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The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X and Ryzen 7 7700X will likely be closer to each other in valuation once the Zen 5 chips debut later this month. Rumors suggest Team Red is targeting a $229 price tag for the upcoming six-core chip, while the 7700X is already selling for $257. This results in a close tug-of-war between the processors, but which one is best for gaming?
In this comparison, we look at every last detail of the two AMD chips and try to answer this question.
Note: Some parts of this article are subjective and reflect the opinions of the writer
Both Ryzen 5 9600X and Ryzen 7 7700X are capable gaming CPUs
The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X and the Ryzen 7 7700X are based on slightly different architectures, and a direct specs comparison won't reveal much about the performance of the chips. Moreover, the Zen 5 CPUs are still not released. We don't have independent reviewer data to verify the performance marks of the chips.
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Specs comparison
Coming to the on-paper specs, the latest Ryzen 9000 chips are quite similar to their predecessors. They are based on a similar chiplet-based design, with the exact same number of cores across the board.
The 9600X bundles six cores and 12 threads, while the 7700X is an eight-core and 16-threaded chip. The main difference between the two is in operating clock speeds and power efficiency. While the older processor has a base clock of 4.5 GHz, the newer one can go down to 3.9 GHz. However, they share a similar boost speed of 5.4 GHz.
The 7700X is also a 105W chip. It is significantly more power-hungry than the 9600X, which is rated at just 65W. Here is their detailed specs list:
Read more: AMD Ryzen 5 9600X specs, expected performance, prices, and more
Performance comparison
In terms of performance, we still don't have independent benchmarks on the upcoming Zen 5 CPUs. However, leaks have given us a good idea of what to expect from the processors. Given the current situation, we believe it is best to hold off on your upgrade and wait for the new processors to launch this July 31.
Below is a comparison of the single- and multi-core benchmarks of the 9600X and the 7700X. The six-core chip beats the 7700X in both metrics, which goes to prove the gen-on-gen jump is quite significant. We sourced this data from Nanoreview.
The difference between the processors isn't wide. If you already are on the 7700X, it won't make much sense to upgrade to the 9600X.
Read more: 5 best GPUs for AMD Ryzen 5 9600X
AMD Ryzen 5 9600X vs Ryzen 7 7700X: Final verdict
The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X seems like the clear winner in this comparison. The chip is expected to be cheaper and faster than the last-gen eight-core CPU. However, I believe it's best to wait for independent reviewer data to drop before pulling the trigger on your upgrade.
