AMD launched a monster chip. But Intel made the bigger splash

I began writing about enthusiast hardware completely by accident. Picture a street cat wandering into a neighbor’s house often enough that one day it never leaves—that’s pretty much my story. Except in this case, I used to sneak over to a sister publication’s cubicles to look at high-end desktops.

At MaximumPC (RIP ⚰️), price didn’t matter. What did matter were big, fat benchmark results. Pushing the envelope at the top end. Breaking previous conceptions of high-end performance. Sitting front row as the industry reshaped itself over and over. 

AMD’s Wednesday launch of the 9950X3D2 would have been all the talk back at that office. I bet this first dual 3D V-Cache chip would have also starred in the yearly Dream Machine build, which the team always approached as a snapshot (and interpretation) of current peak performance.

But honestly, as stoked as I am to see that chip land on shelves (and fulfill general expectations), I found myself thinking most this week about a different type of CPU: those on the low end. A space that is home to enthusiasts too, according to Robert Hallock, Intel’s vice president and general manager of enthusiast channel business (and formerly of AMD).

In an interview with PCGamesHardware (h/t Tom’s Hardware), Hallock dropped an unexpected teaser about Intel’s budget end:

“What you will see is more and more unlocked SKUs over time. That is the goal. That should not be a feature that is exclusively reserved for the people paying the most amount of money. Not everybody can afford the most amount of money […] and that doesn’t make them any less an enthusiast than the person who can spend 500 USD on a CPU. They are still PC enthusiasts, and they deserve the same level of features, and that is what we intend to deliver in our roadmap.”

Foundry

I double-blinked when reading this quote. I know I define “enthusiast” more broadly than my old coworkers at MPC did. I never quite lost my roots—I’m into things that push performance no matter where they fall on the spectrum. (‘Twas I who championed the Raspberry Pi for our Hardware Hall of Fame.) Of all the support I could have expected for my take, I did not envision it coming from Intel.

But I’m not going to look a gift ally in the mouth, as it were. Seeing more freedom (and hopefully more performance) down the stack should fuel good conversations. Specifically, more adaptive and nuanced conversations, which I think reflects the overall landscape.

Ten years ago, AMD casually blew up our expectations of what a consumer desktop CPU could do at the high end. Since then, we’ve seen more variety and breadth in what PC hardware and PC building can accommodate. The 9950X3D2 is one obvious descendant of that legacy. But I believe Intel’s plan for its roadmap can trace back to that inflection point, too.

Cynics may say that Team Blue’s move is less about technical innovation and more of a shift in design choices. They wouldn’t be wrong. But if our perception of what a budget processor is—and what it can do—changes as a result of this move, I’m for it. If it lifts those limits in a dramatic way, I’m very for it.

Isn’t that the point of enthusiasm?

In this episode of The Full Nerd

In this episode of The Full Nerd, Alaina Yee, Brad Chacos, Michael Crider, and Will Smith dive into Mike’s investigation of current flash storage and RAM pricing, as well as chat about the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D2’s real-world performance. As you might guess, there’s no magic fix to the chilling effect of AI data centers on PC building yet. (But hey, AMD’s first dual 3D V-Cache chip works pretty much as advertised.)

We also cover a boatload of questions during our Q&A segment, including what’s best for your back health. (It doesn’t have to be a $1,000 desk chair.)

Will Smith / Foundry

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This week’s condensed nerd news

The Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 was the big release of the week, of course—which is maybe why I balanced it by going further afield for entertaining reads. Or in the case of a video Will shared with the TFN crew, an utterly fascinating watch. Ever thought of making your own RAM? Well, Dr.Semiconductor on YouTube thought about it. And then actually did it.

Dr.Semiconductor / YouTube

• DIY RAM?! I hope we’re not forced to go to this extreme in a few years just to get our hands on memory. (Though I guess that’s a whole new angle for the “We have ___ at home” meme.)

• Opposite directions: Why are Microsoft Surface prices higher as Apple lowers its entry to the MacBook lineup? My colleague Mark dug into this question, speaking with industry experts for answers.

• A whole other world: I felt a sense of wonder after reading this 404 Media article on the remnants of a destroyed planet—one that never lived long, with a geochemical composition referred to as an “oddity” by researchers studying the fragments falling to Earth. 

• That’s a lot of money: SK Hynix employees could receive up to almost $500,000 this year (and almost $1 million next year) from the company’s profit sharing plan. Puts the whole AI boom in perspective.

• What a find: Speaking of wild dollar amounts and RAM…. What was garbage in 2024 is now $20,000 worth of 32GB DDR4 RAM DIMMs. Truly crazy times.

• Neat: Complex topics like quantum mechanics are a lot easier when interviews with experts are done by a 9-year old. This podcast, run by mother-son duo Kai and Katia Moskvitch, is a delight. Also, they have a cat named Quark.

• Speaking of the stars: I was on a space and science kick this week, it seems—but zero regrets. Loved this piece that explained what it would be like to surf (yes, surf) on five far-away planets.

Speaking of the Raspberry Pi and championing low-priced but high-performing hardware…. The guys revised the Hardware Hall of Fame rules because of me. I consider that among my finest professional accomplishments.

Catch you all next week!

Alaina

This newsletter is dedicated to the memory of Gordon Mah Ung, founder and host of The Full Nerd, and executive editor of hardware at PCWorld.