Stunning speed
This processor is stunningly fast, both in single-core or highly threaded workloads. It often has several cores running at above 4.9GHz when running programs that require only a few cores.
Even when running an app that stretches all cores, like Cinebench, it can usually have several cores running at over 4GHz whilst the rest run closer to the stated base frequency.
Indeed, it is possible to run something like Cinebench in the background and be able to use your computer for tasks like word processing without any noticeable slowdown at all! I am yet to experience a workload that makes my Ryzen 9 5900x rig feel anything other than really snappy.
When compared to a Ryzen 9 3900x it runs single core workloads in excess of 20% faster. Multicore performance is similarly faster.
A couple of points; this processor is serious overkill for a gaming rig. Games just won't use all the cores or threads. A gaming rig will obiously be fast enough with a 6 or 8 core Ryzen; you just don't need 12 cores unless you are seriously into workstation-style workloads that require heavy multithreaded processing power.
If you are doing this sort of workload, you may think a 16 core Ryzen 9 5950X should be your first choice. Maybe. It is a lot more expensive and you would have to have serious HPC requirements to justify the extra expenditure. This cpu is a content creators dream!
Furthermore, I would suggest is that you invest in a quality heatsink. If you use the heatsink that comes with the Ryzen 3000 series, the Spirit Wraith, it will be very loud, run very hot and not be able to run at its maximum speed. I have attached pictures of the rather large Be Quiet heatsink that I use inside my computer.
With a decent heatsink it'll run quickly, but stay cool and so prolong it's life. Make sure you use a decent thermal compound between the processor and heatsink. I recommend Arctic Silver 5.
Pair this with some fast memory, an NVMe PCIe 4.0 SSD and a decent RTX 30x graphics card and you'll have the workstation you've always dreamed of owning. Nothing slows it down! I admit I purchased the game Control to test out my RTX 3080 and it looks amazing in 4k, whilst the cpu never breaks into sweat!
According to Geekbench this has a single core speed in excess of, and (obviously) running multicore workloads massively outperforms, an Apple M1 (according to the benchmarks I've run on my systems, with native M1 apps on the Mac). What more could a Windows 10 user ask for from a processor?😉
Verified purchase: YesCondition: Pre-owned