Review of Ryzen 5 9500F: The Cheapest Zen 5

The AM5 platform has officially gone mainstream. AMD has successfully populated the market not only with high-end CPUs for enthusiasts but also with affordable motherboards and processors starting around $120. However, budget-conscious builders have been limited to previous-generation Zen 4 chips like the Ryzen 5 7500F. While effective, these 2022-era CPUs are starting to show their age.

Now, AMD is shaking things up by bringing its latest architecture to the budget segment. The new Ryzen 5 9500F is the successor to the popular 7500F, built on the cutting-edge Zen 5 architecture. This upgrade promises a significant performance boost where it matters most for gamers.

Interestingly, the Ryzen 5 9500F isn't about making AM5 systems cheaper. It's priced slightly higher than its predecessor. Instead, AMD's goal is to elevate the performance of budget AM5 builds, making them a more compelling alternative to Intel's popular Core i5 series, which remains a strong competitor even after the launch of the Arrow Lake family.

In this review, we'll determine if AMD has crafted a worthy rival to the Core i5-14400F and i5-14600KF, and whether the new Ryzen 5 9500F has what it takes to become the next go-to processor for budget-savvy builders.

Ryzen 5 9500F: Key Features

The Ryzen 5 9500F is a straightforward six-core, twelve-thread processor based on the Zen 5 architecture, featuring a 32 MB L3 cache. Its specifications are very similar to its predecessor, the Ryzen 5 7500F, with the primary difference being the upgraded core architecture. However, there are a few key distinctions:

• No Integrated Graphics: The F suffix indicates the lack of an integrated GPU, which is a non-issue for gamers who will be using a discrete graphics card.
• Clock Speeds: The 9500F has a maximum boost clock of 5.0 GHz, which is 400 MHz lower than the Ryzen 5 9600X. While Precision Boost Overdrive (PBO) can add up to 200 MHz, it won't reach the levels of the top-tier 9600X.
• Power Profile: Built on TSMC's 4nm process, the Zen 5 cores have a different power-to-frequency curve. Within the same 65W TDP (up to 88W peak), the 9500F runs at slightly lower all-core frequencies (4.8 GHz) compared to the 7500F (4.9 GHz) under heavy load.

Despite the slightly lower all-core clock, the architectural improvements of Zen 5 are expected to more than compensate for this difference. Thermals are also well-managed. Thanks to a conservative power limit and a high-quality soldered thermal interface, the 9500F runs cool, peaking at just 67°C in our tests with a liquid cooler, compared to 72°C for the 7500F. Even the included Wraith Stealth stock cooler should be sufficient for stock operation.

For enthusiasts, the 9500F remains fully unlocked. By enabling PBO, lifting power limits, and using Curve Optimizer, it's possible to push the CPU to a stable 5.25 GHz on all cores. However, this transforms it into a much hotter chip, drawing up to 125W and requiring a high-performance cooling solution.

Test Methodology

We tested the Ryzen 5 9500F against a full lineup of its direct competitors in the sub-$200 price category, as well as its slightly more expensive siblings, to provide a complete performance picture.

Processors Tested

• AMD Ryzen 5 9600X (6-core, Zen 5)
• AMD Ryzen 5 9500F (6-core, Zen 5)
• AMD Ryzen 5 7600X (6-core, Zen 4)
• AMD Ryzen 5 7500F (6-core, Zen 4)
• Intel Core Ultra 5 225 (6P+4E, Arrow Lake)
• Intel Core i5-14600K (6P+8E, Raptor Lake Refresh)
• Intel Core i5-14400 (6P+4E, Alder Lake)

Test Bench Hardware

• CPU Cooler: Custom Liquid Cooling Loop (EKWB components)
• Motherboards: MSI MEG Z890 Unity-X (LGA1851), ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Apex (LGA1700), MSI MPG X670E Carbon WiFi (AM5)
• Memory: 32GB (2x16GB) G.Skill Ripjaws S5 DDR5-6400 (run at DDR5-6000 for AM5)
• Graphics Card: Palit GeForce RTX 5090 GameRock
• Storage: 2TB Intel SSD 760p
• Power Supply: 1200W Deepcool PX1200G (80+ Gold)

Application Performance

In productivity and content creation tasks, the Ryzen 5 9500F fits perfectly into AMD's lineup. On average, it delivers a 12% performance increase over its predecessor, the 7500F. This is enough to also surpass the last-gen Ryzen 5 7600X by a comfortable 5-6% margin.

