AMD recently announced its Ryzen 5000-series Zen 3 CPU lineup, the next-gen architecture powering Ryzen processors. According to AMD these CPUs will offer better single-thread performance in PC games. AMD also claimed that its high-end model will surpass Intel’s competitor, the core i9 10900K.

AMD Zen 3 promises to offer a higher max boost, significant IPC uplift, new core layout, and new cache topology. In fact, AMD claims that Zen 3 offers a 19% increase in single-thread scenarios over the previous gen CPU lineup.

AMD will release four SKUs based on Zen 3 on November 5th. These four models are: AMD Ryzen 5 5600X, AMD Ryzen 7 5800X, AMD Ryzen 9 5900X and AMD Ryzen 9 5950X, respectively.

These processors are still chiplet-based, with one chiplet having either six or eight cores. Ryzen 5 and Ryzen 7 will have one chiplet, while Ryzen 9 will have two chiplets, and the easy way to identify this is through the amount of L3 cache each processor has.

Recently some CineBench R20 (Single-Core) score entries have been spotted for these soon-to-be-released Zen3 processors. But do make a note that this particular CineBench R20 is a single-core benchmark test and it only uses one CPU core, so the amount of cores or hyper-threading ability doesn’t count.

Nonetheless, it still gives us an idea about the relative performance of any CPU. The CineBench R20 scores have surfaced on the website CPU-monkey, and the results look promising.  The chart shows the new Zen 3 CPUs stacked up against Intel’s lineup of processors, e.g. Tiger Lake and the Core i9-10900K/KF, Intel Core i9-10850K, and other processors.

It appears that the flagship AMD R9 5950X takes a 7% lead over the Tiger Lake CPU, and on the desktop level the 5950X scores almost 17-19% better than the Intel core i9 10900K(KF) processor.  The AMD 5950X has 641 points, whereas the Core i9 10900K/KF processors score 539. Both previous-gen AMD Ryzen 9 3900XT and Ryzen 7 3800XT CPUs also have a score of 539.

The AMD Ryzen 9 3950X on the other hand scores 531 points, which means AMD’s ZEN3-based CPUs offer much better performance than previous gen flagship counterparts.

 

When looking at single-core scores, Cinebench offers an easy way to get a baseline comparison for applications that need fewer, more powerful cores, such as games and typically show off a CPU’s maximum single-core turbo frequency. This is why a CPU can have mediocre multi-core performance, but amazing single-core performance due to high boost clocks.

Cinebench R20 Single-Core scores are also important for game emulators like Dolphin, PCSX2, and Citra. All rely on a lower number of cores, sometimes even a single one. As a result, single-core performance is more important in those situations. Faster individual cores can also lend to making your system feel more fast and snappy.

Though, multi-core performance is also helpful and important for some of the applications.

Note that in the single threaded test, the power limits ultimately should not apply because one core should not consume all the power of the chip. AMD also shared their own Cinebench R20 scores at the Zen 3 reveal event, and the results almost match with these new entries/scores.

Here are two charts showing the CineBench R20 single-thread scores for some processors, courtesy of AnandTech.

AMD’s number for its Ryzen 9 5900X, at 4.8 GHz turbo, is 631:

Intel and AMD’s best processors have the following results in a single-threaded test, as tested by AnandTech:

“Generation-on-generation, this would be a 17.8% performance increase. Over Intel’s highest performing desktop Core i9, that would be a lead of 17.3%. Over Intel’s latest generation microarchitecture, Tiger Lake, this is a 6% performance increase at the same frequency.

Whichever way you slice it, whether you consider the lead a 17% lead from desktop-to-desktop, or a 6% lead from best-to-best, one thing is clear that if this result is correct, AMD will have the single threaded performance crown.”

According to AMD, the top of the line 16 core AMD Ryzen 9 5950X offers:

• The highest single-thread performance of any desktop gaming processor
• The most multi-core performance of any desktop gaming processor and any desktop processor in a mainstream CPU socket.

The 12 core AMD Ryzen 9 5900X offers the best gaming experience by:

• Average of 7% faster in 1080p gaming across select game titles than the competition
• Average of 26% faster in 1080p gaming across select titles generationally.

AMD is also offering a new Ryzen Equipped to Win Game Bundle:

“The AMD Ryzen Equipped to Win game bundle program is back with the highly anticipated next chapter in the Far Cry® series, Far Cry® 6. Customers who purchase an AMD Ryzen 9 5950X, AMD Ryzen 9 5900X, or AMD Ryzen 7 5800X processor between November 5th, 2020 and December 31st, 2020 will receive a complimentary copy of Far Cry® 6 Standard Edition – PC digital when released10.

Additionally, customers who purchase an AMD Ryzen 9 3950X, AMD Ryzen 9 3900XT, or AMD Ryzen 7 3800XT processor between October 20th, 2020 and December 31st, 2020 will also receive a free copy of Far Cry® 6 Standard Edition – PC digital10.”

Stay tuned for more.