While AMD’s first Zen 5 CPUs disappointed everyone in gaming, the latest X3D versions have more than made up for that. The 9800X3D became the best gaming CPU last year, and now the 9950X3D greatly improves creator workloads while mostly maintaining that stellar gaming performance.

AMD's Ryzen 9 9950X is a chip that delivers on all fronts. It combines the multi-threaded grunt of the 9950X with the gaming prowess of the 9800X3D.

With the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D, Team Red has completed the launch of the high-end segments within the new 9000 series processor, albeit it does seem like that older non-X3D processors might be passed over considering how good the X3D processors have been performing.

When AMD introduced the Ryzen 7 9800X3D, we saw just how much 3D V-Cache could enhance gaming performance while maintaining excellent efficiency. Now,

Despite having a higher TDP (120W vs 105W), the 9800X3D is far more efficient than the 9700X. In Alan Wake 2, for example, the 9800X3D only hit a max of 77W to the 9700X's 98W.

AMD's latest gaming CPUs, the Ryzen 9 9950X3D and the Ryzen 9 9900X3D, are launching today. Here's where to score one.The Latest Tech News, Delivered to Your Inbox

AMD loves to build to a crescendo. As it’s shown since 2016, when its first Ryzen CPUs launched, the company progresses incrementally but steadily—until Team Red sits all the way at the top. That time has come for its 3D V-Cache processors,