In February, AMD released the first parts in its highly anticipated Ryzen 7000X3D series. This new line combines AMD's 3D V-Cache packaging with high-performance and highly efficient Zen 4 cores. Two out of the three X3D series processors were available for the initial launch, including the flagship Ryzen 9 7950X3D and the slightly lower-spec Ryzen 9 7900X3D. However, AMD may have saved the best for last. Today, we will be looking at the third sibling from the Ryzen 7000X3D line-up, the long-awaited Ryzen 7 7800X3D.

The AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D is the direct successor to last year's highly successful Ryzen 7 5800X3D, boasting 8 Zen 4 CPU cores, a base core frequency of 4.2 GHz, and a boost clock of up to 5.0 GHz. But what sets this processor apart from its predecessor is that it's using AMD's latest Zen 4 cores, built on TSMC's 5 nm node, which promises to take power and performance efficiency to the next level for gamers. Perhaps the biggest advantage of the Ryzen 7 7800X3D is its massive 96 MB of L3 cache, thanks to AMD's implementation of its 3D V-Cache packaging technology in cooperation with TSMC. Our reviews of the previous generation Ryzen 7 5800X3D and the behemoth Ryzen 9 7950X3D have shown this technology to be a success – sometimes, massively so – in specific games that are able benefit from the additional L3 cache.

Overall, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D appears to be a promising addition to the Ryzen 7000X3D lineup. Its impressive 96 MB of L3 cache and coming with the added benefits of Zen 4 cores make it a strong contender for gamers. However, it remains to be seen how it will perform in real-world applications compared to other current generation chips on test, as well as looking at how the performance in gaming stacks up.

AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D: 8C/16T with 96MB of 3D V-Cache

As it stands, the AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D is one of three 8-core SKUs within Ryzen 7000 series, with all three fairly dissimilar CPUs targeting different markets. The Ryzen 7 7700X ($341) offers an unlocked multiplier for overclocking, with a base TDP of 120 W and PPT of 142 W; it gives more power to the cores for more performance through AMD's Precision Boost Overdrive overclocking technology. Although the Ryzen 7 7700 ($329) has the same 8 x Zen 4 cores as the Ryzen 7 7700X, it benefits from a lower base TDP of 65 W and a PPT value of just 88 W at stock. This gives enthusiasts that want more affordable 8-core processor options for either higher stock performance with higher frequency and power levels or something with solid performance and exceptional power efficiency with a sub-100 W power output (from the CPU).

The third is the AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D, which is primarily targeted at gamers and, in the right situations, can deliver exceptional gaming performance with its 3D V-Cache packaging technology. Looking to carry on from the success of its latest Ryzen 9 7950X3D ($699) and Ryzen 9 7900X3D ($599) with 3D V-Cache and build upon the success of last year's Ryzen 7 5800X3D, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D has some very interesting aspects to its design that make it stand out from the rest.

AMD Ryzen 7000 Series Line-Up (as of 04/05/2023)
AnandTech	Cores Threads	Base Freq	Turbo Freq	Memory Support	L3 Cache	TDP	PPT	Price (Street)
Ryzen 9 7950X3D	16C / 32T	4.2 GHz	5.7 GHz	DDR5-5200	128 MB	120W	162W	$799
Ryzen 9 7950X	16C / 32T	4.5 GHz	5.7 GHz	DDR5-5200	64 MB	170W	230W	$611
Ryzen 9 7900X3D	12C / 24T	4.4 GHz	5.6 GHz	DDR5-5200	128 MB	120W	162W	$589
Ryzen 9 7900X	12C / 24T	4.7 GHz	5.6 GHz	DDR5-5200	64 MB	170W	230W	$424
Ryzen 9 7900	12C / 24T	3.6 GHz	5.4 GHz	DDR5-5200	64 MB	65W	88W	$430
Ryzen 7 7800X3D	8C / 16T	4.2 GHz	5.0 GHz	DDR5-5200	96 MB	120W	162W	$449
Ryzen 7 7700X	8C / 16T	4.5 GHz	5.4 GHz	DDR5-5200	32 MB	105W	142W	$349
Ryzen 7 7700	8C / 16T	3.6 GHz	5.3 GHz	DDR5-5200	32 MB	65W	88W	$329
Ryzen 5 7600X	6C / 12T	4.7 GHz	5.3 GHz	DDR5-5200	32 MB	105W	142W	$249
Ryzen 5 7600	6C / 12T	3.8 GHz	5.1 GHz	DDR5-5200	32 MB	65W	88W	$230

Touching on the main specifications of the Ryzen 7 7800X3D, it has 8 Zen 4 cores, operating within a base TDP of 120 W a maximum Package Power Tracking (PPT) value of 162 W. Interestingly, this is an increase in overall power from the Ryzen 7 5800X3D, which had a base TDP of 105.

