After providing a taste of its second-generation 3D V-Cache technology last year, it’s finally time to see what it can do paired with more cores via Ryzen 9 9950X3D. The results are nothing short of spectacular, creating a processor that really does feel all-singing, all-dancing, setting the bar for CPUs moving forward.
AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D
£660 / $699
Pros
- Unparalleled multi-core performance
- Outstanding gaming performance
- Drop-in AM5 upgrade
- Surprisingly efficient
- Cool under load
Cons
- 9800X3D is better value for gaming
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How we test and review products.
While regular Ryzen 9 9950X did little to push boundaries, the progress 9950X3D makes is far more pronounced. It more often than not makes serious gains over its non-X3D sibling and its predecessor, 7950X3D, easily justifying its place among the crowd of AMD CPUs.
Specs
Comparing Ryzen 9 9950X3D and Ryzen 7 9800X3D to their predecessors, namely 7950X3D and 7800X3D, it’s clear that the new flagship represents more a of a seismic generational shift. Though core and thread counts remain identical, AMD has bolstered the CPU’s specs elsewhere not forgetting that it packs the architectural improvements of Zen 5.
| Model | Cores Threads | TDP | L3 Cache | Base Clock | Boost Clock | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9000 Series | ||||||
| Ryzen 9 9950X3D | 16 / 32 | 170W | 128MB | 4.3GHz | 5.7GHz | $699 |
| Ryzen 9 9950X | 16 / 32 | 170W | 64MB | 4.3GHz | 5.7GHz | $649 |
| Ryzen 9 9900X3D | 12 / 24 | 120W | 128MB | 4.4GHz | 5.5GHz | $599 |
| Ryzen 9 9900X | 12 / 24 | 120W | 64MB | 4.4GHz | 5.6GHz | $499 |
| Ryzen 7 9800X3D | 8 / 16 | 120W | 96MB | 4.7GHz | 5.2GHz | $479 |
| Ryzen 7 9700X | 8 / 16 | 65W | 32MB | 3.8GHz | 5.5GHz | $359 |
| Ryzen 5 9600X | 6 / 12 | 65W | 32MB | 3.9GHz | 5.4GHz | $279 |
| 7000 Series | ||||||
| Ryzen 9 7950X3D | 16 / 32 | 120W | 128MB | 4.2GHz | 5.7GHz | $699 |
| Ryzen 9 7950X | 16 / 32 | 170W | 64MB | 4.7GHz | 5.7GHz | $699 |
| Ryzen 9 7900X3D | 12 / 24 | 170W | 128MB | 4.4GHz | 5.6GHz | $599 |
| Ryzen 9 7900X | 12 / 24 | 170W | 64MB | 4.7GHz | 5.6GHz | $549 |
| Ryzen 7 7800X3D | 8 / 16 | 120W | 96MB | 4.2GHz | 5.0GHz | $449 |
| Ryzen 7 7700X | 8 / 16 | 105W | 32MB | 4.5GHz | 5.4GHz | $399 |
| Ryzen 5 7600X3D | 6 / 12 | 65W | 96MB | 4.1GHz | 4.7GHz | $299 |
| Ryzen 5 7600X | 6 / 12 | 105W | 32MB | 4.7GHz | 5.3GHz | $299 |
Ryzen 9 9950X3D is a 16-core processor complete with 32 threads and 128MB of L3 cache shared across two CCDs (Core Complex Dies). So far, so much like its forebear. Dig a little deeper, though, and differences begin to manifest.
Both Ryzen 9 9950X3D and 7950X3D boost to 5.7GHz but the former runs at a higher base clock of 4.3GHz. However, the newer chip can more consistently achieve higher frequencies thanks to changes in AMD’s approach to 3D V-Cache.
In a nutshell, AMD has shifted the position of the L3 cache stack below the CPU cores. This invisible-to-the-eye change benefits cooling which in turn allows for greater headroom in terms of frequencies and voltages. This is why Ryzen 9 9950X3D finally mirrors its non-X3D counterpart, 9950X, with the same 170W TDP. For a deeper dive into all-things-new with this generation of 3D V-Cache, I strongly recommend reading Tarinder’s 9800X3D review.
