An engineering sample of the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X processor has been put to the test once more, delivering a 16% uplift over its predecessor. The chip managed to push more performance while consuming less power.
Published by an Anandtech forum user, these Blender test results show the upcoming Ryzen 9 9950X is able to render around 205 samples per minute in the Junkshop test. Better yet, it only consumed 160W PPT. This puts it firmly in the running for our best CPU list at nearly 16% faster than Ryzen 9 7950X. That said, on the Monster and Classroom tests, the uplift was more modest sitting around 8%.
But that’s not all. We already know the latest series aims to be more energy efficient. Ryzen 9 9950X managed to pull that while consuming less at 160W PPT, compared to Ryzen 9 7950X’s 230W PPT. As a reminder, PPT stands for Package Power Tracking, which is roughly 35% higher than TDP (Thermal Design Power). Of course, this assumes AMD keeps the same ratio as its Ryzen 7000 CPUs. PPT measures the power sent to the CPU socket, putting 9950X’s TDP at around 120W. The previous 7950X runs at 170W with less performance.
Being an engineering sample means this might not be the chip’s full potential since these tend to run at reduced clocks or TDP. We already know 9950X can run up to 170W TDP, so these 120W TDP tests with PBO (Precision Boost Overdrive) enabled leave some performance on the table. You can expect the fully unlocked retail versions to do a little better, especially when enabling PBO.
Lastly, when configured at 90W PPT, the Ryzen 9 9950X outperformed the 5950X. Even more impressive, the chip beat Intel’s Core i9-12900K at a super-low 60W PPT. AMD’s Zen 5 appears to be fairly efficient, to the chagrin of our electric utility company.