UPDATE: New AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D & Ryzen 9 9950X3D CPU are available now in the Ryzen Store at PB Tech!
Originally teased at CES 2025, get ready to unlock the latest in power and performance from AMD with Ryzen 9 X3D CPU!
Both the Ryzen 9900X3D & 9950X3D CPU represent the absolute latest in processor technology available from AMD, looking closer at the specifications for the new Ryzen 9000 X3D series CPU we see a solid combination of cores, threads, clocks and cache.
These new AMD X3D processors are compatible with the AM5 socket found on the latest B850 & X870 motherboards, as well as older B650 and X670 series. To get the best performance out of them, it's recommended to pair them with an AMD X870 series motherboard, and there are lots of great ones available right now from top brands such as Gigabyte, ASUS, MSI and ASRock.
Ryzen 9 X3D Essentials!
- The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D and AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D do not include a CPU cooler in the box, but because the AM5 socket has been around for while already there are lots of 360mm AIO Water Cooling options that work great with the new CPU.
- Both CPU do include integrated Radeon graphics, great news for those planning on building a functional system without adding a dedicated graphics card right away.
- AMD AM5 socket motherboards only support DDR5 Desktop RAM Kits, but look for the AMD EXPO Certified RAM kits specifically from G.SKILL, Kingston, PNY, Crucial and Corsair brands to ensure the best compatibility.
If you are looking to upgrade your existing Ryzen 7000 / 9000 system it's really good to check if your motherboard is running on the latest BIOS version before you install the new CPU. You can see if BIOS updates are available by visiting the brand website page for your specific motherboard, and then clicking the 'support' tab. Next, look for latest BIOS version that lists either the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D or AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D, as shown in the example for the MSI X870 GAMING PLUS WIFI Motherboard below, along with instructions on how to install a BIOS if you've never done this sort of update before.
AMD EXPO stands for AMD EXtended Profiles for Overclocking. It allows users to enjoy the higher clock speeds of DDR5 RAM kits, and much like Intel XMP (eXtreme Memory Profiles), this means lots of memory testing documents that'll make it easier to verify hardware compatibility, access detailed settings, and most importantly, make this new RAM technology more stable when we push things to the max. However, it's still not perfect and new CPU launches often are often followed by some profile updates and all the components, or more importantly, all the combinations of components, get tested thoroughly by the real world users.
Fun times ahead! Check out all the latest Ryzen 9000X3D series CPU and more in the AMD Store at PB Tech, and be sure to keep your eyes on Hardwired News for more of the best!
