Cache is simply a very direct form of working memory that the processor keeps close by for instructions and data that it is using at that very moment. The more cache a processor has, the fewer trips to RAM it needs to make for data or instructions, which greatly improves performance for many common tasks. Generally, more cache is better, and the 7950X3D has more cache than any consumer processor available today.

Underneath the integrated heat spreader (IHS), the Ryzen 9 7950X and Ryzen 9 7950X3D are very similar. You'll see a large central die on both chips, called the IO die, which contains an integrated graphics processor (IGP), the PCI Express controller, and other important components. AMD also includes two core complexes (CCXs) inside of each of these chips that hold the actual CPU cores and the cores' associated cache. You also really can't discount the performance-per-watt that you're getting with the Ryzen 9 7950X3D, which is at least twice what you'd get with the Intel Core i9-13900K and about 55% better than the 7950X. AMD designed the Ryzen 9 7950X3D based on its Zen 4 microarchitecture, which I went over in greater detail in my review of the Ryzen 9 7950X, linked above. Instead of going over the Zen 4 nuances again (hit the review for more detail if desired), let’s focus on what’s unique with the Ryzen 9 7950X3D. The Ryzen 9 7950X3D pretty much matches the 7950X in Blender and Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Premiere tests, though it lags a bit in VRay 5 (though not by that much). Where it really shines though is with HandBrake 1.6. This is one of the creative tests we use where we get to measure it's true real-world performance on a creative workload, especially one that is highly CPU dependent. If the software detects a certain high level of thread utilisation, however, it will spin up that dormant chiplet and bring it online if its extra core count is needed.

AMD takes a bite out of Raptor Lake.

This difference is even more telling when it comes to gaming performance. Compared to the 7950X, the 7950X3D performs like it is fully one to two generations ahead of its non-3D V-Cache counterpart with roughly 20% to 25% better gaming performance at 1080p. Likewise, when it comes to the Intel Core i9-13900K, the 7950X3D lands about 16% to 19% faster on average, but some games will perform substantially better, and the 7950X3D is never that far behind the 13900K when it does occasionally lose out. The Ryzen 9 7900X3D has also been crafted for high-performance gaming and creating. Its cache capacity is 140MB, paired with twelve cores, twenty-four threads, and boost speeds up to 5.6GHz. You'll also benefit from the advantages of AMD's next-generation 3D V-Cache technology, ensuring minimal latency and further elevating your gaming experience. The AMD Ryzen 9 5900X also offers you great performance at a more affordable rate. Acquire the most cutting-edge AMD hardware with this system, featuring a swift AMD R9 processor paired with a premium X670 motherboard. The remaining components are also of top-notch quality and perfectly matched. With 32GB of DDR5-5600 RAM, there's ample capacity for handling even the most demanding multitasking scenarios. AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D: Best CPUs UK

Jan 5th 2023 AMD Confirms Ryzen 9 7950X3D and 7900X3D Feature 3DV Cache on Only One of the Two Chiplets (164) My PC runs every game that I play without issues. And with the recent GPU upgrade I'll be happy for another year or so and will upgrade when needed. It's simply the best gaming CPU by performance you can buy on the consumer market and that's not likely to change for the rest of this processor generation, at the very least.

We've already tested the Ryzen 9 7950X3D and named it the fastest gaming CPU, while the 7900X3D hasn't yet entered the DF labs but is another strong option at a lower price point. The heat produced by the 3D V-Cache forced AMD to lower the max operating temperature of the processor from 95 degrees C on the Ryzen 9 7950X to 89 degrees C on the Ryzen 9 7950X3D. A corresponding reduction in thermal design power (TDP) rating also occurred, with the Ryzen 9 7950X having a 170-watt (W) TDP and the Ryzen 9 7950X3D having a 120W TDP. Ultimately, the reduced memory latency means that you're getting a chip that runs cooler, draws less power, and performs better thanks to the addition of the second generation of AMD's V-cache. However, AMD later retracted this as an internal issue, stating that more information on the release date would be unveiled shortly, but that the official debut month will remain as February. We now know, the release dates are as follows: In terms of power draw, the minimum I recorded for the 13900K is a meager 2.882W, and it could hover around this for hours if you're not using your computer thanks to its energy-efficient hybrid-core design. Meanwhile, the 7950X3D is still slurping up just over eight times as much power as a baseline.

