AMD has recently announced the Ryzen 9000 series of processors and today we’re going to look closely at its flagship model. The Ryzen 9 9950X release date isn’t too far away and we already have plenty to talk about including specs and potential price.
Following the series’ announcement at Computex, we’re sure that many people will be looking forward to what Zen 5 brings to the table – and you can’t get better than the 9950X right now. In fact, early benchmarks suggest that the flagship offering could showcase a 45% performance boost over its predecessor.
Even though the 9950X will be launching in around a month’s time, we don’t yet have an exact date or time of release. However, leaks found on major retailer, B&H PhotoVideo, could be the first signs of an official release date.
That said, you’ll soon be able to find out where to buy a 9000 series CPU and it’s now just a matter of waiting. It is on AMD’s latest AM5 socket, which they have big plans for regarding socket longevity, making the 9000 series a good upgrade for future-proofing your rig.
Ryzen 9 9950X release date window
As per AMD’s opening keynote at Computex – which took place on June 3rd – we can see that the Ryzen 9 9950X will be available in July 2024, alongside the rest of the series line-up. As for an exact date, this is still unknown, but we shouldn’t be seeing it any later than the 31st of the month. So, there isn’t long to go until AMD’s new flagship is here. They’ve already done some comparisons versus the i9-14900K to prove just why it can be one of the next best CPUs for gaming.
Ryzen 9 9950X specs announced
At the same time as announcing the release date, AMD gave us a closer look at some of the key specifications. We’ve reviewed plenty of Ryzen CPUs, such as the current flagship Ryzen 9 7950X3D, so we’re excited to soon get our hands on the 9000 series to put through our testing lab and performance test. For now though, here’s what we know about the specs.
| Specifications | Details |
|---|---|
| Cores | 16 |
| Threads | 32 |
| Base clock | 4.3 GHz |
| Max boost clock | 5.7 GHz |
| Cache | 1MB (L1) / 16MB (L2) / 64MB (L3) |
| TDP | 170W |
| Architecture | Zen 5 |
| Socket | AM5 |
| Unlocked for overclocking? | Yes |
Ryzen 9 9950X price estimate
One thing we’re yet to learn about the 9950X officially is the price. We’ll be able to confirm the actual pricing once availability or pre-orders go live during July. For the time being, we can estimate how much this CPU will cost in a few ways. First of all, looking back to the past two enthusiast desktop generations, we can see that the 7950X and 5950X would set you back $699 and $799 respectively.
Based on those costs, we may see the 9950X priced around the $700 mark, just like last gen. Considering the 7950X has seen steep price drops since release, below $500 these days, it isn’t out of the question for the 9950X to be a little more generously-priced at launch. We doubt this will be the case though, at least not by much.
Ryzen 9 9950X expected retailers
With any major hardware launch, questions are asked as to what retailers will stock the products. Where can I buy the new CPU on launch day? Where will it be cheapest? and what time will it launch, are all questions we receive on big launch days.
Fortuantely, we’ve covered enough of these events to be able to predict where you’ll be able to purchase the Ryzen 9 9950X on launch.
The most obvious place is Amazon – one of the biggest online hardware retailers in the world. It always has the newest hardware on launch and always offers competitive delivery turnaround. B&H PhotoVideo will also have the chip (if the leak is to be believed) on July 31st, 2024.
Other retailers such as Best Buy, Newegg, and Ebuyer will also likely stock the chip on launch in the US. UK retailers will likely be Amazon UK, Scan, and Overclockers.
Will the 9950X work with my motherboard?
As we can see from the specs, the Ryzen 9 9950X will be using the AM5 socket. This means if you’re already on an AM5 motherboard, then the 9000 series will be compatible – these boards are also compatible with 7000 and 8000 series CPUs. A simple BIOS update will likely be required. On the flip side, you may wish to opt for one of the newer 800 series motherboards such as the upcoming X870 & X870E range.
Should I upgrade to 9950X or wait?
If you want the best of the best from AMD, then the 9950X will provide just that. With a massive 16 cores and 32 threads, it is a productivity powerhouse and, as per AMD’s testing, will outperform Intel i9-14900K in both productivity and gaming workloads. However, if you’re just focused on gaming, you’re probably better off going for a current X3D model such as the 7800X3D.
