AMD's Ryzen 7 9800X3D is devastatingly fast and not just in games. But should you buy it or the Ryzen 7 7800X3D?

The Ryzen 7 9800X3D is the chip I recommend to most buyers, at least unless they're already using a 7800X3D. AMD boosted performance and efficiency here, and it's the new best CPU for PC gaming. However, its popularity means it's almost always sold out or being scalped for unrealistic prices.

AMD's new Ryzen 7 9800X3D tested against the 7800X3D, 9700X, and 7700X processors all at a fixed 4.8GHz frequency... check out the results!

AMD has dominated PC gaming CPU performance for more than two years. Its X3D chips have provided a boost that Intel has been unable to match, and its new $479 Ryzen 7 9800X3D goes a step further to not only improve gaming performance but also day-to-day tasks and creative workloads.

We’ve seen Yu’s informative (and entertaining) videos before. Last year, Yu posted a clip to video sharing service Bilibili in which he ran an Nvidia RTX 4090 off the M.2 slot of a RTX 4060 Ti GPU. For the Ryzen 7 9800X3D, he broke out the liquid nitrogen and started putting up eye-catching numbers in Counter-Strike 2.

The Ryzen 7 9800X3D CPU with 3D V-Cache can be overclocked, and the proof is in a new Geekbench submission showcasing a 260 MHz faster boost clock speed.

The 9800X3D is really focused on gaming, though. AMD is calling it “the world’s best gaming processor,” and promising an 8 percent uplift in average FPS over the 7800X3D. Those gains are thanks to the Zen 5 architecture and a second generation of 3D V-Cache technology.

AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D is the first X3D CPU in the latest Ryzen 9000 series to break cover and will go on sale starting November 7.

AMD's new Ryzen 7 9800X3D claims the top gaming CPU slot, stealing it away from, well, AMD itself. The Latest Tech News, Delivered to Your Inbox

Here are the 9800X3D benchmarks. We test this new eight-core AMD processor with 3D V-cache in several games to gauge its frame rate performance.