When it comes to saving money on flagship computer components, it’s simply a matter of time. Take Ryzen 9 9950X as a prime example, as the cost of AMD’s most-powerful processor has steadily fallen since its launch last year. What once was a $649 chip is now available for considerably less cash, making it a high-performance and high-value buy if you’re hankering to upgrade to a high-end CPU.
AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
“Ryzen 9 9950X embodies Zen 5 in its finest desktop form, presenting AMD’s fastest desktop CPU yet.” Read our review.
Over on Amazon, you’ll find Ryzen 9 9950X available for $538.99, netting you a 17% ($110.01) discount from its launch price. This is the most affordable the processor has ever been on the storefront, meaning there’s never been a better time to pick one up.
For those unfamiliar with this particular chip, Ryzen 9 9950X is AMD’s flagship processor boasting 16 Zen 5 cores and 32 threads. Out of the box, it runs at a 4.3GHz base clock but can push to 5.7GHz with adequate cooling and go even further than that with a touch of overclocking. Such qualities naturally demand a decent amount of power, but this chip’s power requirements aren’t egregious at 170W.
Ryzen 9 9950X is compatible with all AMD X800 and B800 motherboards, as well as some older models with X600 and B600 chipsets pending a BIOS update. Suffice to say, there are plenty of potential partners for this processor, whether you’re aiming to upgrade your whole system or looking for a drop-in upgrade.
For the moment, there’s no beating the overall package that this AMD CPU offers. Pitting Ryzen 9 9950X against Core Ultra 9 285K, the Zen 5 processor comes out on top in almost all workloads you’d want to throw at a chip of its calibre.
Tempting as it is to wait-and-see how Ryzen 9 9950X3D fares against the current flagship, the benefits of 3D V-Cache technology aren’t universal. In fact, it likely won’t make any difference at all in certain workloads as predecessors and recent leaks demonstrate. Summarily, don’t stress if you can’t wait.
Amazon Prime members can enjoy priority shipping on Ryzen 9 9950X, reducing the wait time to upgrade. If it’s been a while since you subscribed to the service or haven’t ever tried it, check out the Club386 guide on everything you get with an Amazon Prime subscription for all the details. Otherwise, rest assured that you can always send it back in the first 30 days if you change your mind.
