AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D: Two-minute evaluate

So the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D has one thing of a excessive bar to clear given the power of AMD’s first Zen 5 3D V-Cache chip, the Ryzen 7 9800X3D, however having spent every week testing this chip, I can say unequivocally that AMD has produced the most effective processor ever made for the patron market.

Whether or not it is gaming, creating, or normal productiveness work, the Ryzen 9 9950X3D does not endure from the identical hang-ups that held its predecessor, the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D, from utterly dominating its competitors among the many earlier era of processors.

Like its predecessor, the Ryzen 9 9950X3D will promote for $699 / £699 / AU$1,349 when it goes on sale on March 12, 2025. This makes it the costliest client processor available on the market, so positively be ready to speculate fairly a bit for this chip, particularly if you happen to’re upgrading from an Intel or AMD AM4 system. As an AM5 chip, you may have to improve some main parts, together with motherboard and presumably RAM.

Not like practically all different X3D chips moreover the 9800X3D and 9900X3D, nonetheless, the Ryzen 9 9950X3D is totally overclockable due to AMD rearchitecting the way in which the 3D V-cache sits on the compute die, so there’s much more that this chip can do this different X3D chips cannot.

That features beating out the present champ for the most effective gaming CPU, the 9800X3D, in most video games whereas additionally providing considerably higher normal and artistic efficiency due to twice as many processing cores.

That does not imply that the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D is flawless, as there are some issues to caveat right here (which I am going to get into in additional depth under), however as an general package deal, you merely will not discover a higher CPU available on the market proper now that can allow you to do absolutely anything you need exceptionally nicely whereas nonetheless letting you run a extra affordable cooling resolution. Simply be ready to pay a premium for all that efficiency.

AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D: Value & availability

• How a lot will it price? US MSRP is $699 / £699 / AU$1,349
• When is it accessible? It goes on sale on March 12, 2025
• The place is it accessible? It is going to be accessible within the US, UK, and Australia at launch

The Ryzen 9 9950X3D goes on sale March 12, 2025, for a US MSRP of $699 / £699 / AU$1,349 within the US, UK, and Australia, respectively, making it the costliest processor available on the market.

It is available in on the similar worth as its predecessor, the Ryzen 9 7950X3D when it launched, and prices $100 greater than the Ryzen 9 9900X3D that launches on the identical day.

That is additionally simply over $200 dearer than the Ryzen 7 9800X3D which has practically the identical stage of gaming efficiency (and in some instances surpasses the 9950X3D), so if you’re strictly in search of a gaming CPU, the 9800X3D is likely to be the higher worth.

In comparison with Intel’s newest flagship processor, in the meantime, the Ryzen 9 9950X3D is simply over $100 dearer than the Intel Core Extremely 9 285K, although that chip requires an entire new motherboard chipset if you happen to’re coming from an Intel LGA 1700 chip just like the Intel Core i9-12900K, so it’d signify a a lot bigger funding general.

• Worth: 3.5 / 5

AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D: Specs

• 128MB L3 Cache (96MB + 32MB)
• Absolutely overclockable
• Not all processing cores have entry to 3D V-cache

In comparison with the Ryzen 9 7950X3D, there aren’t too many modifications spec smart, however there’s so much happening beneath the hood right here.

First, the way in which the 3D V-cache is seated over the CCX for the 9950X3D differs significantly than with the 7950X3D, particularly that its seated beneath the processing die, somewhat than above it.

Which means that the processing cores at the moment are in ‘direct’ contact with the lid and cooling resolution for the chip, permitting the 9950X3D to be totally overclocked, whereas the V-cache within the 7950X3D sat between the lid and the processing cores, making cautious thermal design and limiting essential and ruling out overclocking.

The 9950X3D does preserve the identical two-module break up in its L3 cache because the 7950X3D, in order that solely one of many eight-core CCXs within the chip really has entry to the added V-cache (32MB + 64MB), whereas the opposite simply has entry to 32MB.

This had some profit for extra devoted, directy entry for particular person cores in use extra cache. Within the last-gen, this actually produced considerably blended outcomes in comparison with the 7800X3D, which did not break up the V-cache up this manner, main finally to excessive ranges of gaming efficiency for the 7800X3D.

No matter situation there was with the 7950X3D appears to be like to have been largely fastened with the 9950X3D, however some hiccups stays, which I am going to get to within the efficiency part.

Past that, the 9950X3D has barely greater base and enhance clock speeds, in addition to a 50W greater TDP, however its 170W TDP is not utterly unmanageable, particularly subsequent to Intel’s competing chips.

