Review: AMD Ryzen 9 3950X

by Tarinder Sandhu on 14 November 2019, 14:01

Tags: AMD (NYSE:AMD)

Quick Link: HEXUS.net/qaefgh

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Test Methodology

AMD Ryzen 9 3950X Specifications


AMD Ryzen Processor Configurations

CPU
CPU Base Clock
3.5GHz
3.8GHz
3.9GHz
3.6GHz
3.8GHz
3.7GHz
3.7GHz
3.6GHz
3.6GHz
CPU Turbo Clock
4.7GHz
4.6GHz
4.5GHz
4.4GHz
4.4GHz
4.2GHz
4.3GHz
4.2GHz
4.0GHz
CPU L3 Cache
64MB
64MB
32MB
32MB
32MB
4MB
16MB
16MB
16MB
CPU Cores / Threads
16 / 32
12 / 24
8 / 16
8 / 16
6 / 12
4 / 8
8 / 16
6 / 12
8 / 16
CPU TDP
105W
105W
105W
65W
95W
65W
105W
95W
105W
Integrated Graphics
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
IGP Base Clock
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
IGP Turbo Clock
-
-
-
-
-
1.4GHz
-
-
-
Socket
AM4
AM4
AM4
AM4
AM4
AM4
AM4
AM4
AM4
Lithography
7nm
7nm
7nm
7nm
7nm
12nm
12nm
12nm
14nm
Motherboard
Asus X570 Crosshair VIII Hero WiFi
Aorus B450 Pro
MSI X470 Gaming M7 AC
BIOS
1105
0066
0803
0066
0702
F42C
7B77v16
Memory
G.Skill Trident Z DDR4-3200
Memory Config
2x16GB
Memory Timings
14-14-14-34-1T
Memory Speed
3,200MHz
2,933MHz
Disk Drive
SK hynix Canvas SC300 (512GB)
Power Supply
be quiet Dark Power Pro 11 (1,000W)
Graphics Card
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Ti Founders Edition (431.16)
CPU Cooler
Noctua NH-D15S
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 10 (64-bit) 1903

Intel Core Processor Configurations

CPU
CPU Base Clock
4.0GHz
3.6GHz
3.6GHz
2.9GHz
3.7GHz
3.6GHz
CPU Turbo Clock
5.0GHz
5.0GHz
4.6GHz
4.1GHz
4.7GHz
3.6GHz
CPU Cache
16MB
16MB
12MB
9MB
12MB
6MB
CPU Cores / Threads
8 / 16
8 / 16
8 / 8
6 / 6
6 / 12
4 / 4
CPU TDP
127W
95W
95W
65W
95W
65W
Integrated Graphics
UHD 630
UHD 630
UHD 630
UHD 630
UHD 630
UHD 630
IGP Base Clock
350MHz
350MHz
350MHz
350MHz
350MHz
350MHz
IGP Turbo Clock
1.20GHz
1.20GHz
1.20GHz
1.05GHz
1.20GHz
1.10GHz
Socket
LGA 1151
Lithography
14nm
Motherboard
Asus ROG Strix Z390-I Gaming
BIOS
2607
2417
Memory
G.Skill Trident Z DDR4-3200
Memory Config
2x16GB
Memory Timings
14-14-14-34-1T
Memory Speed
2,666MHz
Disk Drive
SK hynix Canvas SC300 (512GB)
Power Supply
be quiet Dark Power Pro 11 (1,000W)
Graphics Card
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Ti Founders Edition (431.16)
CPU Cooler
Noctua NH-D15S
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 10 (64-bit) 1903

Benchmark Suite

CPU Benchmarks
HEXUS PiFast Our number-crunching benchmark stresses a single core by calculating Pi to 10m places
Cinebench R20 Using Cinebench's multi-CPU render, this cross-platform benchmark stresses all cores
HandBrake 1.2.2 Free-to-use video encoder that stresses all CPU cores (64-bit)
Blender 2.79b Using all available cores to run the BMW benchmark
Memory Benchmarks
AIDA64 Benchmark that analyses memory bandwidth and latency
System Benchmarks
3DMark Graphics benchmark run using the Time Spy test
PCMark System test using the standard preset
Civilization VI: Gathering Storm AI Test CPU test to determine turn speed
World of Tanks Graphics benchmark run at FHD to determine CPU involvement
Gaming Benchmarks - Discrete
Civilization VI: Gathering Storm 1,920x1,080 2,560x1440, and 3,840x2,160, ultra settings
Total War: Three Kingdoms 1,920x1,080 2,560x1440, and 3,840x2,160, ultra settings
World War Z 1,920x1,080 2,560x1440, and 3,840x2,160, ultra settings
Miscellaneous Benchmarks
Power Consumption To emulate real-world usage scenarios, we record system-wide mains power draw when idle, when rendering via Blender and while playing World War Z

Notes

We updated the board's BIOS to fully support the new AGESA 1.0.0.4 microcode for the Ryzen 9 3950X.

We could have included other high-core CPUs from AMD's TR4 (Threadripper) or Intel's LGA2066 (Core i9) ranges. That would have put this chip into sharper relief on a core-and-thread count, but given that it's on a mainstream platform, we have limited the comparisons to AM4 and LGA1151 for AMD and Intel, respectively.

It's known that 3rd Gen Threadripper and Intel's Core i9-10980XE are on the horizon, so please wait a week or so for a revised high-end CPU suite featuring only 10-core-plus chips and an extended range of professional applications. In other words, watch this space.