Intel is beaten - AMD's Ryzen 9 9955HX3D with 3D V-Cache is the best choice for gaming

AMD is back at the top: After the huge success with the desktop X3D processors, the manufacturer now also claims the gaming performance crown in the mobile segment with the Ryzen 9 9955HX3D. The additional 3D V-cache ensures a lead over Intel's HX processors in many modern titles and even consumes slightly less power. This means there is finally a worthy successor to the old Ryzen 9 7945HX3D. The availability also seems to be better, because there are already multiple models form different manufacturers.

We had the chance to test the Ryzen 9 9955HX3D in the high-end gaming laptop Neo 16 from the German manufacturer XMG and compare it to a comparable Intel SKU (Core Ultra 9 275HX). Both processors were paired with the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop in the most powerful 175 W version with identical GPU drivers (576.52), so ideal circumstances for a comparison. If you want to save some money (XMG currently charges 215 Euros for the upgrade) should select the regular AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX, which is still slightly faster than the Core Ultra 9 275HX.

Except for the gaming performance, the situation is harder for AMD, because the Intel model of the Neo 16 manages much longer battery runtimes and also offers Thunderbolt support. The AMD Neo 16 is also limited to 96 GB RAM, while the Intel SKU can be configured with up to 128 GB RAM. Both models support PCIe 5.0 for blazing-fast SSDs and the fans of two the two models are equally loud if you use the full performance. This brings us to the optional external Oasis water-cooling, which lowers the temperatures as well as the fan noise noticeably. Please see our review the new XMG Neo 16 A25 for more information including benchmark results.