Ahead of AMD’s Ryzen 7000 series launch, I took a look at the Ryzen 5 7600X and the Ryzen 7 7700X but at the time we didn’t have the two other 7000 series CPUs to test. That said AMD did end up sending over the Ryzen 9 7900X and the 7950X for testing and while a little late today I’m going to check both of the Ryzen 9 CPUs out and see what they are all about. Both CPUs double up the core count from the 7700X and 7600X with the 7950X having 16 cores and the 7900X having 12 cores and they have similar clock speeds so I’m excited to see how they perform.

Product Name: AMD Ryzen 9 7900X and 7950X

Review Sample Provided by: AMD

Written by: Wes Compton

Amazon Affiliate Links: 7900X and 7950X

 

I went over both the Ryzen 9 7900X and the 7950X in our launch day review but for those that missed that both of these CPUs sit in a higher class compared to the Ryzen 7 7700X and Ryzen 5 7600X that I previously took a look at. The two lower-end CPUs have half the L3 cache and have TDPs that are 65 watts less. The Ryzen 9 CPUs also have a much higher max socket power with both at 230 watts vs 105 watts for the other two. They have the same die size, ECC support, and max memory speed, however. They also have a similar clock speed configuration when it comes to base clocks. The 7950X has a lower base clock speed of 4.5 GHz just like the 7700X and the 7900X has a little higher clock speed. As for CPU cores, the 7950X doubles up the core count of the 7700X with it having 16 cores and 32 threads and the 7900X does the same for the 7600X with its 12 cores and 24 threads.

Specifications	Ryzen 9 7950X	Ryzen 9 7900X	Ryzen 7 7700X	Ryzen 5 7600X
Core/Threads	16/32	12/24	8/16	6/12
Max Boost	5.7 GHz	5.6 GHz	5.4 GHz	5.3 GHz
Base Clock	4.5 GHz	4.7 GHz	4.5 GHz	4.7 GHz
L2 Cache	16x1MB	12x1MB	8x1MB	6x1MB
L3 Cache	64MB		32MB
TDP	170W		105W
Max Socket Power (PPT)	230W		105W
Max Current (EDC)	225A		170A
Max Curren, Thermally Limited (TDC)	160A		110A
TjMax	95C
Stock/Auto Voltage Range (Active Core)	0.650 – 1.475V
Typical Loaded Temperatures	70-90C
Boost Algorithm	Precision Boost 2
Recommended Cooler	240-280 Liquid (or equivalent)		Mid-Frame Tower Cooler (or equivalent)
Max Memory Speed (Non-OC)	DDR5-5200 (2x16GB)
ECC Support	Enabled in-silicon, support varies by motherboard
CCD Die Size	70mm ²
CCD Transistor Count	6.5 billion
IOD Die Size	122mm ²
IOD Transistor Count	3.4 billion
MSRP	$699	$549	$399	$299

 

Before testing, I did double-check things with CPU-Z which for the 7950X does have it running at 5.7 GHz and 5.6 GHz for the 7900X. Our testing is done with the memory overclocked to 6000 MHz for the sweet spot and like with all of our CPU tests cooling is a standard 240mm Corsair AIO cooler.

I was surprised when the two Ryzen 9 CPUs came in that their packaging was different from the two other 7000 Series CPUs. Both of these come in a larger box. The front of the box still has the same grey and orange theme with the window in the center so you can see the CPU. Looking inside of the box AMD just filled the extra space with the foam they didn’t include a cooler given that they recommend a 240mm or larger AIO for cooling but I thought maybe that space had some sway or something space for picking up their new high-end CPUs. I don’t think having larger boxes just to add more waste and take up more space in shipping was necessary.

Inside along with the foam, the CPU comes in the same clamshell tray along with a warranty and legal info paper. You do get the small Ryzen 9 case sticker as well.

As for the CPUs, if you didn’t see our previous review. The new Zen 4 CPUs with the new AM5 socket have dropped the pins on the CPU for an LGA socket design with contact pads on the CPU. The new CPUs also have a cool X-shaped heatspreader that stands out as well, especially with the Ryzen branding etched on them.