The AMD Ryzen 9 3950X Review: 16 Cores on 7nm with PCIe 4.0
by Dr. Ian Cutress on November 14, 2019 9:00 AM ESTTest Bed and Setup
As per our processor testing policy, we take a premium category motherboard suitable for the socket, and equip the system with a suitable amount of memory running at the manufacturer's maximum supported frequency. This is also typically run at JEDEC subtimings where possible. It is noted that some users are not keen on this policy, stating that sometimes the maximum supported frequency is quite low, or faster memory is available at a similar price, or that the JEDEC speeds can be prohibitive for performance. While these comments make sense, ultimately very few users apply memory profiles (either XMP or other) as they require interaction with the BIOS, and most users will fall back on JEDEC supported speeds - this includes home users as well as industry who might want to shave off a cent or two from the cost or stay within the margins set by the manufacturer. Where possible, we will extend out testing to include faster memory modules either at the same time as the review or a later date.
| Test Setup | |
| AMD Ryzen 3000 | AMD Ryzen 9 3950X AMD Ryzen 9 3900X |
| Motherboard | ASRock X570 Taichi 2.50 (AGESA 1004B) |
| CPU Cooler | Kraken X62 |
| DRAM | Corsair Vengeance RGB 4x8 GB DDR4-3200 |
| GPU | Sapphire RX 460 2GB (CPU Tests) MSI GTX 1080 Gaming 8G (Gaming Tests) |
| PSU | Corsair AX860i |
| SSD | Crucial MX500 2TB |
| OS | Windows 10 1909 |
We must thank the following companies for kindly providing hardware for our multiple test beds. Some of this hardware is not in this test bed specifically, but is used in other testing.
| Hardware Providers | |||
| Sapphire RX 460 Nitro | MSI GTX 1080 Gaming X OC | Crucial MX200 + MX500 SSDs |
Corsair AX860i + AX1200i PSUs |
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| G.Skill RipjawsV, SniperX, FlareX |
Crucial Ballistix DDR4 |
Silverstone Coolers |
Silverstone Fans |
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eastcoast_pete - Thursday, November 14, 2019 - link
Also, Ian and other reviewers, please start to (also?) test x265 and AV1 encoding of 4K video files. Working with those could and would be a really good reason to take a long, hard look at the 3950X and similar HEDT CPUs.Jorgp2 - Thursday, November 14, 2019 - link
That's one of the use cases for AVX512eastcoast_pete - Thursday, November 14, 2019 - link
That's a key reason for me to ask for those. Really curious how well the 3950X does here against Chipzilla's offerings. If the AMD chip holds it's own there, it'd also be the value king for video editing on a budget.Da W - Thursday, November 14, 2019 - link
Seems like the 3900X is enough for me.Total Meltdowner - Thursday, November 14, 2019 - link
For $250 less I agree with you. If you want the best of the best in an AM4 Socket, the 3950x is it, though.Does the 3950x work in an x370 MB?
Ratman6161 - Thursday, November 14, 2019 - link
It probably depends on what x370 motherboard you have. I've got an Asus Prime x470 Pro and checking its CPU compatibility list it supports the 3950x. While I was there I looked at the older Prime x370 Pro and Asus claims it supports the 3950x too. So check with the manufacturer and also take a look at all the other components of your system like the power supply for example, to make sure they are also up to the task. Also except that you wouldnt get PCIe 4.0 on anything less than an x570.On the other hand, if you are springing for a $749 CPU, why not just get a new motherboard too. There are some decent x570 boards out there under $150.
eva02langley - Thursday, November 14, 2019 - link
Because they are trash. The x470/370 is having better entry boards. I will wait for someone posting their experience to make the call. So far, if I buy a 3900x, I will stick to my actual board, other tested it and found no real performance limitations.willis936 - Thursday, November 14, 2019 - link
Obligatory reminder that the current gaming test suite is not useful. These games are GPU limited and no one should spend more than $200 on a CPU for most games. Counter strike would be a proper test for people who want 1000 fps on older games.Ian Cutress - Thursday, November 14, 2019 - link
So, World of Tanks at 720p doesn't fit that space? 660 FPS !alpha754293 - Thursday, November 14, 2019 - link
"All of our benchmark results can also be found in our benchmark engine, Bench."At the time of this writing, the new AMD Ryzen 3950X cannot be found in the Bench database.