There's a new sheriff in town. AMD's new Ryzen 7 9800X3D turned heads on launch and was quickly branded as a knockout blow to Intel. Its gaming prowess is undeniable, but what titles benefit most from the new X3D implementation? This isn't an exhaustive list, but here are 6 that have had their benchmark numbers shattered upon its release.

6 Counter-Strike 2

Valve's tactical FPS feasts on 3D-V Cache

In esports titles, frames-per-second is everything. Any significant variability in framerate or sustained periods of sub-par performance can be the difference between victory and defeat. Counter-Strike 2 absolutely loves the X3D platform. The 9800X3D performs beautifully, whether you find yourself on on the Sicilian streets of Inferno or the lush swamps of Ancient. Like most games on this list, the game feasts on 3D-V Cache, and Source 2 seems to take advantage of it fully. Users are seeing average framerates well into the 600s, while lows don't dip below the magic 240 number, allowing professionals to stay above the refresh rate of their displays.

5 Dragon's Dogma 2

Scales incredibly well on X3D chips

On release, Dragon's Dogma 2 was tough on CPUs. Even after CAPCOM made some optimizations to performance, it's still heavily CPU-bound. Because of this, the 9800X3D is exceptional here. Previous X3D chips were more than adequate at bringing the average framerate above the 100 mark, but the 9800X3D improves on this even further. Some users are reporting gains of up to 20%, and with further optimizations to the game's performance, that delta can only increase.

4 Escape From Tarkov

The 9800X3D is the bona fide king of Tarkov

Escape From Tarkov is not only a punishing gameplay experience, it's also a tough game to run at consistently high framerates. Most modern setups can run the game at a playable level, but some maps in particular (Streets of Tarkov, specifically), can be a challenge for even high-end rigs. The X3D platform made the game smooth as butter, and the 9800X3D blows the brakes off everything else. EFT is a tough game to benchmark, but it's very clear that there's a new CPU king for Escape From Tarkov players.

3 Rainbow 6 Siege

Makes an already well-optimized game run even better

Even on the last few generations of hardware, Rainbow 6 Siege runs quite well. It's not a new game, but it is an esports title. Frame chasers won't be surprised to see that the 9800X3D tops the benchmark charts in this game, with numbers in excess of monitor refresh rates. For budding esports pros, the 9800X3D is a no-brainer.

2 Baldur’s Gate 3

AMD firmly tops the charts in the D&D-set RPG

Baldur's Gate 3 is already a title that tends to prefer the X3D chips over essentially anything else, but the 9800X3D has a special lead here. In most reviews I've seen, as well as some anecdotal evidence from friends, AMD's new X3D chip absolutely blows everything else out of the water. Gains of up to almost 30% are seen in average FPS as well as 1% lows. This is extremely impressive stuff, and if you're a frequent BG3 player, the 9800X3D is best-in-class if you're hurting for frames.

1 Assetto Corsa Competizione

Sim-racers are going to love this CPU

Those who are adept behind the wheel in Assetto Corsa Competizione are going to absolutely love the 9800X3D. By racing game standards, ACC is sensitive to cache changes. Not enough, and you will see lower levels of performance, but the inverse is also true. ACC's appetite for cache is undoubtedly satisfied by all chips in the X3D range, so, of course the 9800X3D excels here.

CPU-bound games are going to love AMD's new offering

The Ryzen 7 9800X3D is the new champion for gaming CPUs. When it comes to pushing high framerates in CPU-bound titles, you can't go wrong with picking one up. If your game wasn't listed here and you'd like to know whether it'd benefit from a 9800X3D, running some quick benchmarks is an easy way to check if you need an upgrade.