Conclusion
We have titled this review “Fastest 8-Core” because technically, it is true. AMD has three main 8-core (single full CCD) CPUs in its product stack: the Ryzen 7 9700X, the Ryzen 7 9800X3D, and the Ryzen 7 9850X3D. Up until now, we had found that the Ryzen 7 9800X3D was it if you wanted the fastest 8-core CPU from AMD, outpacing the Ryzen 7 9700X even in productivity and multi-threading. The now new Ryzen 7 9850X3D surpasses that even more, and slightly improves in all benchmarks compared to the Ryzen 7 9800X3D.
Therefore, technically, the Ryzen 7 9850X3D is now AMD’s fastest 8-core CPU, which translates to both productivity and gaming performance. It translates to multi-core and single-core performance advantages. Notably, there were very large gains compared to the 8-core Ryzen 7 9700X, even in multi-threading, and even in productivity.
The AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D shows a performance gain in productivity and content creation performance advantages, compared to the Ryzen 7 9800X3D. The Ryzen 7 9850X3D does show a technical advantage over the Ryzen 7 9800X3D in gaming, but not a meaningful or practical advantage or difference in gaming performance specifically.
In our testing, we used a GeForce RTX 5090 video card, which would be a best-case scenario for showing a performance difference in gaming. Since there is no meaningful or practical performance difference in gaming, anything less than a GeForce RTX 5090 GPU will be completely GPU-bound, and therefore, there will be zero performance difference in gaming between the Ryzen 7 9800X3D and Ryzen 7 9850X3D.
Final Points
At the end of the day, the AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D isn’t for people who already own the Ryzen 7 9800X3D, or even the Ryzen 7 7800X3D. It is, in fact, rather for people upgrading from AM4-platform systems, those waiting to make the switch from AM4 to AM5. As an upgrade from AM4 CPUs, the Ryzen 7 9850X3D will provide a substantial upgrade to gaming performance and will offer the highest-end gaming performance you can get on the AM5 platform. It’s also a good upgrade option for those on lower-end AM5 CPUs.
One thing is certain from our testing: Intel gaming performance is dominated by AMD. Whether it be non-3D V-Cache CPUs or the “X3D” CPUs, AMD wins gaming on the CPU side. If you have a high-end GPU, pairing it with an X3D CPU is a good idea. If you need high refresh rate gaming or superior e-sports, or competitive gaming, an X3D CPU is a good idea. The Ryzen 7 9850X3D is just another option in the pocket for gamers, and we do love options. You can always save a buck with the Ryzen 7 9800X3D, which is overall the better value CPU. However, if you just want to have the best and potentially fastest gaming CPU, the Ryzen 7 9850X3D is that CPU.
Let’s be clear, the Ryzen 7 9850X3D isn’t the best value for dollar, that is the Ryzen 7 9800X3D, but the Ryzen 7 9850X3D is all about innovation. AMD has earned this award for innovation, bringing very fast 3D V-Cache to the market for gaming performance, and providing a gaming-oriented CPU with even faster boost clock frequencies, which also directly affects gaming performance. When all is said and done, no one else is providing gamers the best experience with CPU performance than the AMD X3D CPUs at this time, and the Ryzen 7 9850X3D is technically the fastest 8-core CPU from AMD.