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Is the Ryzen 7000X3D series worth it?

While AMD's Ryzen 7800X3D series may prove to be an interesting addition to the CPU market will the chips ultimately be worth the price
Last Updated on April 27, 2023
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The Ryzen 7000X3D series is built to be the best gaming CPUs in the market. This new drop from AMD takes over the steps of the already mythical 5800X3D and improves it by far. If you’re looking for the ultimate gaming CPU for your rig, then you can’t let the new 7000X3D series go by.

AMD revealed amid CES 2023 that it would be extending the 3D V-cache technology to every single one of its 7000-series CPUs. This means that we will have a powerhouse performer such as the Ryzen 9 7950X3D to take care of any game you put against it.

If we keep in mind the advances that the ZEN 4 architecture already represents and add up to the extra L3 cache the X3D tech brings, the performance of the CPUs increases by a lot. With this technology, AMD is capable of providing a more power-efficient CPU that will draw less power while running almost at the same clock speed, but increasing the reading speed thanks to the extra L3 cache that stacks upon the unit.

Ryzen 7000X3D series specs

ModelCores/ThreadsBoost Clock SpeedTDPCache (L2+L3)
Ryzen 9 7950X3D16C/32T5.7 GHz120W144MB
Ryzen 9 7900X3D12C/24T5.6 GHz120W140MB
Ryzen 7 7800X3D8C/16T5.0 GHz120W104MB

But the most impressive part is the L3 cache. Cache memory is used to store frequently-used data, so the CPU can access it quickly without having to go to the main memory. All of the CPUs in the table have a high amount of cache memory, with the Ryzen 9 7950X3D having the most at 144MB.

At CES 2023, AMD pitted its flagship Ryzen 9 7950X3D CPU against Intel’s leading processor of the time, the i9-13900K, in order to demonstrate its capabilities. The benchmark tests were conducted in 1080P resolution using the high image quality setting. According to AMD’s own data, the 7950X3D performed on average 10% faster than the 13900K. However, it remains to be seen if this claim holds true once the X3D CPUs are officially released to the market.

In a comparison test, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D was pitted against its predecessor, the Ryzen 7 5800X3D, using 1080P resolution on the high image quality preset. The results showed that the Ryzen 7 7800X3D outperformed the 5800X3D in all games by a significant margin. Specifically, in Cyberpunk 2077, the 7800X3D achieved a 10% performance increase; in Shadow of the Tomb Raider, it performed 13% better; in Borderlands 3, it saw a 22% improvement; and in F1 2022, it showcased a 25% uplift in performance.

How many cores will the 7950X have?

The AMD Ryzen 7950X is set to come with 16 cores. That’s a seriously high amount which will allow for power intensive tasks such as competitive gaming or video editing.

Do games use more than 4 cores?

Most of the latest games list 4 cores as a minimum requirement. However, this doesn’t mean you’ll get the highest performance with a quad-core CPU. If you’re a competitive gamer or just want to ensure super speedy and accurate gaming, you’d be wise to invest in a CPU with more cores.

Is Ryzen 7 low-end?

Ryzen 7 CPUs are not low end. Although they may not be as powerful as the Intel i9 or Ryzen 9, the AMD Ryzen 7 series still falls around the higher end of computer processors. You’ll get a high amount of power and speed.

Camilo is a contributor for PC Guide. He's been into tech since he was a teen, surfing through the web and local stores trying to find the cheapest way to play the latest Half-Life on his old Windows