I’m happy to see Ryzen 9 9950X3D maintains price parity with 7950X3D in terms of MSRP, at £660 / $699. This proves more beneficial than one might think to the new chip as pricing for its predecessor currently isn’t massively lower than it was upon release. Don’t forget, this CPU is backwards compatible with 800 and 600 Series motherboards providing you’ve updated your BIOS on the latter, allowing you to save a buck elsewhere in service of more easily affording the chip.
Performance
In a bid to showcase Ryzen 9 9950X3D at its best, I’ve paired it with GeForce RTX 5090. This will limit comparisons to 9800X3D and 7950X3D but these are ultimately the most important chips to compare. Aside from this change of CPU and GPU, the Club386 AM5 test bench remains the same as it was.
Ryzen 9 9950X3D Test PC
Club386 carefully chooses each component in a test bench to best suit the review at hand. When you view our benchmarks, you’re not just getting an opinion, but the results of rigorous testing carried out using hardware we trust.
Shop Club386 test platform components:
CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D
Motherboard: MSI MEG X670E ACE
Cooler: Arctic Liquid Freezer III
GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 Founders Edition
Memory: 64GB Kingston Fury Beast DDR5
Storage: 2TB WD_Black SN850X NVMe SSD
PSU: be quiet! Dark Power Pro 13 1,300W
Chassis: Fractal Design Torrent Grey
Down below you’ll find an assortment of benchmarks, covering content creation and more. For our gaming suite, I’ve limited testing to FHD to place as much stress on the processors as possible.
| Chip | Frequency | TDP |
|---|---|---|
| Ryzen 9 9950X3D | 5.123GHz | 170W |
| Ryzen 7 9800X3D | 5.220GHz | 120W |
| Ryzen 9 7950X3D | 4.552GHz | 120W |
Before we jump into results proper, note the frequency table above. These are the average all-core frequencies of each processor while running Cinebench 2024 Multi-core for 10 minutes. As you can see, frequencies are much stronger on Zen 5 X3D processors and set the stage for serious gains to come.
Apps
More cores and more threads begets more performance in 7-Zip Compression, so it’s no wonder that Ryzen 9 9950X3D and 7950X3D are miles ahead of 9800X3D. Unsurprisingly, the Zen 5 flagship sits comfortably at the head of the pack with a 14% lead over its predecessor.
Coincidentally, this is the same uplift that Ryzen 7 9800X3D enjoys over its predecessor. However, architectural improvements and a higher power budget undoubtedly play their part together in creating 9950X3D’s generational performance leap over 7950X3D. Referring back to legacy numbers, 9950X3D is now king of the hill in this test to boot.
Calculating the first five-billion digits of Pi leaves Ryzen 9 9950X3D hungry for more, as its results are fresh out of the oven in 84.8s. It’s a cool 10% faster than 7950X3D in the same task, and again emerges as the fastest chip on the market.
IPC (Instructions Per Clock) comes in clutch for Zen 5, as both Ryzen 9000 Series processors leave Ryzen 9 7950X3D behind in this Geekbench 6 Single-core leaderboard. Once architectural differences evaporate, clock speeds become king and 9950X3D pulls ahead of its sibling thanks to a 500MHz advantage in boost frequency.
Ryzen 9 9950X3D achieves the highest score we’ve seen in this benchmark, putting yet another feather in its cap.
Freeing every core and thread to unleash its potential, Geekbench 6 Multi-core sees Ryzen 9 9950X3D soar above 9800X3D and 7950X3D. It’s a welcome 12% ahead of its predecessor, providing the first instance of a score above 22,000 I’ve seen from AMD.
