The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D is the best gaming processor currently on the market and a much better option than the new Intel Core Ultra 9 285K. If you're waiting for a discount on this processor for Black Friday, though, don't hold your breath. There is the slimmest of slim chances that anyone will drop the price of this hot commodity before 2025.

The Ryzen 7 9800X3D is the chip I recommend to most buyers, at least unless they're already using a 7800X3D. AMD boosted performance and efficiency here, and it's the new best CPU for PC gaming. However, its popularity means it's almost always sold out or being scalped for unrealistic prices.

A Reddit user showed off their damaged 9800X3D, but a closer look at the story points to a likely user error, rather than a design flaw.

AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D processor and AM5 socket burned to a crisp, both physically damaged either due to a fault, or a user error during installation.

AMD’s 3D V-Cache is a nifty tool for PC gamers, since it effectively triples the amount of available cache memory on the processor - something virtually every game can easily take advantage of, but it's especially valuable in CPU-bound titles.

The new eight-core processor with 3D V-cache is sold out everywhere, and it looks as though stock isn't going to improve any time soon.

For the Ryzen 7 9800X3D, he broke out the liquid nitrogen and started putting up eye-catching numbers in Counter-Strike 2. Yu’s test system featured the flashy Asus ROG Crosshair X670E Gene motherboard,