AMD has just launched the Ryzen 7 9850X3D with zero fanfare, and I think I understand why

It's not even a debate: the best CPU for gaming by far is the Ryzen 7 9800X3D, and that's been the case ever since it launched. And before that, it was the Ryzen 7 7800X3D. And before that... you get the picture.

But, it seems that AMD is now quietly looking to dethrone its own top chip with a slightly improved version, dubbed the Ryzen 7 9850X3D. The CPU has just appeared on AMD's driver page (spotted by Olrak29) with zero fanfare and zero details. Love that for us—we get to speculate a bit.

The truth is, we've already had some leaks about the 9850X3D in the last few months, so we have an idea of what to expect, but none of it has come directly from AMD. At least we now know the processor exists, so chances are that the specs are real, but you never know with these leaks.

Previously, another Twitter leaker, ch11eddog, said that the Ryzen 7 9850X3D would come with a 120 W TDP, eight cores and 16 threads, 96 MB of L3 cache, and a boost clock speed of 5.6 GHz. That gives it a 400 Hz advantage over the 9800X3D.

A little bit of extra clock speed isn't much to write home about, especially when the CPU's greatest strength lies in its humongous 3D V-Cache, not in the frequency. But hey, it's an upgrade, so if it's true, I'll take it. Still, this quiet launch leaves me with more questions than answers at this stage.

Realistically, the Ryzen 7 9850X3D is probably just a bunch of so-called "golden samples" of the 9800X3D released under a new name with slightly higher clocks. I'm guessing that there aren't too many of them to land on the shelves right now, given the fact that AMD hasn't even bothered to make an announcement about its release. It could also be that the French support page that it appeared on just jumped the gun and the 9850X3D wasn't meant to be announced yet.

Besides the confirmed specs, I'm curious about the pricing. The Ryzen 7 9800X3D has held steady in terms of cost, although there's a rare discount on it now as part of Cyber Monday PC deals. It normally retails for $479, but now, it's down to $449.

Given the consistent demand for AMD's best gaming CPU, I don't see this new Ryzen 7 9850X3D being any cheaper—but how much more will it cost? AMD can hardly charge a fortune for a slightly higher clock speed, so I'm hoping we'll get it around the $500 mark.

The aforementioned leaker also spoke about another potential AMD CPU, and that one sounds a lot more exciting, if I'm being honest.

The Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 introduces a whole new "X3D2" moniker, implying a dual 3D V-Cache configuration, which would reportedly lead to 192 MB of L3 cache. That's a massive uplift over the Ryzen 9 9950X3D, which sports 128 MB. It's also said to have a slightly lower clock speed: 5.6 GHz vs. 5.7 GHz, and a much higher TDP of 200 watts.

That monstrosity would be of little interest to pure gamers though, as we're just fine with the 9800X3D. Right now, both CPUs are kind of up in the air; the 9850X3D exists, but isn't available anywhere, and the 9950X3D2 may still turn out to be a fever dream.

Best CPU for gaming 2025

1. Best overall:
AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D

2. Best budget:
AMD Ryzen 5 7600X

3. Best mid-range:
AMD Ryzen 7 9700X

4. Best high-end:
AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D

5. Best AM4 upgrade:
AMD Ryzen 7 5700X3D

6. Best CPU graphics:
AMD Ryzen 7 8700G

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