Ryzen 7 9850X3D reviews reveal surprisingly mixed reaction to the new best gaming processor

Reviews for the Ryzen 7 9850X3D have arrived, one day before the chip is due to be released. Tomorrow, on January 30, you’ll be able to buy the 9850X3D from a wide range of retailers, but for now, we can finally get a close look at its performance (outside of AMD’s in-house benchmarks). Despite essentially being a refreshed version of the Ryzen 9800X3D, the newer chip will still be sold alongside its predecessor. In other words, the 9800X3D won’t be discontinued just yet.

AMD has already announced that the 9850X3D will be $30 more expensive than the current street price for 9800X3D; it is otherwise a $20 price increase when you compare the two launch prices. AMD previously claimed the 9850X3D is only a few percent faster than the 9800X3D for gaming – up to 6% faster for esports titles. Many reviews go with a ‘the best gaming CPU just got better’ angle, in a similar fashion to AMD’s David McAfee’s launch announcement, but not everyone is impressed.

AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D review roundup

If you already own a 9800X3D, there’s no real reason to upgrade to the 9850X3D. That much is clear, and the higher power demands of this refreshed model have soured some reviewers’ opinions of the chip.

Tom’s Hardware

The well-known hardware reviewers have dropped a bombshell for the Ryzen 7 9850X3D, rating it just 3 out of 5 stars. This is a stark contrast to the flying reviews of the 9800X3D before it, with many people giving top marks to the gaming chip. We gave the 9800X3D five stars in our own review, for example.

As for the 9850X3D, Tom’s Hardware says the processor requires “around 30% higher power consumption in games” when compared to its predecessor, while delivering similar performance in high-threaded tasks – despite the extra power consumption. Yes, it’s the fastest gaming CPU, but the power costs may not be worth it when you can still buy the 9800X3D for a similar price, and extremely similar performance, without the extra power demands.

TechPowerUp

TechPowerUp is another go-to reviewer, especially if you’re looking for a comprehensive set of benchmarks. Giving the 9850X3D its Editor’s Choice award makes it clear they are fans of the new flagship gaming CPU. Gaming tests at 720p ultra settings, paired with the RTX 5090, reveal the 9850X3D is a little less than 2% faster on average across all tested games, while it gains 3% uplift with the PBO Max setting enabled. At 4K, this gap closes in significantly.

The reviewers also reveal that power consumption is 36W (9850X3D) versus 25W (9800X3D) at stock settings for single-threaded tasks, showing a noticeable difference between the two chips, and a clear efficiency win for the previous flagship. In conclusion, TechPowerUp is still positive about the chip, rating it as a standalone product that offers “slightly better” overclocking potential over the 9800X3D. Of course, the higher power consumption for gaming is a clear downside, especially as many games still rely on single-core. Even so, they still recommend the 9850X3D if you’re building a brand-new gaming PC as a power user, given its similar price tag.

Wired

Giving it a 9/10 rating, Wired is clearly a fan of the Ryzen 7 9850X3D, even if they say it’s “not really an upgrade” to the 9800X3D. The higher cooling requirement is also noted, but the “simple and effective” overclocking makes this a top pick for enthusiasts nonetheless. Predictably, Cinebench R23 and 3DMark synthetic benchmarks reveal a small performance improvement for the newer X3D CPU.

In gaming scenarios, testing at 1440p ultra settings, the new processor only offers single-digit FPS increases across a range of popular games, including Cyberpunk 2077, Marvel Rivals, ARC Raiders, and Counter-Strike 2. So, you’re essentially splitting hairs when comparing these two – no noticeable difference for gaming, but at least it’s nice to know you have the fastest gaming CPU on the market.