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One of the key advantages of reviewing the AMD Ryzen 9000 series now is that the turbulent phase of unclear marketing and unstable BIOS updates is behind us. Looking at the ArtLine Gaming X86 White build, paired with processors like the AMD Ryzen 5 9600X and Ryzen 9 9900X, we now have a platform that feels mature and stable.
In this review, I aim to answer a key question: who would benefit from this platform, who might be better off opting for its predecessor, and whether it’s worth waiting for upcoming releases.
Video about AMD Ryzen 9000
Briefly about the situation
This is not a review—it’s an analysis. I’ll draw information from various sources, using my own tests and footage only to illustrate points and maintain audience engagement. However, if you’re wondering how much better the AMD Ryzen 9000 series is compared to the Ryzen 7000 series, I’ll address that upfront: the improvement depends heavily on the context. It can either average around 25% better performance, or as little as 4-5%, with some cases where it actually underperforms compared to its predecessor. This variance is the origin of the phrase that has since caught on: “Zen 5 Percent.”
How is that even possible? The answer lies in a technological step AMD took—one that I personally regard highly, but many other journalists and reviewers criticized. This divergence largely stems from AMD’s marketing strategy, which, frankly, misfired. Targeting users like me may have been a strategic misstep, but it still deserves some analysis.
In a race for Watts
The standout advantage of the Zen 5 architecture is its remarkable energy efficiency. This seems logical—after all, very few processor architectures end up being less energy-efficient than their predecessors.
However, as I see it, the success of Apple’s in-house mobile processors has pushed both Intel and AMD to shift their focus—from raw performance to energy efficiency. This transition wasn’t seamless; some efforts stumbled initially, with certain players perhaps moving too hastily in their pursuit of this new priority.
Now, four years later, Intel has introduced its Arrow Lake architecture, which I rated very highly in the ASUS Zenbook S 14. Meanwhile, AMD has launched its Zen 5 architecture, enhanced in part by the proprietary expertise of the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC). Their efforts resulted in an impressive 26% increase in transistor density compared to the previous generation, all within the same chip area.
This led to the situation where, for example, the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X can barely, but still, outperform the AMD Ryzen 7 7700X—while consuming nearly 40% less energy. And here’s where the problem lies.
The new AMD Ryzen 9000 chips come with an average TDP reduction of about 40W. For example, the Ryzen 7600X has a TDP of 105W, while the 9600X is down to 65W. The same applies to the Ryzen 7 series. Meanwhile, the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X has seen its TDP reduced by 50W compared to the 7900X.
Problem
And this… turned out to be a problem. Because gamers don’t need a 40% increase in energy efficiency. What gamers need is a 40% boost in performance. AMD promised an IPC improvement of 10% to 25+% while also boasting about record energy efficiency. However, they didn’t clarify that users would have to choose between these factors. And, in a sense, they made the choice for us—and it wasn’t the right one. Reviewers focused primarily on FPS improvement, which, in hindsight, was the right approach.
The FPS gain, similar to what we saw in Cinebench with Linus, was around 5%—essentially the “Zen 5 Percent” effect. That’s why the 9600X was considered a failure, as the performance increase compared to the 7600X was minimal. Only recently did AMD officially revise the TDP of the new chips across all retailers, bringing them back in line with the previous generation, i.e., 105W instead of 65W, and so on.
Read also: What the AMD Ryzen 5 7600’s Integrated Graphics Can Do
In the new BIOS updates for motherboards, the power curve has now shifted focus towards performance rather than energy efficiency. Essentially, this can be switched back, and surprisingly, the option for this adjustment is quite obvious—which is unusual for a BIOS setting.
By default, when the option is set to cTDP 105, performance should be significantly higher—by 25% or more. In practice, monitoring power consumption during a stress test like Prime95 reveals that the 9600X can consume anywhere from 90W up to over 140W, depending on the cTDP setting. However, the performance difference between these two presets amounts to a maximum of 10%, and in most cases, it’s within statistical error. At least, that was my experience during improvised tests.
My position
I’ve always been, and remain, opposed to the 105W TDP. I side with the previous status quo, where TDP was set at 65W. Why? Because the lack of energy efficiency in desktop processors—specifically, the absence of it—has been a concern of mine for years. When I saw flagship processors from both Intel and AMD consuming nearly 300W on their own, it wasn’t immediately clear to me, but eventually, I realized the potential consequences this could have for both humanity and each of us individually.
