I'm making the switch to AMD from an Intel i5-9600K and can get either the Ryzen 7 5700X or the Ryzen 9 3900X at the same low price, including the motherboards (B450/B550). I've read that the 5700X is better based on newer architecture and efficiency, but I'm confused about raw performance. Shouldn't the 3900X with its 12 cores and 24 threads dominate the 5700X, which has only 8 cores and 16 threads? The clock speeds are also higher on the 3900X (3.8GHz base vs. 3.4GHz for the 5700X), and it has more cache. So how does the 5700X outperform the 3900X? Is it because it heats up more and can't boost as high? Would the 5700X, especially in its XT variant, perform better if I have decent cooling? I'm really trying to understand how the newer architecture plays into this. What am I missing?
3 Answers
You've got to consider that the 3900X performs better in heavy multitasking and workstation tasks, but for gaming, the 5700X does have the edge. Not all games can utilize all those extra cores on the 3900X, and often only a couple of cores are fully utilized. The architectural improvements in the 5700X help it shine under these conditions, especially with the single CCD design reducing latency.
It's also worth noting that newer architectures have better instructions per clock (IPC), which means the 5700X is designed to do more with less. The 3900X has to deal with two dies, which can lead to performance losses in certain scenarios, especially in gaming. So, while additional cores can seem appealing, they don't always translate to better gaming performance if the IPC is higher in the architecture of the 5700X.
Wow, this makes it much clearer. Thanks for breaking it down!
The 5700X is more efficient at completing instructions per clock cycle, meaning it can handle tasks better despite having fewer cores. Think of it as being able to do more work with each tick of the clock! Plus, the newer Zen 3 architecture brings significant improvements in performance compared to the older Zen 2 in the 3900X. So, while the 3900X has more cores, the 5700X can often outperform it in many gaming scenarios due to these architectural advantages.
Really? So, does that mean I should prioritize buying the 5700X over the 3900X for gaming then?
Got it! So if I’m mainly gaming, the 5700X is the way to go?