AMD Ryzen 9 7950X vs. Ryzen 9 7950X3D: 3D V-cache compared

The Ryzen 9 7950X was AMD’s best processor for a while, but now it faces some serious competition. We’re not just talking about AMD’s longtime rival, Intel. AMD itself has created a CPU that could be even better than the flagship model – Ryzen 9 7950X3D.

Packed with massive 3D V-Cache memory, the Ryzen 9 7950X3D might just be the fastest gaming processor in the world right now. Let’s compare these two AMD flagships and see which one will be the winner.

Prices and availability

A hand holding AMD's Ryzen 9 7950X3D processor.Jacob Roach / Digital Trends

AMD first introduced its Ryzen 7000 processors on September 27, 2022. The Ryzen 9 7950X is the crown jewel of the line, coming in at a price of $700. In addition to the Ryzen 9 7950X, AMD released three more processors on the same day, including the Ryzen 9 7900X, Ryzen 7 7700X, and Ryzen 5 7600X.

While it was great to see the initial Zen 4 lineup, many people were eagerly awaiting the return of AMD’s 3D V-Cache, but that didn’t happen until later. Announced at CES 2023, the Ryzen 9 7950X3D launched alongside the Ryzen 9 7900X3D on February 28, 2023. The Ryzen 7 7800X3D will have to wait until April 6.

The Ryzen 9 7950X3D is priced at $700, which is the same price the Ryzen 9 7950X was before customizing it. You can usually find a CPU for around $600 these days, making the 3D V-Cache chip $100 more expensive.

Glasses

Ryzen 9 7950X Ryzen 9 7950X3D
Cores/Threads 16/32 16/32
basic class 4.5GHz 4.2GHz
turn up the clock 5.7GHz 5.7GHz
Cache (L2 + L3) 80MB 144 megabytes
TDP 170W 120W
Price list 600 dollars 700 dollars

Both Ryzen 9 7950X and Ryzen 9 7950X3D are based on AMD’s Zen 4 architecture, but the latter comes with AMD’s 3D V-Cache. This means that AMD placed the cache on top of the processor, resulting in a much larger cache, and this is the main difference between the two processors. The 3D part comes with 144 MB of combined cache, while the regular CPU comes with only 80 MB.

There are a few more changes. While both processors clock in at 5.7 GHz, the 3D chip only has a 4.2 GHz base clock versus the 7950X’s 4.5 GHz. On the other hand, the Ryzen 9 7950X3D is much more conservative in power consumption, with a TDP of 120 W compared to 170 W for the Ryzen 9 7950X.

Performance

Ryzen 9 7950X inserted into the motherboard.Jacob Roach / Digital Trends

We got a chance to get up close and personal with both processors, giving us a unique insight into their performance. Check out our in-depth Ryzen 9 7950X and Ryzen 9 7950X3D reviews for more information. We tested both chips in a configuration that also included Nvidia’s RTX 4080 and 32GB of DDR5-6000 memory. We compared them not only against each other, but also against Intel’s Core i9-13900K, the current-gen flagship model for Team Blue.

Ryzen 9 7950X3D is a supercharged version of the last generation Ryzen 7 5800X3D. Equipped with even more cache, it was almost destined to become a gaming beast, but AMD clearly wanted it to be more than that, aiming for productivity alongside gaming. Our test results show that AMD has been successful in trying to prevent the CPU from being classified as a gaming-only chip, and that it still has a place in the Ryzen 9 7950X lineup.

AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D AMD Ryzen 9 7950X
Cinebench R23 multicore 36,335 38,116
Cinebench R23 single core 2,045 2,030
7 zippers 224 446 MIP 224,581 MIPS
blender monster 271.9 283.2
blender junkyard 172.1 175.4
blender classroom 133.4 139.9
Handbrake (seconds, lower better) 38 38
stream jet 2 353.9 357.2
PugetBench for Photoshop 1,590 1,574
Multicore Y-Cruncher (seconds, less is better) 8.87 9.26
Single Core Y-Cruncher (seconds, less is better) 77.19 77.11

AMD claimed that the Ryzen 9 7950X3D would show a 4-52% improvement in terms of productivity, but in our benchmarks, the CPU fell short of those incredible heights. Still, it held its own against the non-3D chip, but both were outperformed by Intel’s Core i9-13900K in nearly every test.

If you just compare the 7950X3D to the 7950X, you’ll see that the CPUs are about the same in terms of productivity benchmarks. There are some tasks where an extremely large cache is useful, but the benefit isn’t worth writing about in the long run. However, it’s safe to say that AMD has managed to make it more versatile than the 5800X3D.

AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D AMD Ryzen 9 7950X
F1 2022 379.8fps 363.7fps
far away 6 196.1fps 156.8fps
gear tactics 273.5fps 244.9fps
Hitman 3 (Dartmoor) 234.6fps 197.4fps
Read Dead Redemption 2 164.8fps 163.5fps
time spy cpu 16,116 15,831
LeelaChessZero 643 643

Things get interesting when we look at gaming, which was always going to be the primary use case for the Ryzen 9 7950X3D. The verdict is clear: the Ryzen 9 7950X3D is the best gaming CPU right now, and it’s likely to stay that way for a long time.

The new chip manages to steal the crown from Intel in quite a few titles. IN gear tactics and contract killer 3, Intel managed to beat the base Ryzen 9 7950X, but the Ryzen 9 7950X3D is now here to beat both processors. It leads in all games against Intel and AMD, sometimes showing up to 25% improvement over the base version. However, Intel is still the winner in synthetic benchmarks and AI workloads.

In raw form, there isn’t a single title where 3D V-Cache isn’t better than its non-3D predecessor. Some wins are bigger than others, but it shows progress in each test.

Which CPU is the best of all?

AMD's Ryzen 9 7950X3D is in the box.Jacob Roach / Digital Trends

As for the quick summary, we will say one thing: both chips are excellent, and their performance is worthy of the current generation flagship. Both are easily among the best processors on the market right now, and only high-end chips like the Intel Core i9-13900K can hope to beat either Ryzen.

However, the transition to AMD’s AM5 platform doesn’t come cheap, and this takes a few points away from these processors. You’ll need a fancy motherboard, and when shopping for RAM, you’ll want to choose from the top-of-the-line DDR5 memory shelf, rather than picking any of the best RAM kits available.

The above costs apply to both the Ryzen 9 7950X and Ryzen 9 7950X3D, but the latter costs an additional $100. Since it will mostly be found in higher-end devices, it might not be a problem for many buyers, but it’s still being added. As of this writing, you can often find a non-3D renderer at a discount, and at , it’s a great deal.

However, the 3D chip is the absolute fastest gaming CPU right now, beating its predecessor by a decent amount. If you’re willing to spend more and don’t need power for productivity, you’ll surely love the gaming prowess the Ryzen 9 7950X3D provides. However, if you want a more balanced CPU, the Ryzen 9 7950X is no slouch.

editor’s recommendations

Categories: GAMING
Source: newstars.edu.vn

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