel Core i7-8700K | |
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X | |
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X | |
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X | |
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX | |
Intel Core i5-8500T |
For Honor - 1280x720 Low Preset | |
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X | |
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X | |
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X | |
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2920X | |
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X | |
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX | |
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X |
X-Plane 11.11 - 1280x720 low (fps_test=1) | |
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X | |
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X | |
AMD Ryzen 5 2400G |
Far Cry 5 - 1280x720 Low Preset AA:T | |
Intel Core i9-9900K | |
Intel Core i7-9700K | |
Intel Core i5-9600K | |
Intel Core i7-8700K | |
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X | |
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X | |
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X | |
Intel Core i5-8500T | |
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X | |
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2920X | |
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X | |
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX | |
AMD Ryzen 5 2400G | |
AMD Ryzen 3 2200G |
Far Cry New Dawn - 1280x720 Low Preset | |
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X | |
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X | |
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X | |
AMD Ryzen 3 2200G |
Shadow of the Tomb Raider - 1280x720 Lowest Preset | |
Intel Core i7-9700K | |
Intel Core i9-9900K | |
Intel Core i7-8700K | |
Intel Core i5-9600K | |
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X | |
Intel Core i5-8500T | |
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X | |
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2920X | |
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX | |
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X | |
AMD Ryzen 5 2400G | |
AMD Ryzen 3 2200G |
Forza Horizon 4 - 1280x720 Very Low Preset | |
Intel Core i7-9700K | |
Intel Core i9-9900K | |
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X | |
Intel Core i5-9600K | |
Intel Core i7-8700K | |
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X | |
Intel Core i5-8500T | |
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X | |
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2920X | |
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX | |
AMD Ryzen 5 2400G | |
AMD Ryzen 3 2200G |
Anno 1800 - 1280x720 Low Graphics Quality (DX11) | |
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X | |
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X | |
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X | |
AMD Ryzen 5 2400G | |
AMD Ryzen 3 2200G |
F1 2019 - 1280x720 Ultra Low Preset | |
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X | |
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X | |
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X | |
AMD Ryzen 5 2400G | |
AMD Ryzen 3 2200G |
Performance Rating - Percent | |
Intel Core i9-9900K -12! | |
Intel Core i7-9700K -12! | |
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X | |
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X | |
Intel Core i5-9600K -12! | |
Intel Core i7-8700K -12! | |
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X -4! | |
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X -14! | |
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2920X -10! | |
Intel Core i5-8500T -12! | |
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X -14! | |
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX -10! | |
AMD Ryzen 5 2400G -10! | |
AMD Ryzen 3 2200G -10! |
The Witcher 3 | |
1024x768 Low Graphics & Postprocessing | |
Intel Core i9-9900K | |
Intel Core i5-9600K | |
Intel Core i7-9700K | |
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X | |
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X | |
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X | |
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X | |
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2920X | |
Intel Core i7-8700K | |
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X | |
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX | |
Intel Core i5-8500T | |
1920x1080 Ultra Graphics & Postprocessing (HBAO+) | |
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X | |
Intel Core i9-9900K | |
Intel Core i7-8700K | |
Intel Core i5-9600K | |
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX | |
Intel Core i5-8500T | |
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2920X | |
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X | |
Intel Core i7-9700K | |
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X | |
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X | |
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X |
Dota 2 Reborn | |
1280x720 min (0/3) fastest | |
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X | |
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X | |
AMD Ryzen 5 2400G | |
AMD Ryzen 3 2200G | |
1920x1080 ultra (3/3) best looking | |
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X | |
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X | |
AMD Ryzen 5 2400G | |
AMD Ryzen 3 2200G |
Rise of the Tomb Raider | |
1024x768 Lowest Preset | |
Intel Core i9-9900K | |
Intel Core i7-9700K | |
Intel Core i5-9600K | |
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2920X | |
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X | |
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X | |
Intel Core i7-8700K | |
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X | |
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X | |
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X | |
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX | |
Intel Core i5-8500T | |
1920x1080 Very High Preset AA:FX AF:16x | |
