The AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D Review: A Simpler Slice of V-Cache For Gaming

Conclusion

Last summer, AMD released the Ryzen 7 5800X3D, the first desktop chip to utilize AMD and TSMC's 3D V-Cache packaging technology. Although it had already been incorporated in AMD's 3rd Gen EPYC processors for servers earlier that year, it was a novel feature for desktop processors all the same. For this year, AMD has opted to expand their portfolio of 3D V-Cache-equipped processors, releasing three new chips that use the same 3D V-Cache technology as the Ryzen 7 5800X3D, but based on top of the Zen 4 microarchitecture: the Ryzen 9 7950X3D, the 12-core Ryzen 9 7900X3D, and finally, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D.

While tomorrow's launch means that the Ryzen 7 7800X3D is the last of these V-Cache CPUs to be released, it's arguably still the most interesting. The Ryzen 7 5800X3D was impressive when it first launched, and even now it remains in the discussion thanks to its current price of around $320. However, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D has a major advantage over its predecessor. Thanks to the combination of the faster Zen 4 CPU cores, higher clockspeeds, and all the feature and performance benefits of the underlying AM5 platform (not the least of which is DDR5 support), the Ryzen 7 7800X3D comes out swinging.

The AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D processor

The Ryzen 7 7800X3D is a solid 8C/16T processor that is competent enough in compute tasks but is an entirely different proposition in gaming. One of the reasons it is so interesting is that all 8 Zen 4 cores are built onto one CCD. This means that the chip's massive 96 MB of L3 cache in total – 64 MB of 3D V-Cache packaged onto the existing 32 MB of L3 cache via TSVs – is available to all of the CPU cores, so there's no need for a fancy provisioning driver for the OS to distinguish which set of cores are the better option. This removes the anxiety of Game Mode and drivers getting it wrong in specific titles or benchmarks. In practice, this means that all of that L3 cache is accessible in the same way it was on the Ryzen 7 5800X3D.

As we have done in our desktop CPU reviews of late, we're splitting the analysis into two main sections, compute and gaming. With gaming being the primary focus of the Ryzen 7800X3D, we'll start with that first:

AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D Gaming Performance Analysis: 

At this point we've tested a couple of AMD's Ryzen 7000 series 3D V-Cache processors, and, as you'd expect, both the Ryzen 7 5800X3D and the Ryzen 9 7950X3D did exceptionally well in games that benefit from a large L3 cache. In fact, the Ryzen 7800X3D performs just as well, if not better, in gaming performance compared to the Ryzen 9 7950X3D, although the difference is small.

When we tested the performance of the Ryzen 9 7950X3D and Ryzen 7 7800X3D in Hitman 3 at 1080p Ultra settings, we found that the Ryzen 7 7800X3D performs slightly better, with a marginal 1% increase. Compared to the Core i9-13900K, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D performs 12% better in this scenario. And, compared to the Ryzen 7 5800X3D, the 7800X3D performs significantly better, with a 23% increase in performance. While this title does benefit from the increased levels of L3 cache, a 23% increase in performance for a direct successor is mightily impressive.

We also tested the Ryzen 7 7800X3D and Ryzen 9 7950X3D in F1 2022 at Ultra High settings, but this time at 1440p resolution. The Ryzen 7 7800X3D again takes the top spot, performing at the same level as the more expensive Ryzen 9 7950X3D. Although the Ryzen 7 7800X3D doesn't outperform the competition as much as in other tests, it still performs impressively, outperforming the Core i9-13900K by around 4% and the Ryzen 7 5800X3D by 9%.

When we tested the Ryzen 7 7800X3D in a more CPU-limited scenario, it still performed very well, even compared to faster and more powerful chips. For example, in Total War Warhammer 3, which is a very CPU-intensive title, and at a CPU-reliant resolution such as 720p, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D performed only around 4% worse than the more expensive Core i9-13900K and 13900KS pairing. The Core i9-13900K and 13900KS have much faster cores and benefit from 24 cores. The Ryzen 7 7800X3D also outperformed the Ryzen 7 5800X3D with faster cores and improved IPC performance going from Zen 3 to the latest Zen 4, although the performance increase was only around 3% in this test.

