AMD 9850X3D Review: Slightly Faster but 20% More Power Hungry

Architectural similarities between the 9850X3D and 9800X3D limit real-world performance improvements despite higher boost clocks

Hardware by Tanvir Kabbo on Jan 30, 2026

The 9850X3D is now out, and it's just a better version of the 9800X3D. The first tests suggest it is only about 4% faster and uses roughly 20% more power.

If you already have a 9800X3D, you might not need to upgrade. But a few things stand out about this CPU's performance and efficiency.

AMD, 9850X3D Review, Slightly Faster, 20% More Power Hungry, NoobFeed

CIC Prime PX 2200 PSU Overview

The CIC Prime PX 2200 is one of the best PSUs on the market right now. It has two built-in PCIe5.1 connectors that let you connect directly to the RTX 5090. This makes it ideal for high-end workstations or overclocked systems. I am now using this power supply, and it has worked well and been of good quality.

The cables are highly flexible, and there are cablecoms and a 90° ATX24pin converter that can be used as a PSU tester. Even when the load is high, the semi-passive fan stays silent.

CPU Specifications

The 9850X3D differs mostly from the 9800X3D in its boost clock. It contains 8 cores, 16 threads, and 96 MB of L3 cache. This cache consists of 64 MB of 3D V-Cache and 32 MB of regular L3 cache.

TDP remains 120W, but the new boost clock is 5.6GHz, up from 5.2GHz. Based solely on these specs, it's clear the CPU is a little faster, but not by much.

Performance Testing

We put the CPU through five different tests. The 9850X3D is only 2% quicker in Cinebench R23 multi-threading, and it uses an average of 155W of power, which is not much of an increase. The increased boost gives the 9800X3D an 8% gain in Cinebench R23 single-threaded performance, bringing the score up to 2,256 points.

However, AMD keeps the TDP at 120W, and the power demand goes up from 40W to 50W while the load is on.

The greater power demand is because higher clock speeds need higher voltage. Even so, when playing games like Remnant2 at 1440p with an RTX 5090 and a custom water cooler, the CPU stays at about 50°C while all eight cores run at 5.6GHz. This shows that the 9850X3D is better for gaming, while using all of its cores would make it work just as well as the 9800X3D.

AMD, 9850X3D Review, Slightly Faster, 20% More Power Hungry, NoobFeed

Performance in games

We used a Crosshair X870 Hero with BIOS version 9958 and an RTX 5090 at 1440p to test. In Cyberpunk 2077, without ray tracing or path tracing, the average FPS increased from 188 to 191, a 2% gain. The 1% lows rose from 122 to 129, a gain of about 6%.

The power used increased to 121W, a 25% increase. The performance gap stayed about the same in Monster Hunter Wilds, with an 8% rise in 1% lows. In Remnant 2, the average FPS difference was only 2, but power consumption increased by 44%, from 75W to 108W. In general, the CPU works about 4% better.

According to AMD's slides, the 9800X3D and 9850X3D differ by 3% at 1080p. From an objective point of view, the CPU isn't very appealing because it uses 20% more power and only 4% more performance. The 9800X3D is a superior choice for people who want to save money and time. The 9850X3D is still worth considering for anyone upgrading from previous systems.

Memory Performance Considerations

A leaked AMD PowerPoint slide said that using slower memory kits would only make a 1% difference in performance, suggesting that pricey high-speed memory isn't needed. My testing suggests that slower memory has a bigger effect on 1% lows than on average FPS.

For instance, Cyberpunk 2077, with a slower 4800C40 kit, saw a 1% low drop to 121, just behind the 9800X3D. The performance impact depends on the game, resolution, and GPU, suggesting that AMD's advice is only partly correct.

AMD, 9850X3D Review, Slightly Faster, 20% More Power Hungry, NoobFeed

Final Thoughts

The 9850X3D is only a little faster than the 9800X3D. It has roughly 4% more power but uses 20% more power. The 9800X3D is better for people who want to be efficient, but if you're moving from an older system, the 9850X3D is worth looking at.

Its gaming performance is especially good, giving you an edge over Intel's next-gen Arc Lake upgrade. In general, it's a small improvement that 9800X3D owners don't need.

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