I’ve tested desktop processors professionally and for my own benefit for years, almost always with a focus on PC gaming. Many CPUs have sparked a beautiful balance between value and performance, but nothing has beaten the AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D for gaming in recent years. For a limited time, it’s down from $449 to $369 at Newegg, making it the best gaming CPU you could buy if you’re planning an AMD-centric custom build.
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Fairly priced at launch and a steal on sale
I know how the process of building a custom gaming desktop PC usually goes. I often start with the bare minimum hardware for your needs with as much value as possible, but exceptions slip through. Processors are, quite literally, the brains of the whole operation when paired with the best motherboard you can afford, and every other component essentially revolves around your CPU choice so as not to wind up with unfortunate performance bottlenecks.
PC hardware rapidly moves through generational revisions, often with some backward compatibility. Still, AMD caused a hefty shift when it moved from its wildly popular Ryzen 5000 Series on the AM4 socket to the latest Ryzen 7000 using AM5. Graduating from DDR4 memory to DDR5 meant many of us tinkerers couldn’t bring over our older RAM kits and had to start fresh. It’s a big ask when CPUs are usually expensive, but this hot saving on the 7800X3D makes it worth it.
In my Ryzen 7 7800X3D review, there were initial teething problems with compatible motherboards causing some unfortunate overheating issues, but those have since been patched up and the problems solved. Since then, I haven’t had any issues with my sample chip, and I’m about to pair it with a chunk NVIDIA RTX 4090 graphics card to put it through some modern-day tests. Still, my opinion hasn’t changed since my initial experience with the 7800X3D: it’s the best gaming CPU you can buy, and at this price, it’s a steal.
