Gaming Performance of AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D & 9900X3D Is Comparable to Ryzen 7 9800X3D

The upcoming March launch of AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X3D and Ryzen 9900X3D “Zen 5” processors has many hardcore PC enthusiasts drooling over the possibility of an increase in core counts over previously released hardware—the wildly popular Ryzen 7 9800X3D CPU only has eight cores (and sixteen threads). Higher core counts often don’t offer a significant benefit in gaming applications; Team Red’s 8-core 3D V-Cache-equipped machines have dominated this so-called “sweet spot” for years. For the “Granite Ridge” generation, a recently released VideoGamer article offers a conclusive response to the question of whether the new-generation 12 and 16-core SKU siblings had any chance of stealing some gaming performance thunder.

The article was able to obtain important statements from Team Red product and business development manager Martijn Boonstra, who gave a somewhat pessimistic assessment of the upcoming Ryzen 9 9950X3D and 9900X3D models. “(Our) new chips will provide similar overall gaming performance to the Ryzen 7 9800X3D,” the business CEO said. Overall, the experience is similar, while certain games will perform somewhat better (if the game engine uses multiple cores and threads) and some will perform slightly worse (if the game engine prefers a single CCD arrangement). Although Boonstra did not disclose any information on upcoming pricing, he did imply that finalized figures would be disclosed “closer to launch.” The Ryzen 7 9800X3D has an MSRP of $479 (assuming you are lucky enough to find one). He concluded with the typical marketing pitch: “Ryzen 9000X3D Series desktop processors are perfect for gamers and content creators alike…whether you are already on the AM5 platform, on AM4 or another platform, these products are sure to impress.”