AMD has returned with a new budget CPU aiming to dominate the gaming processor market. The Ryzen 5 9600X debuts the Zen 5 architecture, showcasing performance improvements over its predecessor, the Ryzen 5 7600X. However, our Ryzen 5 9600X review reveals it’s not a clear victory for AMD’s latest offering. Significant price drops on the previous generation Ryzen 5 7600X have made it an incredibly compelling budget CPU. Although the Ryzen 5 9600X demonstrably outperforms in benchmarks, the Ryzen 5 7600X stands out due to its exceptional value.
On paper, the specifications of the Ryzen 5 9600X don’t offer many surprises. Both it and the last-gen Ryzen 5 7600X share six cores, 12 threads, identical cache sizes, and the same 65W TDP. The only notable difference is a 100MHz boost to the Ryzen 5 9600X’s clock speed, which doesn’t drastically alter the performance equation. The real disparity between these two chips lies in their architecture. The Ryzen 5 9600X leverages the Zen 5 architecture, offering several key advantages over the Zen 4 architecture featured in the Ryzen 5 7600X. AMD prioritized single-core performance in Zen 5, which is evident in our performance testing. Zen 5 also incorporates a dedicated 512-bit data path for AVX-512 instructions, delivering a significant boost for various applications, from AI workloads to PS3 emulation. This new architecture undeniably grants the Ryzen 5 9600X an edge in real-world applications. However, the extent of this advantage can vary widely. Given that both processors are limited to six cores, AMD’s latest CPU doesn’t offer a significant uplift in heavily-threaded applications.
The pricing landscape for the Ryzen 5 9600X and Ryzen 5 7600X is an interesting point. Based on list prices, AMD actually reduced prices with its newer Zen 5 CPUs. The Ryzen 5 9600X is priced at $279, while the previous generation Ryzen 5 7600X launched at $299. However, retail pricing paints a different picture. The Ryzen 5 9600X is currently holding steady at $279, and this price is expected to remain consistent for several months. As time progresses, its price will likely drop, especially if Intel’s upcoming Arrow Lake CPUs pose a competitive threat. But until the end of the year, the Ryzen 5 9600X will set you back around $279. Meanwhile, the Ryzen 5 7600X is currently available at retailers for only $197, and you can even snag the Ryzen 5 7600 (non-X) for $182 with minimal performance difference. This price point is unlikely to rise. Although I don’t anticipate a significant price drop for the Ryzen 5 7600X in the coming months, it certainly won’t exceed $200. For perspective, the Ryzen 5 5600X, two generations older than the Ryzen 5 9600X, is currently selling for $135. Fortunately, with these two chips, you only need to factor in the cost of the CPU. Both utilize the AM5 socket and will work seamlessly with 600-series and the upcoming 700-series motherboards. You will also need DDR5 memory to use either CPU, but thankfully, DDR5 prices have been steadily declining in recent months.
The Ryzen 5 9600X’s primary advantage lies in its single-core performance, which is immediately apparent in Y-Cruncher. This application, designed to calculate a specified number of digits of Pi (I opted for 500 million), provides a close approximation of a CPU’s raw performance. It’s all about raw mathematical calculations here. While the Ryzen 5 9600X exhibits a slight edge in multi-core performance, it completes the calculation nearly twice as fast as the Ryzen 5 7600X when considering single-core performance. However, few applications rely solely on a single core today, so the performance gains in real-world applications are less dramatic. As seen in Photoshop, the Ryzen 5 9600X maintains a slight lead of 7%. This is a solid improvement, but the Ryzen 5 9600X is also about 40% more expensive. In this specific application, the performance improvement doesn’t justify the cost. Thankfully, this performance jump of between 5% and 10% translates to applications that heavily utilize multiple cores. Handbrake is a prime example, where the Ryzen 5 9600X managed to reduce transcoding time by 8%. Similarly, in Blender, I observed an improvement of around 7% with the Ryzen 5 9600X compared to its last-gen counterpart. There are instances where the Ryzen 5 9600X can be as much as 40% faster than the Ryzen 5 7600X, but these situations are relatively rare. In most applications leveraging more than a single core, you can expect a performance increase of at most 10%, with an average of around 6% to 7%. If gaming isn’t your primary concern, the Ryzen 5 7600X currently offers a superior value proposition.
CPUs like the Ryzen 5 9600X and Ryzen 5 7600X excel in gaming, providing solid performance at a reasonable price point, assuming you don’t require a full eight cores. You might assume the Ryzen 5 9600X dominates in games due to its robust single-core performance lead, but that’s not always the case. 3DMark Time Spy serves as a benchmark here, with the Ryzen 5 9600X offering an underwhelming 6% lead over the Ryzen 5 7600X. It’s crucial to note that this is the CPU score from 3DMark Time Spy, not the overall score. This score should highlight the largest difference between these two CPUs, and even then, the increase is minor. Diving into actual games, the Ryzen 5 9600X delivers performance ranging from exceptional to disappointing. In Far Cry 6, it was a remarkable 20% faster than the Ryzen 5 7600X. However, in Gears Tactics and Hitman 3, the performance improvements were barely noticeable. Similar to productivity performance, there’s no doubt the Ryzen 5 9600X is faster. It’s just not significantly faster to justify the price premium compared to the Ryzen 5 7600X. There’s one exception, and that’s AVX-512. LeelaChessZero is an AI chess engine that utilizes AVX-512 instructions, and the dedicated data path on the Ryzen 5 9600X results in nearly double the performance of the Ryzen 5 7600X. It’s a substantial uplift. For gamers, this is particularly relevant for PS3 emulation, which extensively employs AVX-512 instructions.
Which budget CPU reigns supreme? At this moment, the Ryzen 5 7600X is tough to beat. While the Ryzen 5 9600X delivers a performance boost of roughly 5% to 10%, it can’t justify being 40% more expensive. Considering both CPUs share the same platform and boast nearly identical specifications, this comparison leans heavily in favor of the Ryzen 5 7600X. It offers a far better value proposition, at least as of this writing. However, keep a close eye on pricing. As time progresses, the Ryzen 5 9600X will become more affordable, and it’s undeniably faster than the Ryzen 5 7600X. Personally, I would stick with the Ryzen 5 7600X as long as the Ryzen 5 9600X remains above $240. Once AMD’s latest drops below that price, it becomes a much more appealing option from a value perspective.
