AMD Ryzen 9 9950X CPU tested at 160W TDP outperforms Ryzen 9 7950X at 230W with 16% performance improvement

AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X “Zen 5” processor delivers incredible performance with a TDP of just 160W, outperforming both the Core i9-14900K and the Ryzen 9 7950X.

AMD Ryzen 9 9950X “Zen 5” CPU Beats Core i9-14900K and Ryzen 9 7950X at Over 200W While Consuming Only 160W

In his AMD Ryzen 9 9950X Blender performance testing and tuning series, Anandtech forum member Igor_kavinski showed us how the 16-core flagship performs at lower TDPs in the Blender benchmark. So far, he’s shown 60W, 90W, and 120W PPT results, and now we have a new 160W PPT result that outperforms the Ryzen 9 7950X and Intel’s top Core i9 chips.

The chip used by Igor’s source is an engineering sample that should have slightly lower clocks than the retail chip. At 60W, the chip was able to get close to the Intel Core i9-12900K while boosting up to 4084MHz, and at 90W, it was able to outperform the Ryzen 9 5950X while boosting up to 5053MHz. At 120W, the chip beats all of the current top CPUs from Intel and AMD while boosting up to 5555MHz. Keep in mind that the other chips tested here are running at their maximum power ratings. Only the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X ES was tuned.

As for the 160W PPT test, the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X CPU hit 5,550MHz, which is still 150MHz below its official boost clock speed of 5,700MHz and the minimum clock speed under load was 4,700MHz. Maximum temperatures reached 59°C and we can see that the chip did not exceed the power consumption of 160 watts.

In terms of performance, the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X ES processor scored 319.7 points in the Monster test, 205.8 points in the Junkshop test, and 152.5 points in the Classroom test in Blender. Compared to the Core i9-14900K, the 160W Zen 5 processor was able to outperform it by up to 20%. The processor also outperformed the Ryzen 9 7950W which has a peak PPT of 230W, which is 43.75% higher than the 160W PPT that the Zen 5 chip was tested at while delivering up to 16% faster performance.

We have also recently seen the comparisons of various AMD Ryzen 9000 desktop processors such as the Ryzen 9 9900X, Ryzen 7 9700X, and Ryzen 5 9600X in terms of their PBO and default profiles. You can check them out here.

AMD has been leading the efficiency race with its robust Zen portfolio in recent releases and that seems to be true for the next-gen lineup as well. We’re quickly approaching the launch of the AMD Ryzen 9000 “Zen 5” desktop processors which are set to hit retail shelves later this month and we can expect plenty more testing and reviews in the coming weeks.