AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D

Our takeaway with Ryzen 7 9850X3D is that this is an interesting update to the 9800X3D that lays the groundwork for the rumoured Ryzen 9 9950X3D2. That should be the ultimate Zen 5 CPU for the desktop and will be AMD's best chance to fight off Intel Nova Lake at the end of 2026. You might think that 2026 is looking to be a grim year but it will certainly have its points of interest.

AMD's Ryzen 7 9800X3D processor is legendary among gamers—the 9850X3D is designed to +1 that, without monumentally changing the underlying technology. Just like the 9800X3D, the 9850X3D is based on the Zen 5 architecture, pairing a single compute die with the IO die, plus 3D V-Cache, exactly what we've seen on the 9800X3D before. From a fabrication perspective both 9800X3D and 9850X3D are identical, the 9850X3D is just an improved bin with a revamped boosting algorithm.

The Ryzen 7 9850X3D claims a new title as the world’s fastest gaming processor, but it lives in the shadow of the Ryzen 7 9800X3D, with a higher price, higher power consumption, and only marginal performance gains.

There’s no denying that the Ryzen 7 9850X3D is an excellent processor, particularly when it comes to gaming. This is the best chip on the market, bar none, for those in search of the highest frame rates. While the CPU doesn’t deliver a massive performance uplift over what came before, its premium tracks almost linearly making it a relatively fair deal in terms of MSRP.

AMD's Ryzen 7 9850X3D is the new gaming champ, but it's only a minor improvement over the already stellar 9800X3D.

The Ryzen 7 9850X3D is the fourth 9000 series to feature 2nd-gen 3D V-Cache, with extra cache under the die to improve thermal management, and is the most refined version of the tech. It chews through gaming benchmarks and is no slouch when it comes to productivity use either.

The new AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D is a clone of the existing 8-core Ryzen 7 9800X3D, but with higher clocks to boost performance and solidify its gaming leadership.

If you’re already equipped with a 9800X3D, there’s zero reason to upgrade to the 9850X3D. You simply won’t notice a difference, even in demanding games. As I write this, the 9800X3D is readily available for $470, and the 9850X3D will cost only $30 more at launch. Given the option, and assuming both are at retail, you might as well get the better chip, but a free game or a moderate discount on the older chip would easily win me over. I'd be extremely happy with either processor, and I wouldn't lose sleep over a few fps difference.

The 9850X3D is so close to the reigning 9800X3D champ that its existence is almost questionable, but anyone looking to upgrade from a similarly-positioned Intel/Ryzen CPU from 2-3+ generations ago might as well spring for this. Who knows what AMD is planning for the 9800X3D, and whether its price will drop or disappear completely, but if we're left with only a ~$479 9850X3D by the end of the year, then who cares?

In a vacuum, the AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D is a great gaming processor, but unfortunately it exists next to the cheaper – and in many cases faster – Ryzen 7 9800X3D. If AMD ever discontinues the 9800X3D, the 9850X3D will be the chip to get, but until then – unless you’re specifically trying to maximise Counter-Strike performance – you're better off pretending it doesn’t exist.