Introduction
It's been an interesting few months when it comes to processors. When the Ryzen series 9000 launched, we were pretty optimistic about the next-generation processor architecture. However, AMD concentrated on energy efficiency and made slight improvements in performance. For many of you, it was clear there was no reason to upgrade from Series 7000, especially with 7000X3D already on the market. A few weeks ago, Intel released its Arrow Lake processors, and while many expected these to easily outperform the AMD Ryzen 9000, that just didn't happen. The Core Ultra Series 200 has potential in multi- and single-threading for enthusiast gaming, but it's not the best option. In my reviews of the Series 9000 and Core Ultra 200 processors, I've been saying that you should wait for the 9000X3D processors. And now, the first Ryzen 9000X3D processor is the Ryzen 7 9800X3D. It offers excellent 8-core compute performance, and combined with a slice of extra cache, it's probably the best gaming CPU your money can buy at this time. Plus, it's very energy efficient and runs cool enough for even a heatpipe-based cooler. The Ryzen 9800X3D, this young rascal has eight cores and sixteen threads based on the new Zen5 architecture. The CPU will be analyzed, tested, and benchmarked. Given its performance combined with an architecture that supports PCIe Gen 5, DDR5, and a CPU that easily reaches 5.2 GHz, this product might become a sweet spot gaming processor for many. While some updated graphics cards have been released this year, not much else has been released in the component hardware arena. Yes, AMD has officially announced the launch date for its new Ryzen 9000 series desktop CPUs which include four other SKUs: the 16-core Ryzen 9 9950X, 12-core Ryzen 9 9900X, 8-core Ryzen 7 9700X, and 6-core Ryzen 5 9600X. The Ryzen 7 9800X3D will be the initial key model in the lineup and has been a topic of extensive discussion, particularly concerning its performance relative to previous models. AMD has addressed rumours regarding potential changes to its Thermal Design Power (TDP), confirming that it would launch with an incredibly low 65W TDP. The higher-end Ryzen 9 9950X will feature a 170W TDP, while the Ryzen 9 9900X will maintain a 120W TDP. Both the Ryzen 7 9700X and Ryzen 5 9600X are set at 65W, highlighting AMD's effort to balance performance and power efficiency. What about the Ryzen 7 9800X3D you will wonder, well and still sticks to a really okay 120W TDP.
2nd Generation 3D V-Cache Placement
The key difference in the Ryzen 7 9800X3D is the placement of its 3D V-cache. In earlier models like the Ryzen 5800X3D and Ryzen 7000X3D, the 3D V-cache was located above the Zen3 and Zen4 cores, respectively. In contrast, the Ryzen 7 9800X3D, which uses the 2nd Generation AMD 3D V-cache with Zen5 cores, positions the cache below the processor cores. This new placement means that the main heat source—the Zen5 core complex—is closely united to the cooling system, changing how heat is managed within the processor.
Placing the 3D V-cache below the processor cores provides notable thermal benefits. The 3D V-cache is less affected by temperature changes compared to the processor cores. This design adjustment results in a thermal resistance improvement of up to 46%. Better thermal resistance helps maintain lower operating temperatures, enabling the processor to maintain higher clock speeds for both single-threaded and multi-threaded tasks. Improved cooling efficiency is essential for enhancing the processor's performance and ensuring its long-term stability. As a result, the Ryzen 7 9800X3D can operate at higher clock speeds, with a base clock that is 500 MHz faster and a maximum boost clock that is 200 MHz quicker than the Ryzen 7 7800X3D. Although the increase in boost clock speed might seem small, it significantly enhances multi-core performance.
| Specification | Ryzen 7 9800X3D | Ryzen 7 7800X3D | Ryzen 7 9700X |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cores/Threads | 8 / 16 | 8 / 16 | 8 / 16 |
| Max Boost Clock | 5.2 GHz | 5.0 GHz | 5.5 GHz |
| Base Clock | 4.7 GHz | 4.2 GHz | 3.8 GHz |
| L2 Cache | 8 x 1 MB | 8 x 1 MB | 8 x 1 MB |
| L3 Cache | 96 MB | 96 MB | 32 MB |
| TDP / cTDP (configurable) | 120W / 105W cTDP | 120W / 105W cTDP | 65W / 105W cTDP |
| Thermal Design Power | 120W | 120W | 65W |
| Default Socket | Not Specified | Not Specified | Not Specified |
| Power (PPT) | 162W | 162W | 88W |
| Max Current (EDC) | 180A | 180A | 65W: 150A 105W cTDP: 170A |
| Max Current, Thermally Limited (TDC) | 120A | 120A | 65W: 75A 105W cTDP: 110A |
| TjMax | 95°C | 95°C | 95°C |
| Stock/Auto Voltage Range (Active Core) | Nominal 1.28-1.31V – Max 1.4V | Nominal 1.1V – Max 1.2V | Nominal 1.28-1.31V – Max 1.4V |
| Typical Loaded Temperatures | 70-90°C | 70-90°C | 70-90°C |
| Boost Algorithm | Precision Boost 2 | Precision Boost 2 | Precision Boost 2 |
| Recommended Cooler | 240-280mm liquid (or equivalent) | Mid-frame tower cooler (or equivalent) | Mid-frame tower cooler (or equivalent) |
| Max Memory Speed (Non-OC) | DDR5-5600 (2x16GB) | DDR5-5200 (2x16GB) | DDR5-5600 (2x16GB) |
| ECC Support | Enabled in-silicon, support varies by motherboard | Enabled in-silicon, support varies by motherboard | Enabled in-silicon, support varies by motherboard |
Furthermore, the multi-threaded performance of the 9800X3D is closer to that of the Ryzen 7 9700X when set to a 105W configurable Thermal Design Power (cTDP). This improvement is due to the 9800X3D's ability to fully utilize the available power, unlike the previous Ryzen 7 7800X3D model. In terms of graphics, the Ryzen 7 9800X3D includes an integrated GPU (iGPU) with 2 compute units (CUs) based on the RDNA 3+ architecture. This iGPU has 128 unified shaders and can operate up to 2,200 MHz. Despite being capable of supporting DirectX 12 Ultimate, including ray tracing, the modest number of shaders suggests that its performance in gaming will be limited as of mid-2024. However, it can still manage to drive up to four ultra-high-definition monitors at 4320p resolution and supports both hardware encoding and decoding for popular video codecs like AVC, HEVC, VP9, and AV1, although it does not support VVC like some other contemporary chips.