The AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D’s launch on the finish of February made one factor abundantly clear: the primary of Workforce Crimson’s 7000-series 3D V-Cache processors have been gaming monsters. Their additional extra layer of spicy L3 cache supercharged their efficiency.
However the chip everybody was ready on—the Ryzen 7 7800X3D—was nonetheless a query mark. Held till its April 6 launch, the $450 CPU is the “affordable” choice in comparison with the $699 7950X3D and $599 Ryzen 9 7900X3D, and one which many players have been eyeing with prepared anticipation. We knew the 7800X3D’s technical particulars (which you’ll dig into through our YouTube protection), however the way it’d slot on to the leaderboards was a thriller.
Now with this chip on cabinets, we lastly know: Like its siblings, this processor is a beast, too. Actually it’s the most effective CPU you should buy for gaming, if that’s all you do.
After all, there’s extra to this newest addition to the Ryzen 7000 lineup, because the benchmarks from throughout the online present—and the information can closely affect if the 7800X3D is best for you. Right here’s what you should know.
In video games, it sits with Intel and AMD’s greatest chips
Adam Patrick Murray / IDG
On web site after web site, the benchmarks present an analogous consequence—the Ryzen 7 7800X3D punching means above its weight class in video games. Whether or not it’s Tom’s {Hardware} or TechSpot, this processor’s common efficiency in video games places it on the identical footing as its rather more costly sibling, the 7950X3D. And that’s a CPU which edges previous Intel’s high chips, just like the Core i9-13900K.
Actually, when trying on the mixture scores, the 7800X3D typically displaces the 7950X3D from high spot. And for the opinions the place it doesn’t, you’ll often discover it in second place. In the meantime, Intel’s $418 Core i7-13700K—its closest rival in value—trails behind. Relying on the benchmarking suite (as reviewers don’t have full overlap within the video games they check with), the 7800X3D can supply about 6 to 13 % greater efficiency on common.
That stated, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D doesn’t all the time high the charts in each single particular person sport. In titles with higher optimization for Intel processors, or ones extra affected by clock velocity than cache measurement, the 7800X3D falls to the center and even towards the underside of the pack of high-powered processors. When you hearth up the identical sport each night time (e.g., Counter-Strike: World Offensive) and anticipate high body charges out of your system, it’s best to look at the related check outcomes to ensure this processor is an effective match.
But it surely’s not as nice in different duties
PCWorld
Throw video games on the Ryzen 7 7800X3D, and it’ll deal with most of them with aplomb. Even when falling notably behind the highest performers, it posts massive body charges. You’ll discover the variations even much less at greater resolutions and/or graphical settings that shift extra work onto your graphics card—which may make its comparatively extra inexpensive value all of the extra alluring in comparison with different Ryzen 9 and seven components, in addition to Intel Core i9 and i7 CPUs.
Nonetheless, with non-gaming duties, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D’s outcomes can’t be contextualized in the identical means. Both a chip is quicker in encoding and rendering, or it’s not. And for something closely reliant on CPU velocity or core depend, the 7800X3D lags behind. You possibly can see it for your self in Cinebench R23 multicore outcomes—in comparison with the 13700K, AMD’s newest is 37% slower in TechSpot’s evaluate. Different retailers had comparable findings.
This conduct tracks with what we noticed within the first-generation 3D V-Cache CPU, the equally implausible Ryzen 7 5800X3D (the 7800X3D’s predecessor!), in addition to the 7950X3D when it launched. Neither of these chips may pull even with their X-variant siblings (5800X, 7950X) in content material creation duties.
Adam Patrick Murray / IDG
However AMD’s two higher-end Ryzen 7000 3D V-Cache processors can nonetheless rip by means of heavy manufacturing workloads—they’re not incapable, just a bit slower than the highest CPUs in that regard. They’re well-suited for players who additionally need robust efficiency in all-core workloads, simply not as a lot as somebody whose essential precedence is figure first, play second.
