In the last couple of years, AMD has been gaining a lot of popularity and appreciation among gamers’ as well as PC enthusiasts’ community. The company has gained huge momentum in its processor’s performance soon after it launched the Ryzen 9 3900X one of the most compelling and appealing CPU in every aspect. The company has set a perfect precedent after it launched the dedicated and improved version of 3900X that is AMD Ryzen 9 3950X. This is one of our best CPU and highest performing processor for gaming.
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
Summary
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X is an excellent CPU built for multithreaded non-gaming tasks
Currently, the Ryzen 9 3950X is the perfect attraction for those who are looking for more threads, higher number of cores and higher clockspeed. Though lagging in some aspects, it is outstanding in most of the features. So, without wasting the time, it is better to start about features, performance and speed of 3950X.
First things first: Built with almost 33 percent more cores than the 3900X, the AMD Ryzen 9 3950X is 30 times more faster than the previous model. Whether you are a professional video editor or do 3D rendering you will definitely need a professor with more threads, and this is where 3950X comes in handy. The reason is that the higher the task is, the more the thread processor you will need. Usually the processors are available in 16-thread processor while 3950X offers double the thread process which is a 32-thread processor.
Granted, the 3950 look like an average CPU that runs in the socket AM4 motherboards, but it is worth buying as it is an HEDT (High-END Desktop) CPU. The Ryzen 3000 Processors series is versatile in every sense. Though not the most liked processors among gamers due to 50 percent higher price than the previous Ryzen 3900 and a slight difference in performance, the processor has 33 percent more cores which is really a big deal. However, if you want a high performance CPU in an affordable price, the Ryzen 5 3600 should be on your radar.
The downside of 3950X is that unlike X-series and K-series of intel, it lacks a cooler. But, for getting higher performance from 3950X, you have to go for liquid cooling as recommended by the AMD which may cost you $100-$200 more than actual price. The results could be impressive if you use NZXT Kraken X62 liquid cooling, and you will see a drop of 10-18C.
The AMD has done an impressive job in developing the updated versions of 3000 series CUPs and doubled the chiplets. Though the previous CPUs especially 3600X, 3700X and 3800X were equipped with single 8-core chiplets, both the updated versions 3900X and 3950X are built with two 8-core chiplets. As the Ryzen 3950X is third generation CPU it has similar architecture as Ryzen 3000 CPUs.
For custom PC builds, see our list of best motherboards for AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
The upside is that the 3950X is equipped with cIOD (IO die) for memory controllers. Besides, through AMD’s Infinity Fabric, it is connected to one or more CCDs. Built on 12nm technology, the cIOD offers smooth memory latency to CCSs. One thing worth noting is that the 3950X has updated BIOS and teething bugs have successfully been removed through AGESA (AMD Generic Encapsulated Software Architecture) feature. The AGESA features lets manage things like infinity fabric details and memory training in an efficient manner.
Overall the AMD Ryzen 3950X performer impressively in non-gaming tasks, but its gaming performance too is good but the higher price is a major drawback. Even at a half price we can expect, somewhat, same gaming performance from Ryzen 3600. Considering higher number of cores and clocksoeeds it makes sense to buy only if you need more cores and threads.
The price is the biggest downside of these high-end motherboards. At this price of more than $700 you could easily build a medium sized PC, or invest a few bucks more and get the pre-built PC Like Dell G5 gaming desktop. Actually the 3950X and 3600X are at par in most of the gaming performance benchmarks, which means, for gaming purpose, you will be wasting a lo of money for a costly CPU. However, if you are a multimedia content creator and need multiple threads to perform different non-gaming tasks, this one is ideal choice that should be kept in mind.
As stated earlier the air cooling system is not recommended for this CPU, which means you are going to invest more in buying a liquid cooler like Kraken X62 liquid cooler that comes with the package.
Like liquid cooler, the overclocking is also a thing to be considered for gamers. At 4.1-4.3 GHz at of your 16 cores will be busy with appropriate cooling. But the core clockspeeds will be hovering in 3900-4000 MHz which is insufficient for gamers who routinely need more than 4000MHz. For this purpose Precision Boost Overdrive could offers a bit more performance drive for you.
