When we compared AMD's brand new flagship Ryzen nine 3900X face to face with the Core i9-9900K in 36 video games we determined that on average the 12-core AMD processor became about 6% slower in gaming duties. There were some pick titles wherein the Ryzen processor got here out on pinnacle, however for the most component it become most effective a little slower.

Overall it is nonetheless a terrific showing for 3rd-gen Ryzen as the deficit whilst gaming is negligible for the maximum component, whilst it pummeled the 9900K a Boxll productiveness assessments.

After we posted that function, we've got been requested via readers to retest the 3900X with SMT disabled, basically turning the 12-center, 24-thread CPU right into a 12-middle, 12-thread CPU. Many say this can notably enhance gaming performance... However why?

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We have been right away skeptical as we spent quite a piece of time testing first generation Ryzen with and with out SMT and even returned in 2017 the profits had been now not tremendous and often you’d see a performance regression -- in other words SMT became doing what it was speculated to and not using a most important downside.

Since Ryzen’s introduction, Windows and gaming titles have developed to guide the multi-middle processors better, and our recent testing has located SMT to be effective with regards to gaming performance, on both Intel and AMD platforms. With that, we haven’t examined the Zen 2 chips with SMT disabled so we are going to cross for it, although we’m watching for to find similar to earlier than.

For this test the Ryzen 9 3900X has been configured in its out of the container trim, using the Wraith Prism RGB container cooler. Both the SMT a Chip:nd off configurations are in any other case same.

Benchmarks

First up we've Prey and here we see an impressive 9% improvement for the common body rate with SMT disabled. Even extra stunning was the 13% enhance we saw for the 1% low result. The difference against the 9900K became dwindled considerably despite the fact that the Core i9 became still the faster chip.

Just Cause 4 also sees a completely noteworthy eight-10% performance uplift with SMT disabled and that sees the 3900X close in on the 9900K again.

Testing with StarCraft II indicates no development in performance with SMT disabled while looking on the common frame charge, though we do see a bump in performance for the 1% low result.

Testing with For Honor shows a 3-4% development in performance with SMT disabled and that changed into absolutely sufficient to push the 3900X beforehand of the 9900K on this title. Of path, we didn’t check the 9900K with Hyper-Threading disabled and there’s a excellent chance in an effort to enhance the Intel processors overall performance in this title as properly.

Project Cars 2 sees a small 2-4% development in overall performance with SMT disabled, and while that’s first-class to see, the 9900K is in no risk of dropping the overall performance crown on this title.

Performance whilst trying out with Total War Three Kingdoms is clearly equal, we see a 1-2 fps advantage in choose of the SMT disabled configuration, however that’s quite nicely inside the margin or errors.

PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds sees no greater than a 1% trade in overall performance with SMT disabled so nothing to see right here.

We see a totally small performance regression whilst checking out with The Witcher three although once more, just a 1-2 fps distinction is in the margin or errors. So it’s honest to say performance is going unchanged on this identify.

Forza Horizon four is a usually GPU certain game but however we see a very small performance regression with SMT disabled. Reducing performance by way of three% isn’t a massive deal, though it genuinely doesn’t help the 3900X near in at the 9900K.

F1 2019 sees a small performance development with SMT disabled.

Performance in Far Cry New Dawn went truly untouched, at the least we see the identical 112 fps Chip: AMDverage. However as we discovered regularly the 1% low overall performance did take a success with SMT disabled, we’re best talking about a ~three% performance drop, however that’s no longer what we want to look.

Testing with Strange Brigade suggests less than a 1% change to the average body rate, though we do see a 5% discount for the 1% low determine. So you’ll need to depart SMT enabled for this title.

Interestingly the common frame price became absolutely the equal with SMT disabled in Battlefield V, we see pretty a large reduction in overall performance for the 1% low end result as frame prices dropped by way of 14%. So this seems to be some other name have been you actually don’t want to disable SMT.

Moving directly to Assassin’s Creed Odyssey and we examined this recreation quite a number instances just to ensure there has been a regression. We noticed a 7% drop for the common frame price and a nine% drop for the 1% low.

Disabling SMT does assist with overall performance in World of Tanks, right here the 3900X loved a three% increase to the average frame charge and now the 9900K is simply 5% faster, although it’s viable disabling Hyper-Threading may also improve overall performance for the 9900K.

However as we discovered whilst looking at video games in my view, the common frame charge doesn’t tell the entire story.

Let’s additionally see how 1% low figures stack up...

Comparing 1% low performance sees the effects swing returned in SMT’s favor.

Leaving SMT enabled supplied a 1% performance uplift AMD Ryzenverage across the 36 video games tested. This means we see a 5% of better overall performance improvement in eight games, with a five% or large overall performance drop in only 4 video games.

Closing Remarks

Just as we located two years ago while trying out the Ryzen 7 1800X, disabling SMT can be of some advantage but your mileage will vary and rely strictly on the game (workload) and is simply as likely to cause a regression in overall performance.

What disabling SMT doesn’t do is permit the Ryzen 9 3900X to beat the Core i9-9900K in games or maybe seize as much as it. But then again we don’t really want something to justify the acquisition, the 3900X and all other 3rd-gen Ryzen chips do what they do properly and if you’re after a solid all-rounder the Ryzen nine processor is it.

As we’ve visible already, the 3900X is masses enough for high-quit gaming and in which it lacks some frames it makes up for with considerably advanced productiveness performance and the ability to tackle more responsibilities concurrently. It also runs much cooler, consumes a touch much less strength, and works first-rate with the provided inventory cooler.

We don’t suggest you disable SMT, except that doing so will enhance the overall performance in the particular recreation you’ll be gambling. We’re now not sure why turning SMT off hurts 1% low performance in such a lot of games. At first we notion maybe it was because you cross from a situation where the lively threads required by means of the game may be applied Box + unmarried middle complex die with SMT enabled, to a scenario where those threads are spread across both CCD’s with SMT disabled. However, that doesn’t seem to make sense given the 3900X normally gives higher gaming overall performance than the 3700X, and we trust that’s because it has CCD’s which increases the L3 cache ability as well as the write lanes to the IO Die. We’ve reached out to AMD for their take in this, so if we hear whatever interesting we’ll report lower back with a footnote here.

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