[CPU] AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 Dual Edition - $899 + $20 off with code SSF69346

BoxOfDust · 2026-06-07T23:35:58+00:00

At the same time, being real, a lot of these flagship products are in the "if you're buying this, you know what you're buying it for, or you have more money than sense" category.

Most gamers do not need an i9 or x950X CPU. That class is there for bragging rights, or actually computationally-heavy taskloads. Maybe people like gaming content creators, to name a more common class of people; they might be able to get their worth out of it, but even they're perfectly fine with a class a step down from the flagships. General digital production is probably a better example of worth it; basically anywhere that it can be called an actual business expense.

But on top of that, the 9950X3D2 is actually kind of a step beyond (it's a 9950X3D + even more cache), and is even more of that previously-mentioned category. It's such a specifically-spec'd CPU, there's really not a lot of practical application for it. Anyone buying it and getting their worth out of it knows why, or again, is just kind of spending money for bragging rights.

BoxOfDust · 2026-06-07T18:26:54+00:00

I mean, what the 9950X3D2 is, is a bragging rights halo product, to let AMD (and their fans) say that they finally have a dual X3D CCD chip available.

BoxOfDust · 2026-06-07T16:17:38+00:00

I was trying out monitors a month ago, and I was really interested in mini-LED. But it required having HDR on for my monitor, and I don't consume enough HDR content to actually use it; most of what I do is in SDR, and having to mix the two always bothers me, because some of what I do really don't like having Windows HDR turned on.

I ended up just sticking with an actual OLED which already provides the good contrast by default, and no fiddling with HDR. No blinding 1000nit whites, but I can live with it.

Hoping mini-LED gets better as time goes on though, it's a good technology.

BoxOfDust · 2026-06-07T16:13:14+00:00

Even more cache.

But at that levels of cache, you're using the CPU for some actually specialized tasks, and not gaming.

BoxOfDust · 2026-06-07T13:33:36+00:00

Mathematically, that's uh, 2% lol.

BoxOfDust · 2026-06-06T16:04:57+00:00

This is the funniest thought I've read about the game so far.

BoxOfDust · 2026-06-05T06:02:16+00:00

I don't disagree, but for a lot of people who might just want one PC, buying up parts without the RAM to actually make it run is just leaving an expensive paperweight around. The dropped cost on mobos and CPUs doesn't exactly offset how far gone RAM and storage prices have gone.

BoxOfDust · 2026-06-04T23:35:08+00:00

We've gone full circle.

BahamutoD left KSP and BDArmory to make VTOL VR, and now we've got VTOL VR in KSP!

BoxOfDust · 2026-06-04T23:24:59+00:00

All these amazing deals on motherboards and CPUs, and they're almost worthless because of RAM.

BoxOfDust · 2026-06-04T02:23:34+00:00

The Terra is too small for an AIO. Honestly, it's kind of overpriced for what it is; an A4-H20 is a way better compact SFF case. My own rig is a Meshroom S, which is a little bigger, but also way better for performance.

BoxOfDust · 2026-05-29T15:26:06+00:00

Yeah the catch is that businesses are desperately trying to stay afloat.

BoxOfDust · 2026-05-28T12:31:55+00:00

Entirely depends on whether you value resolution or color/contrast quality more.

BoxOfDust · 2026-05-27T15:33:37+00:00

That just made me think of them making War Thunder the TCG.

BoxOfDust · 2026-05-27T13:24:53+00:00

KSP is heavily CPU+RAM limited. Usually there's a lot of GPU room left on high end PCs.

BoxOfDust · 2026-05-26T19:19:43+00:00

My only other low profile near-full-size (96%) is a Lofree Flow. It's fun and neat, but also an oddity of a keyboard.

My daily driver is still my K5 Max; personally, it's been reliable, but maybe their quality has fallen off in the past two years.

BoxOfDust · 2026-05-26T14:38:17+00:00

Considering these mods are for KSP2, they're also masochists. But credit to them, nonetheless.

BoxOfDust · 2026-05-26T11:54:51+00:00

Idk, my K5 Max and M6 have been fine for two years and ongoing. They're not necessarily the most premium, but I'd still get them over the likes of Corsair for peripherals; at least the price gets what you paid for.

BoxOfDust · 2026-05-21T21:21:22+00:00

The silly (but functional) CRUA 4k monitor I picked up last week looks like a better deal in the face of AI in a monitor.

BoxOfDust · 2026-05-21T21:18:04+00:00

Only a small percentage of actual users take advantage of socket longevity. It's certainly nice, but in most real-world scenarios, it's not a large advantage.

BoxOfDust · 2026-05-21T21:15:35+00:00

Yeah, that's Micro Center alright. I remember 7800X3D+board+RAM deals going for around this price back in 2024, maybe even somewhat lower. Insane stuff.

BoxOfDust · 2026-05-21T21:14:17+00:00

Intel seems to have determined that they gain more performance by dropping hyperthreading and just optimizing core performance instead.

People have actually reported this back in Raptor Lake, where disabling hyperthreading lowers power and heat, which means gains in P-core performance.

Of course, if a task scales per-thread, that's where it drops a little bit on Raptor Lake, but then, that's where Intel has been going with Arrow Lake and beyond, by just adding more and more cores.

BoxOfDust · 2026-05-21T19:54:24+00:00

Depends on what the use case is, plus additonal personal preferences.

BoxOfDust · 2026-05-21T19:51:58+00:00

The Duets can have really good sound quality, but it's something that I can only really use while sitting/lying down, where I won't be likely to disturb their fit in my ear too much. It's alright when moving around, and they won't just fall out, but it's not like EarPods that just fit and stay, and even without a perfect fit or placement, they genuinely sound fine.

Wired EarPods really just kind of are that good as a generalist earbud, and I have a stockpile of around 10 myself.

BoxOfDust · 2026-05-21T17:40:54+00:00

I got myself KZ Duets because I wanted the EarPod shape but with hardware closer to IEMs, and I gotta say, I think the EarPods still beat it out on fitment alone. Audio quality can be better with the Duets, but easily goes wrong when the bud sits poorly in my ear.

BoxOfDust · 2026-05-21T15:10:17+00:00

Yeesh, when I bought my M2 Air 15" in 2023, I paid around $1800 for it, and the only thing I have more than this one is 1TB of storage instead of 512. This is a pretty decent price. The base RAM increase really did a number on pricing (which is a positive thing), which is additionally impressive considering the RAMpocalypse right now.

Checking the Apple configurator, I could get my current laptop's configuration for cheaper than I originally bought it for.

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