AMD’s processor lineup almost correlates with that of Intel. Just like the latter, AMD also has its Ryzen 9 lineup of processors. These chips are the absolute best you can get in any Ryzen generation, and they have proved to be solid performers in the past.
The Ryzen 9 lineup was introduced in 2019 with the AMD Ryzen 3000 series of processors. Until then, the Ryzen 9 chips were clubbed together under the Threadripper lineup and utilized the TR4 socket. Chips released during this phase include the Ryzen 9 1900X, the Ryzen 9 1950X, the 2900X, and the 2950X. However, from the Zen 2 revamp, the company started to follow Intel’s nomenclature. This keeps confusion out of the way and simplifies the buying process to quite an extent.
The currently available Ryzen 9 chips include the Ryzen 9 3900X, the 3950X, the 5900X, and the 5950X. These chips are based on the AM4 platform.
Although the Ryzen 9 chips perform well in video games, that does not mean you should pick one. These chips are extremely hot running. You need to get some of the best cooling options on the market, like a high-end liquid cooler or a custom liquid-cooled system to keep the temperatures under control.
Also, these chips require high-quality X470 / X570 motherboards for proper functioning. Pairing it with any low-end B450 motherboard, say, will not cut it.
This compounds the total money you need to spend on your system. Thus, if you have no budget constraints, you can easily opt-in for a Ryzen 9-based gaming system. In all other cases, we do not feel comfortable recommending a Ryzen 9 processor to a gamer. The Zen 3 architecture is very solid, and even the Ryzen 5 5600X is an awesome choice for gaming. It even runs the RTX 3090 without any bottlenecks.