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AMD's New 'Dual Edition' CPU: $899 Price Tag
9 Apr
Summary
- New AMD chip costs $899 with 192MB L3 cache.
- Processor offers 5-10% performance increase over previous model.
- Price is $200 higher than the standard Ryzen 9 9950X3D.
AMD has announced its latest desktop processor, the Ryzen 9 9950X3D2, with a retail price of $899, set for release on April 22. This new chip, marketed as the "Dual Edition," enhances performance by expanding L3 cache to 192MB, achieved by integrating SRAM on both of its core chiplet dies.
This augmented cache aims to benefit gaming and intensive applications. The previous year's regular Ryzen 9 9950X3D featured 128MB of L3 cache. The Dual Edition processor is designed for PC builders seeking a versatile system capable of both high-end gaming and professional workstation tasks, leveraging its 16 cores and AM5 motherboard compatibility.
However, the $899 price point represents a $200 increase compared to the original $699 price of the standard Ryzen 9 9950X3D, which is currently available for $675. AMD's own benchmarks indicate a modest 5% to 10% performance uplift for the Dual Edition in workloads such as 3D modeling, software compiling, and video rendering.
Notably, AMD has not released gaming benchmark data for this new chip. This omission is particularly interesting given past issues where games experienced a performance penalty when utilizing dual compute dies. Questions remain about whether AMD has resolved this, or if the Dual Edition introduces other compromises. The new chip also has a slightly lower boost clock speed of 5.6GHz compared to the 5.7GHz of the regular 9950X3D.
