AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D Review

I was critical of AMD’s earlier 3D V-Cache processors, while many others have viewed them more favorably. They’ve been fast processors, no doubt, but pricey relative to their non V-Cache-equipped equivalents and worth the extra spend only in a subset of gaming circumstances. With the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D, however, AMD got it right with a chip well worth considering for almost anyone in the market for a high-end gaming CPU.

You’ll find several reasons why the Ryzen 9 9950X3D is markedly different from earlier V-Cache efforts. The first few CPUs to feature 3D V-Cache technology were clocked lower than their non-3D V-Cache counterparts while costing significantly more at the same time. Those processors may have provided a performance boost in games under similar circumstances as the 9950X3D, but it came at the cost of lower general CPU performance and a steeper price.

The performance boost these processors bring can be quite substantial at times, but I pointed out the limited conditions under which you likely would see this performance boost. Not everyone will buy the fastest graphics card available, and that performance boost will only get smaller with any other graphics card. Unless you can buy GPU-high, it has typically been a better decision to purchase a more affordable non-3D V-Cache processor, using the additional funds to buy the fastest graphics card you can.

(Credit: Michael Justin Allen Sexton)

As a gamer, I play at 4K with high graphics settings, so I see that being able to run games better in that situation is the key reason to upgrade my PC. For me, avoiding playing games at low resolutions and with low graphics settings is the entire point of wanting to own a fast PC. This, along with the other reasons I have listed, is why I have viewed the performance boost that 3D V-Cache processors provide as not particularly alluring. (Some esports enthusiasts, though, will strongly disagree, and that’s fair.)

This scenario isn’t the same with the Ryzen 9 9950X3D, though. Sure, it delivers a potent performance bump over the 9950X only in games at lower resolutions and lower graphics settings, but you don’t lose performance anywhere else in recompense. Instead, you gain a little performance in select non-gaming tests and don’t have to pay substantially more for these benefits. The Ryzen 9 9950X3D, costing just slightly more than the Ryzen 9 9950X, makes an outsize difference, taken as a whole.

Mind you, the Ryzen 9 9950X itself is still well worth considering and is far from a slouch. But for $50 more, I’d likely opt for the Ryzen 9 9950X3D, our newest Editors’ Choice winner for gaming processors.