Cutting-edge. That’s one word to sum up the package that I received a few weeks ago. It consisted of some of the fastest PC gaming CPUs out on the market today, the AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D and the Ryzen 9 7950X3D.

Previously, the 5800X3D was released late in the Ryzen 5000 lifecycle as swansong to that platform while at the same time gaining the moniker fastest gaming CPU Suffice to say, the new X3D processors aims at maintaining that mantle in AMD’s grasp but would it be something that gamers should opt for?

What’s X3D?

But first, what makes an X3D processor? X3D stands for Extended 3D Technology (EXT) and it is a fabrication process that adds a layer of 3D vertical cache on top of the CPU cores since CPU real estate is at a premium. This results in a rather stacked processor as it basically grows vertically rather than horizontally.

Each 3D V-cache chip has 64MB of L3 cache, which results in pretty impressive numbers in terms of total cache for each X3D processor. For example, the 5800X3D has a total of 96 MB of L3 cache vs the 32 MB of the original 5800X. The additional amount of L3 cache improves the performance of applications that require fast access to data, such as 3D graphics and gaming.

Test Bed

First up, the review testbed. I’ve not used an MSI motherboard for more than a decade. The MSI MPG X670E Carbon WiFi is a ATX-sized motherboard featuring the following specs:

  • CPU Socket: Socket AM5
  • Chipset: AMD X670 Chipset
  • Expansion slots: 2x PCIe 5.0 x16 slots, 1x PCIe 4.0 x16 slot
  • Display Interface: Support 4K@120Hz as specified in HDMI 2.1 FRL, DisplayPort 1.4,1x Type-C Display port
  • Memory Support: 4 DIMMs, Dual Channel DDR5 6000+MHz (OC)
  • Storage: 2x M.2 PCIe 5.0 x4 slots, 2x M.2 PCIe 4.0 x4 slots, 6x SATA 6Gb/s ports
  • USB ports: 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 20Gbps (1 Type-C), 8x USB 3.2 Gen 2 10Gbps (6 Type-A + 2 Type-C), 4x USB 3.2 Gen 1 5Gbps (4 Type-A), 6x USB 2.0
  • LAN: Realtek RTL8125BG 2.5Gbps LAN
  • Wireless / Bluetooth: AMD Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2
  • Audio 8-Channel (7.1) HD Audio with Audio Boost 5

The processors tested for this review are the AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D and the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D Gaming Processors. The processors were paired with 32 GB (16 GB X 2) DDR5 RAM from XPG and a RTX 3060 TI GPU.

Unlike the Intel 12th and 13th Gen processors which adopt a hybrid core approach with Performance and Efficiency cores in a CPU (this borrows from what mobile phone processors have been doing for some time), AMD has stuck with just generic cores. The 7800X3D is a 8-core part, much like its 5800X3D predecessor, and the 7950X3D has 16-cores. In terms of cache, the 7800X3D is rocking 96 MB of L3 cache and the 7950X3D has a whopping 128 MB of L3 cache.

Both the 7800X3D and the 7950X3D have a default TDP of 120 watts, which is lower than the 170W-rated 7950X. On the Intel camp, the top-of-the-line 13900KF has a processor base power of 125W and a maximum turbo power of 253W.

The CPU Cooler

Now, these CPUs do not come with their own bundled cooler, but instead of an AIO, I decided to pair the processors with the new AK620 from DeepCool. The AK620 is a high performance dual tower CPU cooler which has 6 copper heat pipes stacked with a dense dual-tower fin array and two 120 FDB fans. With a maximum heat dissipation power of 260W, it should be able to take on the two processors. The AK620 is available now in Black, White and even with a digital display (with RGB) on Amazon.

The Tests

First up, synthetic tests. Cinebench R23 provides a benchmark that evaluates CPUs by measuring how they render a complex 3D scene. The benchmark tests both single-core and multi-core performance. As expected the 7950X3D tops the chart, putting out the previous gen competitor, the 12700KF. It’s sibling however scored lower on the multi-core front, which is not surprising since it’s still 8 cores / 16 threads vs 12 cores / 20 threads.

I’m using 3DMark‘s CPU Profile as my primary means of benchmarking and with good purpose: it is designed to stress the CPU at different levels of threading while minimizing the GPU workload to ensure that GPU performance is not a limiting factor.

The interesting thing about the results from CPU Profile is that while the 7950X3D takes the crown in this test, the 7800X3D seems to be performing below even the non-X 7700 processor. I only managed to capture the performance of 7950X3D on CPU-Z benchmark; no guessing who took top place in the multiple-threads category.

But let’s not forget to measure the two processors performance in game-related benchmark. I like to use Civilization VI‘s CPU benchmark which basically tests how the average amount a time a CPU will need to take to complete a turn. The 7950X3D tops the charts but its tied to its budget cousin the 7900.

Another favourite game-based benchmark of mine would be Forza Horizon 5, and this time we compare the CPU simulation and CPU render scores for the AMD 5800X, Intel 12700KF and the two subjects of this review, the 7800X3D and the 7950X3D.

Conclusions: The Fast & The Efficient

With the extra L3 cache and by virtue of being 120 W parts, the 7950X3D and the 7800X3D offer up plenty of performance and efficiency, more so on the 7950X3D. If you’ve invested heavily into gaming and really want the best for your hotrod of a gaming rig, then 7950X3D with the X670-chipset motherboard (don’t settle for the B650 or heaven-forbid the A620 “cheap”-set) is an amazing combination which would be the jewel in your PC gaming crown. Yup, the 7950X3D is a money no-object purchase.

But what about the 7800X3D? It depends. On one hand, it is not an all-conquering processor for gaming AND productivity applications, on the other hand it is a really fast gaming processor. The savings that you get from buying a 7800X3D over the 7950X3D can be channeled towards a better GPU. You should get this if you are considering the 5800X3D since the AM4 platform is no longer viable.

However, what about the rest of us? The X3D and the X monikers aside, the Ryzen 9 7900 is a USD 430 12-core, 24-thread processor that would give any mainstream gaming PC a run for their money; and this is versus a USD 649 Ryzen 9 7950X3D or a USD 440 Ryzen 7 7800X3D. You can check out our review of the 7900 and the 7700 over here.