AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D Game Performance
We are going to focus on the 4K, 1440p, and 1080p gameplay performance with the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D CPU on this page, without Ray Tracing. Ray Tracing will be tested on the following page. The common GPU used for every CPU is an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Founders Edition video card. For CPU comparisons we are including the Intel Core i9-13900K, AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, and AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D CPUs. Each graph has all three resolutions on each CPU included, but the order and sorting do not change in each graph. You can look at the framerate between CPUs at each resolution. Games are in order from most recent, to least recent.
Returnal
Returnal was launched on the PC in February of 2023 and is based on Unreal Engine 4. The game supports real-time ray tracing effects, particle systems, and volumetric rendering. We utilize the graphics preset to set EPIC graphics settings with unlocked framerate, and everything is enabled except ray tracing, we have screen-space reflections on. We use the built-in benchmark.
In Returnal, we are running the game at Epic game settings, and right off the bat performance is flat even at 4K, with no difference between any CPUs, as we’d mostly expect. However, once we get to 1440p and 1080p, we do see differences. Overall, the Ryzen 7 5800X3D has the slowest performance, and we see the best performance on the newer AMD Zen 4 architecture and Intel Raptor Lake. Even the Ryzen 9 7950X has a good boost in performance over the 5800X3D at 1080p, by 5%. The new AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D has a smaller 2% lead over the Ryzen 9 7950X, so that isn’t huge. Interestingly, the Intel Core i9-13900K edges out the Ryzen 9 7950X3D at both 1440p and 1080p by a slight margin. The Ryzen 9 7950X3D has a 7% performance advantage over the older Ryzen 7 5800X3D at 1080p.
Forspoken
Forspoken was released on January 24th, 2023, on the PC and uses the Luminous Engine. The game supports all upscaling methods, including NVIDIA DLSS, AMD FSR, Intel XeSS, and Ray Tracing. We are going to customize the settings and enable the highest graphics settings, including Ultra High Texture Memory. We use the built-in benchmark.
In Forspoken we are running the game at the highest in-game settings, sans ray tracing. We only see a 1FPS difference at 4K, and it is the Ryzen 9 7950X3D and 13900K holding this one FPS advantage. However, once again we do see differences at both 1440p and 1080p between the CPUs. The Ryzen 7 5800X3D again has a slower performance, whereas the Ryzen 9 7950X has a 4% performance advantage over it. The Ryzen 9 7950X has a lesser advantage over the Ryzen 9 7950X, only 1% at 1080p, which is pretty small. It is again the Intel Core i9-13900K which actually has the fastest performance at 1440p and 1080p, and a 2% performance advantage over the Ryzen 9 7950X3D and a 3% advantage over the Ryzen 9 7950X. The Ryzen 9 7950X3D has a 5% advantage over the Ryzen 7 5800X3D.
Call of Duty Modern Warfare II
Call of Duty Modern Warfare II was released on October 27, 2022, on the PC and uses the IW 9.0 gaming engine. The game supports all upscaling methods, including NVIDIA DLSS, NVIDIA Image Scaling, AMD FSR 1.0, AMD Fidelity FX CAS, and Intel XeSS. We use the highest quality option of each. We customize every graphics setting to the maximum value for the best image quality and enable everything. We use the built-in benchmark.
In Call of Duty Modern Warfare II we are playing with maximum graphics settings, and we see a little difference at 4K between the Ryzen 7 5800X3D and the other CPUs. The Ryzen 7 5800X3D is slower at 4K and 1440p, and the Ryzen 7 7900X seems to be 2% faster at 4K and 1440p, but similar at 1080p. The new Ryzen 9 7950X3D has the same performance as the Ryzen 9 7950X at 4K and 1440p, but is less than a percent faster at 1080p, so compared to the Ryzen 9 7950X it is the same performance. Again we find the Intel Core i9-13900K is the faster CPU, at 4K, 1440p, and more at 1080p. The 13900K is 1% faster than the 7950X3D at all three resolutions, but it is still overall very close. The Ryzen 9 7950X3D is at most 2% faster than the Ryzen 7 5800X3D.
F1 2022
F1 2022 was released on June 28th, 2022 on the PC and uses Codemasters Ego engine. The game supports Ray Tracing, DLSS, AMD FidelityFX, and FSR. We are going to run the game with the highest quality settings of “Ultra High” and TAA+FidelityFX. We will enable DLSS and FSR as needed at the Quality setting for both. We will utilize the built-in benchmark in the Imola track, in dry conditions with a far-chasing cam.
