Unlike the Ryzen 7 9700X, which was off to a glacial start when it launched, the new Ryzen 7 9800X3D “Zen 5” processor with 3D V-Cache is flying off the shelves. This is the fastest gaming processor you can buy, and gamers want their best machines in place when the next generation of GPUs make landfall starting January 2025. As of this writing, the 9800X3D is out of stock on Newegg, Amazon, and Micro Center. The chip is, however, available through systems integrators and OEMs, who probably secured their inventory of the chip separately. A quick look over at eBay suggests that the 9800X3D is being scalped—the practice where individuals buy up inventory of the processor at retail prices, and re-sell it at a mark-up. We are seeing prices in the range of $670 to $800. There are probably limits to how high scalpers can price the 9800X3D, because at a high enough price, buyers could simply not be interested in the chip, and simply pick up a much cheaper 7800X3D, or the versatile 7950X3D, or even go Intel with the i9-14900K.