Review of AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D: Horrible Performance in Gaming,
AMD’s 3D V-Cache establishes itself as the clear gaming champion.
AMD’s Ryzen 7 9800X3D, which costs $480, has eight cores and sixteen threads. It also has a new version of its game-enhancing 3D V-Cache technology, which produces remarkable performance and convincingly takes the top spot as the fastest gaming CPU available. According to AMD, the processor is 8% quicker than the previous generation Ryzen 7 7800X3D, and 20% better than Intel’s most recent flagship.
However, according to our benchmarks, it outperforms Intel’s flagship Core 9 285K from the current generation by an almost incredible 35% on average across our test suite. In our test suite, it even outperforms the Core i9-14900K, Intel’s fastest rival gaming CPU, by an equally astounding 30% on average. Naturally, because of the whims of the 3D V-Cache technology, the gains will differ from title to title. Nevertheless, we captured outstanding performance that solidifies the Ryzen 9 9800X3D as the top gaming CPU.
AMD achieved this by utilizing their well-proven 3D V-Cache technology, which enhances gaming performance by using a powerful, vertically-stacked 64MB L3 cache chiplet. AMD shifted the cache chiplet from the top of the processor to the bottom in order to further enhance performance. Higher clock rates are made possible by the much increased thermal headroom, and the larger cache allows the Zen 5 architecture to perform at its best when gaming. Not all games will benefit from the technology, and some are even marginally slower (1 to 2%) than the previous generation model, as is common with gaming-optimized X3D processors. However, even in those games, the chip significantly boosts 1% poor frame rates. When gaming at higher resolutions or when your GPU is constrained, the greater 1% lows will also be helpful.
With AMD’s recent activation of full overclocking for the 9800X3D, which we tested, you may extract more performance for productivity tasks as well as gaming. In addition, the new design helps to eliminate some of the significant productivity costs associated with employing a gaming-optimized X3D processor. This means that the 9800X3D can now match, and occasionally even surpass, a similar eight-core Ryzen 9000 CPU in a number of productivity tasks.
AMD Zen 5 Ryzen 9000 ‘Granite Ridge’ Specifications and Pricing
| Street/MSRP | Arch | Cores / Threads | Base / Boost Clock (GHz) | Cache (L2/L3) | TDP / PPT | Memory | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ryzen 9 9950X | $649 | Zen 5 | 16 / 32 | 4.3 / 5.7 | 80MB (16+64) | 170W / 230W | DDR5-5600 |
| Ryzen 9 9900X | $499 | Zen 5 | 12 / 24 | 4.4 / 5.6 | 76MB (12+64) | 120W / 162W | DDR5-5600 |
| Ryzen 7 9800X3D | $480 | Zen 5 X3D | 8 / 16 | 4.7 / 5.2 | 104MB (8+96) | 120W / 162W | DDR5-5600 |
| Ryzen 7 9700X | $359 | Zen 5 | 8 /16 | 3.8 / 5.5 | 40MB (8+32) | 65W / 88W / 105W | DDR5-5600 |
| Ryzen 5 9600X | $279 | Zen 5 | 6 / 12 | 3.9 / 5.4 | 38MB (6+32) | 65W / 88W / 105W | DDR5-5600 |
AMD’s only chip, the $480 Ryzen 9 9800X3D, is being unveiled today and will be on sale tomorrow. For gamers who have to choose between more than one, the 9800X3D comes to their rescue. Nevertheless, this year saw two underwhelming chip launches: Earlier this year, AMD’s Zen 5-powered Ryzen 9000 series made its debut with modest improvements in gaming performance. However, new firmwares and a Windows adjustment have squeezed out more performance, as you can see in the new testing we did for this review. Just two weeks ago, Intel also unveiled its eagerly awaited Arrow Lake Core Ultra series, however the gaming performance of those CPUs fell short of that of Intel’s previous generation. Unfortunately, there isn’t a clear solution in sight, which means that gaming chips will have a bleak year ahead of them.
This is entirely changed by the Ryzen 7 9800X3D, which offers a top-tier gaming CPU at a competitive price considering its capabilities. The chip fits into AM5 motherboards that are already in place and doesn’t require costly add-ons like motherboards, powerful coolers, or expensive high-speed RAM kits that are necessary to get the best performance out of other top-tier processors. In the meantime, even after two and a half hard years and three chip generations since its debut with the now-famous Ryzen 7 5800X3D, Intel still appears completely unable of competing with AMD’s 3D V-Cache technology. Before moving on to the unexpectedly strong gaming benchmarks, let’s take a look at the technology.
AMD’s Ryzen 7 9800X3D: Cost and Features
You can learn more about the Zen 5 microarchitecture, which powers the Ryzen 7 9800X3D, here. AMD’s partners have finally put X870E units on the market, and the processor works with AM5 motherboards.