Introducing the gaming side paints a slightly clearer picture. In older 3DMark benchmarks, again using the RTX 5080, the difference in scores was extremely minor, with wider margins in newer benchmarks. Time Spy, for example, saw under a one percent increase, while Speedway was closer to 10 percent.
When it comes to actual gaming benchmarks, there’s a difference, but in practice you aren’t going to notice it. Cyberpunk 2077 is one of my go-to games, because it’s a popular title that’s also quite demanding, and the in-game benchmark means it’s very consistent. At 1440p, with the settings on ultra and ray tracing on, but path tracing off, the 9800X3D delivered 69.61 FPS compared to the 9850X3D’s 71.19 FPS, about a 2 percent difference.
None of the other major games I tested, including Marvel Rivals, Arc Raiders, and Counter-Strike 2, showed any noticeable difference either. Particularly with a matching high-end GPU, we’re talking about a 3 to 4 frames-per-second difference when already over 120 fps. I’m not sure even the most persnickety gamer would be able to tell them apart while actually playing the game. Both are able to easily support 1440p gaming at a high refresh rate, at least when paired with an equally high-end GPU.
If you’re already equipped with a 9800X3D, there’s zero reason to upgrade to the 9850X3D. You simply won’t notice a difference, even in demanding games. As I write this, the 9800X3D is readily available for $470, and the 9850X3D will cost only $30 more at launch. Given the option, and assuming both are at retail, you might as well get the better chip, but a free game or a moderate discount on the older chip would easily win me over. I’d be extremely happy with either processor, and I wouldn’t lose sleep over a few fps difference.
