9950X3D now or wait for the 9950X3D2?
Posted by Lukas_vd@reddit | buildapc | View on Reddit | 40 comments
so I've been planning a new build for a while now, mostly for gaming but I also do dev work, run VMs, containers, that kind of stuff. was finally about to just order the 9950X3D since its dropped to like €650 here in europe which is pretty solid compared to the €769 launch price.
then ASRock had to go and post a press release on their site yesterday talking about full BIOS 4.03 support for the "newly launched Ryzen 9 9950X3D2". except AMD hasnt announced anything?? page is still up too. and this isnt even the first leak, we've had ASUS showing a folder called 9950X3DV2 in a video, Alienware and some UK company listing it in prebuilt configs before removing it, and AMD filed it with the EEC back in january. at CES they literally just said "stay tuned" when asked about it.
so its clearly coming and based on the "newly launched" wording probably pretty soon. but now im stuck. the whole point of the chip is that it has V-Cache on both CCDs instead of just one so 192MB L3 total. thats nice for my use case since I actually use all 16 cores regularly and the asymmetric cache thing on the current 9950X3D is kind of annoying in theory. but for pure gaming AMD themselves said the gains are only a few percent.
the thing is nobody actually knows what its going to cost. theres one rumor from months ago saying $999 but thats literally one source and hasnt been confirmed by anyone since. could be $799, could be $899, who knows. and the 9950X3D will probably drop even further once the X3D2 shows up.
zen 6 desktop got pushed to 2027 and X3D versions of that wont be a thing until 2028 probably so whatever I grab now is going to be the top of AM5 for a long time.
so yeah couple questions I guess:
- anyone have any better info on when this thing is actually dropping? are we talking weeks or months still?
- what do you guys think it'll realistically cost? is that $999 rumor legit or way off?
- is it even worth waiting if you do more than just gaming or should I just grab the 9950X3D at current prices and stop overthinking it
curious if anyone else is in the same boat rn
Expert_Conflict6374@reddit
X3D2 will not improve gaming performance.
Even though both CCD have V-Cache they still need to go through the IF to the IO and the inter-CCD latency will still be too much to the point you want to disable a CCD when gaming.
In other workloads the V-Cache won't be helping you.
9950X3D is a compromise between gaming and productivity, 9950X3D2 will be a waste of V-Cache
Lukas_vd@reddit (OP)
What exactly do you mean choose between gaming or productivity I heard that 9950x3d and 9800x3d now still get around same gaming performance without disabling stuff or am I wrong?
Expert_Conflict6374@reddit
Sorry I'm late to the reply.
Yes, the 9950X3D is the same as 9800X3D in gaming because the Chipset Software / Bios X3D Turbo mode specifically deprioritise / disables one CCD when gaming.
The bottleneck wasn't because the other CCD lacked V-Cache, it's because the inter-CCD latency has too much latency. Hence having 2 CCD both with V-Cache wouldn't help with gaming, you are still getting the performance from 8 Cores and 96MB L3 of one CCD.
In productivity workloads that need all 16 cores and 32 threads are generally not cache sensitive. Hence there was never the point of 9950X3D2 over a standard 9950X3D
Angus-The-Dog@reddit
Would video encoding using handbrake be one of those kinds of workloads? I do a lot of that on my 9950X3D
Expert_Conflict6374@reddit
Nope, I use my 5080 for it. GPU encoding via NVEnc is much faster than CPU, and the good news is all NVidia GPUs of the same generation have the same encoder thus same speed.
For example, if I want to recode a H264 film to AV1, a 9800X3D would take like 1hr, the 9950X3D would be half as that, but with NVEnc even on the shittiest 5050 laptop it will take 10 min max
Explosivpotato@reddit
You’re correct, generally speaking. He’s saying that the rumored 9950x3d2 will not improve gaming performance over the 9950x3d, or the 9800x3d. It would only improve performance in highly parallelized tasks that also benefit from large L3 caches. What are these workloads? Your guess is as good as anyone else’s.
Asturl@reddit
Wait. AMD will soon release their next CPU lineup. And the RTX 6000 series are right around the corner. Not sure why anyone would even thing about building a PC right now.
BiitchenKitchen@reddit
Theres been multiple reports that the 60xx series of Nvidia cards probably wont release until 2028.
