A no-compromise CPU for demanding gamers

How can we push CPUs forward? That’s the question the computing industry has been asking since the Intel 4004 processor launched in 1971. Chipmakers have tried cranking up clock speeds, adding multiple cores and miniaturizing chip architectures to make them faster and more efficient. The conflict between RISC and CISC chip instruction sets (ISAs) — “reduced” designs versus “complex” ones — rages on to this day with RISC-V.

For the past few years, AMD has been exploring a unique approach to speeding up some of its processors with 3D V-Cache, a technology that stacks more L3 cache on top of Ryzen cores. By doing so, the company avoids crowding the 2D plane of its chips, and it’s able to cram in more memory without making its CPUs larger. With the Ryzen 9 9950X3D, AMD has now evolved 3D V-Cache to the point where every hardcore gamer will want one — even if few people actually need a $700 CPU.

3D V-Cache first appeared in the Ryzen 5800X3D in 2022, and AMD brought it to laptops in 2023. While there were some obvious downsides initially — the 5800X3D had slower clock speeds than the standard Ryzen 5800 — AMD has steadily improved the technology. The Ryzen 7 7800X3D and Ryzen 9 7900X3D were both notable for reaching the same maximum clock speeds as their 2D counterparts. While AMD’s second-generation 3D V-Cache technology isn’t as big of a leap in the 9950X3D (and other recent chips like the 9900X3D and 9800X3D), the company has managed to overcome the few compromises it’s had to make so far. Simply put, the Ryzen 9 9950X3D is a beast of a CPU for gaming and productivity work alike.

AMD

The 9950X3D is a powerhouse of a desktop processor, with tons of L3 cache to speed up gaming and no compromises for intensive productivity work. The only downside is its relatively high price.

Pros

• Excellent performance
• Noticeable gaming improvements
• Relatively cool temperatures

Cons

• Very expensive compared to other desktop CPUs

$700 at Best Buy

What’s new in the Ryzen 9 9950X3D?

The 9950X3D is a 16-core processor with a 4.3GHz base clock speed and a boost speed of 5.7GHz, just like its 2D sibling the 9950X. The big difference between the two is in their total L2 and L3 cache: the 9950X has 80MB, while the 3D V-Cache technology crams 144MB in the 9950X3D. By having more cache, the 9950X3D is able to tackle more processing loads without hitting RAM, which could take eight to 10 times as long, according to Robert Hallock, AMD’s director of technical marketing.

The major upgrade in the Ryzen 9 9950X3D, in addition to being powered by AMD’s new Zen 5 cores, lies in the positioning of its 3D V-Cache layer. Previously, it sat on top of Zen 3 and Zen 4 cores, which slightly hindered cooling and overall performance. Now, the 3D V-Cache layer sits below the 9950X3D’s Zen 5 cores, which gives those hotter elements direct access to your CPU fan’s heatsink. The 9950X3D has the same 170 Watt TDP (Thermal Design Profile) as its 2D variant, so cooling shouldn’t be a huge problem, and unlike most other 3D V-Cache chips, it’s also fully overclockable.

In-use: An absolute powerhouse

I expected the Ryzen 9 9950X3D to wallop every other PC CPU I’ve tested, but I didn’t expect the leap to be so dramatic. In the Geekbench 6 single-threaded CPU benchmark, it was 20 percent faster than the Ryzen 9 7900X I was previously using. The 9950X3D was also 33 percent faster in the same benchmark’s multi-threaded test. (I didn’t have a 7950X3D for direct comparison, but based on a median of scores from 3DMark users, it hits 14,290 points. The 9950X3D reached 17,025, or 19 percent faster, in my testing)

I’ve only seen better scores from Apple’s hardware. The M4 chip is slightly faster for single-threaded tasks, while the M4 Max and M2 Ultra chips in the Mac Studio trounce AMD’s multi-threaded Geekbench 6 scores. Still, you could build a solid Ryzen 9 system for far less than the Mac Studio M4 Max’s $2,000 starting cost, even while accounting for the 9950X3D’s $700 price tag.

Apple doesn’t always come out ahead. In the Cinebench 2024 multi-threaded benchmark, the 9950X3D slightly surpassed the M4 Max chip. That result is also a sign that AMD’s flagship chip will be a big help for Windows-based content creators. The 9950X3D and the M4 Max both took 14 seconds to transcode a 4K clip into 1080p, which is the fastest result we’ve ever seen.

The major appeal of the 9950X3D is that it’ll also be able to handle demanding games over the next few years without bottlenecking high-end GPUs like NVIDIA’s RTX 5080 and 5090. On my system, which is using an RTX 5090 and 64GB of RAM, the 9950X3D reached 195 fps in Cyberpunk 2077 while playing in 1080p with high graphics settings. The Ryzen 9 7900X, on the other hand, hit 166 fps with the same GPU and RAM. You’ll see less of an immediate uplift at higher resolutions, where your video card is doing more of the work. Cyberpunk hit 64 fps in 4K without DLSS upscaling on the 9950X3D, while it struggled to reach 56 fps on the 7900X with the same settings.

For 4K, in particular, the 9950X3D could be useful for scaling performance for monitors with faster refresh rates. On the 7900X, Dragon Age: The Veilguard ran at a smooth 250 fps in 4K with graphics settings and frame generation cranked up, but with the newer chip I saw 270 fps. If you’re running a 4K 240Hz monitor with a less powerful GPU, you’ll likely have a better shot of edging close to 240 fps thanks to 3D V-Cache.

Given all of its power, I was surprised to find that the 9950X3D ran at a relatively cool 81.5 Celsius at 100 percent load. It also idles between 30C and 35C, depending on what you’re doing. Those results are pretty impressive for a CPU that can push up to 170 Watts.

Should you buy the Ryzen 9 9950X3D?

Much like NVIDIA’s $2,000 RTX 5090, I can’t easily recommend the $700 Ryzen 9 9950X3D to most people. Most gamers would likely be better off with the Ryzen 7 9800X3D, which sells for a more reasonable $479. Sure, it has half as many cores, but the majority of titles don’t tap into many of those to begin with. There’s also the $600 12-core 9900X3D, which could be more useful for people who actually need a healthy amount of CPU cores.

You could of course consider AMD’s current chips without 3D V-Cache, like the Ryzen 7 9700X, which has an MSRP of $359 but is currently selling for under $300. But if you’re already in the market for an expensive video card, it’s likely worth paying a bit extra to get more L3 cache. When AMD first debuted the 5800X3D, the company claimed 3D V-Cache alone boosted 1080p performance by 15 percent. As games get more complex and demanding, having more available cache could be even more useful. (And it’s also easier to pay more for a better chip now than buying a new one in a few years.)

As for Intel, it only has plans to bring its version of the technology, dubbed Local Cache, to next-generation Xeon server chips, according to der8auer and Bens Hardware (via Tom’s Hardware). Intel’s current high-end desktop chip, the 24-core i9-14900K, is no gaming slouch, but it’s saddled with just 36MB of L3 cache.

Wrap-up

If anything, the Ryzen 9 9950X3D is yet another sign that AMD is on a hot streak. After releasing a pair of excellent midrange GPUs, which showed that the company can genuinely go toe-to-toe with NVIDIA, this CPU and its accompanying 3D V-Cache technology is a reminder of how AMD is far ahead of Intel in many ways. And let’s not forget that it was also the first x86 chipmaker to include NPUs in laptop and desktop CPUs. While it’s certainly not the best deal around, if you can afford it, the 9950X3D is the best desktop CPU you can buy today.

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