Introduction
The AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D was announced at CES 2026, and now it is launching with availability on January 29th, 2026, with an MSRP of $499. The AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D is AMD’s top-end single-CCD spec with 3D V-Cache with the intent to directly provide the best gaming experience, and is marketed as a gaming-oriented CPU.
The AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D sports an 8-core/16-thread configuration based on the Zen 5 architecture on the AM5 platform. It has a boosted clock speed above the Ryzen 7 9800X3D, with up to a 5.6GHz CPU boost clock and 120W TDP. It sports 96MB of L3 cache, utilizing AMD’s 2nd Generation 3D V-Cache technology to accelerate gaming performance.
In today’s review, we will look at both productivity performance differences and gaming performance in 10 games for an overall look at what it delivers. We will compare with the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D, AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D, AMD Ryzen 7 9700X, Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, and Intel Core Ultra 7 265K. The Ryzen 7 9700X is also an 8-core CPU; it will be interesting to compare three 8-core CPUs to see which is the fastest. All data has been captured freshly for this review, with the absolute latest BIOS’s, Windows OS updates, chipset drivers, and other software.
AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D Specs
There isn’t a lot to talk about regarding the AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D. If you know the Ryzen 7 9800X3D, then just apply to that a 400MHz CPU boost frequency and you have the Ryzen 7 9850X3D CPU. The Ryzen 7 9850X3D has a CPU boost frequency of 5.6GHz (4.7GHz base clock), which compares to the Ryzen 7 9800X3D’s 5.2GHz CPU boost frequency (4.7GHz base clock). Indeed, this is the sole difference; consider it a binned Ryzen 7 9800X3D.
The Ryzen 7 9850X3D is based on the same Zen 5 Granite Ridge CPU architecture as the Ryzen 7 9800X3D. It operates with a single-CCD with 8-cores and 16-threads. The Ryzen 7 9850X3D utilizes AMD’s 2nd Generation 3D V-Cache (same as the 9800X3D). With the 2nd Generation 3D V-Cache, the extra cache is located underneath the CCD. There are advantages that allow for higher clock speeds and better heat dissipation of the core CCD die. There is the same 96MB of this cache on the Ryzen 7 9850X3D. The TDP remains the same at 120W, and it is geared for DDR5 EXPO memory. Similar to the Ryzen 7 9800X3D, the Ryzen 7 9850X3D supports unlocked overclocking abilities.
AMD has confirmed that the Ryzen 7 9850X3D will not replace the Ryzen 7 9800X3D. In fact, the Ryzen 7 9800X3D will remain in full production, and the Ryzen 7 9850X3D will live alongside it in the product stack for now. AMD has reinforced drop-in CPU support until 2027+. The MSRP is set at $499, which is a $20 premium over the launch MSRP of $479 with the Ryzen 7 9800X3D.
AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D Pictures
The AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D looks exactly like the Ryzen 7 9800X3D, or any AM5 CPU, with no changes except the markings. Installation was simple, easy, and fuss-free. We are using a GIGABYTE X870E AORUS MASTER X3D ICE motherboard for testing, and we have applied the BIOS supplied by AMD (N6) to use for testing on all AMD CPUs. This BIOS is based on AGESA ComboAM5 1.2.7.1. While this CPU will work on previous AGESA versions, with your current BIOS, you will want to update for the best support and performance.
