AMD Ryzen 9 5950X gets record-breaking 6GHz overclock... on macOS

(Image credit: AMD)

The 16-core AMD Ryzen 9 5950X has been spotted in the Geekbench database, which suggests the CPU could overclock to 6GHz.

The two entries, spotted by Twitter tipster TUM_APISAK, shows the flagship Zen 3 CPU running in an "iMac Pro," an unusual overclocking environment. However, as noted by Wccftech, it’s likely a Hackintosh setup booted up with macOS 10.15.7, rather then an actual iMac Pro.

Both entries, which list the AMD Ryzen 5950X by its OPN code, show the CPU running at clock speeds of 6GHz. The Geekbench “.gb5” file shows that the processor's frequency swing between 5931MHz and 6023MHz during the test.

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However, it’s unlikely the Zen 3 processor will overclock to such frequencies for the average user. It's likely that this clock speed was achieved using advanced cooling – if if was in fact achieved at all. 

When it comes to the performance benchmark, the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X running at 6GHz scored 2,024 points in single and 17,448 points in multi-threaded tests. By comparison, the Intel Core i9-10900K scored 1,412 and 11,095 in the same tests, respectively. 

A Ryzen 9 3900X processor was also spotted running at 5.88GHz in a macOS environment, and scored 1,696 and 15,830 points in the single and multi-threaded tests, respectively. 

Benchmarks compiled by Harukaze5719 also show that, based on these leaked scores, AMD Ryzen 9 5950X is around 10% faster than the 12-core Ryzen 3900X, and around 20% faster in single-threaded tests. 

AMD’s Ryzen 5000 desktop CPUs will be launching on November 5. The 16-core, 32-thread Ryzen 9 5950X, will retail for $799 (around £620, AU$1,100), while the 12-core, 24-thread AMD Ryzen 9 3900X will fetch $499 (about £390, AU$720)

Carly Page

Carly Page is a Freelance journalist, copywriter and editor specialising in Consumer/B2B technology. She has written for a range of titles including Computer Shopper, Expert Reviews, IT Pro, the Metro, PC Pro, TechRadar and Tes.