AMD may have created the most powerful mainstream processor to date when it comes to multi-threaded workloads. Their Ryzen 9 3950X fulfills the promise of HEDT performance on mainstream platforms but taking on their rival's flagship 18 core chip at stock clocks, that's a whole new level for mainstream performance.

AMD Ryzen 9 3950X Benchmarked in Geekbench, $1250 US Cheaper Than Intel's Flagship Core i9-9980XE With 18 Cores Yet Obliterates It In Single & Multi-Threaded Workloads

The performance numbers for the AMD Ryzen 9 3950X processor were revealed in Geekbench 4 (via TUM_Apisak). The system was running on an AMD Myrtle platform, the codename used internally for AMD's test platform, along with 32 GB of DDR4 (4100 MHz). The exact clock speeds of the chips are not being reported since the base frequency is mentioned as 3.30 GHz and 4.30 GHz compared to the final specifications of 3.50 GHz and 4.70 GHz for base/boost clocks, respectively. The chip could be an early sample but it is indeed the Ryzen 9 3950X since that is the only AM4 chip that features a 16 core and 32 thread configuration.

Coming straight to the benchmark scores, the chip scored 5868 points in single-core and 61072 points in multi-core performance tests. To put things into perspective, the Ryzen Threadripper 2950X scores around 4800 points in single and 38000 points in multi-core tests on average. The AMD Ryzen Threadripper part has 16 cores and costs $899 US. The Intel Core i9-9980XE on the other hand scores around 5300 points in single and 42000 points in multi-core performance test and has 18 cores with a retail price of $2000 US.

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The mainstream flagship in Intel's lineup, the Core i9-9900K scores around 6200 points in single-core and 31000 points in multi-core. Now while the 9900K has higher single-core performance due to the 5 GHz single-core frequency, it looks like the flagship AMD part isn't much behind and can actually equalize or perform better with a 5 GHz OC. In addition to that, Robert Hallock confirmed that 3rd Gen Ryzen processors are equipped with the latest Precision Boost Overdrive algorithm which allows you to override the default boost clock by up to +200 MHz in addition to expanded TDP/EDC/PPT limits.

The new feature allows you to override the default boost clock by up to +200MHz, in addition to expanded TDC/EDC/PPT limits. The CPU will self-manage from there using its built-in boost and clock management programming.

Ryzen doesn't really have a "single core turbo" clock. Our boost algorithm pursues the highest possible clocks on as many cores as possible until you hit some sort of limit: socket power, core temps, VRM electrical limit, VRM thermal limit, max clock speed, etc. via Robert Hallock (AMD)

So there you have it, an AMD 16 core chip that performs just as good as a flagship mainstream Intel CPU in single-core and much better than Intel's flagship HEDT CPU in multi-threaded tasks. We also got a look at some impressive overclocking figures and world records of the chip yesterday which you can see here.

AMD Ryzen 9 3950X CPU Official Specifications

In terms of specifications, the AMD Ryzen 9 3950X will feature the 7nm Zen 2 core architecture. There will be three Chiplets on the Ryzen 9 interposer which include two Zen 2 dies and a single I/O die which is based on a 14nm process node. The AMD Ryzen 9 3950X will be fully enabled, offering 16 cores and 32 threads. The core configuration has never been available on mainstream platforms such as AM4, even the 12 core, 24 thread Ryzen 9 3900X configuration hasn't been seen on mainstream platforms and AMD is the first to bring such high core counts that used to be HEDT exclusive, down to mainstream users.

In terms of clock speeds, the AMD Ryzen 9 3950X runs at a base frequency of 3.5 GHz and boosts to a blisteringly fast 4.7 GHz which is the highest for AMD's Ryzen 3000 series processor. The chip will feature 72 MB of total cache and just like the other Ryzen 9 parts, feature a TDP of 105W. The TDP is based on the base frequency numbers so it would actually be higher when the chip boosts or is manually overclocked by users. When it comes to overclocking, we also know that like all other Ryzen CPUs, the Ryzen 9 3950X will feature a soldered design which should help deliver better thermals than TIM.

AMD Ryzen 3000 Series CPU Lineup