Users waiting for an AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D or the yet-to-be-released Ryzen 9 9900X3D and Ryzen 9 9950X3D seem to be out of luck, at least in the short term. The octa-core CPU remains out of stock on most sites, sporadically showing up at some retailers before selling out almost instantly. Its 12 and 16-core CPU siblings have yet to show up on shelves, though rumors indicate that a March release is plausible for both SKUs that were announced during CES 2025.
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AMD’s Ryzen 9 9900X: A Value-Centric Alternative?
The uncertainty of when the next batch of Ryzen CPUs will be released poses an issue for users who are currently unsure about how to proceed when it comes to upgrading their CPU. Depending on the use case, waiting for a CPU upgrade later or even skipping AMD’s X3D offerings entirely might be the way to go. The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X, thanks to a series of price cuts, has seen its price drop below $400, a significant dip from its initial MSRP of $500. These discounts are due to a mix of softer demand for it versus the highest-end Ryzen 9 9950X, along with competitive pricing from Intel’s Arrow Lake-based CPUs. Both brands have been offering frequent sales as consumers get increasingly fickle about spending in 2025.
Another factor is the cost of newer GPUs being offered by Nvidia, with the RTX 5090 increasing by $400 in MSRP, generation on generation. This comes even as AIB partners tack on additional margins over MSRP amid rumors of reduced leeway being offered to them versus the Founders Edition SKUs by Nvidia.
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Why Should You Consider The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X?
While AMD’s 12-core CPU is not the fastest CPU for gaming out there, it does offer significant multi-tasking performance gains thanks to its four additional cores versus both the Ryzen 7 9700X and the 9800X3D. It also delivers higher boost clocks, something that allows it to make short work of most productivity-centric benchmarks on PC. With its 12-core, 24-thread configuration, it does come with a significant advantage when handling tasks such as streaming, video editing, and even some AI-centric workloads.
AMD’s Ryzen 9 9900X is a capable current-generation CPU with 12 cores and 24 threads in play.
As a Zen 5-based CPU with a higher TDP of 120W in play than the 9700X which was previously restricted to 65W, it definitely represents better value than the latter, coming in cheaper core-for-core than its octa-core sibling. It also enjoys considerably better availability than the 9800X3D. It’s also cheaper, though the trade-off is that it is somewhat harder recommendation for most gaming needs.
It does, however, run considerably cooler than the competition, offering significantly better efficiency. This also means that it offers a solid upgrade path as a socket AM5-based CPU. Overall, it’s an excellent value-for-money purchase that allows users to save money when it comes to purchasing a cooling solution.
Get The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X On Newegg Now!
Get the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X On Amazon Now!
Coupled with its IPC gains on offer versus AMD’s last generation Zen 4 cores and significantly better performance, especially in AVX-512 workloads, make the Ryzen 9 9900X a no-brainer for users who would otherwise get a last-generation AMD Ryzen CPU, at least until an X3D CPU is available for gaming or a cheaper 16-core option appeared on the menu.
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