GoKawiilAMD’s new Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 already earned a spot among our best CPUs for gaming , leveraging the company’s 3D V-Cache across both CCDs and topping the Zen 5 lineup. At $900, it’s the most expensive consumer CPU AMD currently offers, and with performance to match, with the chip often coming out on top in our CPU benchmark hierarchy .
Still, that price tag puts it in a unique but difficult position. It is hundreds of dollars more expensive than anything AMD or Intel currently offers, but also not in the same territory as AMD’s Threadripper CPUs. This makes the 9950X3D2 a unique proposition, and even though AMD claims it's a CPU aimed at creative professionals, we must know how fast it is in gaming.
That brings us to the Ryzen 9 9950X3D, the vanilla X3D chip that previously held the top spot in AMD’s lineup and has vertically stacked cache on only one of the CCDs. It is only logical to compare the 9950X3D2 with the 9950X3D to see if the upgrade is worth it, and that is what we are going to do today.
Latest Videos From
Should you spend an extra $200 to $300 to get the “Dual Edition” over the standard 9950X3D? We ran both CPUs through a six-round gauntlet to find out.
Disclaimer This faceoff breaks down how two CPUs compare to each other in a head-to-head battle. If you'd like to read more about either processor, as well as see our full suite of tests, make sure to read our Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 review and Ryzen 9 9950X3D review.
Features and Specifications: AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 vs Ryzen 9 9950X3D
Swipe to scroll horizontally CPU Street (MSRP) Arch Cores / Threads Base / Boost Clock (GHz) Cache (L2/L3) TDP / PBP or MTP Memory AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 $900 Zen 5 X3D (4nm) 16 / 32 4.3 / 5.6 208 MB (16+192) 200W / 270W DDR5-5600 AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D $640 ($700) Zen 5 X3D (4nm) 16 / 32 4.3 / 5.7 144 MB (16+128) 170W / 230W DDR5-5600
AMD recently expanded its Ryzen 9000 X3D lineup with the Ryzen 9 9950X3D2. The interesting bit with this one is that, unlike the Ryzen 9 9950X3D, which has 3D V-Cache stacked on only one CCD, the 9950X3D2 has stacked cache on both CCDs, hence the name. AMD even added a “Dual Edition” to the name just to drive the point home.
The Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 is the flagship X3D model of the Ryzen 9000 series based on the Zen 5 architecture. It is built on TSMC's 4nm production process and features 16 cores and 32 threads. The 9950X3D2 can boost up to 5.6 GHz, and has integrated Radeon graphics as well. The Dual Edition has a TDP of 200W and a PPT of 270W, the highest in the Ryzen 9000 lineup.
... continue reading