PassMark CPU Mark evaluates processor speed through complex mathematical computations. It provides a reliable metric to compare multi-core performance, where higher scores indicate faster processing for multitasking, gaming, and heavy workloads.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, productivity performance, platform differences, power efficiency, pricing context, and upgrade path so you can see which CPU actually makes more sense.

Ryzen 9 5900X

2020

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +37.4% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+100% larger total L3 cache (64 MB vs 32 MB).
✅Costs $450 less on MSRP ($549 MSRP vs $999 MSRP).
✅Delivers 221.1% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 71.0 vs 22.1 PassMark/$ ($549 MSRP vs $999 MSRP).
✅Draws 105W instead of 180W, a 75W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Ryzen Threadripper 1950, which brings 16 cores / 32 threads and 64 PCIe lanes.

Ryzen Threadripper 1950

2017

Why buy it

✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 16 cores / 32 threads, plus 64 PCIe lanes vs 24.
✅166.7% more PCIe lanes (64 vs 24) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 9 5900X across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower Cinebench R23 multi-core (18,780 vs 21,000).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (32 MB vs 64 MB).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 22.1 vs 71.0 PassMark/$ ($999 MSRP vs $549 MSRP).
❌71.4% higher power demand at 180W vs 105W.

Ryzen 9 5900X

2020

Ryzen Threadripper 1950

2017

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +37.4% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+100% larger total L3 cache (64 MB vs 32 MB).
✅Costs $450 less on MSRP ($549 MSRP vs $999 MSRP).
✅Delivers 221.1% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 71.0 vs 22.1 PassMark/$ ($549 MSRP vs $999 MSRP).
✅Draws 105W instead of 180W, a 75W reduction.

Why buy it

✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 16 cores / 32 threads, plus 64 PCIe lanes vs 24.
✅166.7% more PCIe lanes (64 vs 24) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Ryzen Threadripper 1950, which brings 16 cores / 32 threads and 64 PCIe lanes.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 9 5900X across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower Cinebench R23 multi-core (18,780 vs 21,000).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (32 MB vs 64 MB).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 22.1 vs 71.0 PassMark/$ ($999 MSRP vs $549 MSRP).
❌71.4% higher power demand at 180W vs 105W.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 9 5900X better than Ryzen Threadripper 1950?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. Ryzen Threadripper 1950 makes more sense for workstation-style multi-core throughput, while Ryzen 9 5900X is the better mainstream desktop choice for gaming, platform cost, and day-to-day practicality.

Which one is better for gaming?

If gaming is the priority, Ryzen 9 5900X is the better pick here. According to our tests, it delivers 37.4% more average FPS across 50 shared CPU game tests.

Which one is better for streaming, content creation, and heavy multitasking?

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 9 5900X is the better fit. You are getting 11.8% better Cinebench R23 multi-core, backed by 12 cores and 24 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 100% larger total L3 cache (64 MB vs 32 MB).

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper CPU?

Ryzen 9 5900X is the smarter buy today. Ryzen 9 5900X is $450 cheaper on MSRP at $549 MSRP versus $999 MSRP, and it gives you a 37.4% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 221.1% better value on MSRP (71.0 vs 22.1 PassMark/$), so the better CPU is not just faster, it is also the cleaner value play on paper.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

Ryzen 9 5900X is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2020 vs 2017), 100% larger total L3 cache (64 MB vs 32 MB), and more multi-core headroom with 12 cores / 24 threads instead of 16/32. That extra compute headroom should age better as games, background tasks, and creator workloads get heavier.

Games Benchmarks

Paired with RTX 4090

To accurately isolate CPU performance, all benchmarks below use an NVIDIA RTX 4090 as the reference GPU. This eliminates GPU-side bottlenecks and highlights pure processing throughput differences between the CPUs.

Note: Real-world results may vary based on your actual GPU. CPU performance impact is more visible in processing-intensive titles and high-refresh-rate gaming scenarios.

Ryzen 9 5900X Benchmark Check

Ryzen Threadripper 1950 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Ryzen 9 5900X	Ryzen Threadripper 1950
1080p
low	323 FPS	173 FPS
medium	291 FPS	153 FPS
high	243 FPS	124 FPS
ultra	193 FPS	99 FPS
1440p
low	307 FPS	139 FPS
medium	248 FPS	117 FPS
high	192 FPS	92 FPS
ultra	157 FPS	74 FPS
4K
low	193 FPS	65 FPS
medium	156 FPS	59 FPS
high	115 FPS	46 FPS
ultra	103 FPS	36 FPS

Open Ryzen 9 5900X Open Ryzen Threadripper 1950

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Ryzen 9 5900X	Ryzen Threadripper 1950
1080p
low	772 FPS	336 FPS
medium	647 FPS	304 FPS
high	508 FPS	261 FPS
ultra	450 FPS	210 FPS
1440p
low	619 FPS	287 FPS
medium	536 FPS	264 FPS
high	443 FPS	228 FPS
ultra	364 FPS	182 FPS
4K
low	365 FPS	184 FPS
medium	318 FPS	169 FPS
high	289 FPS	147 FPS
ultra	255 FPS	115 FPS

Open Ryzen 9 5900X Open Ryzen Threadripper 1950

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Ryzen 9 5900X	Ryzen Threadripper 1950
1080p
low	832 FPS	552 FPS
medium	645 FPS	505 FPS
high	558 FPS	458 FPS
ultra	459 FPS	407 FPS
1440p
low	721 FPS	531 FPS
medium	565 FPS	439 FPS
high	488 FPS	385 FPS
ultra	407 FPS	341 FPS
4K
low	511 FPS	401 FPS
medium	421 FPS	318 FPS
high	374 FPS	281 FPS
ultra	308 FPS	234 FPS

