AMD launches the Ryzen 9 9950X3D2. This processor stands out primarily due to the dual use of AMD’s proprietary 3D V-Cache technology, which is relevant for cache-intensive workloads.
AMD is following up its Ryzen 9 9950X3D with the Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 Dual Edition. The sequel consists of two CPU chiplets, both equipped with 104 MB of cache. This brings the total amount of cache for the desktop processor to a very substantial 208 MB. 1,280 KB is L1 cache, 16 MB is reserved for L2, and the remaining 192 MB is L3 cache.
Super-fast cache memory collects the data the CPU will work with. The more often data is ready in the cache, meaning the CPU doesn’t have to wait for the RAM, the more the CPU cores can operate at maximum speed. More cache memory therefore correlates with higher performance for numerous workloads.
200 watts
The CPU remains unchanged for this edition of the chip. AMD provides sixteen Zen 5 computing cores, manufactured using TSMC’s 4 nm process. With a very high TDP of 200 watts, this chip dissipates more heat. This is surprising, as the maximum boost frequency actually drops compared to last year: from 5.7 GHz to 5.6 GHz. The base frequency remains the same at 4.3 GHz.
208 MB of cache is not relevant for all workloads. More is better, up to a certain point where it no longer makes much of a difference. AMD is targeting these chips at both gamers and creative professionals. AMD points to improvements of five to thirteen percent in benchmarks for content creation and rendering, including Blender and DaVinci Resolve, compared to last year’s chip.