Test Methodology
| Comparison Configurations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Model | |||
| Firmware Version | F1 | 1302 | |
| Price | £195 | £430 | |
| Chipset | AMD B550 | AMD X570 | |
| CPU | AMD Ryzen 9 3950X | ||
| CPU Cores / Threads | 16 / 32 | ||
| CPU Base Clock / Turbo | 2.9GHz / 4.5GHz | ||
| CPU TDP | 105W | ||
| Memory | G.Skill Trident Z DDR4-3200 Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4-4800 (OC) | ||
| Memory Speed | DDR4-3200 | ||
| Memory Timings | 14-14-14-34 (XMP) | ||
| Graphics | Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Ti FE (445.87) | ||
| Primary Storage Device | Corsair MP600 1TB PCIe 4.0 | ||
| CPU cooling | Noctua NH-D15S single fan | ||
| Power Supply | be quiet! Dark Power Pro 10 (1,000W) | ||
| Operating System | Windows 10 v1909 (64-bit) | ||
| Benchmark Suite | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CPU  Benchmarks | |||||||||||
| HEXUS PiFast | Our number-crunching benchmark stresses a single core by calculating Pi to 10m places | ||||||||||
| Cinebench Release 20 | Using Cinebench's multi-CPU render, this cross-platform benchmark stresses all cores | ||||||||||
| Blender 2.82 | Running the Classroom benchmark | ||||||||||
| Storage Benchmarks | |||||||||||
| CrystalDiskMark | Free-to-use benchmark testing sequential storage performance. | ||||||||||
| Memory Benchmarks | |||||||||||
| AIDA64 | Benchmark that accurately depicts memory bandwidth and latency | ||||||||||
| System Benchmarks | |||||||||||
| 3DMark Time Spy | DX12 graphics benchmark run using the Time Spy test | ||||||||||
| PCMark 10 | System test using the standard preset | ||||||||||
| Civilization VI: Gathering Storm | AI benchmark run at FHD to determine CPU involvement | ||||||||||
| Gaming Benchmarks | |||||||||||
| Civilization VI: Gathering Storm | 1,920x1,080 ultra settings | ||||||||||
| Far Cry New Dawn | 1,920x1,080 ultra settings | ||||||||||
| Shadow of the Tomb Raider | 1,920x1,080 highest 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 SOTTR | ||||||||||
Notes
For performance evaluation purposes, it makes sense to push the B550 board hard by using the best AM4 CPU around, Ryzen 9 3950X. Having a PCIe 4.0-capable drive and DDR4-4800 memory enables further examination of its credentials.

 
                 
                    
                