• AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D

  The unrivaled king of gaming

  Cores

  8

  Threads

  16

  Architecture

  Zen 5

  Process

  TSMC 4nm, 6nm

  Socket

  AM5

  Base Clock Speed

  4.7 GHz

  The Ryzen 7 9800X3D is the newly crowned fastest gaming CPU in the world. Featuring AMD's second-generation 3D V-Cache, it's the ideal pick for high-end and enthusiast gaming PCs.

  Pros & Cons

  • Faster than any other gaming CPU
  • Runs impressively cool
  • Impressive productivity performance

  • Not much faster than the 7800X3D
  • More expensive than the 7800X3D

  $479 at Amazon $479 at Newegg

• AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D

  A worthy contender for the throne

  Brand

  AMD

  CPU Model

  Ryzen 7 7800X3D

  Cores

  8

  Threads

  16

  Architecture

  Zen 4

  The Ryzen 7 7800X3D remains one of the fastest CPUs for gaming, beaten only by the 9800X3D. Its Zen 4 architecture makes it thermally efficient, and being a previous-gen chip, it should beat the Zen 5 chip in value.

  Pros & Cons

  • Incredibly fast in gaming
  • Zen 4 architecture is pretty efficient
  • Might cost less than the 9800X3D

  • Significantly slower than 7800X3D in productivity
  • Prices haven't fallen yet

  $476 at Amazon $479 at Newegg

AMD launched its long-awaited Ryzen 7 9800X3D a few days ago, and to no one's surprise, it obliterated every other gaming CPU on the market. Featuring AMD's second-generation 3D V-Cache, higher clock speeds, and some clever improvements in the core and cache layout, the 9800X3D comfortably took its expected spot at the top of the high-end gaming charts.

However, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D hasn't disappeared. What was the fastest gaming CPU in the world a week ago is still a worthy alternative to the 9800X3D, provided you can find it reasonably cheaper than its Zen 5 counterpart. Let's break down the differences (and similarities) between the two X3D chips from AMD, and see which one you should pick up for your high-end gaming PC.

Price, availability, and specs

The fast and the furious

The Ryzen 7 9800X3D had to bring some serious improvements to the table, considering the 7800X3D was already a gaming beast. This time around, AMD decided to move the 3D V-Cache from the top of the cores to underneath them, bringing the cores closer to the IHS and allowing better cooling for them. This enabled the 4.7 GHz and 5.2 GHz base and boost clocks on the 9800X3D compared to 4.2 GHz and 5.0 GHz on the 7800X3D.

The other differences in specs between these two chips aren't extraordinary. The 9800X3D is built on the smaller Zen 5 process node, but features the same amount of total cache as its Zen 4 counterpart. The 9800X3D comes with a $479 launch price, slightly higher than the $449 we saw for the 7800X3D. Of course, you'll be hard-pressed to find the 9800X3D in stock anywhere, and the 7800X3D is currently selling for around $476 — essentially the same price as that of the latest X3D chip.

• 	AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D	AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D
  Socket	AM5	AM5
  Cores	8	8
  Threads	16	16
  Base Clock Speed	4.7 GHz	4.2GHz
  Boost Clock Speed	5.2 GHz	5.0GHz
  PCIe	5.0	5.0
  Cache	104 MB	104 MB
  Architecture	Zen 5	Zen 4
  Process	TSMC 4nm, 6nm	5 nm
  TDP	120W	120 W

Performance

Gaming and productivity

Let's start with priority one — how much faster is the new "fastest gaming CPU" in the world, compared to the previous champ? The newer Zen 5 architecture, combined with the new location of the 3D V-Cache enables the Ryzen 7 9800X3D to achieve higher clock speeds and faster gaming performance than the Ryzen 7 7800X3D.

How much of an FPS bump you'll see from the 7800X3D to the 9800X3D will vary heavily depending on the game. For instance, the 9800X3D can be around 20% faster in Hogwarts Legacy and Starfield. In titles like Cyberpunk 2077 and A Plague Tale: Requiem, however, you'll only see a 10% increase, at best. On average, the Ryzen 7 9800X3D is around 8-11% faster than the Ryzen 7 7800X3D.

While this is certainly a notable improvement, it's far from world-changing. In many titles, the two chips may even perform identically, and the anticipated price cut the 7800X3D should soon receive following the launch of the 9800X3D would make the previous-gen chip a more attractive option. Since both CPUs are compatible with AMD's AM5 platform, you're getting the same longevity; hence, the price will be the deciding factor.

Although these chips are designed and marketed as gaming CPUs, you might be interested in their productivity performance too, especially after spending upwards of $400. Thankfully, the Ryzen 7 9800X3D delivers a much more compelling improvement here. In Cinebench 2024, the 9800X3D is 25% and 23% faster than the 7800X3D in single-core and multi-core performance respectively. It also performs 25% faster than the Zen 4 chip in PCMark 10 testing.

The higher clock speeds, better cooling, and full overclocking support on the Ryzen 7 9800X3D give it a decisive win over the 7800X3D in productivity performance. For gamers who are already on the 7800X3D, however, the 9800X3D doesn't justify an upgrade. Even for those upgrading from a non-X3D chip, the 7800X3D might prove to be the better pick, provided you can find it at a considerable discount compared to the 9800X3D.

Thermal efficiency

How much does it matter?

Thermal efficiency matters, of course, but when we're comparing two X3D chips belonging to fairly efficient architectures, the differences should not be enough to sway your decision. The newer Ryzen 7 9800X3D can draw almost 70% more power in Cinebench multi-core tests, but during gaming, you'll not see it draw more than 100W, and temperatures should stay around 60-80℃ even during the most intensive games.

Compared to the Ryzen 7 7800X3D, this is a significant bump in power draw and temperature, but you're also getting higher performance. Plus, cooling 100W during a gaming workload is not a difficult task at all, as long as you have a decent AIO liquid cooler or air cooler. Besides, if you compare the 9800X3D to Intel's Core i9-14900K and Core Ultra 9 285K, it's a day-and-night difference, with the 9800X3D drawing less than half the power.

Again, I feel the price will determine if the more efficient Ryzen 7 7800X3D is worth considering. If it drops to around $350 or lower, then I would strongly recommend it over the 9800X3D for gaming. On the other hand, if productivity performance is your only concern, you should already be looking at other CPUs before considering the Ryzen X3D chips.

Should you buy the fastest or the second-fastest gaming CPU?

If you're building a high-end gaming PC in 2024 and want the best performance on the market, the Ryzen 7 9800X3D is the clear choice. It beats everything else by a significant margin, doesn't draw too much power, and is cheaper than both the AMD and Intel flagships. You're also getting all the benefits of AMD's AM5 platform, and a chip that's going to last you for years even with the most powerful graphics cards.

However, the previous-gen Ryzen 7 7800X3D is still a fantastic gaming CPU, delivering around 90% of the performance of the 9800X3D. It's currently hard to find at reasonable prices, but once things settle down, it could be the better value pick if you find it significantly cheaper than the 9800X3D (remember that the 7800X3D was selling for around $350 a few months ago). It draws less power than the 9800X3D, and is still on AMD's latest AM5 platform as well.