Asturl@reddit
There are zero credible rumors surrounding a 2028 launch. If you would, please provide one
BiitchenKitchen@reddit
https://www.pcmag.com/news/report-nvidias-rtx-6000-graphics-cards-might-not-launch-until-2028
Main reason is due to lack of available vram.
If i was OP and didnt have a system/have money burning a hole in my pocket, id just pull the trigger now, since there probably wont be any new releases this calendar year
Select_Truck3257@reddit
Fk ngreedia
Bluecolty@reddit
Not gonna lie, if people listened to this advice, they'd never get to build a PC. There's always something new coming out. If you so badly want the latest and greatest, then yea, there's worse and better times to build a PC. But not "why anyone would build a PC right now".
There is absolutely nothing wrong with previous gen stuff. New releases don't suddenly make the previous gen awful. They're still just as good. The only concern here is cost between current and previous gen. Either way, if you're concerned about cost, every PC component value will depreciate with use. Realistically, how many people go and sell their older used stuff anyway? So they're often not recouping the cost.
I remember when the 4090 released. So many 3090 owners were like "dang this is useless". They dumped them secondhand for as low as $650 if you were lucky. I snagged one for not a ton more. Now? They're back up to $1400 used, because people (sadly) realized their worth.
Lukas_vd@reddit (OP)
yeah but theres a difference between something releasing in 6 months vs potentially within 2 weeks for around the same price, thats a pretty different situation. I'm not chasing the latest and greatest for no reason, I just want the extra cores combined with good gaming performance that I can actually use when I upgrade my GPU in like 2-3 years. plus with the current 9950X3D you have to mess around with gaming mode in BIOS to get proper performance depending on whether you're gaming or doing actual work, the X3D2 with cache on both CCDs would just eliminate that entirely. my i9-11900KF is already barely keeping up with my 7900 XTX as is
Bluecolty@reddit
Yours is definitely a power user scenario, which is a really small percentage of people. I was talking about the original commenters "why would anyone build a pc now", referencing anyone.
As a power user myself, I've taken time to establish a place to sell stuff, to avoid different "what if" situations. If you haven't considered the same, I'd recommend it. In this scenario, you could buy the regular 9950X3D, and then if/when this V2 comes out for the price you're looking for, sell your regular 9950X3D. It would be at a bit of a loss, but it would give you more flexibility for scenarios like this.
Either that, or consider a second PC. Certain hypervisors allow for dynamic allocation of cores to VMs. It takes away the need for a massive amount of cores because more than one VM uses them. Depends on what your VMs are doing ofc. But just in general, a thought about having multiple PCs.
Threadrippers have also gotten cheap. I picked up a used theadripper pro 3945wx a few months ago for $150. Solid chunky chip.
Lukas_vd@reddit (OP)
honestly really appreciate the detailed response, you're right I didn't mean to come across like the other commenter was wrong about the general advice. for most people yeah just build and enjoy it.
the buy now and sell later approach is probably the smartest play honestly, hadn't fully considered that. worst case I lose like €50-80 on the resale which is whatever.
the threadripper idea is interesting and I did look into it at some point but honestly buying one kit of DDR5 already felt like a stab wound to my wallet with current prices. having to get a threadripper board, ECC RAM, a case that fits it, beefy enough cooler and PSU on top of that would be a whole second build budget. at that point I might as well just get the 9950X3D2 and call it a day lol. cool that you got a 3945WX for $150 though thats a steal
Bluecolty@reddit
Anytime, glad it helped a bit!
And for sure, you were brave for just buying any DDR5 in this depressing market haha. The threadripper board I got to accompany said 3945wx was… ouch as well. They’re pretty crazy.
Just a thought, to share some more knowledge. Maybe in a few years you could look into a Lenovo Thinkstation P620. It’s a proprietary workstation PC, so assume all the good and the bad. Super modular and easy to work in, proprietary parts, but parts will be cheap if something goes bad. The threadrippers put in them get vendor locked (thanks, AMD for that anti consumer move), but that means you can snag an already vendor locked Lenovo threadripper for really cheap. Like… we’re talking $350 for a 32 core 3975WX cheap. The P620 supports threadripper pro 5000 series too.