Open Ryzen 9 5900X Open Ryzen Threadripper 1950

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Ryzen 9 5900X	Ryzen Threadripper 1950
1080p
low	974 FPS	552 FPS
medium	974 FPS	552 FPS
high	934 FPS	552 FPS
ultra	826 FPS	487 FPS
1440p
low	959 FPS	552 FPS
medium	843 FPS	535 FPS
high	726 FPS	462 FPS
ultra	617 FPS	391 FPS
4K
low	694 FPS	416 FPS
medium	621 FPS	382 FPS
high	541 FPS	343 FPS
ultra	437 FPS	295 FPS

Open Ryzen 9 5900X Open Ryzen Threadripper 1950

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Ryzen 9 5900X and Ryzen Threadripper 1950

Ryzen 9 5900X

The Ryzen 9 5900X is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 5 November 2020 (5 years ago). It is based on the Vermeer (Zen3) (2020−2022) architecture. It features 12 cores and 24 threads. Base frequency is 3.7 GHz, with boost up to 4.8 GHz. L3 cache: 64 MB. L2 cache: 512K (per core). Built on 7 nm, 12 nm process technology. Socket: AM4. Thermal design power (TDP): 105 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-3200. Passmark benchmark score: 38,955 points. Launch price was $549.

Ryzen Threadripper 1950

The Ryzen Threadripper 1950 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 29 July 2017 (8 years ago). It is based on the Zen (2017−2020) architecture. It features 16 cores and 32 threads. Base frequency is 3.2 GHz, with boost up to 3.2 GHz. L3 cache: 32 MB. L2 cache: 512 kB (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: SP3r2. Thermal design power (TDP): 180 Watt. Memory support: DDR4 Quad-channel. Passmark benchmark score: 22,077 points. Launch price was $299.

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Processing Power

The Ryzen 9 5900X packs 12 cores / 24 threads, while the Ryzen Threadripper 1950 offers 16 cores / 32 threads — the Ryzen Threadripper 1950 has 4 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.8 GHz on the Ryzen 9 5900X versus 3.2 GHz on the Ryzen Threadripper 1950 — a 40% clock advantage for the Ryzen 9 5900X (base: 3.7 GHz vs 3.2 GHz). The Ryzen 9 5900X uses the Vermeer (Zen3) (2020−2022) architecture (7 nm, 12 nm), while the Ryzen Threadripper 1950 uses Zen (2017−2020) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Ryzen 9 5900X scores 38,955 against the Ryzen Threadripper 1950's 22,077 — a 55.3% lead for the Ryzen 9 5900X. Cinebench R23 multi-core: 21,000 vs 18,780 (11.2% advantage for the Ryzen 9 5900X). Geekbench 6 single-core — the metric most relevant to gaming — records 2,174 vs 1,961, a 10.3% lead for the Ryzen 9 5900X that directly translates to higher frame rates. Multi-core Geekbench: 11,888 vs 10,100 (16.3% advantage for the Ryzen 9 5900X). L3 cache: 64 MB on the Ryzen 9 5900X vs 32 MB on the Ryzen Threadripper 1950.

Feature	Ryzen 9 5900X	Ryzen Threadripper 1950
Cores / Threads	12 / 24	16 / 32+33%
Boost Clock	4.8 GHz+50%	3.2 GHz
Base Clock	3.7 GHz+16%	3.2 GHz
L3 Cache	64 MB+100%	32 MB
L2 Cache	512K (per core)	512 kB (per core)
Process	7 nm, 12 nm-50%	14 nm
Architecture	Vermeer (Zen3) (2020−2022)	Zen (2017−2020)
PassMark	38,955+76%	22,077
Cinebench R23 Multi	21,000+12%	18,780
Geekbench 6 Single	2,174+11%	1,961
Geekbench 6 Multi	11,888+18%	10,100

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Ryzen 9 5900X uses the AM4 socket (PCIe 4.0), while the Ryzen Threadripper 1950 uses SP3r2 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Both support up to DDR4-3200 memory speed. Both support up to 128 GB of RAM. Memory channels: 2 (Ryzen 9 5900X) vs 4 (Ryzen Threadripper 1950). PCIe lanes: 24 (Ryzen 9 5900X) vs 64 (Ryzen Threadripper 1950) — the Ryzen Threadripper 1950 offers 40 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: A320,B350,X370,B450,X470,B550,X570 (Ryzen 9 5900X) and X399 (Ryzen Threadripper 1950).

Feature	Ryzen 9 5900X	Ryzen Threadripper 1950
Socket	AM4	SP3r2
PCIe Generation	PCIe 4.0	PCIe 4.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-3200	DDR4-2666
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB	128 GB
RAM Channels	2	4+100%
ECC Support	Yes	Yes
PCIe Lanes	24	64+167%

🔧

Advanced Features

Both processors feature an unlocked multiplier for overclocking. Both support AMD-V virtualization. Primary use case: Ryzen 9 5900X targets Workstation, Ryzen Threadripper 1950 targets Workstation. Direct competitor: Ryzen 9 5900X rivals Core i9-12900K; Ryzen Threadripper 1950 rivals Core i9-7960X.

Feature	Ryzen 9 5900X	Ryzen Threadripper 1950
Integrated GPU	No	No
Unlocked	Yes	Yes
AVX-512	No	No
Virtualization	AMD-V	AMD-V
Target Use	Workstation	Workstation

💰

Value Analysis

The Ryzen 9 5900X launched at $549 MSRP, while the Ryzen Threadripper 1950 debuted at $999. On MSRP ($549 vs $999), the Ryzen 9 5900X is $450 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Ryzen 9 5900X delivers 71.0 pts/$ vs 22.1 pts/$ for the Ryzen Threadripper 1950 — making the Ryzen 9 5900X the 105% better value option.