This is something AMD is 'very actively working on...to satisfy the demands of gamers,' an AMD exec says at CES, though details are slim.

In addition to updated Ryzen AI 300 series processors and the new Ryzen AI 400 series unveiled at CES 2026, the company brings a new desktop chip for gamers.

Memory manufacturers are tightening the screws further. AMD could bring back discontinued AM4 processors for relief.

It's not the first Zen 5 X3D processor that AMD has released that's faster than the 9800X3D, though. The Ryzen 9 9950X3D has two core chiplets (CCDs), one with 3D V-cache, and one without. When it comes to boost clocks, the latter can hit 5.7 GHz, whereas the former topped out at 5.5 GHz in the tests I carried out in my review of the 9950X3D.

The new Ryzen AI Max+ "Strix Halo" chips include the Ryzen AI Max+ 392 and Ryzen AI Max+ 388. Both feature boost speeds up to 5GHz,