Overall, the tests show that the Ryzen 7 7800X3D offers impressive gaming performance, even when compared to more expensive and more powerful chips. In some scenarios, it even outperforms the Ryzen 9 7950X3D, which is a significant accomplishment. Additionally, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D offers better price-to-performance value than the more expensive Ryzen 9 7950X3D, and it doesn't require any special drivers for gaming as the Ryzen 9 does. This makes the Ryzen 7 7800X3D a compelling option for gamers who want high-end gaming performance without spending more than $449 on a CPU.

AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D Compute Analysis:

Now, let's take a look at the compute performance of the Ryzen 7 7800X3D. Similar to the Ryzen 7 5800X3D, we observed exceptional gaming performance, but middling-to-average compute performance.

We used CineBench R23, a popular benchmark for measuring CPU performance, to analyze the compute performance of the Ryzen 7 7800X3D. We found that its multi-threaded performance was similar to that of AMD's Ryzen 7 7700 ($329), and this was consistent throughout most of our testing. In cases where the 3D V-Cache did not provide any advantage, the Ryzen 7 7700 and the Ryzen 7 7800X3D performed similarly, with no clear winner.

Compared to other chips, the Intel Core i5-13600K scores around 33% higher than the Ryzen 7 7800X3D in CineBench R23's multi-threaded benchmark. However, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D outperforms the previous Ryzen 7 5800X3D by approximately 23%. This is a significant improvement in performance between the two generations.

Focusing on performance in our WinRAR benchmark testing, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D displayed higher performance levels than most chips we've put on test. Despite having many more cores than the Ryzen 7800X3D, the flagship Ryzen 9 7950X3D was faster by under 2 seconds, but the Ryzen 7 7800X3D finished the test by the exact same amount as the Ryzen 7 5800X3D. 

When it comes to computational workloads, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D offers only a modest advantage compared to the older Ryzen 7 5800X3D. Although it performs better in tasks such as video rendering, photo editing, and heavy computation workloads, it has middle-of-the-road compute performance, similar to the Ryzen 7 7700 ($329) with the same core and thread count features the same Zen 4 cores. However, in instances where the 3D V-Cache can be utilized, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D outperforms the Ryzen 7 7700 and even the Ryzen 7 5800X3D, but it falls behind higher-end flagship models. In blisteringly heavy loads, the Ryzen 7 7700 can boost up to 5.3 GHz, which does give it a slight advantage over the higher-priced Ryzen 7 7800X3D.

AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D Power Analysis: Highly Efficient in Gaming

When testing processor power, we typically focus on peak power figures and compare each processor based on this. In our Prime95 testing, we found that the AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D had some of the lowest peak power figures. However, since this is a compute-based test, we also wanted to evaluate the power draw when gaming. To do so, we expanded our power testing to compare the Ryzen 7 7800X3D to the more powerful Ryzen 9 7950X3D and Intel's flagship Core i9-13900K.

We used F1 2022 with the high preset enabled at both 1080p and 4K resolutions to see how the power draw looked on all three of these chips. Straight away, we can see that the Ryzen 7 7800X3D is drawing the least of all, at both 1080p and 4K. At 1080p, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D peaked at just under 43 W, whereas at 4K, this was slightly higher at just under 57 W.

Click on the graph to enlarge.

When comparing the Ryzen 7800X3D to the Ryzen 9 7950X3D, we found that the latter operates in the same configuration as the Ryzen 7800X3D when gaming. During our testing, the Ryzen 9 7950X3D consumed 77 W at the same settings in our 1080p test and 70 W in the 4K test. We have consistently noted the power efficiency of Zen 4 throughout our reviews of the Ryzen 7000 series. Although the Core i9-13900K has a very high power consumption during compute-intensive tasks (330+ W), it is considerably lower when gaming, when fewer CPU cores are needed.