Historically, Geekbench Mult-core is a battleground that AMD concedes ground to Intel but its new flagship actually outpaces Core Ultra 9 285K. However, Team Blue has worked hard to improve performance of its latest processors in recent months. As such, further testing is necessary before declaring an outright victory for Team Red here but this is a promising result that puts Ryzen 9 9950X3D top of the stack in the meantime.
Zen 5 handles single precision computing more deftly than Zen 4, creating a sizeable difference in score between Ryzen 9 7950X3D and its competition in Geekbench AI. While 9800X3D performs admirably, it can’t quite keep up with 9950X3D which becomes the new champ of this benchmark.
Note that none of these processors feature an NPU (Neural Processing Unit), unlike Intel’s Core Ultra 200S offerings. Regardless, it’s best to pair top-tier CPUs with dedicated graphics for AI workloads if possible as they simply compete with the FP32 chops of a GPU.
Content Creation
Combine 3D V-Cache with Zen 5 and you’re on to a winning combination for Adobe Photoshop. Ryzen 9 9950X3D dethrones 9800X3D as top dog albeit with a small 4% lead.
Shifting across Adobe’s software suite to Premiere Pro and Ryzen 9 9950X3D delivers its most exciting uplift thus far. It’s a whopping 19% ahead of 7950X3D, and handily earns itself the title of fastest processor in this test.
The welcome wins keep on coming as Ryzen 9 9950X3D leads the way in Blender with 625.1 samples per minute, beating its predecessor by 18%. So far, there hasn’t been a benchmark where this monster of a processor has met its match.
Like with Geekbench 6, improved IPC does wonders for Zen 5 in Cinebench 2024 Single-core. Ryzen 9 9950X3D expectedly enjoys prime position on the podium against 9800X3D and 7950X3D.
However, it does play second fiddle to Core Ultra 9 285K if we refer back to results captured last year, by the same seven points that separate 9950X3D and 9800X3D. Arrow Lake updates will likely either keep this lead intact or widen it further.
Cinebench 2024 Multi-core turns proceedings into a two-horse race between Ryzen 9 9950X3D and 7950X3D with the former expectedly proving the better performer. A 16% generational bump is a welcome sight.
Core Ultra 9 285K keeps Ryzen 9 9950X3D from winning gold overall as a mere three points separate the two CPUs. This is margin of error stuff, but Intel’s contender should be all the better with patches behind it.
Finally, Ryzen 9 9950X3D cements itself as champion renderer of all chips in Corona 10, delivering 15.72 million rays per second. Viewing this achievement through the lens of generational improvement makes it all-the-more impressive as it smashes 7950X3D by 26%.
Memory
Read speeds remain a sore spot for AMD, as Ryzen 9 9950X3D doesn’t meaningfully move the needle as it beats 7950X3D by a mere 1%.
Using identical memory kits, Intel 14th Gen Core processors and Core Ultra 9 285K historically outclass all AMD CPUs in this regard.
A rare win for Ryzen 7 9800X3D, there’s no dethroning it in terms of memory write speeds. A tiny 2% bump separates 9950X3D and 7950X3D.
Ryzen 9 9950X3D latency is expectedly on the higher side, as it was for 9800X3D. Nonetheless, there’s nothing to fuss over here.
Gaming
Pairing all three processors with GeForce RTX 5090 leads to a dead heat in 3DMark Speed Way and Steel Nomad. This isn’t surprising as these workloads thrash the GPU more than the CPU. Regardless, Ryzen 9 9950X3D takes home silver in both benchmarks and these positions provide some indication of trends to come.
Ryzen 9 9950X3D nips at Ryzen 7 9800X3D’s heels, losing out on the top spot by a single frame. To its credit, it does boast higher 1% lows by the same amount. Much as results point to a draw between the Zen 5 CPUs, 7950X3D isn’t far behind in terms of average fps but can’t muster the same consistency as its successor.
Turning on all GeForce RTX 5090’s bells and whistles in Alan Wake 2, namely DLSS Super Resolution and Multi Frame Generation, creates a curious difference between the CPUs.
