There’s just a week to go until the AMD Ryzen 9000 series launches, with release day locked in for July 31st – just about keeping AMD’s Computex promise of July availability. Plenty of early benchmarks have been leaking online lately, so we already have a pretty good idea of what’s to come. Still, we’d rather wait and see what 9000X3D brings, especially when it comes to gaming. One thing’s for certain, Zen 5 seems to be worth the wait.

We recently reported that the 7800X3D will remain faster for gaming than the upcoming 9900X. Maybe this is a shock to you, but it really shows the power of the X3D technology in gaming scenarios. Plus, AMD already told us that it will remain the winner. This is one of the biggest reasons why gamers should probably pass on the 9000 series for the time being.

Gamers should probably just wait until 9000X3D drops

AMD’s series of Ryzen X3D processors have had a significant impact on what’s considered the best CPU for gaming. The stacked 3D V-Cache design aids gaming performance, particularly for CPU-intensive games.

We feel inclined to say that this isn’t exactly anything new. For example, the very first X3D CPU, the 5800X3D, could still hold its own against CPUs such as the 7700X – particularly for gaming. We reviewed the 5800X3D in 2025 to prove that AM4 is still viable – even with AMD moving onto its third AM5 series, this time with a Zen 5 upgrade. Looking at our 7900X review, we can make a couple more quick comparisons in a similar vein to the 9900X and 7800X3D tests.

First off, benchmarks for both tests were running on 1080p, low settings, with an RTX 4070 Ti Super graphics card. Looking at these comparisons, we can see why X3D will remain the best option for gamers, as the older 5000 series chip managed a similar amount of average FPS. Plus, it was more consistent in the case of FPS drops with less impacted 1% lows, minimizing stutters.

Productivity users can upgrade at the end of July

Now, all that talk of gaming benchmarks and X3D supremacy doesn’t mean much if you’re more interested in productivity workflows. There’s no doubt that options such as the 9900X will be a productivity powerhouse, as we like to say. This high-end CPU will boast 12 cores, 24 threads, and a rapid 5.4 GHz boost clock, all with the same 120W TDP as the 7800X3D. So, its marginally lower gaming performance is not a bad thing at all.

And with the 9000 series available at the end of the month, there’s not too much longer to wait. On the flip side, there are some rumors that we won’t have to wait long for 9000X3D either. Whatever camp you’re in – gaming or productivity – right now is a great time to be an AMD user; especially with Intel’s CPU instability woes.

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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.