F1 2022 is the first game where we have had a very significant difference in performance with the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D compared to other CPUs. It shows a clear advantage in this game at 1440p and 1080p, though the Ryzen 7 5800X3D is somewhat faster at 4K which is interesting. The Ryzen 9 7950X3D is 1% faster than the 7950X at 1440p, but at 1080p the 7950X3D is 7% faster, and that is the largest difference in performance we’ve seen yet between the CPUs. The 7950X3D is 11% faster than the Ryzen 7 5800X3D at 1080p, but at 4K the 5800X3D is 2% faster. In this game, the Intel Core i9-13900K is on par with the Ryzen 9 7950X, except at 1080p where the Ryzen 9 7950X is 9% faster than the 13900K.
Dying Light 2
Dying Light 2 was released in February 2022 on the PC and uses Techland’s C-Engine. The game supports Ray Tracing, DLSS, and FSR2. We have updated the game to the 1.90 patch. We use the built-in preset to set “HIGH QUALITY” which sets the highest game graphics, without Ray Tracing. We manually enable DX12 and ASYNC Compute. We use the built-in benchmark.
In Dying Light 2 we see some differences at 1440p and 1080p, but less so at 4K. The Ryzen 7 5800X3D is slightly behind at 4K though, whereas the newer Zen 4 and Raptor Lake CPU does better. At 1440p and 1080p the Ryzen 9 7950X3D is 2% faster than the Ryzen 9 7950X. However, the Intel Core i9-13900K is even faster at 1080p. The 13900K is 2% faster than the Ryzen 9 7950X3D and 4% faster than the Ryzen 9 7950X. The Ryzen 9 7950X3D is at most only 2% faster than the 5800X3D.
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Extraction
Rainbow Six Extraction was released in January of 2022 and is based on the Ubisoft Anvil game engine. We have the game running at the highest in-game settings and have installed the HD Textures pack. We are using the built-in benchmark.
We actually see some pretty big differences between CPUs in Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Extraction. First and foremost, the CPUs with the larger L3 caches, are performing better in this game at every resolution, even 4K. The Ryzen 7 5800X3D has performance that matches or bests the Ryzen 9 7950X3D and Intel Core i9-13900K. The Ryzen 9 7950X falls behind in this game, where its smaller cache does affect performance even at 4K, and the fact is the 5800X3D keeps up better. The new Ryzen 9 7950X3D is 6% faster than the 7950X at 4K, 11% faster at 1440p, and 2% faster at 1080p. The Ryzen 9 7950X3D is a bit behind the 5800X3D at 4K, equal at 1440p and the 5800X3D actually takes the lead over the 7950X3D by 13% which is interesting. The Intel Core i9-13900K does very well in this game, actually pulling ahead of the 7950X3D slightly at 4K and 1440p and a larger degree at 1080p by 13%. In fact, the Intel Core i9-13900K is matching the 5800X3D at 1080p.
Far Cry 6
Far Cry 6 was released in October of 2021 and uses the Dunia Engine. We utilize the built-in benchmark for testing. We have the HD Texture pack installed and turned on. We utilize the “Ultra” graphics preset which sets all options to the highest game settings. This game supports FSR upscaling.
Far Cry 6 is another game where we see some very distinctive differences in CPU performance. In our own testing, we have found this game to be CPU sensitive. The Ryzen 9 7950X3D and Intel Core i9-13900K have clear advantages in performance compared to the Ryzen 9 7950X and Ryzen 7 5800X3D. It is really telling how well the older generation Ryzen 7 5800X3D is holding up honestly, it is a testament to that L3 cache on it that it can match Ryzen 9 7950X performance in this game. The new Ryzen 9 7950X3D is 9% faster than the Ryzen 9 7950X at 1440p and 13% faster at 1080p. The Ryzen 9 7950X3D is 13% faster than the Ryzen 7 5800X3D at 1440p and 15% faster at 1080p. The Intel Core i9-13900K is even faster than the Ryzen 9 7950X3D at 4K, 1440p, and 1080p. At 4K the 13900K is 5% faster than the 7950X3D, at 1440p it is 6% faster and at 1080p it is 4% faster.
Cyberpunk 2077
Cyberpunk 2077 was released in December of 2020 and uses the REDengine 4. We have the game patched to version 1.61 and utilize the built-in benchmark. We test using the Graphics Preset option to set graphics settings, mainly “Ultra”. This game supports DLSS and FSR2.
