Meet the new fastest gaming CPU in the world, so far

In one of the least well-kept secrets of recent PC tech times, today marks the official unveiling of what is effectively a nailed-on guarantee of being the new fastest gaming CPU in the world, the AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D. Sporting a slight clock speed bump over the current champion, the 9800X3D, the new chip is set to continue the dominance of AMD's X3D chips when it comes to maximizing your frame rate in games.

With AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D specs and release date details long having been leaked, the arrival of AMD's latest brings no surprises, but if you're seeking simply the best gaming CPU for your new rig, this will be the one to buy.

Jumping straight into the specs, the AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D really is identical to the 9800X3D, but with a clock speed that peaks at 5.6GHz instead of 5.2GHz. Otherwise, it's the same eight-core, 16-thread configuration as the current king.

So, you get the same baseline AMD Zen 5 CPU architecture, the same 3D V-Cache chip sandwiched underneath the CPU cores - the secret sauce to chart-topping game performance - and the same not insanely high peak power consumption, with an identical 120W TDP rating.

Compatible with all existing AMD AM5 motherboards (though they will need a BIOS update to recognise the new CPU) and coolers, the chip will be an easy drop-in replacement for anyone rocking an older AMD 7000 series CPU, for instance.

We're yet to run any 9850X3D benchmarks ourselves, but AMD's own tests show it beating the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K for average frame rate in a wide range of gaming tests by an average of 27%. It's not the most relevant comparison, as the 285K is not a particularly fast chip for gaming, with AMD's own 9800X3D being a more meaningful benchmark. Given the difference in clock speed between the two, we'd expect at most a 8% performance increase between the two, so those already rocking a 9800X3D can probably skip this upgrade. You can read more about just how fast that chip is in our 9800X3D review.

The AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D release date is set for Q1 2026, but as of the time of writing, we're still awaiting official word on the price of this new chip. Expect it to comfortably exceed the $479 MSRP of the 9800X3D.