AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D CPU review
That is the one we have been ready for: the primary true gaming chip of AMD’s new Zen 5 processor vary. All of us knew this Ryzen 7 9800X3D was coming—again when the Ryzen 9000-series CPUs launched in August there was a notable alphanumeric string lacking within the record of Ryzen 9 9950X, Ryzen 9 9900X, and Ryzen 7 9700X. This chip was apparent by its omission, because it was by the efficiency and reception of the mighty Ryzen 7 7800X3D within the final era. Fortunately we have not needed to wait as lengthy to see this new cache-heavy gaming CPU land in our lab, coming sizzling on the heels of the not-so-popular Zen 5 chips.
The 3D V-Cache function, a tacked-on additional layer of L3 cache primarily designed to enhance gaming efficiency, has now reached its second-generation stage. And, whereas that does make the Ryzen 7 9800X3D a a lot better chip, it may additionally considerably devalue its place because the de facto processor if you’d like peak efficiency out of your PC on all counts.
That is as a result of we lastly know what the “really cool differentiator” that AMD was speaking about at Computex truly is. The brand new design of the 3D cache construction has mainly taken away a lot of the compromising components of including in an entire different little bit of silicon into the now-traditional chiplet design, successfully eradicating the uncooked processing downsides. And that might doubtlessly make one of many different anticipated second-gen X3D chips the one which we actually need.
And now I am questioning if that is why we have seen the Ryzen 7 9800X3D forward of both the Ryzen 9 9950X3D or perhaps a rumoured Ryzen 9 9900X3D. Definitely within the Zen 4 era, the Ryzen 9 7950X3D was the primary to land, so it is fascinating to notice that is switched round as we transfer by way of the 9000-series releases.
AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D verdict
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(Picture credit score: Future)(Picture credit score: Future)(Picture credit score: Future)
The Ryzen 7 9800X3D is a implausible gaming CPU, there is no such thing as a getting away from that. And, proper now, it is completely the processor that I’d suggest anybody aiming for peak PC gaming body charges to go for. The center of the 3D V-Cache function, in its fundamental ethos, is basically unchanged from the earlier generations: Extra L3 cache provides higher gaming efficiency in most circumstances, and generally significantly extra.
The effectiveness of dropping a bit of additional L3 cache into the CPU package deal was all the time recognized amount, however what units this era aside is the truth that the positioning of the cache layer now not has the unfavorable influence on clock speeds the primary gen implementation had. And which means you get the cumulative advantages of the Zen 5 structure, 3D V-Cache, and the boosted clock speeds of the Ryzen 7 9800X3D to offer it the stellar gaming efficiency it demonstrates.
We’re wanting on the new greatest CPU for gaming proper right here.
And generally it truly is transformative in comparison with the closest Zen 5 competitor. Positive, in closely GPU-bound titles, reminiscent of Cyberpunk 2077 and Metro Exodus, we’re solely seeing single determine efficiency bumps, however for those who have a look at video games which scale nicely with increased spec CPUs, reminiscent of Baldur’s Gate 3, Homeworld 3, and Factorio you possibly can see a far larger efficiency uplift.
The place the Ryzen 7 7800X3D additionally demonstrates a gaming efficiency uplift over its competitors, in my review I described it as: “No jack of all trades, but certainly a master of one, and that’s gaming.” Due to the best way the additional 64 MB of L3 cache was connected to the highest of the core complicated die (CCD) that meant AMD needed to restrict the clock speeds of the chip’s CPU cores, and that limits the processing energy of the first-gen X3D silicon throughout purposes aside from gaming.
The brand new Ryzen 7 9800X3D has none of these limitations and improves on the last-gen chip with elevated clock speeds, which supplies it a lead in each its gaming efficiency and in additional normal processing/productiveness duties. Together with that body charge lead, it is also mighty environment friendly in the case of gaming, too. Should you thought Intel’s new Arrow Lake CPUs have been power-sippers in the case of gaming work hundreds, the Ryzen 7 9800X3D requires even much less energy to ship increased body charges.
It is a much more rounded CPU, then, although that would be the identical with subsequent Ryzen 9000-series X3D processors. Which goes to make it a query of whether or not eight cores is sufficient to your wants. Would you truly relatively a 12- or 16-core CPU with the identical gaming chops, however the productiveness energy of the top-end Zen 5 chips?
In the long run, I anticipate for many of us avid gamers, the reply will probably be that eight high-performance cores will nonetheless be lots. Which suggests we’re wanting on the new greatest CPU for gaming proper right here.
AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D specs
Ryzen 7 9800X3D specs
Socket: AMD
Lithography: TSMC N4 (CCD) | N6 (IOD)
Cores: 8
Threads: 16
Base clock: 4.7 GHz
Enhance clock: 5.2 GHz
L3 cache: 96 MB (inc. 64 MB 3D V-Cache)
L2 cache: 8 x 1 MB
Reminiscence help: As much as DDR5-5600
TDP: 120 W
Socket energy: 162 W
Value: $479 | £450
At this level the AMD Zen 5 structure is a recognized ‘beast’. We have already coated it in depth—and you may learn that detailed breakdown if you wish to know extra—however suffice to say the enhancements are largely about tweaking the entrance finish, as AMD’s Mark Papermaster says it is all about having the ability “to keep the beast fed”.
What the Ryzen 7 9800X3D does in a different way to the opposite Zen 5 CPUs, nonetheless, is parachuting in an entire additional silicon layer of L3 cache reminiscence. In actual fact, that is what AMD did with the primary generations of 3D V-Cache chips—it is possibly extra correct right here to say that it laid the foundations of this X3D processor with an entire additional silicon layer.
The novel change with the Ryzen 9000-series of X3D processors is that the additional slice of cache is now not laid atop the CCD—the chiplet which homes the processing cores—it’s now sat beneath and linked with by way of silicon vias (TSV) to the cores, giving them entry to the additional reminiscence in addition to direct contact with the heatspreader and due to this fact nearer contact to the CPU cooler.
This was the difficulty with earlier 3D V-Cache implementations, with it being layered on high it created a little bit of insulation between the CPU cooler and the most well liked a part of the chip: the cores. These then needed to be held again in clock pace phrases as a way to be steady with its cache hat on.
The 3D V-Cache within the Ryzen 9000-series, nonetheless, is put down first with the eight-core Zen 5 chiplet laid on high and allowed to run at primarily its full pace. There would possibly be some limitations right down to the CCD’s thinner profile—essential to take care of cooler compatibility—because the Ryzen 7 9800X3D does have the bottom enhance clock of all of the 9000-series CPUs, but it surely’s been given the identical 120 W energy profile because the Ryzen 9 9900X, and is an unlocked, overclockable processor. That also needs to imply, underneath Precision Enhance Overdrive, you will get extra sustained increased clock speeds than lower-power chips, such because the equally octa-core Ryzen 7 9700X.
However what’s that additional chunk of L3 cache good for? Basically it simply provides one other little bit of close-to-the-CPU reminiscence in order that when the processor is coping with loading in numerous recreation belongings it has a greater probability of with the ability to preserve that knowledge inside the chip package deal itself relatively than having to dip out into the slower system reminiscence to seize that recreation knowledge. It is a related purpose Nvidia has given for enhancing the L3 cache on its GPUs versus rising the swimming pools of slower VRAM.
Apart from the additional cache, increased TDP, and thinner CCD, the specs are largely similar to the opposite Zen 5-based Ryzen 7 processor. It is primarily the identical chip, simply with the additional cache and energy profile tweaks.
AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D efficiency
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(Picture credit score: Future)(Picture credit score: Future)(Picture credit score: Future)
On the subject of gaming efficiency, the Ryzen 7 9800X3D has the wins virtually throughout the board. The one outlier comes within the type of the closely GPU-bound Warhammer III benchmark, which I’ve seen a wierd inconsistency with between my in any other case comparable AMD take a look at rig and Nick’s system he used for testing the opposite Zen 5 processors. It is the one recreation the place there may be such a disparity, and so looks like one we are able to form of ignore as a possible instance of an X3D failing.
In any other case it is simply excellent news for AMD’s newest and best gaming CPU. As famous earlier, different GPU-bound video games, reminiscent of Cyberpunk 2077 and Metro Exodus Enhanced Version, solely have single digit proportion will increase in common and 1% low body charges over both the Ryzen 9 9900X or Ryzen 7 9700X.
However in Baldur’s Gate 3, Homeworld 3, and our Factorio benchmark you possibly can see what occurs whenever you get a recreation that each loves excessive CPU clock speeds and a ton of additional L3 cache to play with. BG3 sees a 35 – 40% bump, HW 3 nets a 22% body charge improve, and the Factorio replace time drops by greater than a half.
From different X3D chips we have examined, that is not an enormous shock, however possibly the extent of that improve is.
One factor to notice right here is that we have no comparable numbers for the Ryzen 7 7800X3D from our up to date take a look at suite, as AMD recalled our chip after which briefly misplaced it in transit whereas delivery it again for comparative testing. As soon as that is been pushed by way of our present take a look at rig within the subsequent few days, nonetheless, we’ll replace with the newest numbers.
However, evaluating to our unique review numbers, in uncooked processing phrases, there is a 17% improve in single threaded efficiency and a 29% uplift in multithreaded speeds in Cinebench R23.
