AMD’sRyzen 9950X3D is inarguably the kingof all C.P.U. in mid-2025 . It ’s tied with the 9800X3D as best for gaming and it ’s competitive with some of the top productiveness mainframe , like the Intel Core Ultra 285 K and the AMD Ryzen 9950X. But if you are n’t gaming , can you get aside with just usingthe 9950X or else ? It ’s certainly a great deal loud .
Let ’s take a look at those these two top AMD chips compare .
Pricing and availability
AMD launched the Ryzen 9 9950X in August 2024 alongside the rest of the mainstream Ryzen 9000 serial publication . It commence at $ 649 , but has since occur down to around $ 550 at most retailer . It ’s still wide available , despite all the frenzy interest in the unexampled 9950X3D.
The Ryzen 9 9950X3D plunge in March 2025 with a suggesed retail toll of $ 700 . However , it apace sell out and even a few weeks on from its first appearance , lineage levels are humiliated . The monetary value has rise in turn , too , so now you ’ll need to spend nigher to $ 830 for one of these gamy - end CPU . That makes it the most expensive current - generation consumer CPU available at the fourth dimension of writing .
Specifications
On the aerofoil these two CPUs look almost identical , make it loose to adopt that they would do comparably well in most situations . They have the same 16 cores and 32 thread support , the same high boost and eccentric clock speeding , and even the same TDP .
The only factual difference of opinion between these two silicon chip , and the part that makes such a difference in play as we ’ll see shortly , is the cache . The Ryzen 9 9950X3D comes fit with an extra L3 cache chip . This is the 3D V - Cache in the central processor and why it has the X3D cognomen added to its name . The 9950X still has lots of cache to play with and that ’s partly why it ’s such a strong CPU in its own right , but the added V - Cache can make a world of difference in specific apps and games .
It ’s notable too , that the 9950X has the same TDP as the X3D version , showcasing how little effect the V - Cache has on thermal performance or power haulage , making it an effective ( if monetarily expensive ) alteration to the principal 9950X CPU .
Performance
Many gamers look for the launch of the X3D version of the Ryzen 9000 series . Where many of them waited for the 9800X3D , those give ear on for the 9950X3D now have an intriguing choice to make . The 9800X3D is fantastic for play , but the 9950X3D promises to be that and much more besides , so it should come as no surprise to memorise that the 9950X3D is far , far faster than the 9950X in games . It ’s less pronounced at high solution and it ’s not every biz , andthe 9800X3D is extremely militant with the 9950X3D in most title , so it ’s worth considering too .
But the 9950X3D is a monster in gambling .
InTechRadar ’s reappraisal , the 9950X3D was top of just about every gaming trial run it ran . That admit stick out the 9800X3D , but also perfectly dominating the 9950X , in some case by close to 30 % . That ’s an tremendous upthrust for just adding some V - Cache and shows that if you are in the first place a gamer , the X3D CPUs are really deserving focalize your attention , however many core you think you demand .
TechSpotechoed those gaming outcome , showing the 9950X3D as at speculative , only act as 2nd fiddle to the 9800X3D , but more often taking the pencil lead as the fastest mainframe for gambling . The commentator also performed a deep honkytonk in its productivity operation , too , and there the new X3D CPU really impressed , as well .
In 7 - Zip , it stomp all over every CPU , including its last - generation counterpart and Intel ’s right . In Blender the 9950X3D was the degraded CPU there is , again , and it even proved to be the fast in Photoshop , which is n’t normally an AMD - centric benchmark test . It only just lost out to the Core Ultra 9 285 K in Adobe Premiere testing , but even then it was still in advance of the 9950X by nigh to 10 % .
PCGamer’stesting was mostly back focused , as you might expect , but even its productivity testing highlight the 9950X3D ’s operation potency . At its worst , it is as good as the 9950X , and more often than not it ’s quicker , no matter what the app or test is .
The 9950X3D is exactly what its spec sheet paint a picture : the 9950X but with more memory cache , gain it a better all - round CPU .
The 9950X3D is king, but don’t rule out the 9950X
If you require a fresh CPU and want the best of the best at just about everything , the 9950X3D is the processor to go for . It ’s the very height when it comes to gambling , only trading place with its 8 - core 9800X3D opposite number , and in productiveness it ’s among the best , too . The 9950X is almost as expert in most cases , but the 9950X3D has an advantage in a few apps that help make it more capable there , too .
That said , if you are n’t playing games at all , there is very petty grounds to buy the 9950X3D. It ’s more expensive and the 9950X will perform just as well as it in almost all cases . There ’s also some slight business concern at the moment that 9950X3D CPUs are failing in gamy than carry numbers . It ’s not much , and certainly not worth avoiding the high-pitched - end CPU for , but if you ca n’t really make use of it , the comparable simplicity of the 9950X should give you some additional peace of idea .
