Introduction
AMD launched its Ryzen 9 7950X3D CPU with 3D V-Cache on February 27th, 2023. This $699.00 Zen 4-based CPU takes the Ryzen 7000 series and ups the ante with a large 128MB of L3 cache meant to boost gaming performance. AMD does this by incorporating this extra 3D V-Cache on one of the 8-core CCD dies, while the other 8-core CCD die does not have this built on top. In this way, AMD provides a 16-core/32-thread CPU that is able to boost up to 5.7GHz for normal workloads, but yet can also benefit gaming performance by moving games over the CCD die with the 3D V-Cache.
At 5.7GHz boost, the Ryzen 9 7950X3D matches the boost clock of the Ryzen 9 7950X for work applications. However, the caveat is that this only applies for 8 of the cores, as it is only on that one die without 3D V-Cache that it can boost that high. Therefore, if you are running multi-threading applications that exceed 8-cores, it will utilize the other 8-core CCD that has the 3D V-Cache on it, and that particular CCD will not boost as high.
Therefore the question is, how will the Ryzen 9 7950X3D compare in performance versus the Ryzen 9 7950X when it comes to regular, work-related, and content-related normal, computer applications that are outside of gaming? That is what we will explore in this review. This is a review comparing Ryzen 9 7950X3D versus Ryzen 9 7590X in application benchmarks. If you want to see how these two CPUs shape up in terms of gaming performance, please read our AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D Gaming Performance CPU Review. This review is purely a comparison of application performance comparing multi-threading and single-threading performance.
| Model | Cores/Threads | Boost / Base Frequency | Total Cache | TDP |
| AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D | 16C/32T | Up to 5.7 GHz / 4.2 GHz | 144MB | 120W |
| AMD Ryzen 9 7950X | 16C/32T | Up to 5.7 GHz / 4.5 GHz | 81MB | 170W |
Test Setup
Installation follows the instructions we outlined here. For the AM5 platform, we are using an AMD-provided test platform ASUS ROG CROSSHAIR X670E HERO motherboard with the AMD-provided BIOS 9922 and AMD-provided G.SKILL Trident Z5 Neo DDR5 at 6000MHz and CL30 running in EXPO I and an MSI MEG CORELIQUID S360 AIO cooler. We are using the new AMD-supplied Chipset driver 5.02.16.347 which was installed for the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D and AMD Ryzen 9 7950X.
