AMD has finally announced the Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 Dual Edition – its beefiest processor yet
16 cores, 208MB of cache and a whole lot of power
🆕 AMD has announced the Ryzen 9 9950X3D 2 Dual Edition
😱 The processor comes with a total of 208MB of 3D V-Cache alongside 16 cores
⚡ The chip also has a higher 200W TDP against the original’s 170W
📅 It’s going to be available on April 22, although no pricing has been announced
AMD has finally announced its most powerful processor yet – the Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 Dual Edition – as the long-awaited follow-up to the Ryzen 9 9950X3D from 2025.
It’s a large leap forward from its predecessor, as it’s the first desktop processor to use AMD’s clever 3D V-Cache on both chiplets, which is what helps these X3D processors perform so well in games. Each chiplet includes 104MB of cache, working out to 208MB across the chip.
As per AMD’s Senior VP Jack Huynh in the chip’s announcement video, “208MB of cache means more game data, more assets and more working data sitting right next to the CPU cores.”
The 9950X3D2 is otherwise a 16-core processor that has a boosted 200W TDP against the 170W TDP of the original. Consuming more power isn’t a surefire indication that this is a faster chip, but it’ll certainly output more heat.
AMD says that this chip delivers between a seven and 13 percent boost compared to the original 9950X3D in a range of benchmarks for rendering, content creation and AI & simulation.
The company also says that the 9950X3D2 can deliver a five to 10 percent performance boost with applications like Unreal Engine, Chromium, Blender, and DaVinci Resolve.
Pricing for the 9950X3D2 hasn’t been unveiled as yet, but we do know the chip will be available on April 22. The current 9950X3D had an RRP of $699, although it’s unclear if there will be price rises for the new generation.
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Reece Bithrey is a journalist with bylines for Trusted Reviews, Digital Foundry, PC Gamer, TechRadar and more. He also has his own blog, UNTITLED, and graduated from the University of Leeds with a degree in International History and Politics in 2023.