AMD Ryzen 9 5900X and Ryzen 5 5600X | Review
AMD has decided to change the nomenclature of its processors, skipping the 4000 series and moving directly to the 5000. We are happy with this choice, as it creates less confusion for the final consumer: the dedicated 4000U / H family for the mobile market and 4000G for desktop systems (OEM exclusive) are based on Zen 2 architecture, while the new Ryzen 5000 take advantage of the new Zen 3 architecture.
The new AMD Ryzen 9 5900X and Ryzen 5 5600X, like all the other Ryzen 5000s, they mainly have one goal: to further improve single core performance, to reach and surpass the eternal rival Intel, even superior in that field. Will they succeed? Let's find out.
Technical specifications
As always, let's start with the technical specifications of the new processors, which are summarized in the table below. The Ryzen 9 5900X repeats the 12 core / 24 thread configuration seen on the Ryzen 9 3900X, with a boost frequency of 4.8GHz and 64MB of L3 cache. The chiplet design offers 2 CCD and 1 IOD, while the TDP is 105 watts.Compared to the 3900X, the new Ryzen 9 5900X offers a maximum boost frequency of 200MHz higher, the same number of cores and thread and the same TDP. The L2 and L3 cache and the number of PCIe 4.0 lanes do not change either, while the base frequency drops slightly and goes from 3.8 GHz to 3.7GHz.
Ryzen 9 5900X Ryzen 9 3900X Ryzen 5 5600X Ryzen 5 3600X Architecture Zen 3 Zen 2 Zen 3 Zen 2 Production Process Chiplet: 7 nm
I / O die: 12nm Chiplet: 7 nm
I / O die: 12 nm Chiplet: 7 nm
I / O die: 12 nm Chiplet: 7 nm
I / O die: 12 nm Core 12 12 6 6 Thread 24 24 12 12 Freq. base 3.7GHz 3.8GHz 3.7GHz 3.8GHz Freq. max boost 4.8GHz 4.6 GHz 4.6 GHz 4.4 GHz L2 + L3 cache 6 + 64 MB 6 + 64 MB 3 + 32 MB 3 + 32 MB PCIe lanes 24 PCIe 4.0 (4 to chipset) 24 PCIe 4.0 (4 to chipset) 24 PCIe 4.0 (4 to chipset) 24 PCIe 4.0 (4 to chipset) TDP 105 watts 105 watts 65 watts 95 watts The Ryzen 5 5600X features 6 cores and 12 threads, operating at a base frequency of 3.7GHz but are able to reach 4.6GHz in boost. The L3 cache is 32MB, while the TDP is only 65 watts. In the Ryzen 5 5600X package we also find an AMD Wraith Stealth heatsink, which allows us to use the CPU without having to rely on aftermarket solutions, as long as we do not want to overclock or manage sustained workloads.
Compared to the Ryzen 5 3600X, the new model offers a higher boost frequency (also in this case of 200MHz) and the same core / thread configuration, all with a TDP of 30 watts lower.
The news of Zen 3
As already mentioned, the new AMD Ryzen 9 5900X and Ryzen 5 5600X are based on the new Zen 3 architecture, again based on TSMC's 7nm production process. The Sunnyvale house has worked to improve virtually every aspect of Zen 2, but the most interesting novelty is certainly the improvements to the IPC.With Zen 3, in fact, AMD declared that it had achieved an increase in IPC of up to 19% compared to Zen 2, which less than two years ago increased instructions per clock by 15% compared to Zen. To achieve this result, AMD has improved the branch prediction, speeded up the recovery in case of incorrect predictions and increased the bandwidth for loading and archiving: in Zen 3 each cycle can perform 3 loads and 2 stores, against 2 loads. and 1 store of Zen 2.
The novelties of Zen 3 do not concern only the architecture, the new Ryzen 5000 have also undergone some changes to the design of the SoC architecture. In the Ryzen processors based on Zen 2 architecture we had two CCX (core complex) formed by 4 cores / 8 threads and 16MB of L3 cache for each CCD (compute die), in Zen 3 instead each CCD contains a single CCX, which includes at its internal 8 cores / 16 threads and 32MB L3 cache.
The new design greatly improves the core-to-core and core-to-cache communication speed, eliminating communication between CCX and significantly increasing performance in games and in all those use cases where low latency plays a fundamental role. AMD says this improves Zen 2's gaming performance by around 26% in 1080p, but in games that make better use of the CPU like CS: GO, League of Legends and Valorant the difference can be up to 50%.
Motherboards compatible with Ryzen 5000
The novelty that will make users happy who want to buy a new generation AMD Ryzen processor is not, in fact, a novelty. The Ryzen 5000 still use the AM4 socket, so you can install the new CPUs on current motherboards too, but which ones are compatible?At launch, the new CPUs will be able to be installed on all motherboards with 500 series chipsets, namely the X570, B550 and A520. On the support pages of the various manufacturers you will find the updated BIOS.
If you have a motherboard with a 400 series chipset, such as an X470 or a B450, you can use the new Ryzen 5000 but you will have to wait for the end of the year; the updated BIOS should arrive between December and January.
