Although the 2025. worked more calmly in terms of new processors, AMD has quietly locked down the entire gaming scene and practically pushed Intel out of the story at the top of the range. Thanks to the magic of 3D V-Cache and aggressive prices in the mid-range segment, the biggest dilemma today is not “Intel or AMD”, but “which Ryzen to take”.
AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D: kralj gaminga i rada
Ryzen 9 9950X3D is a 16-core, 32-thread monster that immediately took the throne as the fastest gaming in March CPU in 2025. Thanks to the second generation of 3D V-Cache and boost clocks up to 5.5 GHz on the “cache” CCD and 5.7 GHz on the regular one, there is practically no game or workload that it does not grind with ease.
- It is intended for gamers who render, stream or do serious content creation in parallel, without any compromise in FPS.
- The consumption is still reasonable for a chip like this, and AMD uses the situation without direct Intel competition to keep the price around $699 and not lower it much.
AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D: tiho „budget“ oružje za SFF i 1080p
Ryzen 5 7500X3D looks modest on paper with 6 cores, 12 threads and boost up to 4.5 GHz, but 96 MB of L3 cache turns it into a serious gaming weapon. The idea is simple: take the famous 7800X3D, cut the cores and clocks, but leave the V-Cache magic and pack everything in a 65 W TDP for perfect small gaming rigs.
- At a price of around $269, it is positioned as a more affordable X3D entry, often only slightly slower than stronger models, but significantly better in terms of FPS‑per‑dollar.
- In small SFF cases, low power consumption means lower temperatures and quieter operation, making it an ideal choice for compact gaming builds.
Ryzen AI Max / Strix Halo: An APU that doesn’t exist – but still exists
Ryzen AI Max/Max+ (Strix Halo) seems like a concept from a presentation that should never come to market, but that’s exactly why it’s so exciting. AMD literally takes two CCDs similar to those found in the Ryzen 9 9950X, merges them with an IO die that carries a massive RDNA 3.5 GPU with 40 compute units and a 256-bit memory bus with up to 128 GB of LPDDR5X-8000 RAM.
- In gaming, the GPU part is only roughly in the range of the RTX 4060, which means that this is not a pure gaming miracle, but a hybrid for AI and machine learning at home.
- The real stars are the desktop as Framework configurations and the announced handheld devices Ayaneo and GPD, which get an integrated chip capable of driving games and local AI models.
PC Gamer list: what is “best” for whom
PC Gamer is already dividing the titles by segment, clearly placing AMD on the throne in every important category.
| Segment | Processor | What sets it apart for gamers |
|---|---|---|
| Best overall | Ryzen 7 9800X3D | The best pure gaming FPS with 3rd generation X3D magic. |
| Best budget | Ryzen 5 7600X | A classic 6-core best buy for those who don’t need V-Cache. |
| Best mid-range | Ryzen 7 9700X | The golden mean for 1440p builds and light productivity. |
| Best high-end | Ryzen 9 9950X3D | The strongest universal CPU for gaming and work in the same system. |
| Best AM4 upgrade | Ryzen 7 5700X3D | A lifesaver for older AM4 builds that want another life cycle. |
| Best CPU graphics | Ryzen 7 8700G | APU for gamers without graphics, great for e-sports and 1080p. |
Finally, PC Gamer bluntly says that “it’s clear that AMD wins again”, the only question is exactly which Ryzen will pick up the title of the best gaming CPU of the year at the very end of 2025.