Looking at things on a generational basis, both the Ryzen 7 7800X3D and Ryzen 7 5800X3D are 8 core designs. However, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D has the advantage of coming with the more performant and power-efficient Zen 4 cores, and from our reviews of AMD's Ryzen 7000 series processors, we've seen Zen 4 deliver on both fronts. At AMD's selected clockspeeds, Zen 4 has also shown to be more power efficient than competing chips from Intel's 13th Gen Core and previous 12th Gen Core series, which can reach higher performance levels, but burn a fair bit more power in doing so.

One major benefit of choosing the AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D with its latest Zen 4 architecture over its predecessor, the Ryzen 7 5800X3D, is in terms of core frequencies. The previous model had a base clock of 3.4 GHz and a turbo of up to 4.5 GHz. Overclocking was also not supported by AMD, leading to some limitations in compute performance. The Ryzen 7 7800X3D boasts faster cores, with a 4.2 GHz base frequency (a 23% increase generationally) and a turbo of up to 5.0 GHz (an 11% increase in maximum clock speeds compared to the Ryzen 7 5800X3D). In our earlier review of the Ryzen 9 7950X3D ($699), which has two CCDs – one with 3D V-Cache and one without – we found that the clockspeed limitation 3D V-Cache-equipped Zen 4 chiplet is 5.0 GHz, as the CCD with 96 MB of L3 cache on the Ryzen 9 7950X3D also topped out at 5.0 GHz there (compared to the regular CCD boosting up to 5.7 GHz).

AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D: One CCD to Rule Them All

Touching on the CCD situation with the Ryzen 7 7800X3D, unlike the other two V-Cache-equipped X3D Ryzen 7000 parts, the Ryzen 9 7950X3D and Ryzen 9 7900X3D, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D features one core complex die (CCD) and one centralized I/O die. This is in contrast to the 7900 series chips, which used two CCDs. To differentiate which each chip has in terms of cores, and CCDs, I've dissected both below:

• Ryzen 9 7950X3D: 2 x CCDs (8C/16T each), 1 x CCD /w 96 MB L3 Cache, 1 x CCD /w 32 MB L3 Cache
• Ryzen 9 7900X3D: 2 x CCDs (6C/12T each), 1 x CCD /w 96 MB L3 Cache, 1 x CCD /w 32 MB L3 Cache
• Ryzen 7 7800X3D: 1 x CCD (8C/16T), 1 x CCD /w 96 MB L3 Cache

With the launch of the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D, which we previously reviewed in February, it has two CCDs, one with the standard 32 MB of L3 cache and the other boosted with an additional 64 MB of 3D V-Cache layered on top (96 MB L3 in total). This design meant that AMD had to get creative to allow it to work so that the best levels of performance could be delivered in terms of both compute and gaming performance, avoiding sacrificing too much of either. With this, AMD brought out its PPM Provisioning and V-Cache Performance Optimizer drivers that work with Microsoft's Windows 11 (and 10) operating system to leverage whichever CCD best suits the task.

Working in tandem with Microsoft's 'Game Mode' built into the operating system, when a game is loaded up on the Ryen 9 7950X3D, Game Mode would detect this and feed the information to the Provisioning driver. AMD's drivers, in turn, would deprioritize and park non-V-Cache enabled CCD, pushing everything to run from the CCD with the 96 MB of 3D V-Cache. The second CCD could be fired back up if enough work necessitated it (albeit still at a lower priority), but ideally, AMD tries to avoid this so that game threads aren't regularly passing data between the two non-homogenous CCDs.

The Ryzen 7 7800X3D is essentially the Ryzen 9 7950X3D with just one CCD (7950X3D has two)

Otherwise, when running a highly threaded non-game workload such as video rendering, the chip would behave more normally, making all 16 cores available and prioritizing the vanilla CCD. In this case, the V-Cache CCD was essentially a second set of slightly lower clocked Zen 4 cores.

