AMD Ryzen 9 7950X vs Ryzen 9 5950X: Which should you buy between the current- and previous-gen AMD’s flagship desktop CPU? In this post, we’re going to compare the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X vs Ryzen 9 5950X to see which of these two CPUs is the new king of AMD’s flagship processor.

These two CPUs were already expensive since they are high-end models, however, the latest Ryzen 9 7950X demands a new AM5 motherboard and DDR5 memory which further makes it more expensive.

See Also: AMD Ryzen 5 7600X vs Ryzen 5 5600X: Which is Better? 

AMD Ryzen 9 7950X vs Ryzen 9 5950X

Price and Availability

Currently, the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X CPU that was released in November 2020 is cheaper. With the launch of the Ryzen 7000 series, previous Gens are now enjoying discounts. On Amazon, the Ryzen 9 5950X is priced at $550. In comparison, the newly announced Ryzen 9 7950X is priced at $699, making it the most expensive here.

In terms of their availability, the Ryzen 9 5950X is widely available for purchase. While its successor, the newly announced Ryzen 9 5950X will start selling on September 27th, 2022. You can use the box at the bottom of this post to purchase either of these CPUs.

AMD Ryzen 9 7950X	Price
Buy on Amazon US	$743.90
Buy on Amazon EUR	€869.99
Buy on Amazon UK	£769.99

AMD Ryzen 9 5950X	Price
Buy on Amazon	$684.99
Buy on Amazon UK	£638.99

See Also: AMD Ryzen 9 7950X Price and Availability 

Socket Compatibility

The AMD Ryzen 9 7950X vs Ryzen 9 5950X belongs to different CPU sockets. The former belongs to socket AM5, and the latter to socket AM4. This means the newer Ryzen 9 7950X won’t be compatible with the AM4 socket motherboard.

In other words, you’ll have to upgrade your motherboard to AM5 and memory to DDR5 before you can make use of the Ryzen 9 7950X.

See Also: AMD Ryzen 9 7900X Price and Availability

Performance

Both the Ryzen 9 7950X and the Ryzen 9 5950X have similar Core and Threads count (16-cores and 32-Threads). However, the latest Ryzen 9 7950X has a higher base and boost clock frequency of 4.5 GHz and 5.7 GHz respectively, making it speedier than the Ryzen 9 5950X.

Specs	Ryzen 9 7950X	Ryzen 9 5950X
Cores	16	16
Threads	32	32
Base Clock	4.5GHz	3.4GHz
Boost Clock	5.7GHz	4.9GHz
L3 Cache	80MP	64MB
Default TDP	170W	105W
CPU Socket	AM5	AM4

See Also: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D vs Intel Core i7-12700k: Which is better?

The performance test favors the Zen 4 CPU. On Geekbench, the Ryzen 9 7950X scored 2217 points in a single-core test and 24396 points in a multi-core test, while the 5950X had 1689 points in a single-core and 16508 multi-core. Thus, in comparison, the new AMD Ryzen 9 7950X is 31% faster in single-core and 47% faster in multicore than the Ryzen 9 5950X 

Additionally, gamers would also benefit from the AMD EXPO technology that helps to enhance gaming performance by 11% on all Ryzen 7000 series CPUs. The Ryzen 9 7950X flagship CPU is faster and has a larger cache capacity than the Ryzen 9 5950X.

See Also: AMD Ryzen 5 7600X Price and Availability 

AMD Ryzen 9 7950X vs Ryzen 9 5950X: Verdict

AMD Ryzen 9 5950X is good but the new Ryzen 9 7950X is better. The latest Zen 4 CPU has a larger cache capacity, higher base, and boost clock speeds, and supports AMD EXPO Technology that enhances the gaming experience by 11% over the Zen 3 CPU.

However, the best is not cheaper but more expensive. The Ryzen 9 7950X is not for those on a tight budget. But if you can afford it with its upgrading system to make it compatible, then it’s worth upgrading to.