Ryzen 9 9950X3D performance leaks: 16-core Zen 5 X3D CPU reportedly isn't slower than Ryzen 9 9950X

CES 2025 is just around the corner with a slew of new, exciting products for PC users. From Nvidia, we are looking forward to seeing the next-gen RTX 50 Blackwell cards, while AMD is going even bigger with the unveiling of multiple new CPUs and GPUs. Among the many rumored products, Team Red’s CES 2025 show is expected to debut the Strix Halo APU, RDNA 4 parts, and more Zen 5 X3D chips.

On the topic of the latter, the single-core and multi-core performance of the Ryzen 9 9950X3D has leaked on X.

According to HXL on X, the Ryzen 9 9950X3D has a single-core and multi-core Cinebench R23 performance that is on par with the non-X3D Ryzen 9 9950X. Essentially, HXL’s claim suggests that users won’t see any performance regression with the Ryzen 9 9950X3D vs the Ryzen 9 9950X.

Moreover, HXL claims that the Ryzen 9 9950X3D won’t see any clock speed regressions vs the Ryzen 9 9950X. AMD has traditionally reduced the clock rates on X3D chips due to thermal considerations. For instance, the Ryzen 9 7950X3D has 300 MHz lower base clocks than the Ryzen 9 7950X. This time around, however, it appears the Ryzen 9 9950X3D will match the Ryzen 9 9950X in frequency on the non-3D V-Cache CCD, while the CCD with the 3D V-Cache will take some clock speed hit to manage the added heat output.

In addition to matching the raw performance of the Ryzen 9 9950X, it is given that the Ryzen 9 9950X3D will be markedly faster in games and cache-sensitive applications. So, if AMD can sort out the scheduling issues that appeared on the Ryzen 9 7950X3D due to it offering the 3D V-Cache on only one CCD, the Ryzen 9 9950X3D can be the ultimate gaming/productivity CPU.

As always, the preliminary performance leaks such as the one discussed here rarely paint the full picture. So, take the Ryzen 9 9950X3D performance presented here with a grain of salt and wait for the official reveal and subsequent reviews.

Buy the Ryzen 9 9950X on Amazon