Ryzen 5 3500 vs Ryzen 9 3950X

Aggregate performance score

Ryzen 9 3950X
2019
16 cores / 32 threads, 105 Watt
25.32
+203%

Ryzen 9 3950X outperforms Ryzen 5 3500 by a whopping 203% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing Ryzen 9 3950X and Ryzen 5 3500 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking203927
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation17.09no data
Market segmentDesktop processorDesktop processor
SeriesAMD Ryzen 9AMD Ryzen 5
Power efficiency21.9911.71
Architecture codenameMatisse (Zen 2) (2019−2020)Zen 2 (2017−2020)
Release date11 June 2019 (5 years ago)no data (2024 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$799no data

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

no data

Detailed specifications

Ryzen 9 3950X and Ryzen 5 3500 basic parameters such as number of cores, number of threads, base frequency and turbo boost clock, lithography, cache size and multiplier lock state. These parameters indirectly say of CPU speed, though for more precise assessment you have to consider their test results.

Physical cores16 (Hexadeca-Core)6 (Hexa-Core)
Threads326
Base clock speed3.5 GHz3.6 GHz
Boost clock speed4.7 GHz4.1 GHz
L1 cache1 MB384 KB
L2 cache8 MB3 MB
L3 cache64 MB16 MB
Chip lithography7 nm, 12 nm7 nm, 12 nm
Die size2 x 72 mm + 125 mm (IO-Die) mm2no data
Number of transistors19,200 millionno data
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility+-
Unlocked multiplier++

Compatibility

Information on Ryzen 9 3950X and Ryzen 5 3500 compatibility with other computer components: motherboard (look for socket type), power supply unit (look for power consumption) etc. Useful when planning a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. Note that power consumption of some processors can well exceed their nominal TDP, even without overclocking. Some can even double their declared thermals given that the motherboard allows to tune the CPU power parameters.

Number of CPUs in a configuration1 (Uniprocessor)1 (Uniprocessor)
SocketAM4Socket AM4
Power consumption (TDP)105 Watt65 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Ryzen 9 3950X and Ryzen 5 3500. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions86x MMX(+), SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSSE3, SSE4.1, SSE4.2, SSE4A,-64, AMD-V, AES, AVX, AVX2, FMA3, SHA, Precision Boost 2no data
AES-NI++
AVX++
Precision Boost 2++

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Ryzen 9 3950X and Ryzen 5 3500 are enumerated here.

AMD-V++

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Ryzen 9 3950X and Ryzen 5 3500. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR4 Dual-channelDDR4-3200
Maximum memory size128 GB128 GB
Max memory channelsno data2
Maximum memory bandwidth51.196 GB/s51.196 GB/s
ECC memory support+-

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card--

Synthetic benchmark performance

Various benchmark results of the processors in comparison. Overall score is measured in points in 0-100 range, higher is better.


Combined synthetic benchmark score

This is our combined benchmark performance rating. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly.

Ryzen 9 3950X 25.32
+203%
Ryzen 5 3500 8.35

Passmark

Passmark CPU Mark is a widespread benchmark, consisting of 8 different types of workload, including integer and floating point math, extended instructions, compression, encryption and physics calculation. There is also one separate single-threaded scenario measuring single-core performance.

Ryzen 9 3950X 38750
+203%
Ryzen 5 3500 12785

GeekBench 5 Single-Core

GeekBench 5 Single-Core is a cross-platform application developed in the form of CPU tests that independently recreate certain real-world tasks with which to accurately measure performance. This version uses only a single CPU core.

Ryzen 9 3950X 1735
+14.6%
Ryzen 5 3500 1514

GeekBench 5 Multi-Core

GeekBench 5 Multi-Core is a cross-platform application developed in the form of CPU tests that independently recreate certain real-world tasks with which to accurately measure performance. This version uses all available CPU cores.

Ryzen 9 3950X 10822
+101%
Ryzen 5 3500 5373

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 25.32 8.35
Physical cores 16 6
Threads 32 6
Power consumption (TDP) 105 Watt 65 Watt

Ryzen 9 3950X has a 203.2% higher aggregate performance score, and 166.7% more physical cores and 433.3% more threads.

Ryzen 5 3500, on the other hand, has 61.5% lower power consumption.

The Ryzen 9 3950X is our recommended choice as it beats the Ryzen 5 3500 in performance tests.


Should you still have questions on choice between Ryzen 9 3950X and Ryzen 5 3500, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

Vote for your favorite

Do you think we are right or mistaken in our choice? Vote by clicking "Like" button near your favorite CPU.


AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
Ryzen 9 3950X
AMD Ryzen 5 3500
Ryzen 5 3500

Similar processor comparisons

We picked several similar comparisons of processors in the same market segment and performance relatively close to those reviewed on this page.

Community ratings

Here you can see how users rate the processors, as well as rate them yourself.


4.5 711 votes

Rate Ryzen 9 3950X on a scale of 1 to 5:

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
4.1 757 votes

Rate Ryzen 5 3500 on a scale of 1 to 5:

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5

Questions & comments

Here you can ask a question about Ryzen 9 3950X or Ryzen 5 3500, agree or disagree with our judgements, or report an error or mismatch.