PassMark CPU Mark evaluates processor speed through complex mathematical computations. It provides a reliable metric to compare multi-core performance, where higher scores indicate faster processing for multitasking, gaming, and heavy workloads.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, productivity performance, platform differences, power efficiency, pricing context, and upgrade path so you can see which CPU actually makes more sense.

Ryzen 9 9900X

2024

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +20.3% higher average FPS across 3 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅50% more PCIe lanes (24 vs 16) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (54,530 vs 55,025).
❌Launch MSRP is still $499 MSRP, while Ryzen AI Max+ 395 mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌118.2% higher power demand at 120W vs 55W.

Ryzen AI Max+ 395

2025

Why buy it

✅+0.9% higher PassMark.
✅Draws 55W instead of 120W, a 65W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 9 9900X across 3 shared CPU benchmark tests.

Ryzen 9 9900X

2024

Ryzen AI Max+ 395

2025

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +20.3% higher average FPS across 3 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅50% more PCIe lanes (24 vs 16) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Why buy it

✅+0.9% higher PassMark.
✅Draws 55W instead of 120W, a 65W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (54,530 vs 55,025).
❌Launch MSRP is still $499 MSRP, while Ryzen AI Max+ 395 mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌118.2% higher power demand at 120W vs 55W.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen 9 9900X across 3 shared CPU benchmark tests.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen AI Max+ 395 better than Ryzen 9 9900X?

It depends on what matters more to you. For gaming, Ryzen 9 9900X is ahead with a 20.3% average FPS lead across 3 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen AI Max+ 395 pulls ahead with 0.9% better PassMark.

Which one is better for streaming, content creation, and heavy multitasking?

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen AI Max+ 395 is the better fit. You are getting 0.9% better PassMark, backed by 16 cores and 32 threads.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper CPU?

Ryzen AI Max+ 395 is still the faster CPU overall, but Ryzen 9 9900X makes more sense if price matters more than absolute performance. Ryzen AI Max+ 395 is at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus $499 MSRP, and it gives you 0.9% better PassMark. The trade-off is that Ryzen 9 9900X is still the better pure gaming CPU with a 20.3% average FPS lead across 3 shared CPU game tests in our data. Ryzen 9 9900X is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (109.3 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), which is why it is easier to justify for price-conscious builds on paper.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

Ryzen AI Max+ 395 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2025 vs 2024) and more multi-core headroom with 16 cores / 32 threads instead of 12/24. That extra compute headroom should age better as games, background tasks, and creator workloads get heavier.

Games Benchmarks

Paired with RTX 4090

To accurately isolate CPU performance, all benchmarks below use an NVIDIA RTX 4090 as the reference GPU. This eliminates GPU-side bottlenecks and highlights pure processing throughput differences between the CPUs.

Note: Real-world results may vary based on your actual GPU. CPU performance impact is more visible in processing-intensive titles and high-refresh-rate gaming scenarios.

Ryzen 9 9900X Benchmark Check

Ryzen AI Max+ 395 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Ryzen 9 9900X	Ryzen AI Max+ 395
1080p
low	287 FPS	283 FPS
medium	259 FPS	257 FPS
high	218 FPS	211 FPS
ultra	190 FPS	178 FPS
1440p
low	270 FPS	261 FPS
medium	218 FPS	216 FPS
high	170 FPS	167 FPS
ultra	152 FPS	147 FPS
4K
low	186 FPS	182 FPS
medium	151 FPS	150 FPS
high	112 FPS	115 FPS
ultra	100 FPS	102 FPS

Open Ryzen 9 9900X Open Ryzen AI Max+ 395

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Ryzen 9 9900X	Ryzen AI Max+ 395
1080p
low	766 FPS	667 FPS
medium	624 FPS	575 FPS
high	465 FPS	433 FPS
ultra	392 FPS	375 FPS
1440p
low	629 FPS	562 FPS
medium	531 FPS	501 FPS
high	410 FPS	391 FPS
ultra	319 FPS	312 FPS
4K
low	353 FPS	317 FPS
medium	301 FPS	287 FPS
high	265 FPS	254 FPS
ultra	223 FPS	218 FPS

Open Ryzen 9 9900X Open Ryzen AI Max+ 395

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Ryzen 9 9900X	Ryzen AI Max+ 395
1080p
low	899 FPS	776 FPS
medium	711 FPS	609 FPS
high	618 FPS	529 FPS
ultra	526 FPS	447 FPS
1440p
low	726 FPS	674 FPS
medium	577 FPS	536 FPS
high	492 FPS	462 FPS
ultra	418 FPS	392 FPS
4K
low	517 FPS	482 FPS
medium	432 FPS	399 FPS
high	388 FPS	357 FPS
ultra	322 FPS	300 FPS

Open Ryzen 9 9900X Open Ryzen AI Max+ 395

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Ryzen 9 9900X	Ryzen AI Max+ 395
1080p
low	1126 FPS	1050 FPS
medium	989 FPS	947 FPS
high	862 FPS	827 FPS
ultra	766 FPS	745 FPS
1440p
low	891 FPS	834 FPS
medium	774 FPS	742 FPS
high	677 FPS	648 FPS
ultra	580 FPS	562 FPS
4K
low	644 FPS	613 FPS
medium	569 FPS	550 FPS
high	502 FPS	484 FPS
ultra	433 FPS	418 FPS

