Win-win: AMD's powerful Ryzen 9 CPU gets STAGGERING discount and FREE Starfield game

AMD Ryzen 9 7000
(Image credit: Future)

Building a new gaming PC? That can be an expensive affair, especially if you're seeking to build something powerful enough to handle all the greatest upcoming PC games. Thankfully, Amazon Prime Day 2023 is offering the ultra-capable AMD Ryzen 9 7900X CPU for one of the lowest prices we've seen. Even better, it comes with a free copy of Starfield on PC. You can get the Ryzen 9 7900X and Starfield for just $356 at Amazon.

AMD Ryzen 9 7900X:$549.99now $356.15 at Amazon (Prime) w/ Starfield

AMD Ryzen 9 7900X: was $549.99 now $356.15 at Amazon (Prime) w/ Starfield

It's not quite the lowest price we've seen the Ryzen 9 7900X at, but you can still get this very powerful and impressive desktop CPU and a free copy of Starfield with this excellent Prime Day discount. Even if you're not a member, the price isn't too bad.

Price check: $432.99 at Newegg w/ Starfield | $414.59 at Amazon (non-Prime) w/ Starfield

Pros: Tons of cores and threads, very powerful for games and work
Cons: High power draw, needs new motherboard

AMD Ryzen 9 7900X3D:$599.99 now $459 at Amazon (Prime) w/ Starfield

AMD Ryzen 9 7900X3D: was $599.99 now $459 at Amazon (Prime) w/ Starfield

If you absolutely need better gaming performance at a lower power draw, it may be worth spending a little extra to get the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X3D, although the discount isn't nearly as substantial here. You still get a free copy of Starfield with this CPU.

Price check: $539.99 at Newegg w/ Starfield | $521.74 at Amazon (non-Prime) w/ Starfield

Pros: More efficient, slightly improved gaming performance
Cons: Not a substantial difference, less productivity performance

The AMD Ryzen 9 7900X is part of AMD's latest lineup of powerful desktop PC CPUs. It's a 12-core, 24-thread beast of a processor with a 4.7GHz base clock and a 5.6GHz max boost clock. It's a high-end, multi-purpose CPU that sits near the top of the AMD lineup, built on top of the latest Zen 4 architecture. While it's usually discounted from its previously steep retail price (and we have seen it at similar or even slightly lower prices), this is one of the better discounts we've seen for the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X since its launch.

The AMD Ryzen 9 7900X3D is a newer version of the 7900X with minimal differences. It's more efficient with a 120W TDP power draw vs. 170W in the 7900X, and comes with a much higher memory cache with AMD's 3D V-Cache technology. It aims to offer better gaming performance than the 7900X with greater efficiency, but is also more expensive and less prone to steep discounts. Both these CPUs come with a free copy of Starfield on PC, as AMD is the exclusive partner on Bethesda's upcoming open-world sci-fi RPG.

Why I recommend this deal

AMD's latest desktop CPUs are mighty impressive, but they were also expensive. Not anymore. (Image credit: Future)
Early Prime Day deals

Amazon Prime Day deals from Windows Central

• Best deals: Our best (so far)
• Windows laptops
• Gaming laptops
• 
4K and ultrawide monitor deals
• 
Gaming monitors
• GPU dealsAMD & NVIDIA
• Motherboard deals: Intel & AMD
• NAS deals: Network-attached storage
• Routers

The AMD Ryzen 9 7900X counts among the newest and very best of AMD's powerful, desktop-grade processors. Sure, the Ryzen 9 7950X sits just above it, but this is an excellent CPU that compares favorably with Intel's impressive Core i9-13900K. This is for the gamers looking to build a high-end gaming PC that can tackle all the best PC games now and well into the future. You're looking at 12 cores, clocked to 4.7GHz and boostable to 5.6GHz, that work in tandem to give you unparalleled performance in both games and work.

Criticisms at launch includes the processor's rather steep price tag and high power draw, but at least the former has since been rectified with the aid of substantial discounts like during Amazon Prime Day. At just over $356, this is an extremely capable CPU that supports all of the features and technology of AMD's latest Zen 4 architecture. It's perfect for new PC builds, especially since it does require a new generation of motherboards and DDR5 RAM.

Just make sure you have a beefy power supply and get a great cooler (preferably liquid) to go with the CPU, as great power comes with great... Heat. The focus on overwhelming performance and hyperthreading over efficiency has its drawbacks, but it's worth it when you never have to worry about your computer stumbling over an intensive game or task. If you do need similar performance and more efficiency, you can also consider the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X3D, but you'll be paying quite a bit more for a little bit of benefit.

Overall, the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X is a monstrous CPU that'd pair well with one of AMD's powerful GPUs. Oh, yeah, the flagship AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX GPU is also on sale right now. This is certainly a great time to be building an AMD-powered desktop rig. If the savings wasn't enough to sweeten the pot, every purchase of an AMD Ryzen 7000-series CPU comes with a free copy of Starfield on PC. If you're building a PC capable of playing Starfield with the highest settings and smoothest performance possible, you can kill two birds with one stone with this discount. Don't wait too long before deciding.

Starfield is coming later this year, and is the first brand-new franchise from Bethesda in over two decades. It's launching on Sept. 6 for Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC, and will work amazing with AMD hardware thanks to the company's partnership with Bethesda on Starfield's development. If you're at all excited for one of the most anticipated video games in years, you'll want a powerful PC to play it at its very best.

If you're also looking for a great NVIDIA or AMD GPU for your gaming PC, bookmark our hub for the best Prime Day deals on GPUs.

Amazon Prime free 30-day trial

Amazon Prime free 30-day trial

Enjoy all the benefits of exclusive discounts during Prime Day, and cancel anytime. If you decide to stay, it's $14.99/month (plus tax) after the trial. Includes extra benefits like free games via Prime Gaming and more bonus content for subscribers.

Zachary Boddy
Staff Writer

Zachary Boddy (They / Them) is a Staff Writer for Windows Central, primarily focused on covering the latest news in tech and gaming, the best Xbox and PC games, and the most interesting Windows and Xbox hardware. They have been gaming and writing for most of their life starting with the original Xbox, and started out as a freelancer for Windows Central and its sister sites in 2019. Now a full-fledged Staff Writer, Zachary has expanded from only writing about all things Minecraft to covering practically everything on which Windows Central is an expert, especially when it comes to Microsoft. You can find Zachary on Twitter @BoddyZachary.