Excessive power consumption impacts the motherboard’s power delivery requirements—mid-range boards simply won’t suffice, and flagship models are necessary. As for cooling, even the most high-end air coolers, like the be quiet! Dark Rock Elite or a 420mm AIO, might not be enough. What’s needed are more exotic solutions, such as the ProCyphon Elite or an open-loop liquid cooling system.
Power supplies now need to be at least 100W more powerful than before, and ideally, one step higher in energy efficiency. This means moving from 80 Plus Silver to 80 Plus Gold, which, of course, increases the cost.
And all of this requires a larger case and a bunch of effective fans. Yet, there will still be trade-offs to consider. For example, with a 420mm AIO cooler mounted at the front of the case, the hot air from the processor will be blown back into the case, raising the temperature of other system components.
The hotter the processor, the more difficult it becomes for the GPU, motherboard, and storage drives. If you place the radiator at the top, the processor’s temperature will increase by around 10°C, since the air flowing through the radiator will be heated from inside the case rather than fresh. And that’s not even considering the summer heat or blackouts, where every watt-hour counts. When I saw Linus’ review showing a 40% improvement in energy efficiency, I realized it was time to stop panicking. Everything is fine. The market has finally moved in the right direction.
Actually, the build from ArtLine
Here’s an example: the ArtLine Gaming X86 White build. The processor here is the AMD Ryzen 5 9600X. Even during intense stress tests in Prime95, it maintains a frequency close to 5000 MHz (in 105W mode, but still impressive).
It easily unlocks the full potential of GPUs like the RTX 4070—specifically, the ASUS TUF RTX 4070 Ti Super is installed in this build.
The motherboard is a budget-friendly ASUS Prime B650m-A, and it’s more than sufficient for this build. The power supply is a 700W 80 Plus Gold unit, which is only necessary due to the RTX 4070; the processor doesn’t require that much. As for cooling, it’s a 240W AIO liquid cooler.
It looks a bit odd, considering the ASUS A21 case can fit a 360mm radiator, yet here there’s only a half-sized one. It may seem amusing, but an AIO cooler is actually a more practical choice for heavy builds, as it’s less likely to detach during transportation, unlike bulky air coolers that can be prone to detachment due to their weight.
Of course, the packaging in ArtLine includes polypropylene spacers for support, but still, liquid coolers are the more practical option.
And don’t worry, if you’re looking for a super-powerful processor for rendering, gaming, and virtualization, the Zen 5 lineup has some less noticeable budget-friendly options like the AMD Ryzen 9 9800X3D, and there are already early reports about the 9950X3D. It’s likely that these models won’t have the same frequency limitations.
Yes, the price is astronomical – it was, is, and will be. But when I think about a build with the 9950X3D, I don’t picture an Intel equivalent. Builds with the Core i9-14900KS – which consumes up to 320W in PL1 mode – were guaranteed to be loud and hot. A 9950X3D-powered PC unicorn, on the other hand, will be both powerful and quiet. And that’s really, really impressive.
Cons of the generation
Now, are there any drawbacks to the AMD Ryzen 9000 series? First of all, the performance of the integrated graphics hasn’t improved. This is a bit of a downside – for example, in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow of Chernobyl, the FPS remains around 300 on the iGPU, just as it was before. This is because the focus is on IPC rather than the performance of the integrated graphics.
Next, support for CU-DIMM. I’m not sure if the Ryzen 9000 series will have this support, but if it does, it could mean bad news for the entire Intel Arrow Lake generation, as they would lose the 25% advantage gained from RAM.
Cost
If you need to build the cheapest setup on AM5, unfortunately, Ryzen 5 7500F is the best option.
If you have the budget for a gaming prebuilt, go for Ryzen 9000 without hesitation. It’s worth mentioning that processors like the Ryzen 5 9600X don’t come with boxed coolers. However, if having a boxed cooler is a priority for you, then the Ryzen 5 7500F would be your best choice, not one of the new releases.
A final reminder: Don’t forget to update Windows 11 to at least version 24H2. This will boost the performance of your AMD Ryzen processors by 10%.
Conclusions
In conclusion, from my perspective, the AMD Ryzen 9000 series on Zen 5 was a solid and cost-effective choice even at launch. Now, it has only improved. If you don’t need to worry about budget constraints, the latest models are a good option for building a PC. However, if you’re on a tighter budget, the Ryzen 7000 series still offers the most affordable components. That said, it’s encouraging to see the right trends in the industry, and my confidence in its direction is now stronger than ever.
Read also:
- Zalman Reserator 5 Z36 ARGB Liquid Cooling Review
- IRDM Pro Nano 1TB Gaming SSD Review
- ASUS TUF Gaming X870-Plus Wi-Fi Motherboard Review
