Technology

Looking at performance per dollar, the Ryzen 9 9900X is the one that you must buy. Here’s why

March 25, 2025

That is what I found after collecting data across 24 AMD CPUs I could get prices and availability for and crunched the numbers at the time of writing.

The 9900X is AMD’s fourth fastest desktop processor on CPUBenchmark but also the one that got the bigger price cut – nearly 25% – after the launch of the 9900X3D on March 12th.

A price reduction of almost a quarter is nothing to be sniffed at for a CPU near the top performers.

This model is popular with anyone looking for high performance, without a premium price tag, across various workloads like video editing or game development, like in Scan’s 3XS GWP A1-R24 workstation PC.

It sold at Amazon at the time of writing for $374.72 down from $499, its lowest price ever

This Zen 5 part, launched in August 2024, has 12 cores, a base speed of 4.4GHz, 12MB L3 cache as well as a 120W TDP.

It reached 54,836 on CPUBenchmark, my default benchmark for processors.

That’s a jaw-dropping 146 marks per dollar, almost 10x better than the Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7995WX (15) and 26% better than its bigger sibling, the 9950X.

It also has the cheapest cost per core at just $31.23, the third fastest maximum speed (5.6GHz) and, as for all Ryzen CPUs, it has 1MB of L3 cache per core (in this case, 12MB for 12 cores).

This is the third of several articles based on data I’ve compiled on 41 AMD Zen 4 and Zen 5 CPUs (socketed, OEM). In the rest of the series, I will be looking at the cost per core, performance per core, AMD CPUs that are getting more expensive, all this with the new Ryzen 9 9900/9950 X3D CPUs in the backdrop.

In other words, no processor from AMD delivers more performance per unit dollar than the Ryzen 9 9900X.

The Ryzen 5 9600X is the second model in the pecking order on the value-for-money-meter at 131 marks per dollar or 5000 marks per core, the highest of any AMD processors ever tested on CPUBenchmark – there are still 19 that haven’t been benchmarked on it yet.

The mysterious Ryzen 5 9600

Keep an eye on the Ryzen 5 9600, a CPU that has been released recently and didn’t get as much attention as the bigger models.

It has a slightly lower base speed but I expect it to be the cheapest socketed Zen 5 CPU in AMD’s roster.

A sub $200 retail price and a slightly lower CPUBenchmark score than the 9600X would allow it to breeze past the Ryzen 9 9900X to the top of the leaderboard.

Surprisingly though, neither the Ryzen 9900X nor the Ryzen 9600X have cracked the top 10 best-selling CPU leaderboard on Amazon.com.

