Jacob Roach / Digital Trends
AMD has three high - end3D V - Cachechips out in this multiplication , but only one stands out like a sore quarter round . There ’s the flagshipRyzen 9 7950X3D. There ’s also the good gaming CPU , theRyzen 7 7800X3D. And then , there ’s the often leave out middle child — the Ryzen 9 7900X3D.
While it may seem like an upgrade from the Ryzen 7 alternative , the Ryzen 9 7900X3D is a little bit shoddy in that esteem . Here ’s why you ’d be better off going for the Ryzen 7 7800X3D.
Jacob Roach / Digital Trends
A twist on 3D V-Cache
Understandably , most people would also sham that the 7900X3D should show a marked advance over the 7800X3D. However , most benchmarks will enjoin you that is not the case , and the underlying causal agency consist in the computer architecture of the crisp .
Let ’s set about with a quick explainer on 3D V - Cache itself . First debut in the highly successful Ryzen 7 5800X3D , AMD ’s 3D V - Cache technical school stack an surplus L3 cache chiplet instantly on top of the central processing unit ’s core complex die ( CCD ) . Zen 4 CCDs have an on - dice L3 stash of their own , so this 3D V - Cache is connected using through - silicon vias ( TSVs ) . This effectively triple the L3 cache available to the CPU cores without significantly increasing the footprint of the buffalo chip .
Using 3D V - Cache gives AMD micro chip many benefit in gaming scenarios . Games that ofttimes access large data sets see a huge performance boost due to the faster and with child memory cache , as well as reduced latency . X3D processors also typically exhaust less force ; for illustration , the 7900X3D has a TDP of 120 James Watt , while its non-3D counterpart bumps that up to 170W.
On the other bridge player , there are a couple of downsides . AMD CPUs from the X3D lineup do n’t endure much overclocking and have a lower thermal limit than their non-3D siblings . They require capable coolers — watercoolers , really — and maintain lower clock speeds . Despite that , the 128 MB of L3 cache that the Ryzen 9 7900X3D sports ( 64 MB of which follow from the 3D V - Cache while the other 64 MB accounts for on - die cache ) would have set it up for achiever , but one of AMD ’s conception choices made this a controversial entry in the card .
It all come down to the fact that the Ryzen 9 7900X3D is a dual - CCD CPU , meaning it has two CCDs , each with six cores , but AMD only equipped one of them with the 3D V - Cache . This entail that only six out of its 12 cores can access all that extra L3 cache that has been proven to deliver a huge rise in gaming .
AMD excuse this design pick in ablog post . Basically , AMD witness that the welfare of only outfit one die with the supererogatory hoard outweighed the inmate . One die skylark the extra cache , but the other makes up for the lack of it with high-pitched clock speeds . Scaling back to just one break down with the 3D V - Cache helps AMD humble manufacture costs without impress the operation too much .
This does mean that the 7900X3D is at a disadvantage compared to the other two french fries in this generation , though . AMD’sbest CPU , the 7950X3D , also come with two CCDs , but each variation eight core , which means that eight core get the 3D V - Cache and eight do n’t . Meanwhile , the Ryzen 7 7800X3D only has one CCD and a total of eight cores , all of which can get to the extra cache .
In theory , this should have made the Ryzen 9 7900X3D the better chip for both play and productiveness . However , benchmarks prove that theory can often be far remove from reality .
The numbers don’t add up
When youbuy a CPU — or almost any PC constituent , really — the two most important points of consideration are its functioning and its monetary value . Put that together and you go thinking of performance per dollar , which AMD typically excels at liken to Intel , although your mileage may vary in high - end processors .
The issue with the Ryzen 9 7900X3D is that its public presentation does n’t free its price , and that ’s despite the price cut it received since its launch .
First , a quick recap of the pricing for the 7950X3D , the 7900X3D , and the 7800X3D. The Ryzen 9 7950X3D launched at a recommend lean price ( MSRP ) of $ 700 , but can now be corrupt for$583 . The Ryzen 9 7900X3D followed at just $ 100 less , meaning a $ 600 MSRP , and has since dropped down to$393 . Lastly , the Ryzen 7 7800X3D used to cost $ 450 , but it now deal for$370or less .