While our above test makes the Core i9-13900K look better regarding power consumption when gaming, it still peaked at 114 W at 1080p and 96 W at 4K settings in our F1 2022 runs. Given that the Ryzen 7 7800X3D outperformed the Core i9-13900K in many of the games in our CPU suite, we can see how efficient Zen 4 with 3D V-Cache is. The Ryzen 7 7800X3D at 1080p in F1 2022, it ran 71 W (62%) lower than the Core i9-13900K. At 4K settings, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D wasn't as favorable, but it was still running at 39 W lower, which is around 40% lower when comparing the peak values.

It's worth noting that the power efficiency of the AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D may vary depending on the game, settings, and graphics card being used, as well as how much the CPU is being utilized. However, what stands out is the Ryzen 7 7800X3D's exceptional power efficiency in gaming when compared to the competition, especially considering its outstanding performance.

Final Thoughts: The Ryzen 7 7800X3D is Highly Efficient and Superb For Gaming

The situation here may feel a bit familiar, as the Ryzen 7 5800X3D made a splash last year, and we've already seen the benefits of a larger L3 cache with AMD's latest Ryzen 9 7950X3D. The concept of adding a slice of L3 cache in a 3D package to an existing pool of L3 cache is no longer a new idea. However, as we've discovered during our testing, it can either have no effect or make a significant impact. There's no question that the Ryzen 7 7800X3D performs exceptionally well in any game or application that can take advantage of its large 96 MB 3D packaged V-Cache.

Although the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D may be the most well-rounded performance when factoring in content creation and gaming, the $699 price tag may not be the most appealing, especially if a user spends more time gaming than they do video rendering. The AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D is basically the Ryzen 9 7950X3D without the vanilla Zen 4 CCD, meaning the 7800X3D doesn't have as much firepower in terms of compute, but it has all of that lovely 96 MB of L3 cache under the hood which in those games that can use it, means gaming performance can be bang average or excellent.

During testing, it was evident that Ryzen 7 7800X3D provides significant advantages in gaming compared to chips without 3D V-Cache. However, when it comes to compute performance, it is more comparable to the 65W Ryzen 7 7700, another 8-core Zen 4 processor that we have tested before. This is unsurprising given that the Ryzen 7 7800X3D is the lower clocked of these processors. But on the plus side, the 7800X3D proved more efficient overall; we only noticed a full load power consumption of 82W with Prime95 running. We have contacted AMD to confirm this finding. Even with the 162 W PPT, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D is the most efficient processor gaming, as well as one of the best. Not many companies can claim both of those things at the same time, but AMD can here.

The AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D is an excellent choice for gamers who want to build a new system on AMD's AM5 platform. It boasts 96 MB of L3 cache, up to 5.0 GHz boost clocks, and a price tag of $449, making it a worthwhile investment. Additionally, AMD recently introduced its entry-level A620 chipset, which already has a couple of models priced below $100. Although we don't recommend opting for the cheapest motherboard on the cheapest chipset for users seeking top-tier performance, even the slightly cheaper B650 motherboards (compared to X670E/X670) will suffice.

If the main purpose of building a new system is for gaming, then the AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D is an excellent processor that can hold its own in all games, while performing exceptionally well in those titles that can take advantage of its 96 MB L3 cache. While the Ryzen 9 7950X3D offers the best of both worlds, it comes with a hefty price tag of $699, which may not be affordable for everyone, especially when factoring in the cost of a graphics card.

Otherwise, if you're a gamer who wants to save more money, AMD's previous generation Ryzen 7 5800X3D still performs well enough in gaming, and it's still available for around $320. However, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D is a better option for computing tasks thanks to its latest Zen 4 cores, and it's also more competitive in games that don't rely heavily on L3 cache, generally making it the stronger optional overall.