Enhancing Speed: The Ryzen 7 9850X3D Boost

AMD has unveiled a refined iteration of its acclaimed Ryzen 7 9800X3D processor at CES, introducing the Ryzen 7 9850X3D. This updated version offers the same configuration—8 cores and 16 threads—as its predecessor, but with significantly increased boost clock speeds.

Engineering Excellence: Fine-tuning the Best

"We've adjusted our top gaming processor to reach new heights, with boost clocks now reaching 5.6GHz," stated Rahul Tikoo, who leads AMD's client CPU branch, during a discussion with The Verge. This new boost clock accelerates by 400MHz in comparison to the regular 9800X3D, yet keeps the thermal design power at 120 watts. Essentially, this is a more efficiently sorted version of the 9800X3D, offering varied speed improvements across different games.

Performance Gains in Action

According to Tikoo, "In scenarios that are sensitive to frequency variations—like many esports titles—users might experience over a 5 percent performance boost," while triple-A game titles will see only marginal improvements.

Competitive Advantage

AMD didn't shy away from highlighting how the 9850X3D fares against peers: it notably outperforms Intel’s previous champion, the 14900K. On average, the processor is found to deliver a 27 percent performance increase over competitors across a selection of over 35 games. The 9850X3D surpasses Intel's Core Ultra 9 285K by 60 percent in certain applications and more than 45 percent in other tested scenarios.

Future Plans and Market Position

While introducing the Ryzen 7 9850X3D, AMD will continue offering the existing 9800X3D, which remains a top choice within the Ryzen 9000 series. Set for a launch in Q1 2026, pricing details are pending but expected closer to its market availability.