If the 9950X3D wasn't a big enough CPU for your gaming habits, then you're in luck; AMD has announced the first-ever dual AMD 3D V-Cache CPU, the 9950X3D2 .
The new processor takes the 9950X3D and makes it even better for gaming and content creation. The TDP increases from 170 Watts up to 200 Watts, but we do see a .1 GHz decrease on the Boost Clock (base remains the same for a 9950X3D). The big change though is the amount of V-Cache that is available on the processor; 50% more to be exact.
Dual Edition
"Dual Edition" doesn't mean doubling your V-Cache or gluing 2 chips together, AMD processors already see plenty of designs that use dual CCDs, or Core Complex Die, to achieve higher numbers of cores, much to Intel's hate.
The change here is by placing the 3D V-Cache memory on both chiplets. On the base 9950X3D that released last year, only one of the chiplets had the V-Cache, which is also the one that had slightly lower boost clock speed. The lower clock speed is to help control the heat produced by the CPU.

With two dies getting V-Cache, we see an L3 bump up to 192 MB from 128 MB, a 50% increase.
V-Cache in Gaming
For gaming, V-Cache has been huge for framerates. With AMD physically stacking processor cache on top of the processor cores, they were able to achieve more cache closer to the processor which helps when games want the fastest possible access to their data, and allowing it to sit inside of it longer when needed.
By giving direct access to V-Cache on both CCDs, that means all the cores on your system will be able to take advantage of the increased L3 memory size and speeds, unlocking more consistent performance for all kinds of workloads even outside of gaming. This in theory also reduces the complexity by the operating system in scheduling your workloads on the correct CPU cores, since all CPU cores will be the same.
And yes, this has uses outside of gaming too, notice workloads. This will have a positive effect on locally-run AI models, 3D Rendering, and any content creation pipeline. We see a 5-13% gain in performance vs the base 9950X3D according to AMD's data.

The 9950X3D2 Dual Edition launches on April 22. No MSRP has been announced as of publishing but the 9950X3D arrived at $699 USD in March 2025.
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