AMD is kicking off 2025 with two new Ryzen 9 X3D desktop CPUs

An AMD Ryzen 9 CPU product image with its name next to it, claiming it's the best CPU for gaming and content creation — (Image credit: AMD)

The main draw of CES 2025 for most PC gamers is new graphics cards, but CPU enthusiasts have something to be excited for too. Not one, but two new Ryzen 9 9000 desktop processors have just been unveiled, and both are stacked with AMD's 2nd Gen 3D V-Cache technology.

The AMD Ryzen 9-9950X3D is the latest flagship processor that's stealing the title of "the world's best CPU for gaming and content creation". It will feature 16 Zen 5 CPU Cores, supported by a generous 32 threads, giving it a maximum boost frequency of 5.7GHz. That lifts it over AMD's previous X3D offering from this generation, the Ryzen 7 9800X3D, which has a max boost clock of 5.2GHz.

The Ryzen 9 9950X3D sports a total cache of 144MB, which AMD has said in its marketing material gives it an 8% increase in performance over the previous generation Ryzen 9 7950X3D chip when gaming at 1080p. Of course, this 3D V-cache is also bred for content creators, and compared against the same last-gen chip, AMD has found a 13% increase across 20 applications including Photoshop, Blender, and Cinebench.

Some AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D performance stats — (Image credit: AMD)

We're yet to hear an official launch date and price for the new Ryzen 9, but AMD says it will be on the shelves in Q1 of 2025, which could mean it arrives any time in the next three months or so.

If you don't quite have the budget for the best gaming PC specs available, this new powerhouse processor does have a presumably cheaper alternative. The Ryzen 9 9900X3D has only slightly lessened specs, but still offers you flagship gaming and content power.

It features 12 cores and 24 threads, with a max boost clock of 5.5GHz, and a total cache of 140MB. This may be one for the more power-conscious, since the flagship 9950X3D has a TDP of 170W, whereas the 9900X3D only draws 120W.

The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D and 9900X3D specs compared — (Image credit: AMD)

In other exciting news, AMD also announced that it's bringing its highly popular X3D tech to its "H" processors, giving owners of the best gaming laptops the chance to enjoy this breakthrough processing feature.

Of course, GPU news is the talk of the town right now, and AMD has also lifted the admittedly leaking lid of its RDNA 4 selection. The new Radeon RX 9070 has been confirmed, so read up on that if you're interested in the latest gaming PC specs. You'll also want to check out the upcoming Ryzen Z2 Extreme chip if you're excited about next-gen handhelds.

For more component chat, check out the best graphics cards, the best computer speakers, and the best RAM for gaming.

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One of my earliest memories is playing SuperMario64 and wondering why the controller I held had three grips, but I only had two hands. Ever since I've been in love with video games and their technology. After graduating from Edinburgh Napier University with a degree in Journalism, I contributed to the Scottish Games Network and completed an Editorial Internship at Expert Reviews. Over the last decade, I’ve been managing my own YouTube channel about my love of games too. These days, I'm one of the resident hardware nerds at GamesRadar+, and I take the lead on our coverage of gaming PCs, VR, controllers, gaming chairs, and content creation gear. Now, I better stop myself here before I get talking about my favourite games like HUNT: Showdown, Dishonored, and Towerfall Ascension.