In the meantime, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D is before everything a gaming CPU. When you want a processor with extra even, balanced efficiency throughout the board, a rival like Intel’s Core i7-13700K will probably be a extra splendid alternative. However in the event you’re all in on gaming efficiency and might wait longer for encode to complete, that is your chip.
It’s essentially the most power-efficient gaming chip
Jim Martin / Foundry
In chart after chart measuring energy consumption, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D drinks down electrical energy much more modestly than equally priced processors—and undoubtedly lower than AMD and Intel’s customary flagship CPUs.
The exception, in fact, are the opposite 3D V-Cache CPUs. These components devour much less vitality attributable to decrease voltages, in flip lowers the quantity of warmth produced—a obligatory design option to mitigate the thermal penalties of getting extra L3 cache stacked on.
So now and again, you’ll be able to see a benchmark end result the place the 7950X3D noses previous the humbler Ryzen 7 7800X3D. However total, the 7800X3D hits a utility invoice much more softly than the 7950X and 13900K, which take no prisoners and make no apologies for wolfing down watts. Its weaker manufacturing efficiency might be traced on to how a lot vitality it makes use of. Simply have a peek at TechSpot’s examination of electrical energy used whereas working a Blender rendering check. The 13700K is 44 % sooner, but it surely additionally consumes 89 % extra energy.
In video games, the hole isn’t fairly so vast, however nonetheless notable—you’ll see variations between 20 and 28 % in energy consumption in comparison with chips just like the 13700K and 13900K, usually whereas the Ryzen 7 7800X3D is outperforming them. And as you may guess, utilizing much less vitality not solely interprets to larger financial savings in your utility invoice, however much less warmth to dissipate. TechSpot by no means noticed the 7800X3D rise above 84 levels Celsius throughout all-core workloads in Cinebench R23, or 66 levels throughout this system’s single-core check.
You shouldn’t purchase this as a substitute of a extra highly effective GPU
Brad Chacos/IDG
The Ryzen 7 7800X3D is a ferocious chip, however you gained’t profit if it’s essentially the most highly effective element in your construct. In contrast to with a processor that may additionally tear by means of manufacturing work, its essential function is to maintain your gaming rig firing on all cylinders.
And in a gaming rig, you’ll be greatest served by skewing your funds extra towards your GPU, somewhat than your CPU. You don’t need your processor to bottleneck your graphics card, in fact, but when your CPU is extra highly effective than the GPU, you’re not taking advantage of your construct.
Given how far the Ryzen 7 7800X3D can stretch its legs, it might comfortably accomplice the most effective video playing cards in the marketplace, e.g., the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 or AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT. It’s the most effective gaming CPU for high-end but nonetheless price-conscious consumers—once you need the very best for the wide range of video games you play, with out overspending on efficiency for closely threaded or clock-speed-sensitive workloads you’ll by no means run.
So in the event you’re deciding between an RTX 3060 and an RTX 3070 (or Radeon RX 6800 XT), the higher graphics card and a less expensive (say, $300) CPU will provide you with higher bang in your gaming buck. That doesn’t make the 7800X3D a foul alternative—somewhat, it’s greatest suited to high-end gaming rigs the place the CPU could possibly be a possible choke level.
Intel nonetheless holds the lead on worth
Would-be consumers of Ryzen 7000 CPUs bought welcome information this week—the launch of a funds A620 chipset for AM5 motherboards. However even in the event you have been to scrape that low to avoid wasting a couple of bucks (maybe to afford the 7800X3D, nonetheless ill-advised), the truth is that you just nonetheless can’t beat the financial savings you will get with an Intel chip. Not in the event you’re keen to drop all the way down to slower (and cheaper) reminiscence.
AM5 motherboards—the only real motherboards suitable with Ryzen 7000—help DDR5 reminiscence solely. Costs have come down for this sooner RAM, however they haven’t bottomed out to match DDR4 reminiscence pricing but. In the meantime, DDR4 motherboards exist for Intel chips, and so they’re cheaper than DDR5 motherboards. So that you’ll save on each the mobo and the reminiscence with Intel.