Moving back to the Ryzen 7 7800X3D, one would be right in thinking that it's basically just the 3D V-Cache CCD of the Ryzen 9 7950X3D without the higher spec CCD with the faster Zen 4 cores. This greatly simplifies the scheduling process, as the single, homogenous CCD means that no special actions are needed to account for the extra L3 cache.

Ultimately, AMD has created a sort of two (and a half-ish) tiered system with its Ryzen 7000X3D lineup The Ryzen 9 7950X3D can offer the best of both worlds, with faster cores of up to 5.7 GHz on one CCD for those heavy compute workloads such as video rendering and content creation. At the same time, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D offers plenty of grunt with 8C/16T. Ideally, it can still deliver top-tier gaming performance through the combination of Zen 4 cores and 3D V-Cache, but with at a 36% lower price ($699 vs. $449).

AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D screenshot from CPU-Z

Looking at the current desktop processor landscape concerning the Ryzen 7 7800X3D, there's a lot of competition from AMD's own stack in the sub-$500 arena. This includes AMD's own Ryzen 7 7700X ($349), which is also an 8C/16T SKU. It has faster cores (up to 5.4 GHz) and fully supports overclocking. Another option is the Ryzen 7 7700. Although the Ryzen 7 7700 is a lower-powered 8C/16T part and doesn't benefit from the 3D V-Cache for those games that can leverage it, it also supports overclocking and is ultimately cheaper at $329.

As for AMD's competition, the AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D is up against Intel's 13th Gen Core series, specifically the Core i9-13900K and Core i7-13700K. While the Core i7-13700K is in the same price range as the Ryzen 7 7800X3D, it's worth noting that we didn't receive a sample of this particular Intel processor for testing. Instead, we reviewed the Core i9-13900K and Core i5-13600K at their launch in October of last year.

AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D packaging (no stock cooler is provided)

Both of the Intel processors mentioned earlier should offer better compute performance than the Ryzen 7 7800X3D because, in part, they have more cores. However, AMD is rather specifically targeting gamers with the Ryzen 7 7800X3D, so the biggest competition is in the gaming space, where going beyond 8 CPU cores is rarely beneficial right now. We've tested the Core i9-13900K and Core i5-13600K at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K resolutions. Surprisingly, the cheaper Core i5-13600K (14C/20T) performed well, indicating that at higher resolutions, graphics card performance is more critical than CPU power in achieving higher framerates.

The AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D is a good choice for gamers who don't require cutting-edge compute performance or need to create content. It's also $250 cheaper than the Ryzen 9 7950X3D, leaving extra budget for a better graphics card, which can enhance the gaming experience. The main questions people have are how the Ryzen 7 7800X3D compares to the competition and how it stacks up against the previous Ryzen 7 5800X3D, especially considering its price of $449. In this review, we'll answer both questions.

The Current CPU Test Suite

For our AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D testing, we are using the following test system:

AMD Ryzen 7000 Series System (DDR5)
CPU	Ryzen 7 7800X3D ($449) 8 Cores, 16 Threads 120 W TDP
Motherboard	GIGABYTE X670E Aorus Master (BIOS 301)
Memory	G.Skill Trident Z5 Neo 2x16 GB DDR5-5200 CL44
Cooling	EK-AIO Elite 360 D-RGB 360 mm AIO
Storage	SK Hynix 2TB Platinum P41 PCIe 4.0 x4 NMve
Power Supply	Corsair HX1000
GPUs	AMD Radeon RX 6950 XT, Driver 31.0.12019
Operating Systems	Windows 11 22H2

Our updated CPU suite for 2023 includes various benchmarks, tests, and workloads designed to show variance in performance between different processors and architectures. These include UL's latest Procyon suite with both office and photo editing workloads simulated to measure performance in these tasks, CineBench R23, Dwarf Fortress, Blender 3.3, and C-Ray 1.1.  

Meanwhile, we've also carried over some older (but still relevant/enlightening) benchmarks from our CPU 2021 suite. This includes benchmarks such as Dwarf Fortress, Factorio, and Dr. Ian Cutress's 3DPMv2 benchmark.

We have also updated our pool of games going forward into 2023 and beyond, including the latest F1 2022 racing game, the CPU-intensive RTS Total War: Warhammer 3, and the popular Hitman 3.

CPU Benchmark Performance: Power And Office

Our previous sets of ‘office’ benchmarks have often been a mix of science and synthetics, so this time we wanted to keep our office section purely on real-world performance. We've also incorporated our power testing into this section too.

