AMD Ryzen 9 7900X / Ryzen 9 7950X Benchmarks Show Impressive Zen 4 Linux Performance

In total I ran 333 benchmarks across the Ryzen 9 7900X, Ryzen 9 7950X, and other tested comparison parts. Out of this very wide range of workloads tested, the Ryzen 9 7950X was in front 72% of the time while the Ryzen 9 7900X was in first place 5% of the time. The Intel Core i9 12900K retained a first place finish 17% of the time in workloads like Python, PHP, Node.js and some of the more server-oriented workloads where Intel has managed to compete quite well and where the test cases are only single or lightly threaded. The prior generation Core i9 11900K "Rocket Lake" CPU managed to secure five wins thanks to its AVX-512 support helping out a lot in a few select cases on the Intel side. Those wanting to see all 333 benchmarks in full can do so via this OB result page.

Most interesting though is the geometric mean across this span of 333 CPU/system benchmarks (as a reminder, all the Linux gaming benchmarks are in a separate article today). The AMD Ryzen 9 7950X overall was 45% faster than the Ryzen 9 5950X across this range of Linux workloads and 23% faster overall than the current-generation Intel Core i9 12900K. Granted, Intel is expected to soon announce Raptor Lake so with time we'll have to see how Raptor Lake vs. Zen 4 competes.

The AMD Ryzen 9 7900X meanwhile was 36% faster than the prior generation Ryzen 9 5900X. The Ryzen 9 7900X was also 10% faster than the Core i9 12900K.

If you are currently on a two generation old Zen 3 system, going from the Ryzen 9 3950X to Ryzen 9 7950X netted a 73% improvement while the Ryzen 9 3900X to Ryzen 9 7900X was 66% faster overall from this geo mean of 333 different raw performance benchmarks.

The CPU power consumption though is higher as expected given the advertised TDP difference. The AMD Ryzen 9 7950X for the span of the 333 benchmarks saw an average power consumption of 123 Watts and a peak of 235 Watts, compared to the Ryzen 9 5950X at a 104 Watt average and a peak of 149 Watts. The AMD Ryzen 9 7900X had a 110 Watt average and 206 Watt peak compared to the Ryzen 9 5900X with a 104 Watt average and a 147 Watt peak. Overall though the Ryzen 9 7900X/7950X CPU power consumption was still lower than the Core i9 12900K (and Core i9 11900K) both in the average power consumption rate and the peak recorded power consumption.

The Linux performance with the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 series was terrific. Keep in mind this will also only get better: AMD continues working on enhancements to their P-State frequency scaling driver, AMD hasn't yet published any Zen 4 "znver4" compiler tuning patches with appropriate cost tables for the instructions, and also a lot more potential if developers begin making broader AVX-512 optimizations to their software now that Zen 4 can make use of these instructions without significant side effects unlike earlier AVX-512 processors from Intel. Coming up soon will be the tests of the Ryzen 5 7600X and Ryzen 7 7700X processors once receiving those review units.

Overall the Linux support is in good shape for the AMD Ryzen 7000 series desktop launch. The main two caveats at this point are needing a recent kernel/Mesa if wanting to make use of the iGPU Radeon graphics (along with linux-firmware.git as of this month!) and then the Raphael audio driver is only appearing in Linux 6.0. But at least with the ASUS motherboard tested the integrated audio wasn't working on Linux 6.0 that is still to be explored but time was limited prior to today's embargo lift. But if you make use of DP/HDMI audio or USB audio headsets, etc, the Raphael audio driver situation isn't any blocker.

From the time so far with Zen 4, I am left with a great impression and captivated by the stellar generational uplift. The AMD Ryzen 9 7900X will be available beginning 27 September at $549 USD while the Ryzen 9 7950X is priced at $699 USD. Thanks to AMD providing the Zen 4 review samples, ASUS ROG CROSSHAIR X670E HERO motherboard, and GSKILL DDR5-6000 EXPO memory for making this launch-day review possible. Stay tuned for plenty of follow-up tests on Phoronix as well as exploring other areas like more AVX-512 / compiler benchmarking as Znver4 support emerges and other Linux advancements. In case you didn't see it yet, also check out today's AMD Zen 4 AVX-512 benchmark analysis article looking exclusively at the AVX-512 performance and frequency/thermal/power impact on the flagship Ryzen 9 7950X. As always, if you enjoy my daily Linux content, consider joining Phoronix Premium.