Open Ryzen 9 9900X Open Ryzen AI Max+ 395

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Ryzen 9 9900X and Ryzen AI Max+ 395

Ryzen 9 9900X

The Ryzen 9 9900X is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 15 August 2024 (1 year ago). It is based on the Granite Ridge (2024−2025) architecture. It features 12 cores and 24 threads. Base frequency is 4.4 GHz, with boost up to 5.6 GHz. L3 cache: 64 MB (total). L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 4 nm process technology. Socket: AM5. Thermal design power (TDP): 120 Watt. Memory support: DDR5. Passmark benchmark score: 54,530 points. Launch price was $499.

Ryzen AI Max+ 395

The Ryzen AI Max+ 395 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 2025-01-01. It is based on the Strix Halo (2025) architecture. It features 16 cores and 32 threads. Base frequency is 3 GHz, with boost up to 5.1 GHz. L3 cache: 64 MB (total). L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 4 nm process technology. Socket: FP11. Thermal design power (TDP): 55 Watt. Memory support: DDR5. Passmark benchmark score: 55,025 points. Launch price was $450.

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Processing Power

The Ryzen 9 9900X packs 12 cores / 24 threads, while the Ryzen AI Max+ 395 offers 16 cores / 32 threads — the Ryzen AI Max+ 395 has 4 more cores. Boost clocks reach 5.6 GHz on the Ryzen 9 9900X versus 5.1 GHz on the Ryzen AI Max+ 395 — a 9.3% clock advantage for the Ryzen 9 9900X (base: 4.4 GHz vs 3 GHz). The Ryzen 9 9900X uses the Granite Ridge (2024−2025) architecture (4 nm), while the Ryzen AI Max+ 395 uses Strix Halo (2025) (4 nm). In PassMark, the Ryzen 9 9900X scores 54,530 against the Ryzen AI Max+ 395's 55,025 — a 0.9% lead for the Ryzen AI Max+ 395. Both processors carry 64 MB (total) of L3 cache.

Feature	Ryzen 9 9900X	Ryzen AI Max+ 395
Cores / Threads	12 / 24	16 / 32+33%
Boost Clock	5.6 GHz+10%	5.1 GHz
Base Clock	4.4 GHz+47%	3 GHz
L3 Cache	64 MB (total)	64 MB (total)
L2 Cache	1 MB (per core)	1 MB (per core)
Process	4 nm	4 nm
Architecture	Granite Ridge (2024−2025)	Strix Halo (2025)
PassMark	54,530	55,025
Cinebench R23 Multi	33,003	—
Geekbench 6 Single	3,401	—
Geekbench 6 Multi	19,756	—

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Memory & Platform

The Ryzen 9 9900X uses the AM5 socket (PCIe 5.0), while the Ryzen AI Max+ 395 uses FP11 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR5-5600 on the Ryzen 9 9900X versus 8000 on the Ryzen AI Max+ 395 — the Ryzen AI Max+ 395 supports 199.8% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. The Ryzen 9 9900X supports up to 256 GB of RAM compared to 128 — 66.7% more capacity for professional workloads. Memory channels: 2 (Ryzen 9 9900X) vs 4 (Ryzen AI Max+ 395). PCIe lanes: 24 (Ryzen 9 9900X) vs 16 (Ryzen AI Max+ 395) — the Ryzen 9 9900X offers 8 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: A620,B650,X670,X870 (Ryzen 9 9900X) and FP11 (Ryzen AI Max+ 395).

Feature	Ryzen 9 9900X	Ryzen AI Max+ 395
Socket	AM5	FP11
PCIe Generation	PCIe 5.0+25%	PCIe 4.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR5-5600	8000+159900%
Max RAM Capacity	256 GB+209715100%	128
RAM Channels	2	4+100%
ECC Support	Yes	Yes
PCIe Lanes	24+50%	16

🔧

Advanced Features

Both processors feature an unlocked multiplier for overclocking. Both support AVX-512 instructions, benefiting scientific computing, AI inference, and encryption workloads. Virtualization support: AMD-V (Ryzen 9 9900X) vs VT-x, VT-d, AMD-V (Ryzen AI Max+ 395). Both include integrated graphics — Radeon 610M (Ryzen 9 9900X) and AMD Radeon 8060S (Ryzen AI Max+ 395) — useful as a fallback for troubleshooting or display output without a dedicated GPU. Direct competitor: Ryzen AI Max+ 395 rivals Core Ultra 9 285HX.

Feature	Ryzen 9 9900X	Ryzen AI Max+ 395
Integrated GPU	Yes	Yes
IGPU Model	Radeon 610M	AMD Radeon 8060S
Unlocked	Yes	Yes
AVX-512	Yes	Yes
Virtualization	AMD-V	VT-x, VT-d, AMD-V

💰

Value Analysis

The Ryzen 9 9900X launched at $499 MSRP, while the Ryzen AI Max+ 395 debuted at $0. On MSRP ($499 vs $0), the Ryzen AI Max+ 395 is $499 cheaper.