Summary
Even though AMD has released three high-end 3D V-Cache chips in this generation, only one of them sticks out like a sore thumb against the crowd. There is the Ryzen 9 7950X3D, which is the flagship model. The Ryzen 7 7800X3D is also the greatest central processing unit (CPU) for gaming. In addition, there is the Ryzen 9 7900X3D, which is sometimes disregarded since it is the middle kid.
AMD 3D V-Cache processor
In spite of the fact that it would seem to be an improvement over the Ryzen 7 option, the Ryzen 9 7900X3D is perhaps a little bit misleading in this respect. Here are some of the reasons why you should consider purchasing the Ryzen 7 7800X3D.
Another take on AMD 3D V-Cache processor
Therefore, it is not surprising that the majority of people would likewise expect that the 7900X3D should demonstrate a significant improvement over the 7800X3D. On the other hand, the majority of benchmarks will tell you that this is not the case, and the architecture of the chip is the root cause of the problem.
To get things started, let’s begin with a brief explanation of 3D V-Cache itself. AMD’s 3D V-Cache technology was first introduced in the very popular Ryzen 7 5800X3D. This technology employs the placement of an additional L3 cache chiplet right on top of the core complex die (CCD) of the CPU. Because Zen 4 CCDs come equipped with their very own on-die L3 cache, this 3D V-Cache is attached to the device by means of through-silicon vias (TSVs). Consequently, the L3 cache that is accessible to the CPU cores is essentially increased by a factor of three without the chip’s footprint being greatly increased.
When it comes to gaming situations, AMD CPUs that make use of 3D V-Cache have several advantages. As a result of the quicker and bigger cache, as well as the decreased latency, games that often access large data sets see a significant improvement in their overall performance. X3D processors, on the other hand, often have a lower power consumption. For example, the 7900X3D has a thermal design power (TDP) of 120 watts, but its non-3D cousin has a TDP of 170 percent.
On the other hand, there are a few drawbacks to consider. There is not much room for overclocking in AMD central processing units (CPUs) from the X3D family, and they have a lower thermal limit than their non-3D counterparts. In order to keep their clock speeds lower, they need high-capacity coolers, which are more accurately watercoolers. In spite of this, the Ryzen 9 7900X3D has 128 megabytes of L3 cache, 64 of which comes from the 3D V-Cache and the other 64 megabytes accounts for on-die cache. This 128 megabytes of L3 cache would have been plenty to put it up for success; but, one of AMD’s design decisions made this entry in the lineup contentious.
The Ryzen 9 7900X3D is a dual-CCD central processing unit, which means that it has two CCDs, each of which has six cores. However, AMD only equipped one of the CCDs with the 3D V-Cache. This is the point at which everything comes together. This indicates that just six of its twelve cores are able to access all of the additional L3 cache, which has been shown to provide a significant improvement in gaming performance.
In a blog post, AMD provided an explanation for this design decision. Essentially, AMD came to the conclusion that the advantages of merely equipping one die with the additional cache were greater than the disadvantages. There is an additional cache on one of the dies, while the other die compensates for the absence of cache by having faster clock rates. AMD is able to reduce its production costs by reducing the number of dies to just one using the 3D V-Cache. This method does not significantly impact the performance of the product.
However, this does indicate that the 7900X3D is at a disadvantage when compared to the other two CPUs that are part of this generation. The greatest central processing unit (CPU) from AMD, the 7950X3D, likewise comes with two CCDs, but each of them has eight cores. This implies that all of the cores get the 3D V-Cache, but only eight of them do. However, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D only has one central processing unit (CCD) and a total of eight cores, all of which are able to access the additional cache.
The Ryzen 9 7900X3D should have been the superior CPU for both gaming and productivity as a result of this, according to the idea. The use of benchmarks, on the other hand, demonstrates that theory is often quite different from reality.
All of the numbers don’t compute
Performance and cost are the two most significant aspects to take into account when purchasing a central processing unit (CPU) or, more generally speaking, any component of a personal computer. Taking all of this into consideration, you will begin to consider performance per dollar, which is an area in which AMD normally performs in comparison to Intel, but your experience may differ when it comes to high-end CPUs.
The problem with the Ryzen 9 7900X3D is that its performance does not justify its price, and this is the case despite the fact that they have reduced the price of the product since it was first introduced.
Please allow me to begin by providing a brief summary of the prices for the 7950X3D, the 7900X3D, and the 7800X3D. Initially, the Ryzen 9 7950X3D was offered at a suggested list price (MSRP) of $700; however, it is currently available for purchase for a price of $583. Following closely after was the Ryzen 9 7900X3D, which had a price tag of $600 more than its predecessor, but has recently been reduced to $393. In conclusion, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D was formerly priced at $450, but it is currently available for purchase for $370 or less.
