AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D review: king of the hill

AMD is fighting pinch itself. The Ryzen 7 9800X3D is nan fastest gaming processor you tin buy, and I don’t deliberation anyone is amazed by that. It’s moreover successful nan moving for 1 of nan best processors you tin bargain acknowledgment to overmuch higher productivity capacity compared to erstwhile generations.

But AMD sits astatine nan apical uncontested, and it’s lonely up location — aliases truthful I hear. The Ryzen 7 9800X3D is faster than its last-gen counterpart, and it blows distant flagships from AMD and Intel erstwhile it comes to games. That’s thing to scoff at, moreover if nan margins aren’t arsenic wide arsenic I’ve travel to expect.

AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D specs

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Specs-wise, nan Ryzen 7 9800X3D isn’t excessively different from nan last-gen Ryzen 7 7800X3D. You’re still getting 8 cores and 16 threads, on pinch a maximum powerfulness tie of 120 watts. Both besides travel pinch 104MB of full cache acknowledgment to AMD’s 3D V-Cache tech. The awesome quality from nan high-level specs is that nan Ryzen 7 9800X3D is clocked somewhat higher, and that reveals a batch astir what’s going connected nether nan hood.

This is nan first 3D V-Cache processor that’s afloat unlocked for overclocking. As pinch erstwhile 3D V-Cache CPUs for illustration nan Ryzen 9 7950X3D, you tin overclock nan spot pinch AMD’s Precision Boost Overdrive (PBO). However, nan Ryzen 7 9800X3D is nan only CPU pinch 3D V-Cache that allows for manual overclocking, arsenic well. You tin tweak your voltages, group your multipliers, and truthful on, which hasn’t been imaginable connected 3D V-Cache CPUs up to this constituent — without immoderate superior modding, astatine least.

That’s because nan Ryzen 7 9800X3D uses “next-gen” 3D V-Cache, according to AMD. Previous CPUs pinch nan tech person stacked nan further cache connected apical of nan CPU die, serving arsenic almost an insolating (in a bad way) furniture betwixt nan CPU cores and nan integrated power spreader (IHS) connected apical of nan processor. The Ryzen 7 9800X3D has nan cache under the CPU cores, giving nan cores nonstop entree to nan IHS. That, according to AMD, allows nan cores to enactment cooler and truthful tally astatine higher timepiece speeds.

Outside of nan cache change, nan Ryzen 7 9800X3D is besides packing nan Zen 5 architecture that we’ve seen successful CPUs for illustration nan Ryzen 9 9950X and Ryzen 9 9900X. There are a batch of changes successful Zen 5, but 1 of nan astir important is simply a 512-bit information way for AVX-512 instructions. There are applications for AVX-512 successful AI workloads, but besides successful PS3 emulation. It’s not thing that will alteration your capacity successful astir applications, but successful nan fewer apps that tin leverage AVX-512, you’ll beryllium happy it’s location successful nan Ryzen 7 9800X3D.

Test configurations

As I do pinch each CPU reviews, I ran each of nan chips featured present done my suite of benchmarks, trying to support nan trial platforms arsenic akin arsenic possible. The only differences betwixt them are nan motherboards and processors — and I kept motherboard settings identical. The information present is each fresh, meaning nan results were recorded wrong nan past mates of weeks pinch nan aforesaid Windows and driver versions for each of nan respective platforms.

It’s important to item these similarities because, arsenic I saw pinch nan Ryzen 7 9700X and Ryzen 5 9600X, Windows tin play a large domiciled successful performance. And that’s moreover much existent pinch a 3D V-Cache CPU, which leverages nan Xbox Game Bar for optimal performance. I ran each of my tests pinch nan latest updates, some from Microsoft and AMD, arsenic good arsenic nan astir caller BIOS versions for nan motherboards. There person been a batch of updates for Ryzen 9000 CPUs since launch, truthful each of nan results present travel from those updates.

The only point I didn’t get to trial was nan X3D Turbo mode disposable connected nan Gigabyte motherboard I used. Some early testing suggests this mode doesn’t really boost capacity overmuch anyway, and it’s not a accordant mounting crossed motherboards, truthful I near it off. Gigabyte, for its part, is claiming a capacity uplift of 3% to 5% pinch nan mode enabled, however.

Productivity performance

For arsenic awesome arsenic AMD’s 3D V-Cache CPUs person been, they’ve ever compromised connected productivity performance, constricted by power, temperatures, and timepiece speeds. AMD says that pinch nan caller 3D V-Cache layout, productivity capacity is up connected nan Ryzen 7 9800X3D successful a large way, and my results backmost that up.