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X | |
Intel Core i7-9700K | |
Intel Core i9-9900K | |
Intel Core i7-8700K | |
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X | |
Intel Core i5-8500T | |
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X | |
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2920X | |
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX | |
Intel Core i5-9600K | |
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X | |
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X |
X-Plane 11.11 | |
1280x720 low (fps_test=1) | |
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X | |
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X | |
AMD Ryzen 5 2400G | |
1920x1080 high (fps_test=3) | |
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X | |
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X | |
AMD Ryzen 5 2400G |
Far Cry 5 | |
1280x720 Low Preset AA:T | |
Intel Core i9-9900K | |
Intel Core i7-9700K | |
Intel Core i5-9600K | |
Intel Core i7-8700K | |
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X | |
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X | |
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X | |
Intel Core i5-8500T | |
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X | |
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2920X | |
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X | |
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX | |
AMD Ryzen 5 2400G | |
AMD Ryzen 3 2200G | |
1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:T | |
Intel Core i9-9900K | |
Intel Core i7-8700K | |
Intel Core i5-9600K | |
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X | |
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X | |
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X | |
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X | |
Intel Core i5-8500T | |
Intel Core i7-9700K | |
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2920X | |
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X | |
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX | |
AMD Ryzen 5 2400G | |
AMD Ryzen 3 2200G |
Far Cry New Dawn | |
1280x720 Low Preset | |
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X | |
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X | |
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X | |
AMD Ryzen 3 2200G | |
1920x1080 Ultra Preset | |
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X | |
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X | |
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X | |
AMD Ryzen 3 2200G |
Shadow of the Tomb Raider | |
1280x720 Lowest Preset | |
Intel Core i7-9700K | |
Intel Core i9-9900K | |
Intel Core i7-8700K | |
Intel Core i5-9600K | |
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X | |
Intel Core i5-8500T | |
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X | |
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2920X | |
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX | |
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X | |
AMD Ryzen 5 2400G | |
AMD Ryzen 3 2200G | |
1920x1080 Highest Preset AA:T | |
Intel Core i9-9900K | |
Intel Core i7-8700K | |
Intel Core i5-8500T | |
Intel Core i7-9700K | |
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X | |
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X | |
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2920X | |
Intel Core i5-9600K | |
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X | |
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX | |
AMD Ryzen 5 2400G | |
AMD Ryzen 3 2200G |
Forza Horizon 4 | |
1280x720 Very Low Preset | |
Intel Core i7-9700K | |
Intel Core i9-9900K | |
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X | |
Intel Core i5-9600K | |
Intel Core i7-8700K | |
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X | |
Intel Core i5-8500T | |
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X | |
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2920X | |
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX | |
AMD Ryzen 5 2400G | |
AMD Ryzen 3 2200G | |
1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:2xMS | |
Intel Core i9-9900K | |
Intel Core i7-8700K | |
Intel Core i5-8500T | |
Intel Core i5-9600K | |
Intel Core i7-9700K | |
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2920X | |
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X | |
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X | |
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X | |
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX | |
AMD Ryzen 5 2400G | |
AMD Ryzen 3 2200G |
Anno 1800 | |
1280x720 Low Graphics Quality (DX11) | |
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X | |
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X | |
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X | |
AMD Ryzen 5 2400G | |
AMD Ryzen 3 2200G | |
1920x1080 Ultra Graphics Quality (DX11) | |
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X | |
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X | |
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X |
F1 2019 | |
1280x720 Ultra Low Preset | |
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X | |
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X | |
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X | |
AMD Ryzen 5 2400G | |
AMD Ryzen 3 2200G | |
1920x1080 Ultra High Preset AA:T AF:16x | |
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X | |
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X | |
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X |
Ryzen 9 3900X & Radeon RX 5700 XT
We used the Radeon RX Vega 64 for our first set of benchmarks for the sake of comparability, but we also thought it was apt to see what performance improvements PCIe 4 brings. Hence, we re-ran our gaming benchmarks with the Radeon RX 5700 XT, which offers around 10% higher frame rates than the Radeon RX Vega 64. However, the same applies to the Ryzen 7 2700X, so the added bandwidth that PCIe 4.0 offers appears to deliver no tangible benefit when gaming. Regardless, you can still expect a performance bump if you switch from the Radeon RX Vega 64 to the Radeon RX 5700 XT.
