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AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X and 9900X CPUs Hit the Market

By Amelia monroe | SAN FRANCISCO – 2025/06/29 12:47:11

Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) has broadened its Ryzen 9000 series with the release of the Ryzen 9 9950X and Ryzen 9 9900X processors. These CPUs, incorporating the Zen 5 microarchitecture, are now available too consumers.

The Ryzen 9 9950X features 16 Zen 5 cores with a boost clock speed of up to 5.7 GHz, while the Ryzen 9 9900X includes 12 Zen 5 cores and reaches boost clock speeds of up to 5.6 GHz. This completes the initial Ryzen 9000 product lineup announced earlier this year.

The launch experienced a slight delay, but the full range of Ryzen 9000 X series processors, powered by Zen 5 cores, is now accessible. These processors utilize the AM5 socket, ensuring compatibility with existing X670E and X670 motherboards. The X870E/X870 motherboards, initially planned for release alongside the Ryzen 9000 series, are expected to arrive in September.

Following the introduction of the Ryzen 5 9600X and Ryzen 7 9700X,the performance capabilities of the flagship Ryzen 9 models are now under scrutiny. The Ryzen 9 9950X (16C/32T) and Ryzen 9 9900X (12C/24T) have higher Thermal design Power (TDP) ratings of 170 W and 120 W, respectively, compared to the 65 W TDP of the Ryzen 7 and Ryzen 5 models. These Ryzen 9 chips also feature higher base and turbo frequencies.

AMD Ryzen 9 9950X and 9900X: Specifications and Features

AMD has traditionally released its Ryzen series in a specific order: desktop processors, followed by mobile chips, and then workstation and server components. Though,with the Zen 5 microarchitecture,AMD deviated from this pattern by first launching its mobile Ryzen AI 300 series,which combines Zen 5 and Zen 5c cores.

Afterward, AMD introduced the Ryzen 7 9700X (8C/16T) and the ryzen 5 9600X (6C/12T), providing an initial glimpse into the performance of the Zen 5 architecture compared to its predecessor, Zen 4, and Intel’s 14th Gen Core series.

the flagship Ryzen 9 9950X has an MSRP of $649, which is $50 cheaper than the ryzen 9 7950X when launched back in 2022.

The primary distinctions between the Ryzen 9 9950X and Ryzen 9 9900X, aside from core count, clock speeds, and price, lie in the number of active Core Complex Dies (ccds), known as “Eldora.” Each CCD in the Ryzen 9000 series supports up to eight Zen 5 cores and includes a 32 MB pool of L3 cache. Additionally, the desktop chips feature 1MB of L2 cache per CPU core. The Zen 5 core is based on TSMC’s 4nm N4P node, while the I/O Die (IOD) remains the same as the ryzen 7000 series, utilizing TSMC’s 6 nm node.

The Ryzen 9000 series utilizes the AM5 socket, similar to the ryzen 7000 series. While new motherboards based on the X870E and X870 chipsets are anticipated in September,current AM5 motherboards,such as X670E and X670 models,are compatible with Ryzen 9000 processors. The X870E/X870 and X670E/X670 motherboards share the ASMedia Promontory 21 chipset, with feature sets being the primary difference.

The X870E/X870 boards incorporate new controllers like Wi-Fi 7 and USB 4.0 support, which will be standard on all X870(E) boards. Additionally, these boards will feature at least one PCIe 5.0 NVMe slot. both platforms provide a total of 44 PCIe lanes, with 24 lanes from the CPU and 20 lanes from the chipset.

The Ryzen 9000 series is launching at a lower price point than its Ryzen 7000 series counterparts. The Ryzen 9 9950X has a Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of $649, $50 less than the Ryzen 9 7950X at its launch in 2022. Similarly, the Ryzen 9 9900X is priced at $499, also $50 cheaper than the Ryzen 9 7900X at launch. This trend of decreasing prices with each generation demonstrates AMD’s increasing competitiveness in the CPU market.

With the launch of the flagship ryzen 9 chips, the performance of AMD’s Zen 5 desktop processors can now be evaluated against the competition.