If you’re in the process of building a new gaming PC, the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D should be your top CPU pick, especially with the new sale going at Amazon. For a limited time, this CPU has dropped to $429.95 with free shipping, which is the lowest price I’ve seen since its launch. Even better, it comes with a free voucher code for the highly anticipated Crimson Desert game, which will be released on March 19. The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D is widely considered to be one of the best gaming processors on the market and outperforms even pricier AMD and Intel CPUs.
The Gamer’s Choice: AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D CPU for $430
Includes Crimson Desert
Free Crimson Desert with Purchase
AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D AM5 Desktop Processor
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The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D boasts a max boost clock of 5.2GHz with 8 cores, 16 threads, and 104MB of L2-L3 cache. What really makes it excel in games, however, is the 3D-V-Cache technology that’s only found in AMD’s X3D lineup. Despite being the least expensive processor in this stack, the 9800X3D performs nearly identically in games compared to its more expensive siblings. It has the fewest number of cores, but that doesn’t matter for gaming. On Passmark, the 9800X3D has the second highest gaming score, trailing a mere 300 points behind the considerably pricier 9900X3D.
Note that there’s a new 9850X3D that’s now available. We reviewed it and, short answer, you’re not missing out.
Crimson Desert is an upcoming open-world RPG for the PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X platforms that will be released on March 19. The studio, Pearl Abyss, also created the popular MMORPG Black Desert. Whereas Black Desert was a free-to-play game with microtransactions and gacha elements, Crimson Desert will be a primarily offline single-player experience with a retail price of $69.99. Getting it for free with your CPU upgrade, then, is a great perk.
Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn’t hunting for deals for other people at work, he’s hunting for deals for himself during his free time.
