Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 Hits Amazon’s CPU Best Sellers Page Dominated by AMD
It didn't take long for AMD's Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 Dual Edition to processor to assert itself into Amazon's list of best selling CPUs. Despite reservations over the chip's premium pricing, the $899 part cracked the top 10 to take spot No. 8, which is one spot ahead of the Ryzen 7 9850X3D, and two spots ahead of Intel's Core i9-12900K, the sole Intel part to be featured among the 10 best selling CPUs on Amazon.
What does this list tell us, exactly? It mainly highlights that DIY system builders are more drawn to AMD chips than Intel processors at the moment, which has been the case for quite some time. Even as far back as 2021, AMD Ryzen processors have consistently claimed more spots than Intel among the top 10 (and beyond) top sellers. Of course, in the broader landscape that includes OEM and boutique systems, as well as the data center and other applications, Intel is doing just fine as evidenced by its latest earnings report.
The rankings shift, but at present, AMD Ryzen models with 3D V-Cache occupy 50% of the top 10 best selling CPU spots on Amazon. Ryzen processors with or without 3D V-Cache claim nine of the top 10 spots, and 17 of the top 20 (and that's not counting the Thermal Grizzly AM5 contact sealing frame + thermal paste that sits in spot No. 15).
One other thing that's interesting to note is that the Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 Dual Edition is in the top 10 even despite Amazon initially marking it up $100 over MSRP, before reducing it to its current $899 selling price.
To recap, the Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 Dual Edition is named as such because it's first (and so far only) Ryzen processor to include 3D V-Cache on both core complex dies (CCDs). Like the Ryzen 9 9950X3D, the Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 Dual Edition is a 16-core/32-thread chip based on Zen 5 with a 4.3GHz base clock and 16MB of L2 cache.
Otherwise, it has a 100MHz slower max boost clock (5.6GHz versus 5.7GHz), way more L3 cache (192MB versus 128MB), and a higher TDP (270W versus 200W).
That said, the Ryzen 9 9950X3D is a better buy if you're looking to go elite without spending quite as much—it's on sale for $657 at Amazon (6% off). It also comes with a download code for Crimson Desert.
If you're willing to build a PC around an Intel processor instead, the Core Ultra 7 270K Plus that we recently reviewed is a great pick that's priced at $328.40 at Amazon (8% off). It's one of the fastest desktop chips out there for productivity and creator workloads with strong multi-threaded performance per dollar. The only real downside is that LGA 1851 is a dead socket walking, with Intel's upcoming Nova Lake-S range shifting to LGA 1954.
A couple of more options to consider...
For the Ryzen 7 7800X3D, be sure to check the $30 coupon box.
