AMD Ryzen 7 7700X vs. Ryzen 9 7950X: Which CPU is best?

Both the AMD Ryzen 7 7700X and AMD Ryzen 9 7950X are competent processors, especially for the price. Modern desktop processors are excellent compared to what was available years past. Regardless of which you’d eventually pick, you’re going to have a powerful PC. But which is the best CPU?

For performance, the only choice is the Ryzen 9 7950X. It’s outright better with double the number of cores and threads. This allows the processor to score much higher in benchmarks that can take advantage of more physical cores. This is especially useful in creator suites like video and photo editing software or working with big data.

The AMD Ryzen 7 7700X is a better value pick and has enough performance for modern games.

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AMD Ryzen 7 7700X AMD Ryzen 9 7950X
Released 2022 2022
Cores 8 16
Threads 16 32
Speed Up to 5.4GHz Up to 5.7GHz
Cache 40MB 80MB
GPU Radeon (2 cores) Radeon (2 cores)
TDP 105W 170W
Price $399 $699

The AMD Ryzen 7 7700X comes in at $399 whilst the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X commands a price tag of $699. With this generation of processors from AMD, it’s possible to save even more and opt for the Ryzen 5 7600X, a very powerful processor in its own right. But if you need even more from the chip, the Ryzen 7 and Ryzen 9 offers just that.

The two AMD Ryzen processors were released in 2022 as part of the Zen 4 launch. They’re built using the same architecture and have an iGPU, but that’s where the similarities end. The Ryzen 9 7950X has 8 additional cores, is able to boost higher to 5.7GHz, and has double the amount of cache, but this all results in a significantly higher TDP.

Performance

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AMD Ryzen 7 7700X

(Image credit: Future)

To test processors, we use a suite of benchmarks. These are synthetic tests and while they don’t provide a good look into how it’ll perform in real-world scenarios, the results will allow us to rank the processors by how much performance is available. Looking at the charts below, it’s clear to see just how much of a difference the additional cores make.

The AMD Ryzen 9 7950X is about as good as you can get from AMD without going into Threadripper territory. When it comes to comparing processors, performance is the most prominent metric, followed by power and thermals.

Intel and AMD are making good use of the available thermal headroom with 13th Gen and Ryzen 7000 processors. This means that regardless of which Ryzen processor you pick from this generation, you’ll see high-temperature readings. This is by design and AMD states the processors are capable of running at a sustained 95C.

Pairing the AMD Ryzen 7 7700X with a capable GPU will create quite the gaming PC that can handle most modern PC games. Upping your game to the Ryzen 9 7950X and you’ve got ample performance for games that can make use of it. But really, the latter CPU should be used primarily for heavier workloads.

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