AMD will soon have another gaming CPU in its repertoire as the tech giant has revealed the Ryzen 7 9850X3D as its latest product. AMD's upcoming Ryzen 7 9850X3D processor will have slightly higher specs than its predecessor, the Ryzen 7 9800X3D, although its price and exact release date remain elusive at the time of writing.
AMD's upcoming processor will support existing AM5 motherboards, including the B850 and X870E chipsets from manufacturers such as ASUS, Asrock and MSI. Older chips like the B650 are also on AMD's list of supported motherboard platforms for the Ryzen 7 9850X3D. However, users with older AM5 motherboards are advised to check their motherboard's BIOS version to see if any updates are needed before upgrading to the 9850X3D.
007 First Light Reveals PC Specs and Major Collaboration
IO Interactive reveals tons of new details for its upcoming 007 action game First Light, including PC aspects, features, and big co-op.
AMD unveiled the new Ryzen 7 9850X3D processor
During the 2026 edition of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, AMD pulled back the curtain on the Ryzen 7 9850X3D processor. The 9850X3D will go on sale sometime in the first quarter of 2026, although the exact release date remains unclear. In terms of specifications, the AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D is an octa-core processor that is almost identical to its predecessor, the Ryzen 7 9800X3D, in most specifications. The 9850X3D will have a total power consumption of 120 W and a base clock of 4.7 GHz. However, the 9850X3D will have a higher clock speed of 5.6GHz, 400MHz higher than the 9800X3D's 5.2GHz.
In addition, the 9850X3D will come with an integrated Radeon dual-core graphics chip and will use AMD's proprietary 3D V-Cache technology to boost performance in some games. AMD also provided some comparisons with one of its main competitors, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K processor. AMD has claimed that the 9850X3D will deliver up to 21% better performance over the 285K in modern titles such as Battlefield 6 and Call of Duty: Black Ops 7. However, until the Ryzen 7 9850X3D is fully released and tested, consumers should take AMD's charts and comparisons with a grain of salt.
The Ryzen 7 9850X3D will launch at a chaotic time
While AMD Ryzen X3D processors are a significant improvement for gaming in most cases, using them for standard tasks comes with some caveats. Users will not be able to overclock the Ryzen 7 9850X3D, and the 9850X3D is only 100 MHz higher than the cheaper Ryzen 7 9700X processor, which is currently priced at $329. Since the Ryzen 7 9800X3D launched with an MSRP of $449, the 9850X3D could arrive at a slightly higher price.
AMD's upcoming processor arrives amid a troubling time for PC gaming. As of fall 2025, the price of DRAM has spiraled out of control due to persistent supply shortages. DDR4 and DDR5 RAM kits have seen price increases as a result, with 2x16GB DDR5 RAM kits going from $90 to over $360 in a matter of months. The move also affected the price of gaming consoles, with AMD's own Ryzen CPUs powering the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S systems. With Xbox eyeing another price hike on its current hardware, the ongoing RAM shortage crisis may not be resolved anytime soon.
While the prices of RAM and other PC components are rising, the launch of the Ryzen 7 9850X3D is proof that AMD is not giving up on the AM5 platform just yet. Between the launch of the 9850X3D and Nvidia's potential relaunch of the GeForce RTX 3060 graphics card, the current generation of PC components is enjoying a second life amid the ongoing crisis. Whether the Ryzen 7 9850X3D succeeds despite the RAM crisis depends on how consumers react to its price and its comparable performance.
8/10
- Mark
-
Microsoft
- Original release date
-
November 10, 1985
- Original MSRP (USD)
-
Variable
- Operating system
-
Windows
Sources: AMD, NotebookCheck
