AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D

The AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D brings 8 cores and 16 threads. It drops into the AM5 socket with a 120W TDP — about 15W per core. Clocks span 4.2GHz base to 5GHz boost. Integrated Radeon graphics let it run headless-GPU builds and troubleshooting.

96MB of L3 cache helps in cache-sensitive games and workloads. Board socket comes first when pairing parts — after that, make sure your cooler's rating covers the chip. Expect to pay around $349.99, which lands it among high-end options. Use the PlanMyPC system builder to verify it works alongside your other components and to keep a running tally of the cost.