AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D
November, 2024Type
CPUPrice
$479Conclusion - AMD Saves The PC Gaming Segment
AMD's Ryzen 9000 & Intel's Core Ultra 200S CPUs have not been the game changers that gamers had anticipated but the Red team is committed to winning the gaming segment and today's launch of the Ryzen 7 9800X3D proves this.
Matching The Ryzen 7 9700X In Productivity Workloads
One of the weakest parts of previous generation 3D V-Cache offerings was the productivity performance which lacked versus the Non-X3D parts. This changes with 9800X3D which offers the same or better performance in general applications as the Ryzen 7 9700X.
It's a no-compromise chip which has been made possible with the help of the new stacking technology that allows the CCD to take full advantage of the power and thermal headroom. On standard mode, the 9800X3D was on par with the 9700X, and with PBO, it offered even 2-3% better performance thanks to its higher 120W TDP versus the 65W default and updated 105W TDP limit of the 9700X.
Surely, the chip is still an 8-core and 16-thread part so there isn't a lot on offer but for the masses, 8 high-performance cores backed by 3D V-Cache are still more than enough. For those who want even better, I'd suggest waiting for the eventual 16 core X3D parts is going to be a wise choice.
A Gaming Powerhouse
The app performance is great for the 9800X3D but the gaming performance is a big improvement. The Ryzen 7 9800X3D now sits at the top of our gaming charts, blazing past the Core Ultra 9 285K and the last-generation Ryzen 7 7800X3D. The CPU offers over double-digit gains across a range of games that we tested versus the 7800X3D and easily surpasses Intel's fastest Arrow Lake & Raptor Lake CPUs. The gaming performance being so great means that it's an easy recommendation from us to every gamer out there who is looking to enhance their PCs with higher gaming performance and that is valid for both average and "Low" FPS.
Zen 5 + 3D V-Cache Delivers The Efficiency Punch
One thing that we have noticed throughout our tests is that at both standard and PBO modes, the gaming performance of the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D is very similar. So gamers don't have to switch to the PBO mode unless they want to harness better productivity performance. This leads to some insane power efficiency figures in gaming with the chip offering an average 7-10% gains while using just 50W of power.
$479 US Pushes 9800X3D In The High-End Segment
In terms of pricing, the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D costs $479 US which is a $30 price hike over the 7800X3D's MSRP. As of right now, the 7800X3D goes for around $440-$480 US and while we've seen it discounted to $300 US, those days are long gone. The 7800X3D is still a hot seller and we can expect the 9800X3D to see a similar response in the CPU segment when it arrives tomorrow.
The Intel Core i9-14900K currently costs around $430-$440 US which is a strong price for a chip that has been plagued with issues recent fixes from the blue team might once again position it as a strong chip but you are sacrificing a lot of power and thermal efficiency. The 14900K is slower but in the end, it's a decent mix of high-end productivity and gaming performance. The Core Ultra 9 285K doesn't seem to be as good of a choice. The good thing is that the 9800X3D can be used on a range of AM5 motherboards, some starting for just $100 US and you don't have to invest in fast DDR5 memory either.
It will be a similar situation as the 5800X3D and the 7800X3D. The 7800X3D was a fantastic upgrade but the AM4 platform made several users stick to the 5800X3D rather than upgrading and once the AM5 prices dropped and became more accessible, everyone turned to 7800X3D. Once the 7800X3D stock runs dry and the 9800X3D sees its initial price drop, everyone will jump ship to the 9800X3D which is the better option of the two, especially at similar price points.
AMD Dominates The Gaming Segment Again!
The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D is a fantastic upgrade for gamers, even those who currently have a 7800X3D. With great gaming performance, strong 8-core productivity performance, robust new overclocking features, better efficiency, and thermal management, the 9800X3D is the gaming champ that should retain its gaming throne until the next generation of X3D CPUs which are more than a year away.
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About the author: A Software Engineer by training and a PC enthusiast by passion, Hassan Mujtaba serves as Wccftech's Senior Editor for hardware section. With years of experience in the industry, he specializes in deep-dive technical analysis of next-generation CPU and GPU architectures, motherboards, and cooling solutions. His work involves not only breaking news on upcoming technologies but also extensive hands-on reviews and benchmarking.
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