Performance Rating - Percent | |
AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (Desktop) | |
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 | |
AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (Desktop) -2! | |
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 |
The Witcher 3 | |
1024x768 Low Graphics & Postprocessing | |
AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (Desktop) | |
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 | |
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 | |
AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (Desktop) | |
1920x1080 Ultra Graphics & Postprocessing (HBAO+) | |
AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (Desktop) | |
AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (Desktop) | |
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 | |
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 |
Rise of the Tomb Raider | |
1024x768 Lowest Preset | |
AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (Desktop) | |
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 | |
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 | |
1920x1080 Very High Preset AA:FX AF:16x | |
AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (Desktop) | |
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 | |
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 |
Shadow of the Tomb Raider | |
1280x720 Lowest Preset | |
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 | |
AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (Desktop) | |
AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (Desktop) | |
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 | |
1920x1080 Highest Preset AA:T | |
AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (Desktop) | |
AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (Desktop) | |
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 | |
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 |
For Honor | |
1280x720 Low Preset | |
AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (Desktop) | |
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 | |
AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (Desktop) | |
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 | |
1920x1080 Extreme Preset AA:T AF:16x | |
AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (Desktop) | |
AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (Desktop) | |
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 | |
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 |
Far Cry 5 | |
1280x720 Low Preset AA:T | |
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 | |
AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (Desktop) | |
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 | |
AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (Desktop) | |
1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:T | |
AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (Desktop) | |
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 | |
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 | |
AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (Desktop) |
Far Cry New Dawn | |
1280x720 Low Preset | |
AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (Desktop) | |
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 | |
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 | |
AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (Desktop) | |
1920x1080 Ultra Preset | |
AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (Desktop) | |
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 | |
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 | |
AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (Desktop) |
Forza Horizon 4 | |
1280x720 Very Low Preset | |
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 | |
AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (Desktop) | |
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 | |
AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (Desktop) | |
1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:2xMS | |
AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (Desktop) | |
AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (Desktop) | |
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 | |
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 |
Anno 1800 | |
1280x720 Low Graphics Quality (DX11) | |
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 | |
AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (Desktop) | |
AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (Desktop) | |
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 | |
1920x1080 Ultra Graphics Quality (DX11) | |
AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (Desktop) | |
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 | |
AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (Desktop) | |
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 |
F1 2019 | |
1280x720 Ultra Low Preset | |
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 | |
AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (Desktop) | |
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 | |
AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (Desktop) | |
1920x1080 Ultra High Preset AA:T AF:16x | |
AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (Desktop) | |
AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (Desktop) | |
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 | |
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 |
3DMark 05 - 1024x768 Standard AA:0x AF:0x | |
AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (Desktop) | |
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 | |
AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (Desktop) | |
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 |
3DMark 06 - 1280x1024 Standard Score AA:0x AF:0x | |
AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (Desktop) | |
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 | |
AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (Desktop) | |
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 |
3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance GPU | |
AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (Desktop) | |
AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (Desktop) | |
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 | |
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 |
3DMark | |
1920x1080 Ice Storm Extreme Graphics | |
AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (Desktop) | |
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 | |
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 | |
AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (Desktop) | |
1280x720 Sky Diver Score | |
AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (Desktop) | |
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 | |
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 | |
AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (Desktop) | |
1280x720 Sky Diver Graphics | |
AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (Desktop) | |
AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (Desktop) | |
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 | |
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 | |
Fire Strike Extreme Score | |
AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (Desktop) | |
AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (Desktop) | |
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 | |
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 | |
Fire Strike Extreme Graphics | |
AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (Desktop) | |
AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (Desktop) | |
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 | |
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 | |
2560x1440 Time Spy Score | |
AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (Desktop) | |
AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (Desktop) | |
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 | |
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 | |
2560x1440 Time Spy Graphics | |
AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (Desktop) | |
AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (Desktop) | |
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 | |
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 |
Application Performance
Our test system worked smoothly and without issue during our tests. We noticed no long waiting times either, which should come as no surprise from a 12-core powered system. We also had a fast SSD on hand, so we decided to see whether PCIe 4.0 offered any improved transfer speeds over PCIe 3.0. The 2 TB Corsair SSD that we used is a quick drive even when running on the latter, but PCIe 4.0 helped it achieve around 68 MB/s 4K read speeds, which is exceptionally fast. This should help the system load small files quickly, which will reduce OS and in-game loading times.
We doubt that most people would notice the difference between PCIe 3.0 and PCIe 4.0 in daily use though. The latter will significantly improve sequential read and write speeds thanks to its doubled bandwidth, but the results feel negligible in practice.
The Ryzen 9 3900X hovers around the Ryzen 7 3700X in PCMark, which suggests that the benchmark cannot utilise the former’s 12 cores. Nevertheless, the Ryzen 9 3900X still performed well, with it outscoring the Core i9-9900K in PCMark 10 and managing practically the same as the Core i7-9700K in PCMark 8.
PCMark 10 - Score | |
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X | |
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X | |
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X | |
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X | |
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X | |
Intel Core i9-9900K | |
Intel Core i7-9700K | |
Intel Core i5-9600K | |
Intel Core i7-8700K | |
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2920X | |
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX | |
Intel Core i5-8500T | |
AMD Ryzen 5 2400G | |
AMD Ryzen 3 2200G | |
Intel Core i7-8700K |
PCMark 8 | |
Work Score Accelerated v2 | |
Intel Core i9-9900K | |
Intel Core i5-8500T | |
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X | |
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X | |
Intel Core i7-9700K | |
Intel Core i5-9600K | |
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X | |
Intel Core i7-8700K | |
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X | |
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X | |
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2920X | |
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX | |
AMD Ryzen 7 1800X | |
AMD Ryzen 5 1600 | |
AMD Ryzen 7 1700X | |
AMD Ryzen 3 2200G | |
AMD Ryzen 5 2400G | |
Intel Core i7-8700K | |
Creative Score Accelerated v2 | |
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X | |
Intel Core i9-9900K | |
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X | |
Intel Core i7-9700K | |
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X |