AMD has announced the upcoming release of its latest gaming-focused processors, the Ryzen 9 9950X3D and Ryzen 9 9900X3D, set to launch on March 12. These new chips build upon the success of the Ryzen 7 9800X3D, widely regarded as one of the best gaming CPUs, by introducing 16 Zen 5 cores and second-generation 3D V-Cache technology. The added improvements make them not only ideal for gaming but also well-suited for demanding productivity tasks like photo editing and CAD applications.

The flagship Ryzen 9 9950X3D is priced at $699, featuring 16 cores and 32 threads, a base clock speed of 4.3 GHz, and a boost clock of up to 5.7 GHz. It also includes 144MB of cache and has a TDP of 170W.

AMD’s SVP & GM of Computing & Graphics, Jack Huynh, took to social media, calling the new chip the “world’s best” for both gaming and content creation. The processor is also expected to appeal to workstation users, creating direct competition with Intel’s Core Ultra 9 285K. However, AMD’s 9900X3D offers a slightly more affordable option at $599, compared to Intel’s competing model at $589.

The release of the Ryzen 9 9950X3D and 9900X3D follows just a week after AMD’s highly competitive new Radeon RX 9070 and 9070 XT GPUs hit the market, further strengthening the company’s position in the gaming and workstation hardware space.