When pitted against Intel, the 9500F shows its strength. It's about 10% faster than the Core i5-14400 and also edges out the newer Core Ultra 5 225 in most workloads. The only competitor that remains out of reach is the Core i5-14600K, whose 14-core design provides a 20-25% advantage in heavily multi-threaded applications. However, the i5-14600K also sits in a higher price bracket.

Gaming Performance (1080p)

In gaming, the results are consistent. The Ryzen 5 9500F is a clear upgrade over the entire Zen 4 lineup of six-core CPUs while falling just short of the more expensive Ryzen 5 9600X.

The 9500F establishes a confident lead over both the Core i5-14400 and the Core Ultra 5 225. Only the pricier Core i5-14600K and Ryzen 5 9600X consistently deliver higher frame rates. This places the 9500F in a sweet spot for budget-to-mid-range gaming builds.

Gaming Performance (4K/2160p)

At 4K, the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck, causing the performance gaps between CPUs to shrink. However, the hierarchy remains the same. The Ryzen 5 9500F maintains its advantage over the Zen 4 six-cores, the Core i5-14400, and the Core Ultra 5 225. While the absolute differences are smaller, the 9500F proves it's a capable CPU that won't hold back a high-end graphics card, even at higher resolutions.

Power Consumption and Thermals

The Ryzen 5 9500F is an efficient and cool-running processor. Its combination of lower clocks, an 88W power limit, and a soldered heatspreader keeps temperatures in check. Under a full multi-core load, its power consumption is capped, making it more efficient than the Ryzen 5 7600X and Core i5-14600K.

In gaming, the 9500F typically consumes around 80W, which is slightly more than the 7500F and its direct Intel competitors. The standout for efficiency is the Core Ultra 5 225, which proves to be significantly more frugal, especially in single-threaded tasks and gaming. Nonetheless, the 9500F doesn't require an expensive cooling solution and is very easy to manage thermally.

Conclusion

The Ryzen 5 9500F is a logical and well-balanced addition to AMD's Zen 5 lineup. It’s not a revolutionary product but a smart refinement, bringing the latest architecture to a price point where it can truly shine. It successfully continues the legacy of previous Ryzen 5 processors as a potential "people's champion."

By essentially offering a slightly down-clocked Ryzen 5 9600X without integrated graphics, AMD has created a CPU that delivers nearly identical real-world performance for less money. It provides a noticeable 9-12% uplift over the 7500F and even surpasses the 7600X, all while being more efficient and easier to cool.

• Excellent Performance: Delivers a meaningful performance boost over the previous generation and beats its direct Intel rivals in most tasks.
• Efficient and Cool: Easy to manage thermally, making it suitable for budget-friendly builds with standard air coolers.
• Great Value: With an expected price of around $170-$180, it hits a sweet spot, offering better performance than similarly priced competitors.
• AM5 Platform: Provides a solid entry point into a modern and future-proof ecosystem with an excellent upgrade path, including future 3D V-Cache CPUs.

If the retail price holds steady, the Ryzen 5 9500F is poised to be an extremely popular choice. While the Ryzen 5 7500F may remain the absolute cheapest entry into the AM5 platform, the 9500F offers a compelling reason to spend a little more for a significant jump in performance. It is, without a doubt, a top contender for the best budget CPU on the market today.

#amd #ryzen