So, I just invested in an upgrade and bought an AMD Ryzen 9 9950X with an MSI X870E MPG Carbon WiFi motherboard and 96GB 6000MT DDR5 RAM. I was upgrading o AM5 from my previous AM4 platform running a 5950X.

However, it seems like there is a bunch of issues transpiring for early adopters. This includes a replication of AMDs issues on the X570 AM4 platform some 3 years ago where USB3.0 or newer protocol devices would disconnect and give failed to recognise errors in Windows. The other more worrying issue is that apparently PACE, iLok, UAD, SoundToys, Slate Digital etc all seem to have issues with the 9000 series AMD CPUs rendering them unusable. Some noises are suggesting this is a potential technical issue rather than software, so in that case may not even be fixable. Not ideal for some like me with paid upfront subs to things like UAD Spark and Slate Digital!

I know I evidently should have done more research, but we are where we are!

What I can’t quite decide though is do I:

1. Return the 9950X as not fit for purpose due to it not working as expected for my needs and replace with a 7950X or 7950X3D (the latter due to my odd casual gaming); or
2. Hold out and hope the issues are fixed and that it doesn’t take too long and ai have the newer CPU ready then, not knowing whether the fixes will take days, weeks, or months?

EDIT:

I think I’m now at least strongly contemplating returning the 9950X and the MSI X870 MPG Carbon WiFi as neither work as intended nor reliably at the moment. My next decision is what to buy as a replacement. From what I can see, my options are:

1. Ryzen 9 7950X and an X670E motherboard
2. Ryzen 9 7950X3D and an X670E motherboard
3. Ryzen 9 7950X or 7950X3D and keep the MSI X870E Carbon WiFi motherboard I already have (may still have some of the issues and lack of functionality I'm experiencing)
4. Core i9 14900K and Z790 motherboard
5. Core Ultra 285K and Z890 motherboard (which is my least preferred in case of same experience as with current setup, though Intel based platforms do seem to be more stable on Day 1 generally than AMD platforms)

Any recommendation from the above which is the best way to go for a mostly music production system with some casual gaming too?

 

Last edited: Oct 21, 2024

With all due respect Sir, While you wait for expert opinions from other enlightened users my two cents ....

From AMD releases and reviews by other top tech websites it is clear that though the 9950X is the best CPU that money can buy, it is best suited only for new platform builders. Because it provides the generational leap in computing in only certain fields mainly Floating point operations and in certain single core operations. In most of the other areas the 7950X is almost right behind it for a much lesser price.
The statistics are between 10-17 % at most

As far as music production goes in real life work scenarios the 9950x in unlikely to provide any tangible benefits over 7950X or 7950X3D, which is going to be almost similar to the 9950X

IMHO the 7950X3D or 7950x are powerful enough and is likely to remain relevant for next couple of years. Your 5950X is a good example of the same. Even to this day it can handle anything thrown at it albeit some massive gigantic projects.

So the question will be if you are going to forego the luxury of having the latest and fastest procesor you can have the best proven workhorse at a much lesser price which will also put your mind at ease knowing that you won't have any compatibility problems atleast in near foreseeable future.

PS : If you don't run AVX512 applications which is the forte of 9950X in full force I think you won't have any difficult in choosing what you need.....

 

Last edited: Oct 20, 2024

The problem is not the CPU but the underlying platform not being ready. I would have stayed with the 7950X until I knew how the 870/870E motherboards would perform & what features they would come with. Steve, from Hardware Unboxed explains some it in his latest motherboard review. Then there is the issue of Microsoft & AMD being in sync. I was personally looking past Zen4 & Zen 5 consumer products. Also Intel 13th & 14th Gen.

Just to many forced errors all around compared to Workstation & Server class products.

What could to fix many issues with the current & last two generations of AMD/Intel consumer platform:

• more PCIe lanes via chipset/PCH and/or CPU (minimum 32)
  
• more memory channels to improved bandwidth & stability (minimum 4)
  
• more on-die Cache for CPU
• more robust testing of BIOS settings & OS compatibility

 

Last edited: Oct 20, 2024

are you using latest Windows 11 (24H2) and proper drivers from motherboard manufacturer website ?

going all-new with latest and greatest will often yield some minor hiccups initially, but I'm pretty sure things will get ironed out within weeks/months,

if your new build is blocking your work/job, then obviously go back to previous rig,
I'd hope you have both PCs functional?
but if you're a hobbyist, then I'd see the new platform as more long-term investment

 

AMD posted on their website that you need to "CORRECT" chipset driver, and if you install the wrong one you can't just install another one later you need to "Format" and start from scratch, so make sure you have the "correct" drivers first, second any other issues can be fixed via bios updates or you can add a bit of voltage to your chipset and it will fix all your usb connection problems...

as for the 3D variant, it is always the better option the 5800x3d was still going against the 7000th series cpus so if you can go for it, do so...

 

Yeah, all with 24H2 Windows 11 Pro and all manufacturer drivers. Have also even tried using things like Snappy to update/try more optimal drivers too but nothing makes a difference.its a common issue and there’s videos and post about it:

However, there’s a bit of an uncomfortable feeling that neither the licensing/software manufacturers nor AMD are taking accountability and responsibility for, having essentially blamed each other for the past 2+ months and not done anything to resolve the issues, as is evident in this thread:

https://community.amd.com/t5/pc-processors/9900x-cpu-makes-music-production-impossible/m-p/711138

There is also several posts once you start searching about the USB issues, which are reminiscent of the issues with the X570 and B450 platforms circa 3 years ago where AMD finally updated the AGESA microcode to fix the issue, but took longer than it should as they denied the problem was their fault.

