"The world's most powerful CPU" is AMD's Ryzen 9 9950X, and it's now available to buy alongside its 9900X sibling

What you need to know

• AMD officially launched its Ryzen 9 9950X and Ryzen 9 9900X chips based on the Zen 5 architecture.
• Prices hit $649 and $499, respectively, making them considerably more expensive than the Ryzen 5 and Ryzen 7 chips released last week.
• The Ryzen 9 9950X has 16 cores and a 170W TDP, while the Ryzen 9 9900X has 12 cores and a 120W TDP.
• Ryzen 9000 X3D variants are still expected to be announced at some point, though there's no confirmation yet from AMD.

AMD has now officially released its second batch of Ryzen 9000 processors (CPU) built on the Zen 5 architecture. The flagship Ryzen 9 9950X — which Windows Central's Ben Wilson called "the world's most powerful CPU" in his review — and sibling Ryzen 9 9900X desktop CPUs come a week after the Ryzen 5 9600X and Ryzen 7 9700X. They're now available to buy at major retailers like Newegg.

The Ryzen 9 9950X launched at $649 , which is $50 less than the last-gen Ryzen 9 7950X launch price. The Ryzen 9 9900X is in the same boat with its $499 launch price , which is $50 less than the Ryzen 9 7900X.

These Ryzen 9 chips are both focused more on high-level performance than their Ryzen 5 and 7 counterparts, and they should be perfect for enthusiasts creators and gamers who don't mind a higher power draw that results in impressive performance. We're expecting AMD to announce Ryzen X3D variants with 3D V-Cache for extreme gaming performance, but so far there's nothing official from the company.

Extreme performance

AMD's Ryzen 9 9950X is the company's flagship desktop CPU with 16 cores, a 5.7GHz boost clock, and a 170W TDP. It's the best chip for creators and it'll crush all games, but it costs quite a bit more than the 9900X.

More efficient

The Ryzen 9 9900X is the more affordable alternative for gamers and creators who want a more efficient 120W TDP. It has 12 cores and boost clock up to 5.6GHz, beating even the Core i9-14900K in a performance-per-dollar comparison.

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AMD's flagship Zen 5 desktop CPUs are top options for creators

AMD launched its Ryzen 5 9600X and Ryzen 7 9700X desktop CPUs on August 8, and it's now released the more powerful Ryzen 9 duo made for enthusiast creators and gamers. The "Granite Ridge" chips are built on the Zen 5 architecture, and they use the same AM5 motherboards as last-gen Ryzen 7000.

We're not expecting the new X870 and X870E boards until later this year, but there are still plenty of boards — including X670, B650, and variants — to pair with the new chips. Our guide to the best motherboards for the Ryzen 9 9950X can help point you in the right direction.

Here's a look at the two new Ryzen 9 chips, as well as the Ryzen 5 and Ryzen 7 options that launched last week.

Windows Central Editor Ben Wilson received all four of the new Ryzen 9000 chips for testing, and he published a joint review for the Ryzen 9 9950X and 9900X . He was more impressed with the former chip thanks to its awesome performance and competitive pricing. Wilson said in his review:

"AMD's new top-end consumer processor is more expensive than its Intel rival, and there isn't much to say about the Ryzen 9 9950X besides that it's the most powerful desktop CPU in the world, at least before you resort to workstation-grade Threadripper chips. A $649 MSRP will sting but allows the best single-core and multi-core benchmarking test scores I've seen to date. It's a beast, topping the charts and doing everything it claims to, albeit reliant on some demanding system requirements."

You can see for yourself in the following charts how the Ryzen 9 9950X and 9900X compare to other AMD and Intel desktop CPUs.

Wilson also shared some insights into using the Ryzen 9 9900X for creative tasks:

"If you work with 3D rendering software like Blender or anything with a similar CPU load, you should be thrilled with this more affordable, almost top-end desktop offering. Intel's Core i7-14700K is available for around $419 these days, which is slightly cheaper than the Ryzen 9 9900X, but performs slightly below the same chip in multi-core tests and much further below in single-core tests."

AMD doesn't include a cooler with these chips, but that's due to their requiring liquid cooling for optimal performance. That will drive the price up a bit, but for the target enthusiast audience already spending big, it's less of an issue.

Should you buy the new Zen 5 AMD Ryzen 9 CPUs?

AMD's Ryzen 9 9950X is a flagship processor that will crush even the most demanding games while handling complex streaming tasks and creative software.

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It's expensive, but it's currently the most powerful desktop CPU without getting into AMD Threadripper. The Ryzen 9 9900X is a more cost-effective option that can keep up with Intel's Core i9-14900K in most cases, and it should be great for creators looking to spend a bit less.

I recommend dedicated gamers hold out for the expected Ryzen 9000 X3D chips with 3D V-Cache designed specifically for gaming purposes. And those who already have a Ryzen 9 7900X or 7950X won't see big enough multi-core performance gains to warrant an upgrade.

The same goes for owners of Intel's 13th and 14th Gen Core i9 desktop chips. However, with Intel's ongoing instability issues only tentatively solved , Team Red's appeal only grows.