In Cyberpunk 2077 we are still completely GPU bound at 4K and see no difference between any CPU. We also appear to be more GPU bound at 1440p as well, though the Intel Core i9-13900K has a 1% advantage over the 7950X and 5800X3D. At 1080p though, we do find some differences. The Ryzen 9 7950X3D has the same performance as the Intel Core i9-13900K. The Ryzen 9 7950X3D is 6% faster than the Ryzen 9 7950X at 1080p and 13% faster than the Ryzen 7 5800X3D at 1080p.
Discussion (19 replies)
Join Discussion →Thank you Brent for the wonderful article. Kinda glad I stuck with my 7700X for my office machine. It's a very nice CPU for what I use it for. Going with the 7800X3D wouldn't be that much of a bump at all it would seem.
We don't know how the 7800X3D will be yet. Considering it only has 1 CCD to worry about, it could be much more efficient, with less latency, and just the bees knees ?♂️ My prediction will be it will be very power efficient. I do worry about the frequency difference, however, for productivity.
Seems like if you're already on a 5800X3D it's not much, if at all, an upgrade. At least for gaming at 1440 or 4K.
Thanks @Brent_Justice for the great review and now I can't wait until the one for the 7800X3D.
I forgot to bring this up in the review, so I'll add it here:
This CPU may potentially not be a good CPU for multi-tasking while gaming, for example, streamers or content creators recording gameplay and streaming at the same time. Since it parks cores while gaming, this could potentially reduce the multi-tasking ability while gaming. Streaming and recording performance could be affected. The entire point of a 16-core CPU could be compromised under such circumstances. My addendum to this is that I have not tested this scenario, and I have no proof that this is true. It is a theory and subject worth discussing.
Really looking at this cpu/motherboard/ram upgrade requirement to come from a previous gen... this gen just feels like a skip for me. My 5900x is trucking along just fine and not feeling like a bottleneck at 1440p at all.
The power usage is the most impressive part but other than that it is a bit of a meh. Why spend the cash to help AMD and MS beta test this scheduler stuff in win10/11? Much like with e-cores of 12th gen Intel last year.
Power usage is impressive, but are we really impressed? It's turning off cores, and running at lower frequencies, and is capped at a lower temp of 89c, and has a lowered TDP, should a lower power profile really surprise or impress under those circumstances? If it could maintain the same clock as 7950X, and keep all cores running at the same time, and still have less power, I'd be more impressed by that.
Minimum FPS always determines playability. In games that benefit from the added cache, the 5800X3D showed much of its benefit in min FPS. We can't draw a conclusion on Zen4 X3D without mins.
I wonder how much MS paid AMD to gimp their CPU by making it rely on XBox Game Bar. Inexcusable.
I think this will depend significantly on what 'streaming' means. The combination of layout tools, audio tools, endpoints, GPU hardware and GPU acceleration used, all would factor in.
For the 'pros', having only eight cores enabled while streaming is probably not going to be an issue. They'll have a workflow set up that leverages hardware processing before (audio equipment with DSPs for major processing steps, to limit VST use in OBS, for example), and after (using an external/secondary box for recording and streaming live). For these folks quality, ease of use (though not necessarily setup and troubleshooting), and reliability are paramount.
If there's a limitation to be found, I expect it to be found first by those trying to do all of this on the same box, 'in the box'. I'd balance that with the knowledge that a 7600X is plenty fast for 'gaming', so a 7950X3D with one CCD disabled or the future 7800X3D will both probably have enough grunt to spare, especially if GPU encoding is leveraged properly.
Since AMD is able to keep performance up while reducing power usage - well, that's impressive. They did so while adding cache and increasing complexity.
Granted there's a pretty clear line drawn from decreased clockspeeds and voltages to lower power usage, and it looks like the 3D V-cache CCD is being binned for lower leakage, which should result in better efficiency at lower clockspeeds. So not inexplicable, but going in the right direction.
No need for conspiracy theories - AMD has been open about working with Microsoft to implement appropriate scheduling behavior for games on their dual-CCD parts that have one 3D V-cache-bearing die. From the benchmarks we've seen, while not perfect at launch (what is?), the solution is certainly working as intended, when it's working as intended.
Also note that AMD needs a software-based solution, since their scheduler isn't implemented in hardware (like Intel's P+E core solution), and that Intel still needed to work with OS developers to ensure that the P+E core arrangement was also supported.
