AMD Ryzen 9 9950X vs. Ryzen 9 7950X: The older Zen 4 CPU remains a great option for most users

The new Ryzen 9 9950X is a hard sell for those already using a 7950X.

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Zen 5 powerhouse

AMD’s new Zen 5 Ryzen 9 9950X offers small performance gains compared to the Ryzen 9 7950X. It’s the right choice for enthusiasts and creators who only want the best, but the Ryzen 9 7950X’s similar power and lower price might be too good to ignore.

Cheaper Zen 4 alternative

You won’t get quite as much power out of the Zen 4 Ryzen 9 7950X CPU, but the fact that it costs so much less than the 9950X will be enough for plenty of people. If you already have a 7950X there’s almost no reason to upgrade.

The initial wave of AMD’s “Granite Ridge"Ryzen 9000desktop processors (CPU) is now complete with therelease of Ryzen 9 9950X and 9900X chips. They join theRyzen 7 9700X and Ryzen 5 9600X chipsreleased on August 8, 2024.

AMD’s new Zen 5 CPUs bring performance gains and, in some cases, improved efficiency, but the jump from Zen 4 to Zen 5 might not be as major as some were expecting. This brings up a good question: is the new Ryzen 9 9950X worth buying over the Ryzen 9 7950X that was released two years ago?

I took a look at raw specs, pricing, and performance to help you make the right decision for your next PC upgrade or build.

AMD Ryzen 9 9950X vs. Ryzen 9 7950X: Specs

The specifications that make up these chips aren’t too dissimilar. Both chips have 16 cores and 32 threads, a maximum 5.7GHz boost clock, 16MB and 64MB L2 and L3 caches, and a 170W base TDP. The L1 cache is slightly different, with the new Ryzen 9 9950X climbing to 1,280KB compared to 1,024KB. The Zen 5 Ryzen 9 also drops its base clock to 4.3GHz compared to 4.5GHz.

Both chips are unlocked for overclocking, both are compatible with motherboards using the AM5 socket, and both support DDR5 RAM. The core tech is where things pull apart a bit. The Zen 4 Ryzen 9 7950X chip uses a 5nm process, whereasZen 5has shrunk the process to 4nm.

Here’s a better look at the specs:

AMD Ryzen 9 9950X vs. Ryzen 9 7950X: Price and availability

AMD’s new Ryzen 9 9950X is now available for purchase at retailers like Newegg and Best Buy. Itcosts $649, which is $50 less than the launch price for the Ryzen 9 7950X.

The Ryzen 9 7950X is still readily available at major retailers like Best Buy, Newegg, Amazon, and Walmart, and it has come down in price in time since its release. You can now usually find it forabout $518, which is considerably more affordable than the new Ryzen 9 9950X.

Neither chip compared here comes with a bundled cooler, so you’ll need to factor the extra cost into your build. AMD suggests a liquid cooler for these chips in order to avoid thermal throttling and maximize performance. Many of thebest coolers for the Ryzen 9 7950Xwill cross over for the Ryzen 9 9950X.

AMD Ryzen 9 9950X vs. Ryzen 9 7950X: Zen 5 against Zen 4

Performance gains between Zen 4 and Zen 5 aren’t as large as some were expecting, but they’re gains nonetheless. Windows Central Editor Ben Wilsonreviewed the Ryzen 9 9950X, saying:

“AMD’s new top-end consumer processor is more expensive than its Intel rival, and there isn’t much to say about the Ryzen 9 9950X besides that it’s the most powerful desktop CPU in the world, at least before you resort to workstation-grade Threadripper chips. A$649 MSRPwill sting but allows the best single-core and multi-core benchmarking test scores I’ve seen to date. It’s a beast, topping the charts and doing everything it claims to, albeit reliant on some demanding system requirements.”

You can expect better single- and multi-core performance with the Ryzen 9 9950X, but as you can see in the table below, the 7950X isn’t too far behind.

Considering the Ryzen 9 9950X didn’t get a TDP drop to make it more efficient, there’s almost no reason to upgrade to the newer chip if you already have a Ryzen 9 7950X. In former Windows Central Senior Editor Rich Edmonds’Ryzen 9 7950X review, he stated:

“Performance in Blender is excellent, and you won’t have time to fetch a cup of tea while Corona runs. These processors are excellent for intensive workloads, and the improvements AMD has made to the AM5 platform with the latest round of processors are noticeable even when simply playing around in Windows 11 (or your favorite flavor of Linux). Everything … seems faster.”

Enthusiasts who want to keep their system as up-to-date as possible and don’t mind throwing some money around can grab those slight gains with the 9950X, but otherwise, those who have the 7950X should be happy with what they have.

AMD Ryzen 9 9950X vs. Ryzen 9 7950X: Which should you buy?

Making the right choice here comes down to budget and what you’re already using in your PC. If you’re coming from, say, a Ryzen 5000X CPU, you’re going to see a rather impressive bump in performance with the Ryzen 9 9950X. On the other hand, if you already have a Ryzen 9 7950X, there’s almost no reason to upgrade to the newer chip.

And even if you are working with an older CPU that’s seen better days, ignoring the 9000 series and going for the Ryzen 9 7950X can save you anywhere from $100 to $150 depending on promotions.

These processors are made for creative work and gaming, and those who split time between the two should be happy with the performance. However, PC gamers who want a CPU specifically for gaming should either wait for the Ryzen 9000 X3D variants or check out the Ryzen 9 7950X3D. It usually costsabout $525and will be the better choice against the Ryzen 9 9950X.

The Ryzen 9 9950X brings small performance gains compared to the Ryzen 9 7950X. It’s a worthy upgrade if you’re coming from an older system, but those who already have the 7950X shouldn’t see much need to upgrade.

AMD’s Ryzen 9 7950X might be on Zen 4 architecture, but it remains a stellar choice for creators and gamers. It’s cheaper than the 9950X, its performance is only slightly behind, and it works in the same AM5 motherboards.

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Cale Hunt brings to Windows Central more than eight years of experience writing about laptops, PCs, accessories, games, and beyond. If it runs Windows or in some way complements the hardware, there’s a good chance he knows about it, has written about it, or is already busy testing it.