• Specs: 4.5 / 5

AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D: Efficiency

• Virtually best-in-class gaming efficiency
• Robust general efficiency

Whereas the Ryzen 7 7800X3D was indisputably a greater gaming chip than the Ryzen 9 7950X3D by the numbers, I used to be very curious going into my testing how this chip would fare in opposition to the 9800X3D, however I am completely happy to report that not solely is it higher on the entire in relation to gaming, it is a powerhouse for normal computing and artistic work as nicely, making it the most effective all-around processor available on the market proper now.

On the artificial facet, the Ryzen 9 9950X3D goes toe-to-toe with the Intel Core Extremely 9 285K in multi-core efficiency, coming inside 2% of Intel’s finest on common, and chocking up a ten% stronger single-core outcome than the 285K.

In comparison with its predecessor, the 7950X3D, the 9950X3D is about 15% quicker in multi-core and single-core efficiency, whereas additionally barely edging out the Ryzen 9 9950X in multi-core efficiency.

In comparison with the Ryzen 7 9800X3D, the eight-core distinction between the 2 actually reveals up within the outcomes, with the 9950X3D posting a 61% higher multi-core efficiency, and a roughly 5% higher single core rating in comparison with the 9800X3D.

On the inventive entrance, the 9950X3D outclasses Intel’s finest and anything within the AMD Ryzen lineup that I’ve examined general (we’ll see the way it fares in opposition to the 9900X3D as soon as I’ve had an opportunity to check that chip), although it’s price noting that the Intel Core Extremely 9 285K continues to be the higher processor for video enhancing work.

The AMD Ryzen X3D line is all about gaming although, and right here, the Ryzen 9 9950X3D posts the most effective gaming efficiency of all of the chips examined, with one caveat.

Within the Complete Struggle: Warhammer III Mirrors of Insanity benchmark, the Ryzen 9 9950X3D solely scores just a few fps greater than the non-X3D Ryzen 9 9950X (331 fps to 318 fps, respectively), whereas additionally scoring considerably decrease than the 9800X3D’s 506 fps in that very same benchmark. That is a roughly 35% slower exhibiting for the 9950X3D, and given its roughly the place the non-X3D chip scored, it is clear that Complete Struggle: Warhammer III was operating on a kind of cores that did not have entry to the additional V-cache.

This is a matter with the Home windows course of scheduler that is likely to be fastened in time in order that video games are run on the correct cores to leverage the additional cache accessible, however that is not a assure the way in which it’s with the 9800X3D, which provides all cores entry to its added V-cache so there aren’t related points.

It is likely to be a reasonably uncommon occurence, but when your favourite recreation does make the most of the additional cache that you simply’re paying some huge cash for, that could possibly be a problem, and it may not be one thing you may ever know except you’ve a non-X3D 9950X useful to check the way in which I do.

With that in thoughts, if all you need is a gaming processor, and you actually do not care about any of those different efficiency classes, you are in all probability going to be higher served by the 9800X3D, as you’ll get assured gaming efficiency will increase, even when you do not get the identical enhance in different areas.

Whereas that is a big caveat, it will probably’t take away from the general efficiency profile of this chip, which is simply astounding just about throughout the board.

If you would like the most effective processor available on the market general, that is it, even with its occasional blips, particularly because it runs a lot cooler than Intel’s chips and its energy draw is far more acceptable for midrange PCs to handle.

• Efficiency: 4.5 / 5

Do you have to purchase the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D?

Purchase the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D if…

Do not buy it if…

Additionally take into account

How I examined the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D

• I spent a number of days with the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D
• I used the chip as my principal workstation processor and used my up to date battery of benchmarks to measure its efficiency
• I used it for normal productiveness, inventive, and gaming workloads

I spent a few week with the Ryzen 9 9950X3D as my principal workstation CPU, the place I ran primary computing workloads in addition to in depth inventive work, equivalent to Adobe Photoshop.

I additionally spent as a lot time as I may gaming with the chip, together with titles like Black Delusion: Wukong and Civilization VII. I additionally used my up to date suite of benchmark instruments together with business customary utilities like Geekbench 6.2, Cyberpunk 2077, and PugetBench for Creators.

I have been reviewing parts for TechRadar for 3 years now, together with greater than a dozen processor critiques in that point, so you may belief my testing course of and proposals if you happen to’re in search of the most effective processor on your wants and finances.

• First reviewed March 2025