Micro Center Announces Jan. 28 Release Date for AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D

AMD appears to be on the verge of releasing its Ryzen 7 9850X3D CPU for gamers. Micro Center started the countdown by posting an announcement hailing the CPU's "Zen 5 power for elite gaming performance." Retailers have been teasing the CPU since before CES 2026, but Micro Center announced a firm launch date: Jan. 28. AMD's David McAfee, on the other hand, posted on X that the CPU will arrive Jan. 29. Either way, the CPU arrives next week.

The 9850X3D is AMD's follow-up to the Ryzen 7 9800X3D, which has been well-loved by gamers since its launch in November 2024. The CPU has an unusual cache layout that stacks the L3 memory below the CPU cores for fast data transfer. (Interestingly, AMD stacked the L3 cache above the CPU when it launched the Ryzen 7 5800X3D, but it has since changed the design to keep the ...