$899 buys AMD's Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 Dual Edition, but PC Gamer says the chip's gaming uplift over the $699 9950X3D is too small to justify the premium.
192 MB of L3 cache and symmetrical dual CCDs did help in some tests: the 9950X3D2 reached 121 fps in Cyberpunk 2077 versus 111 for the 9950X3D, though results were often only marginally better elsewhere.
That design also reduces thread-scheduling issues that affected earlier dual-CCD X3D chips, while giving both chiplets the same 5.6 GHz boost clock instead of uneven frequencies.
The trade-off is higher power and heat: TDP rises to 200 W, average package power hit 245 W under load, and the CPU reached 94 C in Cinebench, pushing thermal limits.
PC Gamer concluded the processor offers bragging rights more than value, recommending buyers stick with the Ryzen 7 9800X3D for gaming or the 9950X for heavier creation work.
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AMD once said this CPU design was pointless. So who is this $899 processor actually for?