There has been another price cut on my favourite gaming CPU, and if you’ve been contemplating an AM5 upgrade, the latest AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D deal is well worth knowing about.
Launched last November, this eight-core, 16-thread beauty packs 96MB of famed X3D L3 cache, helping propel frame rates to dizzying heights. The good news for folk who fancy a bit of 9800X3D lovin’ is price has now dropped by over 10%. Yep, at the time of writing, said CPU is available from Amazon at an all-time-low of £399.
AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D
“There’s little doubt that Ryzen 7 9800X3D is the best gaming processor on the market.” Read our review.
With game-console prices continuing to inch higher on account global economic events, now’s a good a time as any to be a PC gamer. There’s a wide choice of current-generation hardware from all the big names, and piecing together a potent rig is achievable without breaking the bank.
As is always the way, stretching the budget further brings the crème de la crème into focus, and as far as gaming is concerned, there’s no doubt AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D is the chip of choice.
A welcome reduction over the £449 launch price, and for a change, it’s the UK leading the way in terms of best value. There’s a minor reduction across the pond to $469, but it’s the £399 price tag on our shores that’s particularly tempting.
To recap, this is a 120W chip that can hit a top speed of 5.2GHz, meaning it won’t run overly hot while scaling to the top of most gaming charts. There’s no cooler included in the box, yet during testing, we found even a competent air cooler can keep high-load temperatures the right side of 85°C.
More importantly, frame rates are about as they good as they get, pummelling even the 16-core Ryzen 9 9950X into submission. If you’re going to build a gaming chip, AMD has proven this is the way to do it.
Whether or not the price will stay at £399 remains to be seen, as Ryzen 7 9800X3D has fluctuated between £410 and £450 throughout 2025, but my tip would be to get in while the going is good. Heck, the absolute best gaming chip is now comfortably cheaper than a PS5, and fear not, console gamers, we PC enthusiasts will welcome you back with open arms.