Once again, Ryzen 9 9950X3D is marginally higher in terms of average frame rates than 7950X3D but is much better at keeping 1% lows in line. However, 9800X3D takes this handling into a class of its own, providing over 100fps in this regard. This perhaps suggests that either Alan Wake 2 or MFG doesn’t play nice with AMD’s dual-CCD designs.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 creates a more typical hierarchy between the three processors. Ryzen 9 9950X3D delivers a 5% lead over 7950X3D but it’s 9800X3D that leads the way. Methinks difficulties with dual-CCD are showing face.
Important as processors are in handling path traced effects, final frame rates ultimately fall to the graphics card.
There isn’t much in it between Ryzen 9 9950X3D and its competitors, as it matches 9800X3D’s average frame rate and leads 7950X3D by 2fps. Minimum fps creates greater distinctions between the CPUs, as the Zen 5 flagship slots into second place on account of its sibling’s 5fps lead in this regard.
Fortune favours Ryzen 9 9950X3D in Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail, netting the processor its first win in the gaming test suite. Its 2fps lead over 9800X3D isn’t massive but it handily outperforms 7950X3D by 22fps on average.
Forza Motorsport is a chaotic race for Ryzen 9 9950X3D. It crosses the finish line with the largest average frame rate but lowest minimum performance. 9800X3D exhibits similar behaviour while 7950X3D coasts more consistently to the chequered flag.
These erratic frame rates are in part due to how Nvidia’s GPU plays with Forza Motorsport. I didn’t experience this problem using Ryzen 9 7950X3D for my Radeon RX 9070 XT or RX 9070 reviews.
Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord comes perilously close to running at 500fps thanks to Ryzen 9 9950X3D, beating 9800X3D by 20fps and 7950X3D by 25fps. Much as these three processors would deliver comparable gameplay experiences in terms of feel, a win is still a win.
You won’t find many races tighter than the one between Ryzen 9 9950X3D and Ryzen 7 9800X3D. Both CPUs deliver the same minimum frame rates but it’s the latter that clips the win by a single frame. Meanwhile, 7950X3D mirrors its successors average fps but doesn’t maintain consistency as deftly.
Efficiency
In spite of its higher power draw, Ryzen 9 9950X3D keeps the coolest head under load compared to the other processors.
There’s no avoiding higher power consumption on Ryzen 9 9950X3D with its out-of-the-box TDP of 170W. Stressing the processor with a 10 minute Cinebench 2024 multi-core workout sees it pull 100W more from the wall than 7950X3D.
While gaming, the differences in system power consumption between the three systems are small. Ryzen 9 9950X3D still emerges as the most ravenous but is only 19W hungrier than 7950X3D.
Dividing Cinebench 2024 Multi-core scores by load watts, we arrive at efficiency ratings for each processor. Raising TDP from 120W to 170W does net more performance but does not a more efficient processor make. Ryzen 9 7950X3D remains a formidable force in this arena but there’s no denying that 9950X3D does well too.
Conclusion
For those seeking the very best processing power on the market, look no further than Ryzen 9 9950X3D. Such powerful performance doesn’t come cheap, at £660 / $699, but you’re paying no more for this flagship than you would the last and its value is far higher.
Ryzen 9 9950X3D shines best as a hybrid or workstation chip and while it doesn’t always knock Ryzen 7 9800X3D from its gaming pedestal, it proves a worthy adversary in terms of raw performance. Whether its greater versatility is worth an additional $220 will come down to the priorities of your system.
It pleases me greatly to see 3D V-Cache unleashed with a higher TDP and frequencies, showing the true might of AMD’s technology. Arguably, now that the company has addressed this limitation is there any need to continue with non-X3D chips? As a cost-saving measure, perhaps, but one shouldn’t let crystal ball gazing distract from the splendour of the present.
Summarily, Ryzen 9 9950X3D rules over all and there’s no sign of its glorious reign coming to an end anytime soon whether by the hand of AMD or Intel.
