AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D Review

Introduction and Technical Specifications

Introduction

The first Ryzen processors finally stopped the rot for AMD. Whilst they must have been relieved to have finally rid themselves of the previous disastrous design, they didn’t exactly rest on their laurels. We’d barely finished delighting in a genuine Intel challenger than the Ryzen 2000 series arrived. Fine-tuning all the rough spots, it was a fantastic range of processors.

The Ryzen 3000 range though is where AMD really stepped to the fore. All the rough spots had been polished smooth, and performance was rapidly ramping up. So much so, and so wildly successful was it proving, that AMD developed the X3D idea for their 5000 range of processors. Basically AMD layer extra L3 Cache onto their standard design, really letting the processor fly in those intensive situations. Ryzen 7 5800X3Ds sold in such droves that the 7000 series came with a whole host of X3D models, up to the Ryzen 9 7950X3D.

AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D

With their position at the head of the CPU gaming marketplace firmly established it is no surprise that AMD have looked at their newest 9000 range of processors and applied the same technology. Which brings us to today’s review, the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D.

Should you get to the end of today’s review and want to invest, then we have only just reviewed the PCSpecialist Zircon Ultra R. This is a system with the Ryzen 7 9800X3D paired up with a Radeon RX 7800 XT. We had a similar arrangement when we looked at the Ryzen 7 7800X3D. It shows how successful the AMD X3D idea has been.

Whilst the Ryzen 7 9800X3D might be at its best when boosting the performance of a mid-range GPU, our test setup uses the RTX 4090. What we’re therefore going to see is, potentially, as good a gaming rig as you can build with current hardware. The big change with the 9000 version is that AMD are letting us overdrive it, so we’re curious as to the benefits this brings in non-gaming scenarios.

Ryzen 7 9800X3D At a Glance

The most obvious element is the adjusted clock speed. To better game and support lower thread tasks, the Ryzen 7 9800X3D takes a bit of clock speed away from full 16 thread speeds, to boost the base frequency. Most games stop at 4 cores, and the 9800X3D takes full advantage.

In-Depth Specifications