Conclusion
AMD has the AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D, the true successor to the very popular Ryzen 7 5800X3D among gamers. Gamers loved that CPU, in fact, it was the preferred CPU to buy for gaming because it provided the best balance of pricing, performance, and cores for gamers. The AMD 3D V-Cache did wonders for the Zen 3 architecture and propelled that CPU to new heights that gamers are still enjoying in today’s games. So could AMD do it again? Could AMD strike twice with the Ryzen 7 7800X3D in this Zen 4 generation?
The Ryzen 7 7800X3D is based on the Zen 4 architecture with 8 cores/16 threads and 96MB of L3 3D V-Cache. The CPU has a boost clock of 5.0GHz and a TDP of 120W. This differs from the Ryzen 7 7700X in that it does have a lower boost clock, the Ryzen 7 7700X can boost up to 5.4GHz also with 8 cores/16 threads, but a lot less L3 cache, both CPUs have the same amount of L2 cache, the 7700X also has a lower TDP of 105W, but the 7800X3D has a lower TjMax temperature target of 89c as well.
The two CPUs are also priced differently, with the 7700X having an MSRP of $399, while the new Ryzen 7 7800X3D comes in at $449. It is important to note that the Ryzen 7 5800X3D also came in at this price point of $449. The Ryzen 7 5800X3D also had a lower boost clock than the Ryzen 7 5800X, but not as drastically as the difference is between the 7700X and 7800X3D.
Performance
In our performance testing today, we tested all three resolutions of 1080p, 1440p, and 4K. We feel that it is important to take a look at all three so that we get the big picture on performance and so that you, as the buyer of these products can determine what resolution and performance targets you are after. It is our job to provide all the data we can and let you decide what is important to your needs.
1080p results better represent how CPU performance scales as it lessens the burden on the GPU and makes the testing more CPU bound. At 1080p we get a better prediction of how CPUs will perform in the future in future games with future GPUs. As you move up in resolution, you become more GPU bound, however, it is not always black and white, there are shades of grey where even at 1440p we see CPU affecting performance. At 4K you are mostly GPU bound, but we also recognize that 4K is a real-world resolution that people actually play games at, and thus is relevant as a data point. Therefore, we include all three resolutions.
Let’s start with the 1080p results because those are the most fun, and shows how the CPU truly scales. In Returnal the Ryzen 7 7800X3D was 3% faster than the 7700X and 13600K and 5% faster than the 5800X3D. In Forspoken the Ryzen 7 7800X3D was 2% faster than the Ryzen 7 7700X and 2% faster than the Intel Core i5-13600K and 4% faster than the Ryzen 7 5800X3D. In F1 2022 the Ryzen 7 7800X3D was 6% faster than the 7700X, 8% faster than the 5800X3D, and 18% faster than the 13600K. In Chernobylite Enhanced Edition the Ryzen 7 7800X3D was 4% faster than the 7700X and 11% faster than the 13600K and 15% faster than the 5800X3D. In Dying Light 2 the 7800X3D was 6% faster than the 7700X and 7% faster than the 13600K and 4% faster than the 5800X3D. Far Cry 6 by far had the highest result with the 7800X3D at 25% faster than the 7700X and 17% faster than the 13600K and 23% faster than the 5800X3D. In Cyberpunk 2077 the 7800X3D was 6% faster than the 13600K and 14% faster than the 7700X.
Though we saw the largest gains at 1080p, naturally, we did see some notable gains at 1440p as well. In Forspoken the Ryzen 7 7800X3D was 1% faster than the 7700X and 13600K and 3% faster than the 5800X3D. In F1 2022 the 7800X3D was 3% faster than the 7700X and 6% faster than the 13600K. In Chernobylite Enhanced Edition the 7800X3D was 3% faster than the 7700X and 5% faster than the 13600K. In Dying Light 2 the 7800X3D was 2% faster than the 7700X and 13600K. In Far Cry 6 again 1440p was impressive with the 7800X3D at 18% faster than the 7700X and 11% faster than the 13600K and 17% faster than the 5800X3D. In Cyberpunk 2077 the 7800X3D was also slightly faster than the 7700X.
At 4K, we are mostly GPU bound and there are no large differences in performance. However, we still did note the occasional one or two FPS differences. In Forspoken, the 7800X3D was a frame faster. It was also faster and matched the 5800X3D in F1 2022. In Chernobylite Enhanced Edition the 7800X3D was a good 3FPS faster than the 7700X at 4K. In Cyberpunk, it matched the 13600K at 4K.
Final Points
Gamers everywhere have been waiting to see how AMD’s new Ryzen 7 7800X3D stacks up in gaming performance. We asked the question at the top of this page if the Ryzen 7 7800X3D is a worthy successor to the Ryzen 7 5800X3D. We absolutely feel that the Ryzen 7 7800X3D is a worthy successor, but with a caveat. That caveat is that from our testing of the Ryzen 9 7950X3D, and now the Ryzen 7 7800X3D we have come to the conclusion that the new Zen 4 architecture is itself so much more efficient than the Zen 3 architecture that 3D V-Cache is not doing as much for the Zen 4 architecture as it did for the Zen 3 architecture.
The Zen 3 architecture was held back quite a bit, and the 3D V-Cache on that architecture made up for its shortcomings in big ways. However, Zen 4 is so much more improved and also has double the L2 cache, which helps a lot, that while 3D V-Cache does make a difference, it is to a smaller degree than it did on the Zen 3 architecture. Don’t get us wrong though, it does and can still help, and could make an even bigger impact on future games and future GPUs that will be so much faster.
We don’t think we’ve fully reached the full potential of 3D V-Cache on Zen 4 yet, and even with a GeForce RTX 4090 ultimately the GPU may in fact be holding back the full potential of Zen 4 3D V-Cache CPUs, which means prepare for even more performance as time goes on. This was proven with the Ryzen 7 5800X3D which from launch, to now, has held its own in modern gaming performance providing as much performance as Intel’s latest Raptor Lake 13th Gen CPUs, which is amazing for a Zen 3 CPU! If 3D V-Cache can do that for the Ryzen 7 5800X3D, imagine what it will do a year from now with the Ryzen 7 7800X3D.
The Ryzen 7 7800X3D should remain a top-tier gaming CPU for a long time and have real staying power. In the here and now, it sure doesn’t hurt either, providing competitive performance to Intel’s offerings, and beating the performance of the Ryzen 7 7700X in gaming, despite having a clock speed deficit.
Really, that is the only downside and beef we have with the CPU, the boost clock is lower than we would have wanted. If it had been 5.2GHz instead of 5GHz, it wouldn’t be so bad, but this clock difference between the 7700X (5.4GHz) and 7800X3D (5GHz) is a pretty large downgrade. Now if AMD can ever get a 3D V-Cache CPU to clock the same as the non-3D V-Cache parts, that would be amazing. Imagine if this had been a few hundred MHz faster, it would be pretty amazing. That thought makes us very excited for the next generation of 3D V-Cache CPUs.
As it stands, if you are a gamer, and gaming is your primary use case, you cannot do better than the Ryzen 7 7800X3D. The Ryzen 7 7800X3D is the CPU for gaming, period.