The last word:
So, what do we think of these two new ZEN 5-based processors, Ryzen 5 9600X and Ryzen 7 9700X? Without being a revolution, these two examples have shown great promise on several points. Let’s start with performance in single-threaded tasks, where this new generation performs as well as, or even much better than, their direct Intel rivals, the i5-14600K and i7-14700K. In some benchmarks, the Ryzen 7 9700X even managed to take first place! On multithreaded tasks, performance was more subdued against the (older) Ryzen 5 7600X and Ryzen 7 7700X. Even if the results are slightly better, the gains are far less significant than those obtained in single-threaded mode, which leads us to ask: “Are these new Ryzen 9000X really X models ?
AMD Ryzen 9600X and 9700X or Ryzen 9600 and 9700?
As we said, performance improves in multithreaded mode, but not significantly, as our Ryzen 7 9700X sometimes lags behind the Ryzen 7 7700X. And yet, the cores of this ZEN 5 architecture perform better than those of ZEN 4.
Why is that? We get either identical or slightly better results, but with a multithreaded frequency of 5.2 GHz for the Ryzen 7 7700X and 4.7 GHz for the Ryzen 7 9700X. Proof that these perform better. But it’s when we overclock the cores of our Ryzen 7 9700X to 5.2 GHz that we finally see much better performance, with a gain of almost 18% over the Ryzen 7 7700X.
The choice of a 65-watt TDP is a credit to AMD, given Intel’s current troubles, but it reminds us of the non-X versions of the Ryzen 7000. We don’t see how AMD could possibly offer non-X Ryzen 9000s in the future, or even lower frequencies.
Overclocking enabled us to see that AMD could have chosen to raise the frequency of multithreaded cores a little higher, in order to make a bigger difference to ZEN 4, but this would have deprived them of a gain in terms of power consumption and temperature. Thanks to overclocking, you’ll be able to find the best compromise for your needs and, above all, for your cooling system.
Since the arrival of AGESA 1.0.8.0, AMD BIOS have undergone a number of improvements, including the use of memory kits at frequencies of 8000 MT/s. You can judge the gains in this news on the new AMD BIOS.
Finally, and this is the crux of the matter at the moment, the launch prices are very attractive. Whereas the Ryzen 5 7600X and Ryzen 7 7700X were priced at 369 and 489 euros respectively, AMD Europe has announced a price of 308.90 euros for the Ryzen 5 9600X and 396.90 euros for the Ryzen 7 9700X. These prices put them just below their rivals from Intel, but let’s not forget that Intel’s E-core processors still have a comfortable lead in multithreaded tasks . Once we’ve sorted out the BIOS issue and we have the other processors in the ZEN 5 range in our possession, we’ll be bringing you a dossier devoted to gaming performance.
Our thanks to AMD for making this Ryzen 5 9600X and the Ryzen 7 9700X available.
