Brief Overview

This brief overview serves as a quick breakdown of the Ryzen 9 5900X processor from AMD. This powerful processor was launched in November of 2020. We can see that it uses the Vermeer architecture, more commonly known as Zen 3. It also uses the same AM4 socket we have seen in previous Ryzen processors. With that brief intro done with, let’s talk numbers and performance.

Quick Specs

The 5800X is a twelve-core twenty-four thread processor. The twelve cores make this incredibly powerful for multi-threaded workloads, and will also make it futureproof for games. It has a max TDP of 105W, so remember it requires decent cooling. The base frequency is rated at 3.7GHz, and it can boost all the way up to 4.8GHz.

It has a total cache of 70MB. Individually, the L3 cache is 64MB, the L1 cache is 64K (per core), and the L2 cache is 512K (per core). Like other Ryzen processors, this one doesn’t have any integrated graphics either. That’s par for the course from these higher-end Zen CPUs.

How Fast Is The 5900X?

Well, you know what they say, speed is key. Especially when it comes to productivity, where the value comes down to how much time a processor saves you. The 5900X competes with the 10900K considering the price bracket. It is a spiritual successor to the 3900X. This processor shows us improvements in both IPC and frequencies.

While testing the 5900X in all-core benchmark inside Cinebench, the results were impressive. It starts off with a speed of 4408MHz and sustains itself at 4350MHz. Not bad at all considering the intensive all-core workload. In single-core, the 5900X can hold its own at 4950MHz.

All those numbers translate to the AMD Ryzen 9 5900X being a major improvement over its predecessor, the 3900X.

Productivity Workloads

How well the Ryzen 9 5900X performs in production-based workloads is more important than its gaming performance. So let’s talk about productivity first. As we already mentioned, this 5900X is a beast thanks to its 12 cores and 24 threads. Those cores can handle anything you can throw at it, and then some. Anyone who needs to improve their efficiency will benefit from this CPU.

As such, the 5900X performs quite well when it comes to synthetic benchmarks. In V-ray, it scores 26 thousand points, which is a 25% improvement over the 3900X. In other benchmarks like Photoshop, Blender, FFmpeg, we also see an improvement of anywhere from 11% to 30%. It also performs much better than the 10900K in these tests. 

Not everyone needs a twelve core processor, but those who need that extra horsepower will love the 5900X. It’s also quite a jump in overall performance when compared to its cheaper sibling, the Ryzen 7 5800X.

Gaming Performance

Zen 3’s IPC improvements make the 5000 series excellent for gaming. In fact, AMD holds the higher ground in gaming right now. This is something we haven’t seen in about a decade. If you’re buying a processor at this price point, you likely want good gaming performance. Well, the 5900X is great for that.

In Civilization VI, the average turn time is about 26.9 seconds, which is 133% faster than the 10900K. Shadow Of The Tombraider gives us even better results, with a framerate of 200fps. For comparison, that’s 37% more performance than the 10900K. Other games also show a major improvement.

So, while you won’t be buying a twelve core processor just for gaming, you can do that with the 5900X. It’s impressive just how much value you’re getting out of the 5900X.

Power Consumption

The max TDP rating for the 5900X is 105W. In reality, it can go a bit higher when pushing it to the limit. But, the processor doesn’t start throttling unless it reaches ridiculously high temperatures. 

Of course, you’ll want to cool this chip quite well. If you want to get all of the performance out of those twelve cores, you need to do it justice and get a great cooler for it. 

Final Thoughts

In short, the 5900X might be the most impressive processor out of the current Zen 3 lineup. That’s a bold claim since the 5950X is definitely even stronger. However, it costs quite a bit more. If you’re looking for a processor to fit into your workstation build, this is the one to go for hands down.