Anyways though, just one idea of many possibilities! Best of luck with the 9950X3Dv2, and the rest of the solid build you’ve got.
Lukas_vd@reddit (OP)
Just ordered the 9950x3d because amd with 9950x3d got it correct with the timings so we don't have to choose between gaming and productivity as far as ive read so im not going to put down 200 euros towards 5% more at this stage. Also when I'll need more in a few years I expect I'll be able to use the machines at work for these kind of power hungry things when I finish my masters in 2 years and ill have more money available then haha. I got a decent pick for ddr5 here 580 euros for 64GB DDR5 6000 C30 which is now like normally 700 euros around here at the minimum.
pythonic_dude@reddit
The earliest zen6 is coming is late this year but is likely to slide into early 2027. The earliest rubin consumer gpus are hitting the market is 2027 but can easily be pushed to late 2027 (1.5 years from now on).
Lukas_vd@reddit (OP)
Cuz I got a cpu intel 11th series which is both somehow still the warmest cpu available and I need plainly more cores and RAM for what work I do, I can't hang on with 8 slower cores anymore.
shlimerP@reddit
9950x3d is a solid cpu, need to use process lasso to get it working properly tho
LostMyRedditAccount3@reddit
wait for the 21950x4d with the 4d time cache allowing you to travel to the future and past to play games
shlimerP@reddit
i want to travel to the future to play old games with my rdna2 card and optiscaler
Errorr404@reddit
can't wait for the 22950X4DD AI PRO MAX+
Shiftstealth@reddit
At that point it will be Quantum AI TM
Errorr404@reddit
quantum entangled cache X4DD Quantum Special Edition x Hatsune Miku
mookiexpt2@reddit
Half Life 3!
Lukas_vd@reddit (OP)
yeah ill pair it with the RTX 9090 from nvidia, pretty sure I can get a bundle deal for only about half a million. bank should approve that mortgage no problem
Born_Bad_1294@reddit
LoL
Various_Head5927@reddit
Having just upgraded to the 9950x3d and then this leaked announcement happened days later lol so..... Il wait for the benchmarks I guess to find out if I should stuff myself even more to get more cache lol Just my luck I bought the 9950x3d thinking the 9950x3d2 wasn't happening lol
Kog_the_krusher@reddit
I literally did too and im in my return windows by april 22nd. i may return it but it depends.
Various_Head5927@reddit
i noticed that the price of the 9950x3d at the place i got mine from has dropped like 90£ since i bought mine 2 or 3 weeks ago lol
Lukas_vd@reddit (OP)
Eh I did aswell after some thinking time I gathered with the bit more TDP and the extra CCD ram its like not going to be a huge improvement but probably due to the 9950X3D already having gone down price it will probably be like 200 euros more expensive comared to the 9950X3D is right now so that wont be worth it.
Various_Head5927@reddit
il have to look at the benchmarks to be able to decide if itl be worth it but i think your probably right i mean the 9950x3d is probably overkill for my usage anyway LOL!
occasionally i will get the chance to proper push it hard on most cores maybe even all cores ut yeah ive already stuffed myself hard with thsi build as it is lol
ChrisV2V@reddit
It just got announced, what do you think? Personally I'm a little jealous because its obviously marketed as better and faster thus making the 9950X3D not the king, but its only about 5% faster in computing. 5% is not much and I doubt I'll see a difference in gaming. 9950X3D is fast already, like fast fast so I'd just build a 9950X3D. You won't be future proofing with the new one in my opinion because the AM5 platform will have a really long support so choosing AMD is future proofing itself in my opinion
LystAP@reddit
Just announced. Q2 2026.
UnlimitedDeep@reddit
AMD decide the pricing the night before the launch for most of their products unfortunately lol we likely won’t know until it drops
StevannFr@reddit
Bro .... Their will always better years agter years so take it or whait all your life.
kawaii_Summoner@reddit
I was planning a 9950x3d build, then MC had the 9850x3d + 32gb ddr5 6000 +MSI x870e-p combo for $750 USD. Couldn't turn that deal down xD
Lukas_vd@reddit (OP)
Wouldve been a super good deal other than me needing 64GB ram and more than 8 cores for VM and productivity work when running multiple VM's I cant just give both like 2 cores they would be running really slow.
Electronixen@reddit
9950X3D2 or 10950x3d?