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The Ryzen 9 7950X and other AMD Ryzen 7000 processors launch tomorrow. The reviews and media coverage of these chips have already started rolling in and gamers are getting a glimpse of what these CPUs are truly capable of.
The 7950X is the top-of-the-line offering in the Zen 4-based lineup. This CPU packs 16 cores and 32 threads and has a base clock of 4.5 GHz and it boosts up to 5.7 GHz.
With this new generation, AMD is also shifting to a new AM5 platform, which the company has promised to support "beyond 2025." The new Ryzen chips are also exclusive to DDR 5 memory only.
The sixteen-core Ryzen 9 will be launched at $699, which makes it $50 cheaper than the last-gen Ryzen 9 5950X. However, it is almost as pricey as the latest and greatest chip from Intel, the Core i9 12900K. Thus, users looking to put together a high-end system might face a dilemma.
Should gamers buy a Ryzen 9 7950X?
Apparently, the Ryzen 9 7950X might seem like a good deal for several gamers as it is almost 5% faster than the more expensive Core i9 12900KS. This chip is also 10% faster than its last-gen counterpart, the Ryzen 9 5950X.
However, users have to consider other factors. The new AM5 platform will require gamers to cash in more as compared to the old AM4 platform. Motherboard choices are limited and the available options are quite expensive.
Add to this, DDR 5 memory is twice as expensive as the last-gen of RAM. Together, a Ryzen 9 7950X-based system will be much more expensive as compared to settling for a Core i9 12900K or a mid-cycle refresh processor from AMD.
Earlier this year, AMD introduced the Ryzen 7 5800X3D processor which pioneered 3D V-caching technology to push the boundaries of how much horsepower the Zen 3 architecture packs.
The results were impressive as the processor nearly beat the Core i9 12900KS in gaming workloads. The 5800X3D is just 2-3% shy of the latest Ryzen 9. Thus, gamers can consider this a much cheaper processor. Any decent $125 AM4 motherboard and DDR 4 memory will suffice for this chip.
Should professionals and content creators buy the 16-core Ryzen 9?
Although the Ryzen 9 7950X is Team Red's pinnacle for this generation, this processor has clearly not been designed with gamers in mind. This chip is mainly meant for workloads that can benefit from the high core count and multi-core performance this chip is capable of.
The processor hit a massive 37,953 points in the multi-thread benchmark of Cinebench R23. In contrast, the last-gen Ryzen 9 5950X can only achieve a score of 24,325. Team Blue's flagship Core i9 12900KS manages to score 27,002 in the same test.
In the single-core benchmark, a similar trend continues as the Ryzen 9 7950X scores a whopping 2,046 points. To add a bit of context, the 5950X only manages 1,610 points,, while the 12900KS gets quite close to the latest Ryzen 9 with a score of 2,030.
Thus, productivity professionals or anyone looking to carry out CPU-heavy workloads on their systems can opt for the Ryzen 9 7950X without a single question being asked. This processor will never disappoint users with a budget and requirements of higher computing power.
Conclusion
Although gamers looking to put together a high-end system can opt for this $700 Ryzen 7000 processor, no user will be able to exploit its full potential unless their rig also doubles up as a workstation.
