We sit down with AMD’s Martijn Boonstra to discuss the main generational changes of the new Ryzen 7 9800X3D and how high-end cooling could “reward” buyers looking to maximize performance in gaming.

AMD’s latest 9800X3D has been a monumental success on opening launch week, thrashing the competition thanks to its unrivaled performance in gaming. In fact, the newest 3D V-cache chip was so popular that it sold out on every online retailer within minutes of going live – making it one of the most successful launches in recent years.

With demand for the chip still furiously high and hype continuing to bubble over, we decided to reach out to our friends at AMD to find out what they thought of the new CPU – and what advice they had for users who bought (or are planning to buy) the Ryzen 7 9800X3D.

Ryzen 7 9800X3D users will be rewarded for using high-end cooling

During the interview, which was conducted with Martijn Boonstra (AMD Product and Business Development Manager), we spoke about; generational performance gains over the brand’s 50 and 70 series X3D parts, breakthroughs around moving the 3D V-cache for better heat dissipation, and balancing AMD’s portfolio of evergrowing chips. However, one of the more insightful areas of conversation was around overclocking – and how the chip’s fully unlocked functionality could make 7800X3D users turn their heads.

Martijn spoke openly about the benefits of moving the 3D V-cache underneath the CCD, stating that it “basically means better heat dissipation” when the chip is under load. This, alongside other factors, has allowed the brand to fully unlock overclocking on the Ryzen 7 9800X3D – resulting in even more performance for those looking to push the CPU to its limits.

Martijn continued on the subject by stating, “that also opened the opportunity for overclocking for enthusiasts out there who want to try and squeeze out even more performance for their part and reward them when they invest in high-end cooling.”. While this might sound obvious to those who understand the ramifications of overclocking, it does offer some insight to those who simply upgraded for the out-of-the-box performance uplift.

Basically, with fully unlocked overclocking available, you’re going to want to pair the Ryzen 7 9800X3D with a premium cooler that can withstand the additional heat generated by overclocking. Your standard run-of-the-mill air cooler might be fine for out-the-box clock speeds – however, it won’t cut the mustard when you’re looking to extract additional performance via the art of overclocking.

As this is one of the big selling points of the 9800X3D, it’s probably worth investing in a decent cooler now – as the last thing you’ll want to experience is instability issues during gameplay (we’re looking at you Intel). We’re currently in the process of overclocking the Ryzen 7 9800X3D to see just how far you can push it on a more conventional gaming PC setup – so stay tuned for that piece.

About the Author

Charlie Noon

Charlie is the Affiliate manager for PC Guide. He has a vast understanding of most PC hardware and consumer essentials, using his knowledge to provide the best products and the biggest deals.