AMD Ryzen 7 9700X Review – Just Stick To 105W

The new AMD Ryzen 7 9700X, just like its 6-core counterpart, has its power draw nerfed to just 65W this time around – will Zen 5 bring enough improvements under the hood to outperform its predecessor? Here’s our findings. (You can also read our review on the Ryzen 9 9950X and 9900X.)

Specification & Comparison

AMD Ryzen 7 9700X

Processor	AMD Ryzen 7 9700X	AMD Ryzen 7 7700X	AMD Ryzen 7 7700	Intel Core i5-14600K
Core Configuration	8 cores / 16 threads (1 CCD)			6P+8E / 20 threads (monolithic)
Process Node	CCD: TSMC N4P IOD: TSMC N6	CCD: TSMC N5 IOD: TSMC N6		Intel 7
Microarchitecture	Zen 5 “Granite Ridge”	Zen 4 “Raphael”		Raptor Lake Refresh P: Raptor Cove E: Gracemont
Boost Clock	5.5GHz	5.4GHz	5.3GHz	P-Core: 5.3GHz E-Core: 4.0GHz
Base Clock	3.8GHz	4.5GHz	3.8GHz	P-Core: 3.5GHz E-Core: 2.6GHz
Cache (L2+L3)	8+32MB			20+24MB
TDP	65W (88W PPT) 105W (142W PPT, optional)	105W (142W PPT)	65W (88W PPT)	125W (PBP) 181W (MTP)
Memory Support	DDR5-5600 192GB dual-channel	DDR5-5200 192GB dual-channel		DDR5-5600 DDR4-3200 192GB dual-channel
Onboard Graphics	AMD Radeon Graphics 2 CUs (RDNA2) @ 2.2GHz			Intel UHD Graphics 770 32 EUs @ 1.55GHz
Usable PCIe Lanes	24x PCIe 5.0			16x PCIe 5.0 4x PCIe 4.0
Socket Type	Socket AM5 (LGA1718)			LGA1700
Chipset Support	AMD 600, 800 series			Intel 600, 700 series

Test System

CPU	AMD Ryzen 7 9700X
Cooling	Cooler Master MasterLiquid PL360 Flux 30th Anniversary Edition Cooler Master MasterGel Maker
Motherboard	MSI B650 GAMING PLUS WIFI
GPU	NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Founders Edition
Memory	Kingston FURY BEAST RGB DDR5-6000 CL30 (2x16GB)
Storage	ADATA LEGEND 960 MAX 1TB
Power Supply	GameMax Rampage GX-1050 PRO 1050W
Chassis	VECTOR Bench Case (Open-air chassis)
Operating System	Windows 11 Home 23H2

Benchmarks

Note: All Intel processors tested follows default power limits (multi-core boosting features disabled). For this benchmark testing, we have also tested the 105W mode now available in several motherboards, including the one we use. Additionally, the optional KB5045187 update has been applied, featuring branch prediction optimizations that will be officially available in Windows 11 24H2 update.

Cinebench

There are two perspectives looking at Ryzen 7 9700X’s performance: one, by its default 65W state, the chip has in fact regressed in performance compared to its predecessor – so it’s not hard to see why AMD might be introducing a second 105W mode via BIOS updates to increase performance. On average, you get a 16% uplift in multi-core performance when you give the processor extra power to work with. Of course, Intel’s mid-range Core i5-14600K still comes out ahead with 6+8 cores at disposal.

In terms of single-thread performance, the Zen 5 core does bring a small bump in scores in both versions of the Cinebench, leading both its predecessor and Intel’s current mid-range option.

Power Draw & Thermals

In terms of power draw, the 9700X on 65W adheres to the 88W PPT (package power tracking) value as defined by AMD, while that value gets bumped to 142W under the 105W mode. Note that both “65W” and “105W” are more of a classification than the actual power draw of the Ryzen processors, which is different to how Intel interprets its TDP figures.

One improvement Ryzen 9000 series brought to the table is the new IHS (integrated heat spreader) that, while identical from the outside, is significantly better at thermal transfers, resulting in lower temperatures at the same power draw.

7-Zip

Moving on, 7-Zip shows the relative weakness of the Zen 5 architecture, where the Ryzen 7 9700X’s decompression performance suffered against even the Ryzen 7 7700. However, at 105W, it has managed to outpace both the 7700 and the 7700X (albeit at a very narrow margin), as well as Intel’s Core i5-14600K. However, Team Blue’s chip leads in the compression metric.

3DMark Time Spy (CPU)

As for 3DMark Time Spy, the improvement is miniscule at best, with a 4.6% improvement overs 7700X at the same power envelope. The 9700X in its original form is basically dead even (though it has outpaced the 7700 non-X by some margin), so having that extra power certainly helps.

Handbrake

The Handbrake transcode test shows the 9700X cut 13% of render time at the same 105W power envelope against its predecessor – had the chip not been given the extra power, the improvement is small enough to be considered even. Once again, Intel comes out ahead with its mid-range chip thanks to a greater number of cores.

Gaming

Finally, gaming – the Ryzen 7 9700X has notably gained some performance in Hitman 3, and giving it extra power has further extended the lead in this CPU-sensitive title. Other games are mostly GPU-bound, which shows very little difference in the performance in general. Games that are especially CPU-bound, such as MOBA titles, should see a noticeable boost in FPS.

Verdict

The Ryzen 7 9700X would’ve been the worst chip of the entire Ryzen 9000 launch, but it seems like motherboard makers has realized that limiting this 8-core chip to 65W would be a terrible idea considering the gen-on-gen improvement at the same power envelope is already lacking in some ways. AMD hasn’t officially said that it’ll enable the 105W mode for this chip, but signs are pointing to yes given that several motherboard OEMs has started implementing this feature in latest BIOS updates.

As for the price, it costs RM1,999 officially – but we’ve already seen price drops on the market (around 10% reduction) as it has been known that Ryzen 9000’s sales has severely underperformed. Still, despite the price drop, there is still one giant elephant in the room that the 9700X is mostly unable to address: the mighty Ryzen 7 7800X3D.

The 3D V-Cache is pretty much essential in gaming if you want high FPS, anything less is not going to be competitive in this segment. So, who is the Ryzen 7 9700X for? Perhaps a very small niche of people that don’t need the extra cache, and just need the honest multi-core performance to work with. Even then, it’s not really a strong argument to be made when the next-gen 3D V-Cache model is on the horizon…

Special thanks to AMD Malaysia for providing the Ryzen 7 9700X for this review.