AMD Ryzen 9 9950X vs Ryzen 9 9900X: What's the difference?

Now that we have all the details for the AMD Ryzen 9000 series, we can take a closer look at the top contenders in the lineup, namely the Ryzen 9 9950X and the Ryzen 9 9900X. We've already looked at the Ryzen 9700X vs. Ryzen 5 9600X if you're wondering what they bring to the table.

New generations of processors bring an IPC (Instructions Per Cycle) boost, and the Ryzen 9000 Series does that and more. With the Ryzen 9000 Series, you get not only better performance, enabled in part by increased data bandwidth, but also thermal improvements and temperature reductions at the same TDP as the previous generation.

The best news is that you can continue to use your AM5 motherboard with AMD 600 series chipsets. All you have to do is check your motherboard's compatibility on the motherboard's website and update your BIOS to the latest available version that supports the new processors. New motherboards with 800 series chipsets are also on the horizon, and we will take a closer look at the new chipset closer to its release.

If your system is mostly used for gaming, you are probably well aware of the X3D variants of the previous generations. As a gamer, you either already have one of these in your system or are waiting for an update on them, but right now there is no news on a 9000 series X3D variant.

With Zen 5, which is what the Ryzen 9000 series of processors are based on, an average IPC increase of 16% can be expected, depending on the tasks being performed, be it gaming or when it comes to productivity. The best part is that this is achieved by either maintaining the same TDP as the previous generation or even lowering it. The 9950X maintains 170W and the 9900X drops from 170W to 120W compared to the 7000 series. All of this is achieved by offering thermal improvements that result in a reduction in temperature at the same TDP levels. Adequate cooling is still a must but luckily we got your covered with our air and liquid cooler line-up.

• Ryzen 9 9950X price: $649
• Ryzen 9 9900X price: $499

The Ryzen 9 9950X and Ryzen 9 9900X cost $649 and $499 respectively. Although there may be price differences between retailers and countries, it should be consistent, broadly-speaking.

The Ryzen 9 9950X is the best processor in the 9000 series. It has the most cores and threads, as well as the fastest boost clock speeds. This is the processor to go with if you want the best of the best AMD CPUs currently available. The 9900X is no slouch, of course, and is an equally good buy, especially if you are building a high-end system for more than just gaming, but want to save a buck or two.

Regardless of which one you go for, remember that neither of them come with a cooler, so make sure to grab an Air Cooler or an AIO, or even build a custom loop if you consistently want to achieve the best performance on these CPUs. All of which can be found on the CORSAIR webstore.