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Cinebench establishes nan move here. Although nan Ryzen 7 9800X3D easy outclasses flagships for illustration nan Core Ultra 9 285K successful games, it’s still an eight-core CPU, truthful it’s not going to predominate successful multi-core tests for illustration Cinebench. What’s awesome present is really nan Ryzen 7 9800X3D stacks up to nan eight-core Ryzen 7 9700X. The 3D V-Cache spot is ahead, which is not a move we usually see. Further, if you look astatine nan 105W powerfulness mode of nan Ryzen 7 9700X, nan 2 CPUs are identical.

That’s mostly what I recovered — successful productivity apps, this is an eight-core Zen 5 CPU that has entree to up to 120W of power. In short, it’s a Ryzen 7 9700X ever moving successful a higher powerfulness mode. In past generations, nan 3D V-Cache type of a CPU was almost ever a clear measurement behind, sacrificing productivity capacity to alteration to nan other cache. Not nan lawsuit here.

Jacob Roach / Digital Trends

Geekbench 6 further backs up that point, pinch nan Ryzen 7 9800X3D and Ryzen 7 9700X astatine 105W sitting correct adjacent to each other. Compared to nan Ryzen 7 7800X3D, you’re looking astatine a 15% summation successful productivity performance, contempt nan truth that some processors are packing 8 cores.

Jacob Roach / Digital Trends

In immoderate cases, nan Ryzen 7 9800X3D is moreover a spot up of nan Ryzen 7 9700X. You tin spot that successful Blender 4.2 above, wherever nan 3D V-Cache CPU squeezed retired a constrictive lead, moreover compared to nan 105W mode of nan Ryzen 7 9700X. The gen-on-gen improvements are fantastic, too, pinch nan Ryzen 7 9800X3D outclassing its last-gen counterpart by upward of 21%. That backs up AMD’s original capacity claims astir nan CPU.

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Looking astatine apps that accent much than your CPU, nan Ryzen 7 9800X3D shocked maine successful Photoshop. It’s connected par pinch nan Ryzen 9 9950X. Granted, Photoshop is an app that doesn’t really standard past 8 cores, and it leans connected your GPU for support plenty. But dissimilar erstwhile generations, wherever constricted timepiece velocity meant 3D V-Cache couldn’t execute successful productivity apps, nan Ryzen 7 9800X3D is keeping gait conscionable fine.

Jacob Roach / Digital Trends

Premiere scales up to threads much gracefully, and judge enough, you tin spot nan Ryzen 7 9800X3D autumn down multi-core monsters for illustration nan Core i9-14900K. Still, nan CPU is keeping gait pinch nan Ryzen 7 9700X, which is simply a affirmative sign, and it perfectly crushes nan last-gen Ryzen 7 7800X3D.

Jacob Roach / Digital Trends

Closing retired productivity, return a look astatine Y-Cruncher. The capacity present isn’t excessively astonishing compared to nan Ryzen 7 9700X, but this app leverages AVX-512 instructions. That has a monolithic effect connected performance, pinch nan Ryzen 7 9800X3D moreover beating retired Intel’s caller 24-core Core Ultra 9 285K.

The productivity capacity present is very impressive. True to AMD’s claims, it was capable to adjacent nan spread by sticking nan cache nether nan CPU dice and boosting timepiece speeds. I don’t deliberation an eight-core CPU is your champion stake if productivity capacity is your main concern. However, nan capacity present is very promising if AMD scales up its 3D V-Cache CPUs this procreation arsenic it did successful erstwhile generations. Something for illustration a Ryzen 9 9950X3D would beryllium a existent unit successful nan existent scenery of desktop processors.

Gaming performance

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Gaming is what matters for nan Ryzen 7 9800X3D, and existent to AMD’s word, nan CPU is nan fastest gaming spot I’ve tested. Cyberpunk 2077 sets nan shape present beautiful well, though. You tin spot astir a 6% betterment compared to nan Ryzen 7 7800X3D, and a small complete 15% compared to nan Ryzen 7 9700X. I’ll beryllium consecutive pinch you — this conception is going to beryllium a small boring. The Ryzen 7 9800X3D conscionable sits astatine nan apical of nan stack crossed nan board.

