If you're considering an AMD upgrade for your system, now is the perfect time to make the move. AMD's highly anticipated Zen 5 "X3D" processors—the Ryzen 9 9800X3D and Ryzen 9 9950X3D—are currently available and shipping from Amazon, priced slightly below standard retail. Among AMD's lineup, these represent the top gaming CPUs available, offering exceptional performance for their price. For pure gaming setups, the 9800X3D is an excellent choice, while the 9950X3D offers greater power for creative and multitasking workloads.
Gamer's Top Pick: AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D Processor
AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D AM5 Desktop Processor
$479.00 Save 1% $472.02 at Amazon
For gaming computers, the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D offers outstanding value, delivering performance on par with the more costly 9900X3D and 9950X3D models. It features a max boost clock of 5.2GHz, 8 cores, 16 threads, and 104MB of combined L2 and L3 cache. While it handles multitasking and content creation tasks competently, its core count makes it less ideal for heavy productivity work compared to the 9950X3D. Still, for gaming, this processor is an absolute powerhouse, especially given its competitive pricing.
AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D Review by Jacqueline Thomas
"The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D delivers outstanding gaming performance, making it a stronger recommendation than recent alternatives such as the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K or Ryzen 9 9900X. If you're building a high-performance system with a powerful graphics card, the 9800X3D ensures you get the maximum performance out of your GPU combination."
Ideal for Creators: AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D Processor
AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D AM5 Desktop Processor
$699.00 Save 3% $678.00 at Amazon
Content creators looking for top-tier gaming performance need not look further—the 9950X3D is the processor to choose. It reaches a max boost clock of 5.7GHz, with 16 cores, 32 threads, and 144MB of L2 and L3 cache. In gaming, it offers only a slight edge over the 9800X3D. Where it truly excels is in productivity, significantly outperforming both the 9800X3D and 9900X3D as well as competing Intel processors.
AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D Review by Jacqueline Thomas
"While the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D stands as one of the strongest gaming processors today, it doesn't automatically surpass every other chip in all scenarios. For most users, the Ryzen 7 9800X3D is more than enough, especially given its attractive $479 price tag. The 9950X3D is really intended for gamers who also use creative applications like Photoshop and Premiere—in these tasks, it outperforms the 9800X3D by around 15%."