Both the 7950X3D and the 7900X3D have two eight-core Core Compute Die (CCD) chiplets, marking the first time AMD has brought the 3D V-Cache tech to a multi-CCD processor. The above image shows that AMD only mounts a single 7nm SRAM chiplet atop one eight-core CCD, leaving the other CCD bare. AMD’s Collaborative Processor Performance Control (CPPC2) interface already ranks the fastest cores as the highest priority, enabling the OS to schedule threads into these ‘preferred’ cores first. Not all Ryzen cores can reach the rated peak frequency, so this tech is critical to ensure strong performance in lightly threaded apps, like gaming.

The AMD Ryzen 9 7900X3D is a punchy, but pricey performer

Creative performance is a measure of how well the processor performs in several popular creative workloads like Handbrake, Blender, and Adobe Photoshop. Where possible, I explicitly disable GPU accelerated operations or test rendering using the CPU by itself. What's also so notable about the 7950X3D is that while Intel's latest processors have been outstanding, that performance is far more a function of just throwing power at the problem, literally, than it is some kind of technological magic behind the scenes. Reduced performance in some productivity appsThe cons just weigh too heavy for me to even consider the CPU or the AM5 platform. The amount of cache on CPUs has grown over time usually by very small steps, but there have also been a few times when AMD and Intel have significantly jumped up the amount of cache in an effort to boost performance. These efforts in the past have seen mixed results with, at the best of times, a modest performance gain occurring and, at the worst of times, nothing really changing. In part, the mixed results are due to software development, as apps need to be explicitly programmed to take advantage of the added cache for a noticeable improvement to occur.

And this test highlights that even at 1440p the extra L3 cache of the 7950X3D tangibly makes a difference to the gaming performance of the system at the highest graphical presets. But, as always, at 4K it's all about the GPU. Metro is the only benchmark that displays some difference between the three chips attached to the RTX 4090, and then that's more down to some vagaries in optimisation and drivers. The cache clearly does not help enough to give the Ryzen 9 7950X3D the performance advantage in any other CPU test in our suite. At the same time, its lower TDP and heat limit cause the 7950X3D to operate a bit slower and perform worse in almost every test except that one. The Ryzen 9 7950X is slightly faster in many of these tests, but, considering how much cheaper that chip is at list price, it’s a bit of a no-brainer which is the better value in this scenario. There are some tradeoffs to attaining the leading gaming performance, though — some games don’t benefit from the 3D V-Cache, and the chip isn’t as fast in productivity apps as competing Intel chips. The 7950X3D also suffers from many of the pain points we’ve already seen with the fledgling AM5 platform — the motherboard ecosystem is more expensive than Intel’s offerings, and the strict requirement for DDR5 significantly increases costs compared to Intel’s DDR4-friendly platform. When trying to come to an overall assessment of these chips' relative performance, it's better to look at the measurable performance gains between chips across different tests. This makes for a much more sensible average when all is said and done than averaging absolute scores where one CPU test with one very large result can badly skew a final average. Stress testing tools like Cinebench R23 push the processor to its engineered limits in terms of power use and operating temperature, and I use these to make sure that every chip is pushed to full 100% CPU utilization under load to determine the minimum and maximum amount of power the processor uses (measured in watts) and the minimum and maximum temperature recorded (measured in Celsius).The latest CPUs in the AMD Ryzen 7000 Series are here. Teased at CES 2023, the X3D Ryzen 9 models are finally hitting the shelves!As of April 6 th, we now also have an X3D Ryzen 7 model too! You can refer to the spec table below to see how the full Ryzen 7000 lineup compares. Note that UK prices weren't included in the press release we received, but we're following up with AMD about this and will add this information if we get it.