Not particularly special — AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D is most likely just an overclocked 9800X3D, not a refresh.

Not So Special — AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D is Likely Just an Overclocked 9800X3D, Not a Refresh

A new investigation by Tom's Hardware, based on data analysis by enthusiast sugi0lover, has confirmed the suspicions of many skeptics: the new gaming flagship AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D is not the result of improved chip binning or architectural tweaks. Essentially, it's the same 9800X3D, factory-overclocked to its limit.

To achieve the advertised boost clock of 5.6 GHz (400 MHz higher than the 9800X3D), AMD simply significantly increased the operating voltage. The average figure was around 1.31V, and the least fortunate chip among those tested required a whopping 1.355V for stable operation. The 9800X3D operates at significantly lower voltages.

The additional 3–4% of gaming performance comes at the cost of increased power consumption. In gaming scenarios, the 9850X3D consumes on average 20% more power than its "younger brother," making it one of the most power-hungry and inefficient chips in the lineup. However, AMD is still far behind Intel in this regard.

The researchers also found that the top-tier samples of the 9800X3D from the first batches are identical or even superior in silicon quality to the average samples of the 9850X3D. In fact, the 9850X3D is AMD's way of officially selling users what was previously called "extreme overclocking under PBO."

It's worth noting that no undervolting tests were conducted, so there is still a chance that the new chips are indeed slightly better — at the moment, it all looks as if AMD is using the old frequency table from the 9800X3D for the 9850X3D.