The initial price gap between the 7900X3D and the 7800X3D was a much bigger issuing than it is now , but still , the execution needed to apologize it just is n’t quite there . Even now , the 7800X3D remains a better pick for pure gaming , and to leaven it , we ’ll compare it to the flagship 7950X3D.
In our own testing of the 7950X3D and the 7800X3D , we constitute the chips trade blows in gaming . This makes sense , as the way AMD distributes the extra cache makes them adequate , with both rollick eight cores with the same amount of hoard . Of course , the 7950X3D pulls miles ahead in productivity — after all , it has a totality of 16 cores while the 7800X3D is limited to eight .
On average , the Ryzen 7 7800X3D fell within 1%t of the Ryzen 9 7950X3D across our entire mental test retinue of games at 1080p solution . It also outperformed theIntel Core i9 - 13900 K , a CPU that cost importantly more , sports a higher heart enumeration , and eat electricity like it ’s candy . There are some games where the flagship AMD buffalo chip take the star , such asGears Tactics , but inF1 2022 , the Ryzen 7 7800X3D shoot out front , strike 400 frame per second ( fps ) , whereas the Ryzen 9 7950X3D is limited to 379 fps .
With that out of the mode , let ’s soar upwards in on the 7900X3D. Although we do n’t have any bench mark of our own on hand , it ’s gentle to imagine that if the 7800X3D can outperform the 7950X3D , and at the very least can keep up with it , the scenario repeats itself with the 7900X3D. Benchmarks from many publication support this assumption . For instance , in examination execute byTom ’s Hardware , the 7800X3D top out the list with 224 Federal Protective Service on mean , followed by the 7950X3D with 222 fps , while the 7900X3D trails behind at 212 Federal Protective Service .
So , we ’re looking at two chips that are very close in gaming carrying into action , except the Ryzen 7 7800X3D is cheaper and is currently the world’sfastest gambling CPU .
Now , to give you the full picture , I will allow that the Ryzen 9 7900X3D win in productiveness — often by a significant margin . However , if productiveness is what you ’re after , it ’s not the 7900X3D that you should be buying … and if you ’re into pure gaming , the 7900X3D is also not it .
Only worth it on paper
The Ryzen 9 7900X3D is a strange entry in AMD ’s Zen 4 lineup . Its design almost doom it to be a product that ’s neither here nor there , and that ’s why it ’s a subpar pick for play , and also not the best pick for oeuvre .
surely , some games do n’t necessitate all of the eight cores provided by the 7800X3D ( and the 7950X3D ) — but some of them do , in which case the 7900X3D falls behind , because it can never tend more than six pith with all that excess cache . It just was n’t built to sour that elbow room , and that ’s why the 7800X3D , while “ worse ” on paper , pulls ahead in most scenario .
I ’m not say that the Ryzen 9 7900X3D is massively slower than its sib in gaming , because it ’s not . The problem is that it ’s not faster than the cheap option , and with 12 cores rather of 16 , it ’s also not the best option if you ’re looking for a mix of gaming and resource - profound workloads , like rendering and encryption .
You might be thinking that those four spare effect could be nice for canonical productiveness , and while having them wo n’t hurt , most of us do n’t need them . I was faced with the same pick just last yr . I ’m a gamer , but I also apply my PC to work . I decided to buy the 7800X3D because my work is limited to running basic software and a bazillion web browser app tabs at once . If your workloads resemble mine , you do n’t need the 7900X3D , and you ’ll be just fine with the 7800X3D.
If heavy productivity is what you ’re after , you ’re probably good off skipping the X3D chip all told and rifle for an Intel CPU , such as the Core i7 - 13700 K or the Core i9 - 13900K. Alternatively , salve up and get the Ryzen 9 7950X3D , which is importantly faster than the Ryzen 9 7900X3D.
This lead the Ryzen 9 7900X3D in a strange property . Despite multiple swing that reduced its toll by over $ 210 , there ’s still no recess for it . Less capable than both its siblings and still not cheap enough , it ’s the ultimate CPU to vamoose in this generation — so if you ’re a gamer , you do n’t want to pause if you ’re gravitating toward the Ryzen 7 7800X3D.