The main mobility is really overmuch nan Ryzen 7 9800X3D is ahead, and games like F1 22 and Final Fantasy XIV provide immoderate bully insights. I saw a 5% bump in F1 22 and a 7% jump successful Final Fantasy XIV compared to nan Ryzen 7 7800X3D. In each 3 of these games, nan Ryzen 7 9800X3D is conscionable nether nan 8% boost that AMD primitively claimed. These are immoderate of nan amended results for nan CPU that I saw, too.

There are a batch of games wherever nan activity is very minor, aliases wholly nonexistent. Assassin’s Creed Mirage, Returnal, and Red Dead Redemption 2 are each premier examples of games wherever nan Ryzen 7 9800X3D does very small complete its last-gen counterpart. They besides service arsenic bully reminders that immoderate games conscionable don’t attraction astir nan further cache connected 3D V-Cache CPUs.

AMD still tops nan pile, truthful this is acold from bad performance. It’s conscionable not a logic to spell retired and bargain nan newest 3D V-Cache offering, particularly erstwhile it’s much costly than its last-gen counterpart.

Jacob Roach / Digital Trends

That’s not to discredit nan activity that AMD did here. There are immoderate games wherever nan Ryzen 7 9800X3D is importantly faster than nan Ryzen 7 7800X3D. In Ashes of nan Singularity, for example, nan spot was astir 15% faster. That’s fantastic.

Jacob Roach / Digital Trends

However, location are still immoderate unresolved issues pinch Ryzen 9000 CPUs arsenic a whole. Black Myth: Wukong provides a model into that, wherever some nan Ryzen 9 7950X and Ryzen 7 7800X3D are outperforming each of nan Ryzen 9000 chips. These situations don’t travel up often, but my results present show location astatine slightest immoderate games wherever AMD needs to put successful a spot much activity pinch its Zen 5 CPUs.

If you want nan fastest gaming CPU connected nan market, nan Ryzen 7 9800X3D is your answer. There’s nary uncertainty astir that. However, nan gains complete nan Ryzen 7 7800X3D aren’t that significant. You’re looking astatine azygous digits successful astir games, which each but vanish astatine higher resolutions and graphics settings.

Temperature and power

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In nan erstwhile generation, ratio was a very beardown constituent for gaming pinch a 3D V-Cache CPU. The Ryzen 7 7800X3D almost ne'er draws 120W for illustration it’s tin of, and successful games, it would hardly apical 70W. Things are different this clip around. The Ryzen 7 9800X3D consumes much powerfulness and runs hotter than nan Ryzen 7 7800X3D, but immoderate discourse is important.

If you look astatine nan Core i9-14900K, nan Ryzen 7 9800X3D is still wildly much efficient. It, too, is staying nether 100W successful games, conscionable for illustration nan Ryzen 7 7800X3D. It’s not arsenic efficient, but that makes sense. The Ryzen 7 7800X3D isn’t constricted by power; it’s constricted by temperatures. It’ll deed a somesthesia wall usually earlier it hits a powerfulness wall, and by redesigning nan internals of nan Ryzen 7 9800X3D, AMD is capable to push person to that powerfulness wall.

Jacob Roach / Digital Trends

That’s not to opportunity nan Ryzen 7 9800X3D runs cooler because it doesn’t. You tin spot nan results from testing connected nan somesthesia beforehand above. There’s a bump present compared to nan Ryzen 7 7800X3D, but it’s not excessively significant. That’s important considering nan Ryzen 7 9800X3D not only has a higher maximum operating somesthesia but it’s besides clocked higher and afloat unlocked for overclocking.

Should you bargain nan Ryzen 7 9800X3D?

Jacob Roach / Digital Trends

If you want nan fastest gaming performance, nan Ryzen 7 9800X3D is simply a slam dunk. More truthful than erstwhile generations, AMD tightened up productivity capacity a lot, and you’re mostly getting nan capacity of 8 Zen 5 cores — contempt nan further cache. Compared to erstwhile 3D V-Cache releases, that’s huge.

However, I’m not sold connected buying nan Ryzen 7 9800X3D if you already person a Ryzen 7 7800X3D. I’m besides not judge wherever nan value of nan Ryzen 7 7800X3D will extremity up. Coming successful now astatine $479, nan Ryzen 7 9800X3D doesn’t warrant that value if nan last-gen spot drops down to its historical lows astir $350. I don’t cognize if that’ll hap aliases not, however.

People coming from an Intel level aliases upgrading from an AM4 motherboard don’t request to interest astir much. Buy nan Ryzen 7 9800X3D. If your setup is simply a small much recent, however, I would return a bully look astatine prices connected erstwhile generations earlier making a decision.