Product on Review: Ryzen 9 9950X3D Processor
Manufacturer: AMD
MSRP: US: $699
Fresh from shaking up the GPU landscape with RDNA4, AMD are returning with a second set of significant desktop hardware releases in as many weeks. Today they’re once again setting their sights on the CPU through a fresh flagship and the continuation of perhaps their most impactful technology in recent years for gaming: 3D V-Cache. Yes, it’s time to take a look at the Ryzen 9 9950X3D.
Sharing many features with the Ryzen 7 9800X3D, the 9950X3D builds on it significantly through the activation of a second CCD which adds eight more physical cores to the package. This 16-core, 32-thread behemoth therefore caters to the hardcore gamer who does more than game, be it video editing, other forms of content creation, or simply workhorse applications which can take advantage of all those extra cores over the 9800X3D.
The processor is a slot-in upgrade for the AM5 platform, i.e. the whole gamut of 800-series and (after a suitable BIOS update) 600-series motherboards. The vast majority should be able to cater to its power requirements, thereby marrying relatively affordable components with a processor that will add a new dimension to a system’s capabilities.
In this release the Ryzen 9 9950X3D is joined by the Ryzen 9 9900X3D, a 12-core/24-thread variant with 3D V-Cache embedded under one of its 6-core CCDs. Both processors are pegged relatively closely to their 9950X and 9900X in terms of headline operating frequency, reflecting the improved package design in this generation’s X3D models. Priced at $699 and $599 respectively, they’re a small $50 MSRP premium over their non-3D V-Cache counterparts.
These new processors supersede but don’t replace the 9800X3D in AMD’s product stack. The previously top of the line CPU will remain in place as an 8-core gaming thoroughbred with, one hopes, slightly less price volatility long-term. At an MSRP of $479, it should still be the processor of choice for pure gamers while the new chips occupy a niche in simultaneous content creation niche.
We’ve already seen the performance on offer from the 9800X3D, so does the 9950X3D build on the incredible results we encountered only a matter of months ago? Let’s find out!
