Reviewers Liked Power efficiency Supports existing AM5 motherboards The fastest gaming CPU money can buy Fully overclockable Runs cooler than 7800X3D Reviewers Didn't Like $479 for eight cores isn't what you'd call cheap Similarly-priced chips are faster in productivity work Higher power draw than 7800X3D Only eight cores Competitors and Related Products Our editors hand-pick related products using a variety of criteria: direct competitors targeting the same market segment, or devices that are similar in size, performance, or feature sets. Expert reviews and ratings 90 Finally an exciting product worth buying. It's been rough out here, but after a stretch of underwhelming releases, we can confidently recommend the 9800X3D – even at its launch price. For now, the 9800X3D is mighty impressive, the undisputed king of gaming, and it marks a historic milestone. We don't think AMD has ever been this dominant over Intel, certainly not in the last 15 years. By TechSpot on November 06, 2024 90 The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D is a gaming powerhouse and is probably the best processor release of the year amid a host of fairly underwhelming releases. It's not perfect, and I don't like the increased power use or the increase in price, but neither are so egregious as to dethrone it as the best gaming processor on the market. By TechRadar on November 11, 2024 90 The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D is the gaming champion, and unlike previous X3D chips, it performs well under all types of workloads. By TweakTown on November 06, 2024 90 The Ryzen 7 9800X3D is the fastest gaming chip on the market by a large margin, easily beating Intel's competing processors. AMD has significantly improved performance in productivity workloads, too, helping to eliminate some of the trade-offs of selecting a gaming-optimized X3D chip. By Tom's Hardware on November 06, 2024 80 The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D is quite simply the fastest gaming CPU you can buy right now. It makes a mockery of Intel Arrow Lake, its frame rates are quicker than those of the 7800X3D, and its extra clock speed gives it a serious boost in multi-threaded software too. It's expensive, but just about worth the extra cost if you're a gamer. By PCGamesN on November 06, 2024 90 The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D is extremely powerful in games, which makes it easier to recommend than other recent processors like the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K or Ryzen 9 9900X. Especially if you’re building a rig with a powerful graphics card, the 9800X3D is going to be the best way to get the most performance out of whichever GPU you pair it with. By IGN on November 06, 2024 90 AMD’s 2nd Gen 3D V-Cache makes the Ryzen 7 9800X3D a winner. By KitGuru on November 06, 2024 50 Geared toward gamers, the Ryzen 7 9800X3D costs about as much as some faster Ryzen 9 CPUs. Buying a similarly performing Ryzen 7 or Intel Core Ultra 5 CPU for much less money and putting the difference toward a graphics card is a far better option. By PCMag on November 06, 2024 To sum up, the Ryzen 7 9800X3D continues the proud X3D tradition, delivering impeccable gaming performance while remaining relatively power-efficient and more or less affordable. The improved content creation performance and more favourable thermals are the icing on the cake. Well done, AMD. By EuroGamer on November 06, 2024 If you seek the very best gaming firepower, it could make sense, and doubly so if you stream or use your PC for other demanding workloads – the 9800X3D’s content creation leap is breathtaking, and the AM5 platform supports newer technologies like PCIe 5, DDR5, and USB 4. By PCWorld on November 06, 2024 Load More Reviews…