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AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D review: A no-compromise CPU for demanding gamers

The 9950X3D is a powerhouse of a desktop processor, with tons of L3 cache to speed up gaming and no compromises for intensive productivity work. The only downside is its relatively high price.

For the past few years, AMD has been exploring a unique approach to speeding up some of its processors with 3D V-Cache, a technology that stacks more L3 cache on top of Ryzen cores. The 9950X3D has the same 170 Watt TDP (Thermal Design Profile) as its 2D variant, so cooling shouldn't be a huge problem, and unlike most other 3D V-Cache chips, it's also fully overclockable. After releasing a pair of excellent midrange GPUs, which showed that the company can genuinely go toe-to-toe with NVIDIA, this CPU and its accompanying 3D V-Cache technology is a reminder of how AMD is far ahead of Intel in many ways.

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