Ryzen 9 3950X gaming performance
Having considered the price issue, one thing is clear: this is not a gaming CPU for high-end gamers who are looking for an affordable processor. So, the only game able to perform beyond the boundaries of 8-core CPUs is none other than the real-time strategy game Ashes of the Singularity developed by Oxide Games and Stardock Entertainment. The game is build for heavy load and ultra high performance of CPUs.
Sadly, the 3950X failed to satiate our expectations as it gave the same TDP as the Ryzen 9 3900X. The reason may be the AGESA updates that lowered its performance. In our tests we used RTX 2080 TI graphics card instead of the RTX 2060 for greater results and to see better CPU performance at 1080p ultra. The reason we checked it at lower display than 1440p or 4k is that display is a matter of graphics cards not the CPUs.
Overall the gaming performance of 3950X is good. If you are using an five years old CPU, and now planning to shift to an updated version, the performance would be mighty and excellent in every aspect. The problem, however, persists for power users who already own updated gaming gadgets and are tech savvy. When its performance is compared with its competitor i9-9900K, the 3950X is nearly 10 percent slower and the competition is in the favour of i9-9900K.
Ryzen 9 3950X Apps Performance
One thing should be made clear about Ryzen 9 3950X buying this costly CPU solely for gaming purpose is a wastage of money. You may buy a decent Ryzen 6 3600 at a very lower price and get similar performance. Though it runs games much effectively, it actually works best under higher workloads related to threads and cores efficiency.
In terms of multithreading tasks, it is 30 percent faster than previous version and that is most probably due to the AES performance. The CPU is able to endure heavy workloads during cryptography, video encoding, 3D rendering, and other such tasks.
When compared with intel’s high-end CPUs, the 3950X is much better in multithreaded performance. On an average, the performance of 3950X is 40% higher than 9900KS and 9900K.
The CPU is also a leading CPU in PCMark benchmark. Right now, intel is behind in the CPU race against AMD. But its Core i9-10980XE Extreme Edition processor is proving to be much better option, though at higher price and consumes more power than 3950X. The reason is that, though the Skylake-X architecture is impressive in performance it is a bit costly and power inefficient.
A Powerhouse of Threads and Cores
Instead of its old and inexpensive CPUs, currently AMD is in competition in terms of price as well as performance. As the performances are increasing the prices too are rising simultaneously, though Intel has dropped prices significantly to get a competitive advantage over its rivals.
Clearly, gaming is not the primary purpose of Ryzen 9 3950X CPU. No doubt this is one of the most expensive high-end CPUs available in the market. If you are considering it for gaming purpose, don’t ever do this mistake. Just buy the best graphics card, and a gaming CPU under $400 to meet your budget. This would give you more astonishing results rather than using it for gaming purpose.
However, if you are video streamer as well as a high-end gamer who want to do both tasks on the same PC, then it might be worth considering, conditioned that you have a lot of bucks in your pocket. Alternatively, you may use NVENC GPU assisted encoding on the same CPU which will give much better CPU encoding even at much lower price than this CPU.
AMD should be credited with making innovative, interesting and performance oriented CPUs. Since last few years, after shifting from FX CPUs, the company has made a huge leap forward in making efficient, and excellent CPU with great performance while its competitor “Intel” was unwilling to offer not more than 4 core desktop CPUs. Now this is the AMD Ryzen 9 3950X that has come up with 16 core, and even 32 core- chips in Threadripper Series.
Testing Results
Overall, the AMD Ryzen 9 3950X is an excellent CPU built for multithreaded tasks, other than gaming. There is no denying the fact that this CPU is ahead of traditional CPU with single cores and inefficient working. Other than playing high-performance video games, you will be able to perform roughly all of your home and office tasks especially rendering, streaming, and photo-editing using this CPU. Though it is one of the most advanced CPUs with more cores and multithreaded capability the price is still a major drawback.