The biggest update to our Office-focused tests for 2023 and beyond include UL's Procyon software, which is the successor to PCMark. Procyon benchmarks office performance using Microsoft Office applications, as well as Adobe's Photoshop/Lightroom photo editing software, and Adobe Premier Pro's video editing capabilities. Due to issues with UL Procyon and the video editing test, we haven't been able to properly run these, but once we identify a fix with UL, we will re-test each chip.

We are using DDR5 memory on the Ryzen 7 78000X3D and the other Ryzen 7000 series we've tested. This also includes Intel's 13th and 12th Gen processors. We tested the aforementioned platforms with the following settings:

• DDR5-5600B CL46 - Intel 13th Gen
• DDR5-5200 CL44 - Ryzen 7000
• DDR5-4800 (B) CL40 - Intel 12th Gen

All other CPUs such as Ryzen 5000 and 3000 were tested at the relevant JEDEC settings as per the processor's individual memory support with DDR4.

Power

The nature of reporting processor power consumption has become, in part, a bit of a nightmare. Historically the peak power consumption of a processor, as purchased, is given by its Thermal Design Power (TDP, or PL1). For many markets, such as embedded processors, that value of TDP still signifies the peak power consumption. For the processors we test at AnandTech, either desktop, notebook, or enterprise, this is not always the case.

Modern high-performance processors implement a feature called Turbo. This allows, usually for a limited time, a processor to go beyond its rated frequency. Exactly how far the processor goes depends on a few factors, such as the Turbo Power Limit (PL2), whether the peak frequency is hard coded, the thermals, and the power delivery. Turbo can sometimes be very aggressive, allowing power values 2.5x above the rated TDP.

AMD and Intel have different definitions for TDP that are, broadly speaking, applied the same. The difference comes from turbo modes, turbo limits, turbo budgets, and how the processors manage that power balance. These topics are 10000-12000 word articles in their own right, and we’ve got a few articles worth reading on the topic.

• Why Intel Processors Draw More Power Than Expected: TDP and Turbo Explained
• Talking TDP, Turbo and Overclocking: An Interview with Intel Fellow Guy Therien
• Reaching for Turbo: Aligning Perception with AMD’s Frequency Metrics
• Intel’s TDP Shenanigans Hurts Everyone

Ignoring the fact (only for a moment) that the Ryzen 7 7800X3D has a massive 96 MB of L3 cache that's packaged onto the die through their 3D V-Cache packaging technology, the power efficiency on display from an 8-core part is impressive. Even compared to AMD's own 6-core Ryzen 5 7600 with a base TDP of 65 W, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D pulled 82 W at full load, a whole 8 W watts less than the lower-powered chip. The Ryzen 7 7800X3D has a default TDP of 120 W, while the Power Package Tracking (PPT) allows up to 162 W of power to be drawn directly from the CPU socket.

Going further into our analysis of the Ryzen 7 7800X3D, we can see that under Prime95 at full load, power is consistently delivered to the chip. Aside from the ramp up at the beginning of the test and the ramp down at the end, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D consistently drew between 80 W and 82.3 W for the duration of our test. This is at default settings, and there's a small chance that removing all of the PPT/EDC/TDC limits within AMD's Ryzen Master overclocking utility might allow for more power from the socket.

Any additional power is not likely to be a great amount, if any at all. This is because AMD's 3D V-Cache is quite sensitive to voltage. As a result of this, AMD has locked down ALL of the AMD Ryzen 7000X3D chips outside of Precision Boost Overdrive and applied AMD EXPO memory profiles, which is also technically overclocking.

When we examined the performance of the AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D during gaming, we noticed some intriguing power-related findings. We ran F1 2022 for one lap at high settings in both 1080p and 4K resolutions. Despite using the same settings, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D consumed more power at 4K compared to 1080p. During our 1080p testing, the CPU power varied between 30 and 42 watts throughout the lap. However, when we switched to 4K, the CPU power was higher, ranging between 32 and 58 Watts depending on the CPU load at different points of the lap.

When comparing the AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D to the more expensive Ryzen 9 7950X3D, we noticed that the latter draws the most power when gaming at 1080p in F1 2022 with high settings. This is because 1080p is a resolution that relies more on CPU power than GPU power. During our testing, we observed power levels ranging between 71 and 76 watts on the 7950X3D at 1080p. However, when we switched to 4K, which is more GPU-dependent, the power draw on the 7950X ranged between 55 and 70 watts during our test run.

