Forget Steam stats, let’s move on to CPU-Z Validator stats. With this tool, we have a correct detection of the hardware on the one hand and on the other hand everyone can contribute unlike the Steam surveys which only question a few users among their massive customer base! In short, this snapshot of the market confirms a change in the structure of mainstream PCs, with more and more cores coming on board! 8-core CPUs are now the most popular, and the Ryzen 7 9800X3D is no stranger to this phenomenon.
8-core CPUs are on a roll!
Quite a few things are changing in the processor market. While Intel still dominates this sector, the company is far from the virtual monopoly it enjoyed in the FX era. The reds are gradually gaining ground, and according to CPU-Z Validator stats, the blues now only have a 56.3% share, a huge drop of 10% in one year!
What’s more, 8-core processors are the most popular models, with a sharp rise of 32.6% at the end of the first quarter of 2025. Six-core models fall to 22.5%, behind the 24.7% share of octo-cores. And inevitably, the model that is changing consumer habits is none other than the Ryzen 7 9800X3D, which despite a few mishaps, is selling like hotcakes. That’s when you realise that the hundred or so burnt-out CPUs are a non-event, since 4.3% of the configurations validated on CPU-Z include a 9800X3D.
What’s more, when we look at the CPU Name box, there’s only one Intel model in the top 10. Yes, the Core i5 12400F only comes 8th in the stats… And even then, its share is down: -19.6%. Just like that, the top #2 is none other than the Ryzen 5 5600X, followed by the 7800X3D.
Broadly speaking, we can see that with its Zen architecture, AMD has made a formidable comeback with the Ryzen 1000, which initially stood out particularly in applications. With subsequent generations, AMD has continued to improve its gaming and application performance, and has finally integrated 3D V-Cache into its chips. As a result, the brand offered us the best gaming CPU one after the other with the 7800X3D and then the 9800X3D!
