- AMD has been informing us about the gaming capabilities of the Ryzen 9950X3D
- We are expected to see frame rates that are akin to the 9800X3D
- This is in spite of significant spec enhancements for the yet-to-be-released flagship for 3D V-Cache
AMD’s premium 3D V-Cache processor, the Ryzen 9 9950X3D, is anticipated to provide ‘comparable’ gaming performance as the current mainstream Ryzen 7 9800X3D CPU.
During a dialogue with VideoGamer, AMD’s Manager of Product and Business Development, Martijn Boonstra, mentioned that Team Red is anticipating the Ryzen 9950X3D and its lesser variant, the 9900X3D, to offer a “similar overall gaming performance to the 9800X3D.”
In summary, there will be a balance here, with the Ryzen 9 processors being marginally quicker in specific situations, and the Ryzen 7 9800X3D triumphing in others.
Boonstra elaborated that with the upcoming Ryzen 9 CPUs: “Some games will run a bit better (if the game engine takes advantage of additional cores and threads), and some games may perform somewhat worse (if the game engine prefers a 1CCD setup), but overall the experience is comparable.”
The Ryzen 9950X3D and 9900X3D were introduced at CES 2025 earlier in January, and are projected to be available shortly – however, pricing remains unconfirmed. They will, predictably, be significantly pricier than the Ryzen 7 9800X3D. To refresh your memory, the initial MSRP for the 7950X3D was 55% higher than that of the 7800X3D (in the US).
Analysis: A simple decision for gamers, it appears
You may be considering – receiving the same performance from a more expensive CPU – what’s the deal with that? Well, bear in mind, we are specifically discussing gaming frame rates.
The Ryzen 9 9950X3D and 9900X3D are crafted as dual-purpose processors, which excel for creative tasks (and can easily handle other demanding applications), while also delivering remarkable gaming capabilities. Although, due to this 3D V-Cache flagship’s specifications this time around, some individuals might have anticipated enhanced performance in PC gaming – yet AMD seems to be preparing us otherwise, and this seems to be the essence of this marketing message.
On the subject of specifications, the Ryzen 9 9950X3D not only features 16-cores (and 32-threads) compared to the 8-cores (16-threads) of the 9800X3D, but it also possesses a 5.7GHz boost frequency along with greater 3D V-Cache (144MB versus 104MB).
Nevertheless, it appears that despite this added power, the circumstances will remain unchanged as they were with the previous-generation X3D processors, where the 7950X3D and 7800X3D exhibited very similar gaming performances overall, with minor variations. At least, after resolving any CPU configuration hiccups, because it’s accurate that in prior scenarios, the 7950X3D could be hampered in certain instances due to featuring two CCDs. (This indicates two distinct Core Complex Dies, or chiplets, with only one housing the 3D V-Cache – and occasionally, a thread for a running game might get redirected to the second chiplet, resulting in some latency. This did not occur with the 7800X3D as it possesses a single CCD).
You don’t necessarily need to delve into the technicalities here, though – the crucial takeaway is the message AMD is presenting as a headline. If you’re into gaming, the Ryzen 9800X3D is the optimal CPU for you, strictly because it will be much more economical, offering approximately the same performance with PC games as the Ryzen 9950X3D.
However, if your requirements lean towards superior overall performance, suitable for heavyweight applications alongside gaming, then the Ryzen 9 X3D models are the right choice for you. Yes, you’ll undoubtedly pay a premium for them, but it’s probable that those initially lofty MSRPs will decrease significantly over time (similar to what happened with the Ryzen 7950X3D).
Another aspect to consider is that at present, the Ryzen 9800X3D remains hard to come by (at or near its MSRP), owing to its popularity. Therefore, some PC gamers may look at the newly launched Ryzen 9 3D V-Cache processors upon their arrival just so they can expedite a purchase for their new gaming PC (or upgrade). Depending on how the pricing pans out – as noted, the prior-gen flagship’s 55% markup over the Ryzen 7 variant posed a quite steep request.
Via Tom’s Hardware