The behavior of the AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D while gaming becomes even more intriguing and slightly strange, as it draws more power from the CPU at 4K than at 1080p. Although we cannot determine the exact reason for this, we do know that some CPU-driven visual effects in modern games are resolution sensitive, meaning there are edge cases where portions of the CPU workload can increase.

In terms of power efficiency, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D outperforms the Ryzen 9 7950X3D. Despite this, both chips displayed almost identical performance in our 1080p and 4K F1 2022 test results. You can see more detailed information about this in our gaming-specific data.

Office/Web

In the office and web-based section of our CPU suite, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D, we started to get similar vibes to how the Ryzen 7 5800X3D performed last year compared to the competition. In our UL Proycon Office benchmark, we didn't see the expected performance levels as the 8C/16T Ryzen 7 7700 outperformed the more expensive chip here. The Ryzen 7 7800X3D did perform better in the photo editing section of the UL Procyon suite, although it was only marginally better than the Ryzen 7 7700.

CPU Benchmark Performance: Science

Our Science section covers all the tests that typically resemble more scientific-based workloads and instruction sets. For our 2023 CPU suite, we've also added SciMark 2.0 which measures numerical kernels and various computational routines found in numeric coding.

We are using DDR5 memory on the Ryzen 7 78000X3D and the other Ryzen 7000 series we've tested. This also includes Intel's 13th and 12th Gen processors. We tested the aforementioned platforms with the following settings:

• DDR5-5600B CL46 - Intel 13th Gen
• DDR5-5200 CL44 - Ryzen 7000
• DDR5-4800 (B) CL40 - Intel 12th Gen

All other CPUs such as Ryzen 5000 and 3000 were tested at the relevant JEDEC settings as per the processor's individual memory support with DDR4.

Science

Looking at the performance of the Ryzen 7 7800X3D in our scientific-based workload testing, we can see that the 7800X3D is comparable to its lower-powered and 3D V-Cacheless Ryzen 7 7700 sibling. As we would expect from a newer chip, we can see that the Zen 4-based Ryzen 7 7800X3D for the most part beats out the Zen 3-based Ryzen 7 5800X3D. 

CPU Benchmark Performance: Simulation

Simulation and Science have a lot of overlap in the benchmarking world. The benchmarks that fall under Science have a distinct use for the data they output – in our Simulation section, these act more like synthetics but at some level are still trying to simulate a given environment.

In the encrypt/decrypt scenario, how data is transferred and by what mechanism is pertinent to on-the-fly encryption of sensitive data - a process by which more modern devices are leaning to for software security.

We are using DDR5 memory on the Ryzen 7 78000X3D and the other Ryzen 7000 series we've tested. This also includes Intel's 13th and 12th Gen processors. We tested the aforementioned platforms with the following settings:

• DDR5-5600B CL46 - Intel 13th Gen
• DDR5-5200 CL44 - Ryzen 7000
• DDR5-4800 (B) CL40 - Intel 12th Gen

All other CPUs such as Ryzen 5000 and 3000 were tested at the relevant JEDEC settings as per the processor's individual memory support with DDR4.

Simulation

In the testing of our Dwarf Fortress benchmark, AMD's PPM and 3D V-Cache Optimizer drivers failed to detect that the Ryzen 9 7950X3D was running a gaming-focused simulation. However, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D with only one CCD was able to deliver outstanding performance in this benchmark. Similarly, in our Factorio benchmark, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D dominated and surpassed the previous Ryzen 7 5800X3D chip, as expected.

While the Ryzen 7 7800X3D did exhibit some limitations in other simulation-based tests, it's worth noting that this CPU was primarily designed for gaming and not for content creation. Therefore, we can excuse its lack of compute power in these tests. This is similar to what we observed in our Ryzen 7 5800X3D review when compared to its competitors.

CPU Benchmark Performance: Rendering And Encoding

Rendering tests, compared to others, are often a little more simple to digest and automate. All the tests put out some sort of score or time, usually in an obtainable way that makes it fairly easy to extract. These tests are some of the most strenuous in our list, due to the highly threaded nature of rendering and ray-tracing, and can draw a lot of power.

