AMD Ryzen 9 9900X Review – Efficiency First

The high-end desktop CPU segment welcomes the new challenger, the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X. This 12-core processors supersedes the Zen 4-powered Ryzen 9 7900X, but is it worth the upgrade today? Let’s find out.

If you’re looking for the review for the 16-core AMD Ryzen 9 9950X, click here.

Specifications & Comparison

AMD Ryzen 9 9900X

Processor	AMD Ryzen 9 9900X	AMD Ryzen 9 7900X
Core Configuration	12 cores / 24 threads (2 CCDs)
Process Node	CCD: TSMC N4P IOD: TSMC N6	CCD: TSMC N5 IOD: TSMC N6
Microarchitecture	Zen 5 “Granite Ridge”	Zen 4 “Raphael”
Boost Clock	5.6GHz
Base Clock	4.4GHz	4.7GHz
Cache (L2+L3)	12+64MB
TDP	120W (162W PPT)	170W (230W PPT)
Memory Support	DDR5-5600 192GB dual-channel	DDR5-5200 192GB dual-channel
Onboard Graphics	AMD Radeon Graphics 2 CUs (RDNA2) @ 2.2GHz
Usable PCIe Lanes	24x PCIe 5.0
Socket Type	Socket AM5 (LGA1718)
Chipset Support	AMD 600, 800 series

Test System

CPU	AMD Ryzen 9 9900X
Cooling	Cooler Master MasterLiquid PL360 Flux 30th Anniversary Edition Cooler Master MasterGel Maker
Motherboard	GIGABYTE B650 AORUS ELITE AX ICE
GPU	NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Founders Edition
Memory	Kingston FURY BEAST DDR5-6000 CL36 (2x16GB)
Storage	ADATA LEGEND 960 MAX 1TB
Power Supply	Cooler Master MWE Gold 1250 V2 Full Modular 1250W
Case	VECTOR Bench Case (Open-air chassis)
Operating System	Windows 11 Home 23H2

Benchmarks

All tests are conducted in out-of-the-box configuration unless otherwise specified. All Intel processors tested follows default power limits of 253W MTP.

Note: During the process of testing the CPUs, AMD published an update on its testing methodology which addresses the lack of gen-on-gen performance uplift. One of the process involves using a special administrator mode that can create significant security risk for normal users, though AMD has made it clear that such a workaround will not be needed in the upcoming Windows 11 24H2 update. As the 24H2 update is not yet officially released for all Windows systems, our results is produced on version 23H2 to reflect the current performance.

Cinebench

Depending on the Cinebench version you’re looking at, the performance of the Ryzen 9 9900X in relation to its predecessor can vary significantly. In the case of Cinebench R23 (which is a short run that gives ‘bursty’ processors advantage), the 9900X is around 16% faster in multi-core than the 7900X, whereas the single-core workload is 13% faster.

However, the gap is much smaller in Cinebench 2024 multi-core in particular – why so? The Ryzen 9 9900X has much less power to work with, which naturally limits its performance potential. Still, in the next section you’ll see the efficiency of the 9900X at work.

Power Draw & Thermals

The Ryzen 9 9900X no longer sticks to the 170W “TDP” that AMD has given for its predecessor, and it was considered a tad too aggressive for some back then. Hence, the chipmaker has dialed it down this time around, with the Zen 5 part now consumes 28 watts less than the predecessor while being faster overall. As a result, the temperatures are significantly more manageable as well – if you’re running air coolers in your seytup, the 9900X is showing good signs here.

7-Zip

Let’s move on to 7-Zip – and just like we’ve observed on the 16-core flagship, the 12-core 9900X has not made any significant difference in terms of compression and decompression performance, bringing in a minuscule 3.7% and 2.3% improvement, respectively.

3DMark Time Spy (CPU)

3DMark Time Spy also shows similar pattern for the 9900X, which we previously observed a minor performance regression on the 9950X. Here, the 9900X underperforms against its predecessor, at a 0.5% deficit. Mostly negligible, but as we’ve seen from the 9950X – not a good sign.

Handbrake

The Handbrake transcoding test reveals a 7% reduction in rendering times based on H.264, which happens to be the exact same gap as we’ve observed from both of its 16-core counterparts. That said, the 9900X is only 7 seconds behind the Ryzen 9 7950X, and it consumes much less power doing so.

Gaming

As we’ve seen with the results of the 3DMark Time Spy’s CPU test, it doesn’t bode too well for the Ryzen 9 9900X in gaming. In Cyberpunk 2077 we see a miniscule drop in performance (again, same happened on the 9950X), though it fared better in the CPU-intensive Hitman 3 “Dartmoor” benchmark. In Forza Horizon 5, the Ryzen 9 9900X also scored a small win, but in general you won’t be seeing any significant difference between the two chips, as far as gaming is concerned.

Verdict

The Ryzen 9 9900X is a bit of a different chip when you compare it against the 9950X – the latter is designed to go all-out in performance as a flagship product, whereas the 9900X is to serve the high-end segment that can be more value-sensitive compared to enthusiast-class products.

Unfortunately, at the price of RM2,499, it’s not going to be easy to convince the Ryzen 7000 users to make the jump, and users with older parts might find the value on Zen 4 processors more attractive at this time. (Note: we’ve observed a discount on this processor at the writing of this review, so the value proposition may change depending on the price.)

Still, I think the AMD’s new 12-core challenger is decent enough if you can get a good price out of it, but if gaming is what concerns you right now, you might want to wait for either the Windows 11 24H2 update to arrive (which will give all Zen 3, Zen 4, and Zen 5 CPUs a performance boost in games), or possible the 3D V-Cache counterpart instead.

Our thanks to AMD Malaysia for providing the Ryzen 9 9900X for this review.