We may now be able to count down the days until AMD launches the Ryzen 7 9850X3D, which, as you can probably tell from the name alone, is a juiced-up version of the massively popular Ryzen 7 9800X3D, today’s current best CPU for gaming. AMD announced the chip at CES 2026 last week – leaked information suggests reviews are coming on January 28.

This lines up with the expected 9850X3D release date, which was previously said to be on the 29th, the day following reviews, giving potential buyers some time to figure out if the upgrade is worth it for them or not. The refreshed X3D gaming chip delivers a higher boost clock speed (5.6GHz) versus the 5.2GHz on the original model.

Ryzen 7 9850X3D reviews on January 28?

Videocardz claims, via internal sources, that the review embargo is penciled in for January 28. As with most PC hardware launches (particularly new GPUs or CPUs), reviews are likely arrive one day prior to the actual release date, when you’ll be able to purchase one. So, that places the actual launch on January 29th, which matches a previous leak from a French retailer for that very date. The online boxed and tray listings at the retailer, LDLC, have since been removed.

There’s no reason for anyone who already owns the 9800X3D to upgrade to the 9850X3D, given its relatively low performance increase. However, depending on the price, it could be a great CPU to pick up in 2026. It is reported that AMD will continue to sell the 9800X3D after the 9850X3D hits the market, so we’ll have to wait and see how the two size up against each other as far as price-to-performance goes. The 9850X3D is only a few percent faster, depending on workload, based on first-party benchmarks from AMD so far.

About the Author

Jack Goodall

At PC Guide, Jack is mostly responsible for reporting on hardware deals. He also specializes in monitors, TVs, and headsets and can be found putting his findings together in a review or best-of guide.