For a personal example, while trying to run the FSPR Handbrake benchmark, I found that my 12700K running on Windows 10 last year would not properly schedule the Handbrake encode. This resulted in performance over an order of magnitude slower than expected, and I begrudgingly upgraded to Windows 11. I believe that this functionality has been backported to Windows 10 since, but as I've made 11 work for my needs, I haven't gone back and tested it.
As for 'why the Xbox Game Bar', well, I guess we should ask, how else should they have done it? How should it be exposed to gamers?
The AMD Chipset driver is required - that seems to be a good place for it.
I go to AMD Adrenalin software for my AMD video card settings. AMD has Precision Boost Overdrive for CPUs. None of that requires any XBox bullshit from Windows.
I'm still keeping an eye on this one but I'm not as enthusiastic about it as I was before. Here's hoping some updates, wherever they need to be, help it reach more of its potential. Since most of my builds end up running close to 10 years a pop I was hoping this, or the 7900X3D would be the platform to build my next with. The 7800X3D is sounding promising but I just don't know. Meanwhile, prices to do something with a 13900K keep dropping.
There's not an urgent benefit for you to upgrade from your 5800X3D. At least according to current benches. A couple titles it's better, but for the most part at 1440 and 4k there isn't much of a difference.
Unless productivity apps are more important to you. In which case, yeah, a huge improvement.
It's all good. I was thinking of a completely new build to replace the 4930K rig with but the intent is that whatever comes next is built to perform as needed for the next 7-10 years.
Here's the house layout:
1. 5800X3D is the main rig in the living room.
2. 3700X is in the bedroom
3. 4930K is in the cave.
Basically whatever comes next will push 5800X3D to the cave and it'll go in the living room as the new main rig. GPU-wise, the jury is totally out until we hear more about what's next.
@Brent_Justice Thanks for the great review. I noticed on page 2 that your screenshot of the Xbox Game Bar overlay menu is from a camera. Yeah, I ran into the same issue as well. You can't take screenshots of the Game Bar. Pretty annoying. Gotta grab your phone or another camera and literally take a picture of your display's screen.
I agree 100%. I'm kinda disappointed only one CCD gets the 3D cache. The CPU I would most likely get for myself would be the 7900X3D, but that has the same issue as the 7950X3D, with the 3D cache only being on one CCD. I don't like asymmetrical designs. Intel can f*ck off with their big.LITTLE P-core/E-core bullsh1t. Like I think most enthusiasts, I'm excited to see how the 7800X3D turns out. Although Brent brought up a good point in his review, the 3D cache has far less impact compared to the regular 7950X than the 5800X3D did compared to the 5800X. We still need to see how the 7900X3D and 7800X3D turn out, but I think overall the 3D cache matters a lot less for Zen 4 than it did for Zen 3. I don't think the price jump over the non-3D CPUs is worth it, at least for the 7950X3D.
I usually keep Xbox Game Bar disabled, but I guess if I had one of these Zen 4 X3D CPUs I would have to re-enable it.
AMD software to make sure the OS and applications are using the right CCDs appropriately reminds me of AMD's Dual Core Optimizer software back when they came out with their first dual-core CPUs. I had to use that software on my Opteron 165 system. I remember back then also having to disable one of the cores for some games, cuz games at the time would get confused when they saw two cores (or two physical CPUs), which would result in worse performance, crashes, or odd behavior.
TechPowerUp said in their review: "It seems that the game detection failed in some titles like Spider-Man and God of War, which post higher numbers when we override the AMD software and use the 'prefer cache' BIOS setting. If you encounter such a case, it's really easy to fix though. Press Win+G to open Microsoft Game Bar overlay, click on settings and tick the 'remember this is a game' checkbox. Done! No fiddling with executable names or the registry. Still, I suspect that a vast majority of people will not be aware of this solution, or even the fact that the game detection might not work on all games, that's why AMD must ensure they track down these cases and fix them quickly."
So I assume you can do the same thing with a new game that is not in the KGL game list, and just add it yourself.
I heard rumors that Zen 5 is gonna be quite the difference in CPU architecture, while Zen 4 was still basically just an upgrade of the Zen 3 and 2 design. Maybe you should wait to check out the Zen 5s, if you want to build a system to last 10 years. I hope all Zen 5 CPU models get 3D cache, and on all CCDs. My current system is the first one that I kept using for almost a decade (gonna be 9 years old this coming Fall), usually I move to a new system after about 4 years. I didn't plan things that way though, it just kinda happened cuz I'm broke! LAWLZ