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AMD Zen 5, Zen 5c, Zen 4 (TRP), OEM, socketed CPU
Product	CPUBenchmark	CPUBench/$	CPUB/Core x BS	CPUB/Core	Cores	Base Speed (GHz)	Max Speed (GHz)	L3 Cache	TPD	Column 1	List Price	Selling price	Difference	Cost/Core (List)	Cost/Core (Selling)	Architecture
EPYC 9965	Row 0 – Cell 1	0	#REF!	0	192	2.25	3.7	384	500	100-000000976	$14,813.00	$10,034.00	32.26%	$77.15	$52.26	Zen 5
EPYC 9825	Row 1 – Cell 1	0	#REF!	0	144	2.2	3.7	384	390	100-000000837	$13,006.00	$9,887.00	23.98%	$90.32	$68.66	Zen 5
EPYC 9645	Row 2 – Cell 1	0	#REF!	0	96	2.3	3.7	256	320	100-000001445	$11,048.00	$6,956.00	37.04%	$115.08	$72.46	Zen 5
EPYC 9755	Row 3 – Cell 1	0	#REF!	0	128	2.7	4.1	512	500	100-000001443	$12,984.00	$8,802.00	32.21%	$101.44	$68.77	Zen 5
EPYC 9655	Row 4 – Cell 1	0	#REF!	0	96	2.6	4.5	384	400	100-000000674	$11,852.00	$5,120.00	56.80%	$123.46	$53.33	Zen 5
EPYC 9535	Row 5 – Cell 1	0	#REF!	0	64	2.4	4.3	256	300	100-000001447	$8,992.00	$4,032.00	55.16%	$140.50	$63.00	Zen 5
EPYC 9565	Row 6 – Cell 1	0	#REF!	0	72	3.15	4.3	384	400	100-000001446	$10,486.00	$6,838.00	34.79%	$145.64	$94.97	Zen 5
EPYC 9555P	Row 7 – Cell 1	0	#REF!	0	64	3.2	4.4	256	360	100-000001142	$7,983.00	$5,281.00	33.85%	$124.73	$82.52	Zen 5
EPYC 9555	Row 8 – Cell 1	0	#REF!	0	64	3.2	4.4	256	360	100-000001142	$9,826.00	$6,719.00	31.62%	$153.53	$104.98	Zen 5
EPYC 9575F	Row 9 – Cell 1	0	#REF!	0	64	3.3	5	256	400	100-000001143	$11,791.00	$7,664.00	35.00%	$184.23	$119.75	Zen 5
EPYC 9455	Row 10 – Cell 1	0	#REF!	0	48	3.15	4.4	256	300	100-000001448	$5,412.00	$4,532.00	16.26%	$112.75	$94.42	Zen 5
EPYC 9335	Row 11 – Cell 1	0	#REF!	0	32	3	4.4	128	210	100-000001149	$3,178.00	$2,650.00	16.61%	$99.31	$82.81	Zen 5
EPYC 9255	Row 12 – Cell 1	0	#REF!	0	24	3.2	4.3	128	200	100-000000694	$2,495.00	$2,132.00	14.55%	$103.96	$88.83	Zen 5
EPYC 9365	Row 13 – Cell 1	0	#REF!	0	36	3.4	4.3	192	300	100-000001449	$4,341.00	$3,460.00	20.29%	$120.58	$96.11	Zen 5
EPYC 9475F	Row 14 – Cell 1	0	#REF!	0	48	3.65	4.8	256	400	100-000001143	$7,592.00	$4,972.00	34.51%	$158.17	$103.58	Zen 5
EPYC 9355	Row 15 – Cell 1	0	#REF!	0	32	3.55	4.4	256	280	100-000001450	$3,694.00	$2,950.00	20.14%	$115.44	$92.19	Zen 5
EPYC 9015	Row 16 – Cell 1	0	#REF!	0	8	3.6	4.1	64	125	100-000001452	$527.00	$545.27	-3.47%	$65.88	$68.16	Zen 5
EPYC 9175F	Row 17 – Cell 1	0	#REF!	0	16	4.2	5	512	320	100-000001145	$4,256.00	$2,556.00	39.94%	$266.00	$159.75	Zen 5
Ryzen 5 9600	Row 18 – Cell 1	#DIV/0!	#REF!	0	6	3.8	5.2	6	65	100-000000718	Row 18 – Cell 11	Row 18 – Cell 12	#DIV/0!	$0.00	$0.00	Zen 5
Ryzen 9 9900X	54836	146	1039	4570	12	4.4	5.6	12	120	100-000000662	$499.00	$374.72	24.91%	$41.58	$31.23	Zen 5
Ryzen 5 9600X	30060	131	1285	5010	6	3.9	5.4	6	65	100-000001405	$279.00	$229.00	17.92%	$46.50	$38.17	Zen 5
Ryzen 7 9700X	37145	129	1222	4643	8	3.8	5.5	8	65	100-000001404	$359.00	$289.00	19.50%	$44.88	$36.13	Zen 5
