- Ryzen 9 9950X3D and 9900X3D are purportedly arriving on March 12
- Reviews are apparently going to be published the day before
- We’re still waiting for a key detail here, and that’s the asking prices of these high-end X3D chips
AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X3D and 9900X3D processors are rumored to be hitting the shelves on March 12.
VideoCardz claims that its sources indicate that this is the on-sale date for the next 3D V-Cache processors for this current Zen 5 generation.
On top of that, a regular leaker on Weibo, Golden Pig Upgrade, reckons that the review embargoes on these two Ryzen 9 X3D chips will be lifted on March 11. That fits with the scenario outlined, as typically reviews will be aired the day before the hardware goes on sale (but not always, mind).
There’s been a fair old gap (and a lot of rumor-mongering) between the announcement of the 9950X3D and 9900X3D at CES 2025, and the (purported) release of the chips. Rumors circulating late on last year suggested we might get these CPUs towards the end of January 2025, but that obviously didn’t happen.
These two Ryzen 9 spins on 3D V-Cache follow the existing Ryzen 7 9800X3D which was released last November and is an 8-core powerhouse processor for gaming.
Analysis: Will the Ryzen 9950X3D be worth it?
The Ryzen 9950X3D is the 16-core flagship for AMD’s 3D V-Cache chips, which are configured with a special kind of cache that’s particularly beneficial when it comes to PC gaming. The 9900X3D is its lesser 12-core sibling, and don’t expect these processors to come cheap – they most certainly won’t.
Pricing was bumped up slightly for the 9800X3D, compared to the MSRP of the 7800X3D before it, and rumor has it that the 9950X3D might tip the scales at $699 in the US (around £550 / AU$1100), with the 9900X3D possibly launching at $599.
Also, if you’re thinking that the Ryzen 9950X3D will be some kind of total gaming champ, well don’t be led astray by that notion. As AMD has already told us, we can expect this flagship to be roughly equivalent to the Ryzen 9800X3D in gaming, with a bit of give and take – the 9950X3D may be slightly faster for certain games, and the 9800X3D could win out narrowly in others. Expect roughly the same experience with PC gaming, essentially.
Why pay a good deal more for the 9950X3D, then? Because it’s going to be a lot peppier for other tasks away from gaming, so if you use your PC for more serious workloads – and still want a great gaming chip – then this is the CPU to spring for.
If it’s mainly gaming that you’re into, stick with the Ryzen 9800X3D, although this is a popular processor that still remains tricky to buy at its MSRP. Indeed, the price some third-party resellers are currently asking for the 9800X3D is not far off the rumored asking price of the 9900X3D. (And it’s all Intel’s fault, according to AMD).