If a system is not properly configured to deal with the thermal requirements of the processor, the rendering benchmarks are where it would show most easily as the frequency drops over a sustained period of time. Most benchmarks in this case are re-run several times, and the key to this is having an appropriate idle/wait time between benchmarks to allow for temperatures to normalize from the last test.

One of the interesting elements of modern processors is encoding performance. This covers two main areas: encryption/decryption for secure data transfer, and video transcoding from one video format to another.

In the encrypt/decrypt scenario, how data is transferred and by what mechanism is pertinent to on-the-fly encryption of sensitive data - a process by which more modern devices are leaning to for software security.

We are using DDR5 memory on the Ryzen 7 78000X3D and the other Ryzen 7000 series we've tested. This also includes Intel's 13th and 12th Gen processors. We tested the aforementioned platforms with the following settings:

• DDR5-5600B CL46 - Intel 13th Gen
• DDR5-5200 CL44 - Ryzen 7000
• DDR5-4800 (B) CL40 - Intel 12th Gen

All other CPUs such as Ryzen 5000 and 3000 were tested at the relevant JEDEC settings as per the processor's individual memory support with DDR4.

Rendering

As expected, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D delivered the performance we anticipated in our rendering tests. While we did observe instances where the performance was similar to that of the Ryzen 7 7700, the most significant takeaway was that the Ryzen 7 7800X3D outperformed the Ryzen 7 5800X3D, as it is the direct successor to that CPU.

Encoding

When we examine the encoding performance of the Ryzen 7 7800X3D, we see that it performs on par with the Ryzen 7 7700. Additionally, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D is competing with Intel's Core i5-13600K, which is still less expensive but is a more versatile chip with 14C/20T.

CPU Benchmark Performance: Legacy Tests

In order to gather data to compare with older benchmarks, we are still keeping a number of tests under our ‘legacy’ section. This includes all the former major versions of CineBench (R15, R11.5, R10) as well as Geekbench 4 and 5. We won’t be transferring the data over from the old testing into Bench, otherwise, it would be populated with 200 CPUs with only one data point, so it will fill up as we test more CPUs like the others.

We are using DDR5 memory on the Ryzen 7 78000X3D and the other Ryzen 7000 series we've tested. This also includes Intel's 13th and 12th Gen processors. We tested the aforementioned platforms with the following settings:

• DDR5-5600B CL46 - Intel 13th Gen
• DDR5-5200 CL44 - Ryzen 7000
• DDR5-4800 (B) CL40 - Intel 12th Gen

All other CPUs such as Ryzen 5000 and 3000 were tested at the relevant JEDEC settings as per the processor's individual memory support with DDR4.

Legacy

Our legacy testing focuses on older benchmarks with outdated workloads, but the performance is still relevant. The Ryzen 7 7800X3D performs similarly to the Ryzen 7 7700 processor and lands somewhere in the middle of our performance charts. The 7800X3D has enough processing power to handle tasks, but it doesn't quite surpass many of the non-X3D-based chips with +0/+2/-2 core counts.

Gaming Performance: 720p And Lower

The reason we test games in CPU reviews at lower resolutions such as 720p and below is simple; titles are more likely to be CPU bound than they are GPU bound at lower resolutions. This means there are more frames for the processor to process as opposed to the graphics card doing the majority of the heavy lifting.

There are some variances where some games will still use graphical power, but not as much CPU grunt at these smaller resolutions, and this is where we can show where CPU limitations lie in terms of gaming.

We are using DDR5 memory on the Ryzen 7 78000X3D and the other Ryzen 7000 series we've tested. This also includes Intel's 13th and 12th Gen processors. We tested the aforementioned platforms with the following settings:

• DDR5-5600B CL46 - Intel 13th Gen
• DDR5-5200 CL44 - Ryzen 7000
• DDR5-4800 (B) CL40 - Intel 12th Gen

All other CPUs such as Ryzen 5000 and 3000 were tested at the relevant JEDEC settings as per the processor's individual memory support with DDR4.

Civilization VI

World of Tanks

Borderlands 3

Grand Theft Auto V

Red Dead Redemption 2

F1 2022

Hitman 3

Total War: Warhammer 3

Now let's talk about gaming tests, which is where the Ryzen 7 7800X3D really shines. At 720p resolution, where a strong CPU matters more than a high-end graphics card, this processor performs exceptionally well. It outperforms the Ryzen 7 7700 and can even compete with higher core count chips such as the Ryzen 9 7950X and the Core i9-13900K in certain games. Overall, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D delivers impressive 720p gaming performance.

