AMD Ryzen 5 9600X Review – Preferred narrow fare instead of high-end, but interesting is actually something completely different

1 - Introduction and technical data 2 - Test setup and methods 3 - Gaming Performance HD Ready (1280 x 720 Pixels) 4 - Gaming Performance Full HD (1920 x 1080 Pixels) 5 - Gaming Performance WQHD (2560 x 1440 Pixels) 6 - Gaming Performance Ultra-HD (3840 x 2160 Pixels) 7 - Power consumption and efficiency 8 - Temperatures, summary and conclusion

Testing the AMD Ryzen 5 9600X as a harbinger of AMD’s new Ryzen 9000 series would only really be a cracker if AMD had raised the bar to completely new heights in terms of either performance or price or both. That’s not exactly the case, but the test is still very interesting because you have to look at all the charts in their entirety. What happens at the lower end may certainly still be relevant for the higher entry level, but I also had to benchmark everything above it and see it in relation.

And this is exactly where it gets exciting, because AMD can sit back and relax and watch with a noble gesture of nonchalance and amusement as half of Intel’s refresh performance crown disappears back into the prop chamber without any action on its part. They didn’t even have to let the big boys do it, but the benchmarkers were allowed to do it at their own expense with the latest Intel firmware. But more on that in a moment.

Important preliminary remark

Before I come back to the Ryzen 5 9600X, I want to make an important preliminary remark for today’s test, which is very important for understanding the following bars. On the one hand, the Core i7-14700K, which was also tested in the Raptor Lake S refresh, is missing because it has become uncomfortable under stress and has degraded itself to a drawer soldier, and on the other hand, all Intel CPUs have lost performance due to the changed firmware, the other settings and various security updates, while some Ryzen was able to benefit more from all the AGESA variants that were subsequently added than was lost through security updates. What Intel will then release as firmware at the end of August can be booked in advance as a further loss.

Fine Wine is of course a hackneyed term, but at least the Ryzen 7000s now do exactly what you could read in the slides at the launch. I’m not so sure about Intel anymore. And in between, a lively oldie jumps through the test field in the form of the Ryzen 7 5800X3D, which somehow can’t be killed off either.

Since the Ryzen 5 9600X (with a few exceptions) stands out from the Ryzen 5 7600X in terms of performance in the single-digit percentage range (but some applications also in double digits) and (certainly not only) this whole benchmark shifting goes against my schedule, I have deliberately omitted the otherwise obligatory workstation tests for the time being, because they will be available on August 15, 2024, i.e. next week, then in full length for all CPUs. I apologize for the inconvenience, but I simply don’t have the time here. But I’m making it just as easy as AMD: postponing and baking smaller rolls for now is also a solution.

The New Ryzen 5 9600X Overview

The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X is a mid-range processor from the Granite Ridge family, built on the Zen 5 architecture. Released in Q3 2024, it’s designed for desktop use. The processor features 6 cores and 12 threads, operating at a base clock speed of 3.9 GHz, with the ability to reach up to 5.4 GHz thanks to Turbo Core technology. It’s manufactured using a 4 nm process, which enhances its energy efficiency. The Ryzen 5 9600X supports PCIe 5.0 and utilizes the AM5 socket. With a TDP (Thermal Design Power) of 65 watts, it is relatively power-efficient. The L3 cache size is 32 MB, contributing to fast data processing.

However, instead of going into more detail here, I’ll let the slides speak for themselves, as they cover everything comprehensively. I can already spoil that the Ryzen 5 9600X closely rivals the older Ryzen 7 7700X, often performing nearly as fast despite having two fewer cores. Given that my benchmarks today largely benefit from 8 or more threads, the positioning of the 9600X is understandable and even more impressive. As for the values AMD provides for Intel CPUs, I find them somewhat puzzling. Although the updates and different settings have significantly changed things, I still can’t quite match the results shown in the slides. I’ll leave that statement as is, without further comment.

And for the very inquisitive and / or forgetful, there is also a foliated deep dive through the Zen5 architecture. That should be enough of an introduction for now.