AMD Ryzen 9 5900X vs Intel Core i9-10900K – The World’s Best Gaming CPU (according to AMD) comes with a new higher price
It has been an exciting time for PC gamers recently, the new RTX 3000 series has shaken up the GPU market (if you can buy one), now AMD Zen 3 is here, and in a few weeks Radeon RX 6000.
The Ryzen series of CPUs has been an amazing turning point for AMD, winning back a large percentage of the market share and the go-to option for people looking for the best bang for their buck.
However, Intel has always had one big selling point; their CPUs are better for gaming.
AMD state Ryzen 9 5900X is the star of the show
This may change with the launch of the AMD Ryzen 5000 series processors, AMD is claiming a 19% raw increase in performance-per-clock.
Then for gaming, AMD state Ryzen 9 5900X can deliver a 26% performance boost in CPU-limited games on average when compared to the recently launched Ryzen 9 3900XT.
AMD’s internal benchmarking process also claim that the Ryzen 9 5900X has an advantage compared to the Intel Core i9-10900K in the vast majority of games.
We have seen claims like this before with earlier Ryzen launches; however, previously they often cited CS:GO performance, something they perform particularly well in. This is still used, showing a 19% gain over the 10900K, they have then tested against 9 other games, many of which also offer a gain over the Intel CPU.
Benchmark Comparison
| AMD Ryzen 9 5900X VS | AMD Ryzen 9 3900XT | Intel Core i9-10900K |
| League of Legends | 50 | 21 |
| PUBG | 33 | 5 |
| DOTA 2 | 24 | 6 |
| F1 2019 | 24 | 6 |
| Battlefield V | 5 | -3 |
| Total War Three Kingdoms | 6 | 1 |
| CS:GO | 46 | 19 |
| Shadow of Tomb Raider | 28 | 6 |
| Far Cry New Dawn | 22 | 2 |
| Ashes of Singularity | 19 | 5 |
| Average | 25.7 | 6.8 |
No doubt AMD were selective on the games they chose, adding in Battlefield V so they don’t look too bias, but a performance advantage in 9 games out of 10 does look very promising. The average performance advantage across all ten games amounts to 6.8%.
CPU lineup and pricing
| AMD | Cores Threads | Base/Turbo | L3 Cache | TDP | MSRP | Price rise % |
| Ryzen 9 5950X | 16c/32t | 3400 / 4900 | 64 MB | 105 W | $799 | 6.70% |
| Ryzen 9 5900X | 12c/24t | 3700 / 4800 | 64 MB | 105 W | $549 | 10% |
| Ryzen 7 5800X | 8c/16t | 3800 / 4700 | 32 MB | 105 W | $449 | 12.50% |
| Ryzen 5 5600X | 6c/12t | 3700 / 4600 | 32 MB | 65 W | $299 | 20% |
Sadly, it is not all good news, AMD increased the price of the CPUs by $50, then all but the 5600X lack a supplied cooler.
The lack of a Wraith cooler is not a massive issue, the 3950X and 3900XT already come without one, and it’s unlikely you will spend £500 on a CPU then slap on a stock cooler, but it’s nice to have a backup.
The $50 price hike across the board is a bit of a concern. For the top of the range $799 Ryzen 9 5950X this represents a 6.7% price change, but at the bottom of the range, the Ryzen 5 5600X has seen a 20% price rise.
My maths isn’t amazing, but with claims like a 19% performance increase, the performance per dollar is effectively being reduced on the Ryzen 5 5600X, with a negligible gain on the 5800X.
However, in comparison to Intel, you should hopefully be seeing a better price/performance ratio. In the UK the Intel Core i9 10900K is £550, and the Ryzen 9 5900X should launch for around £500
Last update on 2020-10-09 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
