If you're in the process of building out a new gaming PC and you're looking for the best gaming processor, this is it. Right now, the recently released AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D AM5 desktop processor is back in stock at Amazon at its retail price of $479 shipped. This is the official launch price with zero markup, and it's not bundled with anything you don't want or need.
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. It's very unlikely the price will drop before the end of the year.
Highlight: AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D Desktop Processor
AMD's X3D series processors are optimized for gaming. In that respect, they bench better than even the most expensive of AMD's standard lineup of CPUs thanks to AMD's 3D V-Cache technology. Although perfectly capable of handling multitasking, rendering, and creation, the limited number of cores means they aren't the ideal processors for those tasks. At its retail price of $479, the 9800X3D is $110 cheaper than the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K ($589) and $170 cheaper than the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X, even though it outperforms both of them in gaming. Unless you're a staunch Intel fan, or you're still on AM4 and don't want to upgrade all of your components, the 9800X3D is the obvious choice for your next gaming rig.
Crucial® DDR5 Pro OC Gaming DRAM
Black Friday Deal: RTX 4070 for $499
If you're looking for a good graphics card, this one happens to be on sale right now for Black Friday. The card is easy-to-install, powerful enough to play most FPS games, and is powered by a standard 8-pin cable. Definitely one to keep an eye on during peak sales season on Amazon.
When Is Black Friday 2024?
The actual date of Black Friday in 2024 falls on November 29, but the holiday deals season already started. Plenty of retailers have been dropping deals online since 11/22. More and more deals will roll out leading up to Cyber Monday, which culminates in massive discounts on tech. Retailers will not reveal their biggest deals until the big day on Friday, Nov 29, but many deals will be available well in advance.
Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn't hunting for deals for other people at work, he's hunting for deals for himself during his free time.