In brief: AMD has officially introduced the Ryzen 7 9800X3D, a direct successor to the lauded 7800X3D from a year and a half ago and the first X3D CPU to be fully unlocked and primed for overclocking.
AMD’s latest is built on the Zen 5 architecture and utilizes the company’s second-generation 3D V-Cache technology. The chipmaker said it relocated the cache memory below the processor, putting the core complex die (CCD) in closer proximity to the cooling solution.
By keeping the cores cooler, AMD was able to ramp up factory clock speeds. The chip features eight high-performance cores / 16 processing threads with a base clock of 4.7 GHz and a max boost clock of 5.2 GHz. For comparison, the 7800X3D was clocked at 4.2 GHz and could boost up to 5.0 GHz.
AMD further noted the chip carries a “hearty” 120W TDP and 104 MB of total cache.
The new X3D chip provides up to an average eight percent gaming performance improvement over the previous generation model, and is said to be 20 percent faster than the competition (an Intel Core Ultra 9 285K).
In titles like Far Cry 6, Hogwarts Legacy, and Ashes of the Singularity, gamers can expect over a 20 percent increase in performance compared to the 7800X3D according to AMD. Versus the new Arrow Lake chip, AMD claims its 9800X3D is more than 50 percent faster in games like Watch Dog Legions and Cyberpunk 2077.
While the new chip is fully unlocked and ready for overclocking, you’ll still be taking a risk doing so. In the fine print, AMD notes that operating the chip outside of its published specifications will void any applicable product warranty – even if done so using AMD hardware or software.
AMD’s Ryzen 7 9800X3D arrives on November 7 priced at $479, which is roughly $30 more than the 7800X3D debuted at. Is it worth it? Be sure to check back here on launch day for our full review of AMD’s latest X3D chip.
