The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D is the best gaming processor currently on the market and a much better option than the new Intel Core Ultra 9 285K. If you're waiting for a discount on this processor for Black Friday, though, don't hold your breath. It's very unlikely the price will drop before the end of the year.

AMD has dominated PC gaming CPU performance for more than two years. Its X3D chips have provided a boost that Intel has been unable to match, and its new $479 Ryzen 7 9800X3D goes a step further to not only improve gaming performance but also day-to-day tasks and creative workloads.

AMD may already have won this generation of desktop processors. But the company is convinced that you should also be turning to Ryzen processors for mobile gaming, as a series of AMD’s own benchmarks show the Ryzen AI 300 absolutely dominating.

The Ryzen 7 7800X3D launched on April 6, 2023, at a $449 MSRP, $30 lower than the 9800X3D. The 7800X3D remains very popular, and it too can be hard to find at the major online ret