Ryzen 9 9950X	66470	116	966	4154	16	4.3	5.7	16	170	100-000001277	$649.00	$572.87	11.73%	$40.56	$35.80	Zen 5
Ryzen 9 9950X3D	70392	101	1023	4399.5	16	4.3	5.7	16	170	100-000000719	$699.00	$699.00	0.00%	$43.69	$43.69	Zen 5
Ryzen 9 9900X3D	56712	95	1074	4726	12	4.4	5.5	12	120	100-000001368	$599.00	$599.00	0.00%	$49.92	$49.92	Zen 5
Ryzen 7 9800X3D	40069	84	1066	5009	8	4.7	5.2	8	120	100-000001084	$479.00	$479.00	0.00%	$59.88	$59.88	Zen 5
EPYC 9115	49691	65	1194	3106	16	2.6	4.1	64	125	100-000001451	$726.00	$766.00	-5.51%	$45.38	$47.88	Zen 5
Ryzen Threadripper 7960X	83909	63	832	3496	24	4.2	5.3	24	350	100-000001352	$1,499.00	$1,327.99	11.41%	$62.46	$55.33	Zen 4
Ryzen Threadripper 7970X	99086	47	774	3096	32	4	5.3	32	350	100-000001351	$2,499.00	$2,099.99	15.97%	$78.09	$65.62	Zen 4
EPYC 9135	56886	42	974	3555	16	3.65	4.3	64	200	100-000001150	$1,214.00	$1,351.00	-11.29%	$75.88	$84.44	Zen 5
Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7955WX	59510	38	827	3719	16	4.5	5.3	16	350	100-000000886	$3,499.00	$1,577.57	54.91%	$218.69	$98.60	Zen 4
Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7945WX	49814	36	883	4151	12	4.7	5.3	12	350	100-000000887	$1,399.00	$1,399.00	0.00%	$116.58	$116.58	Zen 4
EPYC 9355P	96101	34	846	3003	32	3.55	4.4	256	280	100-000001450	$2,998.00	$2,821.00	5.90%	$93.69	$88.16	Zen 5
Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7965WX	81350	31	807	3390	24	4.2	5.3	24	350	100-000000885	$4,499.00	$2,649.00	41.12%	$187.46	$110.38	Zen 4
EPYC 9455P	117494	30	777	2448	48	3.15	4.4	256	300	100-000001448	$4,819.00	$3,885.00	19.38%	$100.40	$80.94	Zen 5
Ryzen Threadripper 7980X	135829	28	663	2122	64	3.2	5.1	64	350	100-000001350	$4,999.00	$4,782.99	4.32%	$78.11	$74.73	Zen 4
EPYC 9655P	160211	28	642	1669	96	2.6	4.5	384	400	100-000000674	$10,811.00	$5,767.00	46.66%	$112.61	$60.07	Zen 5
EPYC 9275F	87184	28	886	3633	24	4.1	4.8	256	320	100-000001144	$3,439.00	$3,154.00	8.29%	$143.29	$131.42	Zen 5
Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7975WX	95453	25	746	2983	32	4	5.3	32	350	100-000000453	$5,699.00	$3,889.00	31.76%	$178.09	$121.53	Zen 4
EPYC 9375F	92190	24	758	2881	32	3.8	4.8	256	320	100-000001197	$5,306.00	$3,913.00	26.25%	$165.81	$122.28	Zen 5
EPYC 9745	150920	18	491	1179.0625	128	2.4	3.7	256	400	100-000001444	$12,141.00	$8,232.00	32.20%	$94.85	$64.31	Zen 5
Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7985WX	133909	18	654	2092	64	3.2	5.1	64	350	100-000000454	$7,999.00	$7,349.00	8.13%	$124.98	$114.83	Zen 4
EPYC 9845	139712	15	416	873	160	2.1	3.7	320	390	100-000001458	$13,564.00	$9,192.00	32.23%	$84.78	$57.45	Zen 5
Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7995WX	149606	15	623	1558	96	2.5	5.1	96	350	100-000000884	$9,999.00	$9,999.00	0.00%	$104.16	$104.16	Zen 4

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