The wait is finally over. AMD has lifted the veil. They confirmed the pricing and launch date of its next big hitting products in the CPU segment: Ryzen 9 9950X3D and Ryzen 9 9900X3D processors. Prepare yourselves for March 12. These gaming and content creation monsters will be on the shelves.
Confirmed Price Points: Are They Worth It
Let’s cut to the numbers. AMD is adhering to a well-known approach. They are pricing these high-performance chips at prices similar to the previous generation.
- AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D $699 MSRP
- AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D: $599 MSRP
These price points place them squarely in competition against the highest-end Intel parts. AMD is confident they'll deliver a knockout punch in gaming, efficiency, and even content creation workloads. So, what exactly makes these CPUs tick?
Ryzen 9 9950X3D: The Big Dog - Specs
Topping the line-up is the Ryzen 9 9950X3D. This powerhouse packs in:
- 16 Cores, 32 Threads: For heavy games and workloads.
- 144MB Total Cache: With AMD's industry-leading 3D V-Cache technology expect lightning-quick data access. That comes from 64MB courtesy of the Zen 5 cores, 64MB via the stacked X3D cache, plus 16MB of L2 cache for good measure.
- Turbo: Up To 5.7 GHz Boost Clock: Ferocious speeds when you need it most.
- Performance Comes With a Price: 170W TDP, While Still in High-End CPU Territory.
- Overclocking Ready: If you like to shove things to the edge, overclocking is still an option.
Ryzen 9 9900X3D: Gaming Hero of the 12-Core
Close behind is the Ryzen 9 9900X3D with slightly fewer cores but still some serious gaming bang:
- 12 cores, 24 threads: A sweet spot for gaming and a lot of content creation.
- 140MB Total Cache: Also gets benefit from 2nd Gen 3D V-Cache for a considerable performance boost in gaming.
- Up to 5.5 GHz Boost Clock: Fast, though not quite as fast as the 9950X3D.
- 120W TDP: More power-efficient than its larger counterpart, though still providing impressive power.
- Overclocking Potential: We should see some overclocking headroom like the 9950X3D.
Same Price, Next-Gen Performance
The most interesting part of all is the fact AMD has kept the same MSRPs of their last-gen X3D CPUs. Given the anticipated performance boost of the upcoming Zen 5 architecture and improved 3D V-Cache, this potential could spell trouble for Intel.
Performance Expectations: Game Play and Performance
All that said, we are looking forward to seeing independent benchmarks, but AMD's own testing is certainly encouraging. The Ryzen 9 9950X3D is a sizeable leap, they say. It comfortably eclipses even Intel's highest-end offering, the Core Ultra 9 285K, in gaming scenarios. They also give better performance than the previous gen Ryzen 9 7950X3D.
That said, 3D V-Cache can be somewhat of a mixed bag for strictly compute workloads despite its gaming prowess. It's a very early indication, but the 9950X3D appears to hold on to its content creation performance, though independent testing will be needed for more details.
Will Anyone Be Able To Actually Buy One
One big question mark remains: when will we get availability? CPUs and GPUs results are in high-demand, and shipping them has been particularly difficult in recent months. Still remember how the Ryzen 7 9800X3D has been in short supply? Let’s hope that enough of these new Ryzen 9 X3D chips are available to satisfy anticipated demand on March 12th. If not, it could be challenging to get your hands on one.
The world's best processor for gaming and content creation is almost here.
— Jack Huynh (@JackMHuynh) March 7, 2025
Available starting March 12th
Ryzen 9 9950X3D - $699
Ryzen 9 9900X3D - $599
A huge thank you to our incredible community of gamers, creators, and innovators for your continued support. Together,… pic.twitter.com/ino6ZNMvi6
Conclusion: Things Are Getting Excited
Ryzen 9 9950X3D and 9900X3D CPUs priced & running = March 12th. There has been a lot of speculation about when AMD would announce the CPUs, but now we finally have confirmation: They will be priced, and March 12th is the launch date. If AMD delivers on the performance front, these chips might well change the high-end CPU landscape. Stay tuned for reviews in the coming weeks. We look forward to putting these processors through their paces in real-world tests.
AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D & 9900X3D — Specs at a Glance
| CPU | MSRP | Architecture | Cores / Threads | Boost Clock (GHz) | Total Cache | TDP | Memory Support |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ryzen 9 9950X3D | $699 | Zen 5 X3D | 16 / 32 | 5.7 | 144 MB | 170W | DDR5-5600 |
| Ryzen 9 9900X3D | $599 | Zen 5 X3D | 12 / 24 | 5.5 | 140 MB | 120W | DDR5-5600 |
