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AMD press sent word yesterday that it will be available starting January 29th at a price of $499. Although some retailers may have their own mark-up on it, that's AMD's suggested pricing. Here's a quick reminder of the main specifications:
| Model | Cores / Threads | Boost / Base Frequency | Total Cache | TDP | SEP (USD) |
| AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D | 8C/16T | Up to 5.6 / 4.7 GHz | 104MB | 120W | $499 |
From the press release AMD was keen to highlight these points:
- Building on the legacy of the 9800X3D, the Ryzen 7 9850X3D features a +400MHz improvement to the boost clock, making the world’s fastest gaming processor even faster.
- The Ryzen 7 9850X3D provides up to an average 27% gaming performance improvement vs the Intel Core Ultra 9 285k.
- Thanks to 2nd Gen 3D V-Cache technology, high-frequency memory is not required. Across an average of 30+ games, the FPS difference between DDR5-4800 and DDR5-6000 was <1%.
I'm still rocking the Ryzen 7 5800X from 2020 that's still purring along nicely. AMD's newer generation of chips have a decently long life in them, so I can't see a need to upgrade myself any time soon.
Will you be looking to upgrade?
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
About the author - Liam Dawe
I am the owner of GamingOnLinux. After discovering Linux back in the days of Mandrake in 2003, I constantly checked on the progress of Linux until Ubuntu appeared on the scene and it helped me to really love it. You can reach me easily by emailing GamingOnLinux directly.
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My really cheap 9600x bought on sale is doing fine. I'll wait for the next iteration, or the one after that if it still supports am5 to get a x3d chip.
Last edited by Drakker on 23 Jan 2026 at 4:45 pm UTC
Last edited by Drakker on 23 Jan 2026 at 4:45 pm UTC
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Cool. Wake me when DDR5 prices come back down out of the stratosphere. Until then this is just performance art.
2 Likes
There's no GPU in existence that can utilize this monster, so... shrug.
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I already thought about replacing my aging but still rocking Ryzen 9, but Ram prices are striking hard. Still, the idea is in my head, that almost certainly means throwing money out, soon.
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Philadelphus 2 hours ago
Most of my computer parts are from when I built it in 2014*, and this year I might finally, possibly, be in a financial position to consider upgrading building something new. I went with Intel/nVidia for the CPU/GPU, but I'm thinking of switching over to all AMD for the next build. Though I'm also kind of twiddling my thumbs waiting for the AI bubble to burst and RAM prices to return to sane values; I guess we'll see how the year goes.
*Minus one RAM DIMM that failed in 2018, the power supply that failed in 2023 (or '24?), and the GPU my brother gifted me in 2018.
*Minus one RAM DIMM that failed in 2018, the power supply that failed in 2023 (or '24?), and the GPU my brother gifted me in 2018.
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I'm still using my 3700X from 2019, outside of compiling it never really goes above 50% usage under heavy load. I'm also way too lazy to upgrade my motherboard (not to mention how expensive they are these days, I got mine for £120 back then!) since I'd need a newer motherboard for the newer sockets (I think the 3700X is AM4+, and the 5000 series onwards uses AM5 I believe?).
I'll have to upgrade one day, but I think I've got 2-3 years left with my current CPU. Then I'll look at switching, most likely sticking with AMD. 😃
Fun fact: My dad's PC is still rocking an i7-4770k on Ubuntu and it's barely showing its age for his usage (Wreckfest, Dungeon Defenders, listening to music and watching videos, granted he has an Nvidia 970Ti).
I'll have to upgrade one day, but I think I've got 2-3 years left with my current CPU. Then I'll look at switching, most likely sticking with AMD. 😃
Fun fact: My dad's PC is still rocking an i7-4770k on Ubuntu and it's barely showing its age for his usage (Wreckfest, Dungeon Defenders, listening to music and watching videos, granted he has an Nvidia 970Ti).
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The 5000 series are AM4 based like your 3700x. A 5700x or 5800x would be a nice upgrade for you, in the ballpark of a 20-30% improvement depending on the task. The non-x3d AM4 5000 series CPUs can still be gotten new cheaply, and really cheap if you buy used. If you don't need 8 cores, a 5600x would also be a nice upgrade.
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