That tallies with the elevated clock speeds and energy envelope of the newer chip, and this additional processing grunt is clear within the comparative CPU efficiency benchmarks between this new X3D chip and the equally eight-core Ryzen 7 9700X. On these productiveness phrases, too, the Ryzen 7 9800X3D is the extra highly effective processor.
Clearly, you are a far larger delta between the eight-core X3D CPU and the 12- or 16-core chips, and even the 24-core Intel Arrow Lake processor, the Core Extremely 9 285K. That is the place the upcoming, extra core-happy X3D processors will make their mark in the case of multi-threaded CPU chops.
Talking of the Arrow Lake silicon, once we have been looking for some positives round that beleaguered CPU launch it is environment friendly gaming efficiency was not less than admirable. Effectively, that is gone now. In gaming phrases, the Ryzen 7 9800X3D is a much more environment friendly processor, posting practically 50% increased body charge numbers within the Baldur’s Gate 3 energy take a look at, however with each a decrease energy draw and temperature.
As a remaining observe on efficiency, these figures listed here are from a brand new Gigabyte X870E motherboard supplied for testing, however I additionally ran the Ryzen 7 9800X3D by way of my normal ASRock X670E Taichi setup, with the identical RAM, and the one testing variations have been inside the realms of normal testing variance. So, it isn’t such as you want the newest chipset to have the ability to get probably the most out of the brand new X3D silicon, as a drop-in improve for an present AM5 setup, it is good to go, possibly simply with a BIOS replace.
PC Gamer take a look at rig
Motherboard: Gigabyte X870E Aorus Grasp | RAM: G.Talent 32 GB DDR5-6000 CAS 30 | Cooler: Corsair H170i Elite Capellix | SSD: 2 TB Essential T700 | GPU: Nvidia RTX 4070 | PSU: Seasonic Prime TX 1600W | Case: DimasTech Mini V2
AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D evaluation
The improved second-gen 3D V-Cache is one thing of a double-edged uneven factor in the case of the Ryzen 7 9800X3D particularly. Positive, it is allowed AMD to bump the clock speeds, taking away a lot of the disadvantages of the earlier generations, however that has additionally kinda taken away the factor which made the Ryzen 7 7800X3D the simple advice of its era of X3D processors.
It was a single CCD, and due to this fact there was no want for Home windows to have to select and select whether or not the duty it was pumping by way of the CPU was going to want the additional cache of a X3D chiplet, or the upper clock pace of a non-stacked CCD. This was the difficulty with the Ryzen 9 7950X3D; it was a extra compromised processor. Should you’re going for a 16-core chip, you need to have the ability to use all these cores. When you’ve half your cores as gradual cores and half as sooner cores, that offers Home windows extra work to do work out the place to go than strictly essential.
Theoretically, that is not going to be the case with the upcoming Ryzen 9 9900X3D or Ryzen 9 9950X3D, with their respective 12- and 16-core layouts seemingly working on the identical speeds. I’d nonetheless anticipate that clock pace to be a little bit beneath the non-X3D model, as I anticipate the thinner CCDs would possibly nonetheless have some form of clock pace compromise to them, even when they’re nearer to the cooler contact. However AMD may doubtlessly stack each chiplets atop a 64 MB L3 cache slice if it needed to go huge.
Although I kinda doubt they may, if I am trustworthy.
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(*7*)(Picture credit score: Future)(Picture credit score: Future)(Picture credit score: Future)
Even when it is slightly below one CCD, although, that might nonetheless make an reasonably priced 12-core X3D a mighty tantalising various to this eight-core ‘gaming’ processor. Positive, that may solely be true for many who would possibly do greater than recreation on their PC, and would possibly truly utilise the sooner cores and threads for different inventive duties, but it surely’s nonetheless going to have a few of us torn between the 2 chips.
On the entire, I do assume most avid gamers will probably be completely effective with the eight-core, 16-thread setup. Considerably perversely, nonetheless, which means there’s going to be little profit to upgrading from a Ryzen 7 7800X3D. There will be efficiency advantages throughout the board, however seemingly not sufficient to warrant you ripping the previous chip out and changing it with one other eight-core processor.
And, although the chip at the moment is retailing for the same value to the $479 the Ryzen 7 9800X3D goes to launch at, I can see that dropping right down to across the $350 mark round Black Friday and different gross sales occasions, which can nonetheless make it a really tempting chip for somebody constructing a value-conscious gaming PC round.
AMD has additionally mentioned there are not any plans to part out the Ryzen 7 7800X3D, both, with Donny Wolligrowski telling us that he “would expect it in the market for a while.” So, it might be a thorn within the facet of the brand new 3D V-Cache chips for a time but.
Nonetheless, for those who’re ranging from scratch, then this Zen5 X3D chip is the processor that I’d wish to construct my new gaming PC round.