AMD Ryzen 9 9700X & Ryzen 5 9600X: No Gaming Gains in 105W Mode

Introduction

AMD’s latest BIOS update, enabling a 105W TDP mode for the Ryzen 9 9700X and Ryzen 5 9600X, has sparked significant interest among PC enthusiasts. However, recent benchmarks reveal that this power boost does not translate into better gaming performance. Let’s delve into the details and explore the implications.

Benchmark Analysis

Gaming Performance

Benchmarks conducted on various titles, including Black Myth: Wukong, Counter-Strike 2, F1 2024, and Starfield, show negligible improvements in gaming performance when switching from the default 65W to the new 105W mode. The average FPS remained consistent across both power settings, indicating that the increased TDP does not enhance gaming experiences for these CPUs.

Productivity Gains

While gaming performance remains stagnant, the 105W mode does offer notable improvements in productivity tasks. Benchmarks in synthetic applications like Cinebench R23 show a significant uplift in multi-core performance. This suggests that the additional power headroom benefits workloads that can leverage higher core and thread utilization.

Power Consumption and Efficiency

The shift to 105W mode results in increased power consumption, particularly for the Ryzen 9 9700X, which consumes approximately 18-20W more compared to its 65W setting. This raises concerns about efficiency, especially for users prioritizing power savings and thermal management.

Speculation and Future Prospects

The lack of gaming performance gains in the 105W mode could be attributed to the architectural limitations of the Ryzen 9 9700X and Ryzen 5 9600X. These CPUs might have reached their performance ceiling in gaming scenarios, where additional power does not translate into higher frame rates.

Looking ahead, AMD’s upcoming AGESA 1.2.0.2 patch might bring further optimizations. However, unless there are significant architectural changes, it’s unlikely that we will see substantial gaming improvements solely from increased TDP.

Conclusion

The introduction of the 105W TDP mode for AMD’s Ryzen 9 9700X and Ryzen 5 9600X highlights the complexities of balancing power and performance. While productivity tasks benefit from the additional power, gaming performance remains unchanged. This development underscores the importance of understanding the specific use cases and limitations of hardware enhancements.