Where to buy AMD Ryzen 9 9950X and Ryzen 9 9900X CPUs: UK and US links

We're into the second wave of AMD's Ryzen 9000 launches, with August 15th 2024 seeing the release of both the Ryzen 9 9950X and Ryzen 9 9900X. These are successors to the beefy 7900X and 7950X, and follow a slightly different pattern to the previous week's 9600X and 9700X.

Our review of these two chips are out, and in short, we're quite frankly looking at some odd results, with fantastic content creation scores while gaming performance is at points better, but worse in some other instances. For everything else though, the 7950X (£443/$511) and 7900X (£322/$359) make more sense.

If, you do want to purchase these two new chips though, we've rounded up every retailer that stocks the CPUs in the UK and the US, along with the prices (at the time of writing) each retailer is offering to make life as easy as possible.

First, here's all the essential information, starting with the Ryzen 9 9950X.

AMD Ryzen 9 9950X (£609/$649)

Let's start with the beefiest chip of the lot - the Ryzen 9 9950X. Much like its predecessor, it's a 16 core/32 thread chip with a base clock of 4.3GHz, boosting all the way up to 5.7GHz. It also carries the same 170W TDP, but has been built on 4nm processing node. You also get a solid price cut against the 7950X's launch price of £739/$699.

AMD Ryzen 9 9900X (£459/$499)

And as for the Ryzen 9 9900X, it's much the same story. This is a 12 core/24 thread CPU, with a base clock of 4.4GHz that can boost all the way to 5.6GHz. Unlike the 9950X, the TDP of the 9900X has reduced compared to its predecessor, coming down to 120W. There's also a reasonable price cut compared to the launch price of the 7900X, which debuted at £579/$549.

Frequently asked questions

What motherboards support Ryzen 7000?

AMD's X670E, X670, B650E and B650 motherboards all support Ryzen 9000 out of the box, so you won't need to upgrade if you've got a Ryzen 7000 system already. X670E offers PCIe 5.0 throughout, X670 offers PCIe 5.0 for storage and graphics, and B650 offers PCIe 5.0 for storage only. In general, as you progress from X670E to B650, expect fewer features, fewer PCIe lanes and lower prices. Anandtech has a great article that goes more into depth on the differences between the various chipsets if you remain unsure. With this in mind, there will be newer X870E motherboards arriving as time goes on, if recent leaks are anything to go by, and the fact that they are listed as being supported chipsets for both processors on AMD's own website.

What memory is best for Ryzen 9000?

As was the case with Ryzen 7000, Ryzen 9000 is a DDR5-only platform, so your older DDR4 RAM won't work here. Instead, you'll need to pick up a new kit of DDR5, which starts at DDR5-4800 and goes up to DDR5-6400 and beyond.

The usual RAM buying advice applies here. First, get two or four sticks to ensure you're running in dual channel mode, as using a single stick suffers from a severe performance penalty. Secondly, make sure you enable XMP, DOCP or EXPO in your motherboard's BIOS to ensure that you're getting the rated speeds - you can check your current RAM speed with a free tool like CPU-Z or Windows 11's Task Manager.

What CPU coolers support Ryzen 9000 / AM5?

All existing AM4 coolers that screw into or clip onto AMD's default AM4 backplate work with AM5 motherboards as well/those that use custom backplates don't work. Expect CPU cooler makers that did use custom backplates to create kits or entirely new designs to accommodate the new fixed AM5 backplate.

Well, there you have it - the best prices for AMD's all-new Ryzen 9 9950X and 9 9900X processors and a little advice too. Let us know if you spot one of these CPUs for a lower price, and stay tuned to @dealsfoundry on Twitter for more PC deals as we find them.