If you’re waiting for a chance to upgrade your gaming rig, you don’t have to wait much longer. AMD announced that the Ryzen 9 9950X3D and the Ryzen 9 9900X3D will hit store shelves on March 12 for $699 and $599, respectively. First unveiled at CES 2025, these two processors promise huge gains in performance for gamers wanting the best frame rates and visuals they can possibly get.
AMD describes the Ryzen 9 9950X3D as the “ultimate 16-core desktop CPU,” and while there might be a bit of hyperbole involved, this is an undeniably powerful piece of hardware. Its 16 cores give it 32 Threads, and it comes with a base clock speed of 4.3GHz that can boost up to 5.7GHz. It also sports a 144MB cache and uses an admittedly high 170W TDP.
The world’s best processor for gaming and content creation is almost here.
Available starting March 12th
Ryzen 9 9950X3D – $699
Ryzen 9 9900X3D – $599A huge thank you to our incredible community of gamers, creators, and innovators for your continued support. Together,… pic.twitter.com/ino6ZNMvi6
— Jack Huynh (@JackMHuynh) March 7, 2025
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The Ryzen 9 9900X3D is slightly less powerful, but still nothing to scoff at. With 12 cores and 24 Threads, this CPU is more than capable of handling most anything you throw at it, but make no mistake: it’s designed with gaming in mind. With a base clock speed of 4.4 GHz and a max speed of 5.5GHz, you’ll get great performance with a more reasonable 120W TDP.
If the prices feel familiar, it’s because AMD hasn’t changed a thing from the last-generation equivalents of these two cards. It’s still on the higher-end compared to other cards on the market, but these offer an alternative to the hard-to-find 9800X3D. Opting for a non-X3D card will save money, but comes with a significant gaming performance hit.
If either of these processors sounds like the missing link in your ideal gaming rig, keep your eyes peeled: they’ll be available for purchase in less than a week.
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