However, I really want to stay with the 9950X in the hope it will be resolved and mature soon (hoping days/weeks rather than months/years) for the better long term investment/sell on return obviously, notwithstanding the better performance.

 

The AMD Chipset drivers are the ones provided by MSI on their X870E MPG Carbon WiFi support pages, so I pres7me is the correct version.

How would I add voltage, and does this actually fix the issue? When the same issue happened 3 years ago, it seemed like the only reliable fix was to put the motherboard in PCI Gen3 mode. The issue is identical to these videos (which I also had on my 5950X and Gigabyte X570 Aorus Master setup, which is the same as the guy in this video):

 

I was on AM4 and 5950X, not the 7950X. The 7950X or 7950X3D is what I would be purchasing to replace the 9950X if I return it, so it wasn’t a choice of staying with my 7950X or going with the 9950X.

 

i would always go for the x & not 3d, you´ll have a higher overclock headroom!
Once you overclock in 2-4 years.
And YOU CAN Overclock with very reasonable power increase
and very very rare degrading effects
and of course 7k series

 

The iLok issue is known and iLok provides a fix. But PACe For what it's worth, i sympathize with your frustration. As i said on another thread, the whole thing about Zen 5 seems rushed. It's been 3 months now and they are still ironing out issues. Un-fucking-acceptable.

Yes on Cyberpunk & Red Dead Redemption 2 haha. I mean, c'mon mate. How many times must we say the X3D cpus are better ONLY in gaming and pretty much nothing else that this forum could be interested in, as in a DAW environment? Or do i have to start posting chart after chart all the comparisons from Puget, Scan and the rest lol.

 

I do some casual gaming on the side too, primarily just some sim racing, which is why I was contemplating the 3D variant. Is the 7950X capable of gaming to a high standard too?

 

your comments about lack of software compatibility of the 9000 series is starting to sink in and make me feel a little better about my 7950x3d. i was going to upgrade, but with this information ...

if you are happy with the out of the box performance of the 7xx0 x3d it can be for you.
google "burned pins" and "vsoc" to see the fotos and understand under which conditions the cpu and mainboard will burn up.
latest bios defaults vsoc to 1.15v, anything above 1.25 is considered unsafe. oc ram runs with 1.35 or 1.45v.
there are of course newer strategies to get around that limitation. you may not be affected on the newer mainboard.
then there.s the missing driver issue, amd offer drivers for every other cpu, not for their once flagship. weird to me. it,s in the chipset driver. may be, but why?
xbox utility? aha.

i wonder if the w11 look ahead patch could be ported to w10, maybe r2r could tackle that,

 

I’ve just discovered this, which is somewhat reassuring regarding the iLok issues:

https://help.ilok.com/faq_ilm.html#amd_zen_5

 

On the USB aspects, the motherboard has a bunch of USB A ports on the back. The bottom most port is a CPU controlled port and works perfectly. The couple above that are Realtek controller ports and do not work. The top set of 6 or so ports are AMD Chipset controlled ports and do not work. All ports work in BIOS and during Windows installation process, and the devices work perfectly on 3 Windows 11 Pro laptops I own. Therefore, I think this may mean it’s a potential issue with the Relatek and AMD Chipset controllers or drivers?!

 

Through bios, look for CPH voltage or google what's the Chipset voltage naming for your motherboard, and and a bit use commun sense, if it's something like 1.2 make it 1.25 or 1.3 at most, and yes it does fix it without losing bandwidth, on my x299 i had very similair issue because i'm connecting too many external hard drives, and i had random disconnects, once i added a bit of voltage the issue went away, the disconnect is caused by instability when the "controller" isn't getting enough power...

No offense mate, but do you even know what cache is actually for? because the comment about the extra cache being only good in gaming is stupid/ignorant at best, any real-time reliant workload which audio is will benefit from the extra cache, not to mention snappier system overall...

AMD jumped on the idea that cache is good for gaming is for marketing purposes, which is true but just because more cache will make the cpu crunch more data because it doesnt have to wait for ram, which is as fast is it got today is still slow for CPUs (hence why cache is needed in the first place)... you might wanna ask yourself why server cpus had load of extra cache compared to consumer ones in the past...

but what do i know? cache is only good for gaming... workstations should steer clear and NOT get cpus with extra cache...

 

Release Date: Ryzen 9000X3D --> 25. Oktober 2024
Release Date: Ryzen 7 9800X3D --> 4. bis 10. November 2024

 

Would have stayed with the 5950X & not go backwards to the 7950X is want I meant to say.

You actually want to undervolt if anything while adjusting relevant frequency settings & memory timings. With the latest BIOS release & correct PBO settings, you should not have to touch anything else from what I understand so far.

One question. Are you using two sticks of RAM or four? Platform stabilty with AMD & Intel consumer platform is confirmed using two RAM modules barring any promises of 8000Mts or higher.

 

Since i first started in computing back in the 80's with a Sinclair Spectrum via amigas and then pc's and macs there is one really important thing i learnt.
Never be a first adopter of any new technology. Now I always stay one generation behind, that way you miss any new user problems and also benefit from price reductions for older gen technology.

 

X3D is not a static technology anymore, they have made some architectural changes this time around. While I hear you and I understand which workloads excel with the extra vcache layer and which haven't in the implementation as we know it, personally I'd rather not speculate on something that hasn't been released yet.

 

I also want to add that iLok is a fool for releasing that blame shifting statement to customers. I would hold all judgement of AMD (this is from a mostly Intel user) until they release this firmware patch and the smoke clears. Yes this really sucks for OP, but holy shit, that was a bitch move by iLok.