Gaming Performance: 1080p

Moving along, here's a look at a more balanced gaming scenario, running games at 1080p with maximum image quality.

We are using DDR5 memory on the Ryzen 7 78000X3D and the other Ryzen 7000 series we've tested. This also includes Intel's 13th and 12th Gen processors. We tested the aforementioned platforms with the following settings:

• DDR5-5600B CL46 - Intel 13th Gen
• DDR5-5200 CL44 - Ryzen 7000
• DDR5-4800 (B) CL40 - Intel 12th Gen

All other CPUs such as Ryzen 5000 and 3000 were tested at the relevant JEDEC settings as per the processor's individual memory support with DDR4.

Civilization VI

World of Tanks

Borderlands 3

Grand Theft Auto V

Red Dead Redemption 2

F1 2022

Hitman 3

Total War: Warhammer 3

When gaming at 1080p, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D delivers phenomenal performance for its $449 price tag, especially in titles that can take advantage of its large pool of L3 cache, such as Hitman 3 and Borderlands 3. Its gaming performance is on par with that of the more expensive Ryzen 9 7950X3D ($699), which is not surprising considering they are essentially the same chip except that the 7800X3D has one CCD instead of two. All in all, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D impresses with its performance and sets a high standard for its competitors.

Gaming Performance: 1440p

In our Ryzen 7000 series review, we saw users commenting about testing games for CPU reviews at 1440p, so we have duly obliged here. Those interested in 1440p performance with minimal image quality – particularly the esports crowd – will be glad to know that we will be testing at this resolution going forward into 2023 and beyond.

We are using DDR5 memory on the Ryzen 7 78000X3D and the other Ryzen 7000 series we've tested. This also includes Intel's 13th and 12th Gen processors. We tested the aforementioned platforms with the following settings:

• DDR5-5600B CL46 - Intel 13th Gen
• DDR5-5200 CL44 - Ryzen 7000
• DDR5-4800 (B) CL40 - Intel 12th Gen

All other CPUs such as Ryzen 5000 and 3000 were tested at the relevant JEDEC settings as per the processor's individual memory support with DDR4.

Civilization VI

Borderlands 3

Grand Theft Auto V

Red Dead Redemption 2

F1 2022

Hitman 3

Total War: Warhammer 3

Moving up to 1440p, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D still delivers excellent performance, although the focus shifts more towards the graphics card than the CPU. It performs consistently well and, in most cases, even slightly outperforms the Ryzen 9 7950X3D, especially in games like Borderlands 3 and Hitman 3. The Ryzen 7 7800X3D also excels against other competitors that can take advantage of its large 96 MB L3 cache. In these scenarios, the 7800X3D emerges as the clear winner. Overall, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D continues to impress even at 1440p.

Gaming Performance: 4K

Last, we have our 4K gaming results.

We are using DDR5 memory on the Ryzen 7 78000X3D and the other Ryzen 7000 series we've tested. This also includes Intel's 13th and 12th Gen processors. We tested the aforementioned platforms with the following settings:

• DDR5-5600B CL46 - Intel 13th Gen
• DDR5-5200 CL44 - Ryzen 7000
• DDR5-4800 (B) CL40 - Intel 12th Gen

All other CPUs such as Ryzen 5000 and 3000 were tested at the relevant JEDEC settings as per the processor's individual memory support with DDR4.

Civilization VI

World of Tanks

Borderlands 3

Grand Theft Auto V

Red Dead Redemption 2

F1 2022

Hitman 3

Total War: Warhammer 3

At resolutions of 4K and above, graphics card performance has a bigger impact on overall performance than the processor, regardless of the number of CPU cores or their speed. Although the Ryzen 7 7800X3D still performs well at these resolutions, it doesn't have as much of an advantage as it does at lower resolutions. Our testing shows that most of the CPUs we've tested perform similarly when paired with a high-end graphics card like the AMD Radeon RX 6950 XT. Even in games where lower resolutions benefit from the additional L3 cache, it doesn't have as significant an impact on performance at 4K.

In summary, while the Ryzen 7 7800X3D still performs well at 4K resolutions, it doesn't have as much of an advantage as it does at lower resolutions, and the graphics card has a bigger impact on overall performance. Our testing suggests that a premium graphics card is essential for achieving good framerates at 4K, regardless of your CPU.

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.