Just a few months after the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D graced us with its presence, the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D brings its 3D V-Cache technology to a powerhouse 16-core, 32-thread gaming processor. This beast of a chip is absolutely overkill for most users but will effortlessly keep pace with powerful graphics cards like the Nvidia RTX 5090 or its future counterparts.

However, all of those cores come at a steep $699 price tag and a 170W power budget, making this processor a hard sell for anyone not building an ultra-high-end gaming PC. For most gamers, the Ryzen 7 9800X3D remains the more sensible choice.

Purchasing Guide

The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D becomes available on March 12, starting at $699. Keep in mind that this is a suggested price, and AMD's processors often see price fluctuations based on market demand.

AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D – Photos

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Specs and Features

The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D leverages the same Zen 5 cores found in the standard 9950X but enhances them with the 2nd-generation 3D V-Cache introduced in the Ryzen 7 9800X3D. This combination delivers robust multi-core performance and enhanced gaming capabilities through an expanded cache.

A significant change from its predecessor, the Ryzen 9 7950X3D, is the placement of the 3D V-Cache directly beneath the CPU cores. This seemingly minor adjustment significantly improves thermal performance. The Core Complex Die (CCD), the primary heat generator, sits closer to the Integrated Heat Spreader (IHS), facilitating better heat dissipation. This allows the 9950X3D to operate at higher speeds for longer durations, thanks to AMD's performance algorithm that accounts for thermal headroom.

The cache's strategic placement also reduces data travel distance, lowering latency. Moreover, with a total of 144MB of L2 and L3 cache, the 9950X3D matches its predecessor's cache size but surpasses non-X3D processors by a significant margin.

Both the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X and 9950X3D share a 170W TDP, though the original 9950X can reach a higher Peak Power Target (PPT). My tests showed both peaking at around 200W, but the 9950X3D maintained a lower peak temperature of 79°C, tested with a different cooler than the 9950X.

Fortunately, the 9950X3D is compatible with existing AM5 AMD motherboards. AMD has committed to supporting this socket until at least 2027, ensuring users won't be locked into a soon-to-be obsolete platform.

AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D – Benchmarks

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Performance

Before delving into performance results, it's important to mention that all CPUs were tested on identical hardware, with one exception: the Ryzen 9 9950X was tested on an Asus ROG Crosshair X670E Hero motherboard with a Corsair H170i 360mm AIO cooler. While this hardware difference might slightly impact performance, it's minimal, especially since all tests were conducted at stock settings.

AMD Test Bench:

• GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090
• Motherboard: Asus ROG Crosshair X670E Hero; Asus ROG Crosshair X870E Hero (9800X3D)
• RAM: 32GB G.Skill Trident Z5 Neo @ 6,000MHz
• SSD: 1TB PNY CS3140 Gen4x4 NVMe SSD
• CPU Cooler: Asus ROG Ryujin III 360 ARGB Extreme

A hardware issue arose when one of the mounting screws for the Asus ROG Ryujin III 360mm cooler snapped during the swap to the 9950X. I plan to retest the processors soon and will update this section if there are significant changes.

The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D, with its 16 cores, 32 threads, and a massive 144MB cache, delivers exceptional performance. It excels even in creative benchmarks where the 9800X3D struggled, matching the top chips on the market.

Intel Test Bench:

• GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090
• Motherboard: Asus ROG Maximus Z890 Hero (200S); Asus Prime Z790-A (14th-Gen)
• RAM: 32GB Corsair Vengeance DDR5 @ 6,000MHz
• SSD: PNY CS3140 1TB Gen 4 x 4 NVMe SSD
• CPU Cooler: Asus ROG Ryujin III 360 ARGB Extreme

Surprisingly, the 9950X3D performs well against the 9800X3D in single-core workloads. In Cinebench 1T, the 9950X3D scored 2,254 points, a 10% improvement over the 9800X3D's 2,033 points. In the 3DMark CPU Profile test, the 9950X3D achieved 1,280 points, closely trailing the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K's 1,351 points.

In multi-threaded workloads, the Ryzen 9 9950X3D shines, achieving 40,747 points in Cinebench's multi-core test. Although it slightly underperforms compared to the 9950X's 41,123 points and the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K's 42,245 points, this trade-off is justified by its superior gaming performance.

In Total War: Warhammer 3 at 1080p with Ultra settings, the 9950X3D reached 274 fps when paired with the RTX 4090, outperforming the 9800X3D's 254 fps and the Core Ultra 9 285K's 255 fps. However, in Cyberpunk 2077 at 1080p with the Ultra preset and ray tracing disabled, the 9950X3D managed 229 fps, falling short of the 9800X3D's 240 fps but still significantly faster than the Intel chip's 165 fps.

Overkill?

While the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D is arguably the most powerful gaming processor currently available, it's not necessarily the best choice for everyone. Most users will find the Ryzen 7 9800X3D, priced at a more accessible $479, perfectly adequate for their needs.

The 9950X3D is best suited for gamers who also use demanding creative applications like Photoshop and Premiere, where it offers a 15% performance boost over the 9800X3D. For those focused solely on gaming, saving the extra $220 to invest in a better graphics card might be the smarter move.