Chipmaker AMD continues with its Ryzen 9000 Series of processors with the Ryzen 9 model, which comes in two variants — the Ryzen 9 9900X and the Ryzen 9 9950X.
This article will focus on the 9900X, which is the more cost-effective option. The key features of the Ryzen 9 9900X include:
- Cores: 12
- Threads: 24
- Socket Platform: AM5
- Architecture: Zen 5
- Max Boost: 5.6GHz
- Base Clock: 4.4GHz
- L2 Cache: 12x1MB
- L3 Cache: 64MB
- Thermal Design Power (TDP): 120W
- Default Package Power Tracking (PPT): 162W
- Max Electrical Design Current (EDC): 180A
- Max Thermal Design Current (TDC): 120A
- Maximum Junction Temperature (TJMax): 95°C
- Typical Loaded Temperatures: 70-90°C
- Max Memory Speed (Non-OC): DDR5-5600 (2x16GB)
The most noticeable difference between the 9900X and the Ryzen 5 and 7 9000 series is the significant increase in power capabilities. In order to fully utilize its 12 cores, AMD has enhanced the TDP, PPT, EDC, and TDC to deliver better performance.
AMD has received feedback from customers regarding the increased power and thermal consumption of their processors.
As a solution, the 9900X is designed to be paired with a 240mm or 280mm all-in-one (AIO) cooler for efficient and straightforward cooling, for the power limited mode.
Larger radiators or custom liquid cooling loops are suggested for achieving the highest sustained clock speeds.
For testing purposes, the 9900X was paired with a Gigabyte Auros Master motherboard, Radeon RX 7600X 8GB GPU, and 16 GB RAM.
An AMD air cooler was used during the testing to assess the performance of the 9900X under limited power, replicating economical desktop setups.
AMD also provided gaming performance reference data. The data was tested using the same motherboard but with a Radeon 7900 XTX 24GB GPU and was compared with an Intel Core i9-14900K.
In the Unigine Superposition Benchmark program, the average frames-per-second (FPS) reached 85 at 1080p resolution and “High” graphic settings. At 4k optimized resolution and graphic settings, it achieved an average of 49 FPS.
The game “Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands” (TTW) benchmark showed an average of 89 FPS, and an average of 90 FPS during gameplay, both at “High” graphic settings. It ran at 13% CPU usage and at 68°C.
On the AMD reference data, TWW performed with 276 FPS, closely matching Intel’s 275 FPS.
In “Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War III” (DoW 3), the 9900X produced an average of 170 FPS in both the benchmark and gameplay, at “High” graphic settings, 67°C, and 1080p resolution.
The AMD reference data, using the same settings, achieved an average of 252 FPS, significantly higher than Intel’s 210 FPS.
The simulated racing game “Dirt 5” achieved an average of 132 FPS in the benchmark at “High” graphic settings and 1080p resolution.
It ran smoothly, but the image quality was slightly grainy at that resolution. It still ran smoothly at 4k resolution, with an average FPS of 75.
The AMD reference data shows that it ran at an average of 331 FPS at 1080p resolution, significantly higher than Intel’s 289 FPS.
Despite the considerable price difference from the Ryzen 5 and 7, the Ryzen 9 9900X delivers competitive performance that rivals other top-of-the-line processors.
Its energy-efficient performance and improved AI handling future-proof the 9900X, setting it ahead of the competition.
The 9900X is designed for overclocking with the appropriate cooling system, making it perfect for serious PC rigs.
The Ryzen 9 9900X is available at a retail price of P29,500.