Even if the price difference between the 7900X3D and the 7800X3D was a problem that was far more significant in the past than it is today, the performance that is required to justify the price difference is still not quite there. Even in this day and age, the 7800X3D continues to be the superior option for gameplay, and in order to demonstrate this, we will compare it against the flagship 7950X3D.
Through our personal testing, we discovered that the 7950X3D and the 7800X3D are comparable in terms of their performance in gaming. The fact that both of them have eight cores and the same amount of cache is justified by the fact that AMD distributes the additional cache in a manner that makes them completely comparable. It should come as no surprise that the 7950X3D is far more productive than the 7800X3D. After all, the 7950X3D has a total of sixteen cores, while the 7800X3D only has eight cores.
At a resolution of 1080p, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D consistently performed at a level that was within one percent of the Ryzen 9 7950X3D for the whole of our test suite of games. In addition to this, it outperformed the Intel Core i9-13900K, which is a central processing unit (CPU) that is substantially more expensive, has a larger core count, and consumes power like candy. There are certain titles, such as Gears Tactics, in which the flagship AMD CPU takes the lead. However, in Formula One 2022, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D dominates the competition by reaching 400 frames per second (fps), whilst the Ryzen 9 7950X3D is only capable of reaching 379 fps under the same conditions.
Now that thing is out of the way, let’s take a closer look at the 7900X3D. Even though we do not have any benchmarks of our own at the moment, it is not difficult to think that if the 7800X3D is able to surpass the 7950X3D or at the at least be able to keep up with it, then the same thing will happen with the 7900X3D. This assumption is supported by benchmarks derived from a variety of sources. In the testing that was carried out by Tom’s Hardware, for example, the 7800X3D came out on top with an average frame rate of 224 frames per second, followed by the 7950X3D with 222 frames per second, and the 7900X3D came in last with 212 frames per second.
In terms of gaming performance, we are looking at two chips that are fairly comparable to one another, with the exception that the Ryzen 7 7800X3D is more affordable and is presently the fastest gaming CPU in the world.
Now, in order to provide you with a whole picture, I will concede that the Ryzen 9 7900X3D is superior in terms of productivity, and it is often by a large margin. On the other hand, if an increase in productivity is what you are looking for, the 7900X3D is not the device that you should get… For those who are just interested in gaming, the 7900X3D is not the right choice.
On paper, it is only worth it
Within AMD’s Zen 4 portfolio, the Ryzen 9 7900X3D stands out as an incongruous addition. It is a substandard choice for gaming, and it is also not the ideal choice for work because of its design, which nearly guarantees that it will be a device that is neither here nor there when it comes to its functionality.
There are games that do not need all eight cores that are given by the 7800X3D (and the 7950X3D), but there are other games that do require them. In these cases, the 7900X3D lags behind since it is unable to operate more than six cores with all of that additional cache. Despite the fact that it seems to be “worse” on paper, the 7800X3D is superior in the majority of situations since it was not designed to function in that manner.
Although I am not claiming that the Ryzen 9 7900X3D is much slower than its brothers in terms of gaming performance, I am not stating that it is. The drawback is that it is not quicker than the alternative that is less expensive, and since it only has 12 cores rather than 16, it is not the greatest choice if you are looking for a combination of gaming and resource-intensive jobs, such as rendering and encoding.
It is possible that you are considering the possibility that those four more cores may be beneficial for basic productivity. Although it is not a bad idea to have them, the majority of us do not need them. Just a year ago, I was confronted with the same decision. I am a gamer, but I also use my own computer for business. Because the majority of my job consists of running simple applications and a large number of browser tabs simultaneously, I made the decision to purchase the 7800X3D. In the event that your workloads are comparable to mine, you will not need the 7900X3D, and the 7800X3D will perfectly satisfy your needs.
Should you be interested in achieving high levels of productivity, it is likely that you would be better off avoiding the X3D chip entirely and opting instead for an Intel central processing unit (CPU), such as the Core i7-13700K or the Core i9-13900K. There is also the option of saving money and purchasing the Ryzen 9 7950X3D, which is a substantially quicker processor than the Ryzen 9 7900X3D.
In light of this, the Ryzen 9 7900X3D finds itself in an unusual position. There is still no market for it, despite the fact that it has been dropped by more than $210 via repeated price drops. It is the ideal central processing unit (CPU) to avoid in this generation since it is less competent than both of its brothers and yet not available at a price that is affordable enough. If you are a gamer, you do not need to hesitate if you are pulling toward the Ryzen 7 7800X3D.
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