AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D: Top “gaming” CPU with MT perf boost

AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D in detail

High gaming performance is something that is kind of expected from the AMD R7 9800X3D. Compared to its predecessor (R7 7800X3D), however, the cooling options have been greatly improved, paving the way for higher clock speeds. The R7 9800X3D has thus advanced especially in terms of multithreaded, but also single-threaded performance. This makes this CPU more versatile – better able to handle multiple usage scenarios.

AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D in detail

In short, the Ryzen 7 9800X3D can be said to be a Ryzen 7 7800X3D that has had its Zen 4 cores swapped out for ones with the newer Zen 5 architecture. What has remained unchanged from the previous model (R7 7800X3D) of the Ryzen 7 9800X3D processor is the large (96 MB) cache, which is the source of the famed gaming performance. However, there is one important difference regarding how this cache is constituted.

Instead of the chiplet with 3D V-Cache being placed on top of the chiplet with the CPU cores (which was previously on the bottom), it is now the other way around. This means that the chiplet with the CPU cores is fitted on top, while the cache is the underlying layer underneath. A detailed description of the situation can be found in this article. The new layout has a positive impact on the operating characteristics, thanks to which the processor can be better cooled and AMD also allows overclocking for the first time in a processor with 3D V-Cache.

The aforementioned layer swap does not directly affect the performance that the processor has at a certain fixed clock frequency (or the so-called IPC), but there is an indirect effect after a boost is engaged. Thanks to better heat dissipation, the processor can boost more aggressively and can afford higher power consumption during demanding tasks (this allows the processor to run at higher CPU core clock speeds) than the Ryzen 7 7800X3D, which is harder to cool.

In games, with typically lower consumption, this effect will be less pronounced. The improved heat dissipation capability of the R7 9800X3D is behind the increase in official CPU core clock speeds. The specs list a 500-megahertz increase in base clock speed across generations (4.7GHz vs. 4.2GHz). But in practice, the all-core boost is faster, operating at higher clock speeds.

There was also an increase (by 200 MHz) at the SC boost level for single-threaded loads. Here again, the better cooling capabilities mean it is easier to achieve SC boost, for example even with cheaper coolers. You can explore everything in detail in our detailed tests within the following chapters of the article.

Now, for the sake of completeness, on the basics: the Ryzen 7 9800X3D is a processor that has one active chiplet – completely so. This means 8 cores (AMD Zen 5) in 16 threads, as it supports SMT (two threads per core).
Please note: The article continues in the following chapters.

* We do not have certainty on this parameter. AMD does not specify the maximum resolution and maximum refresh rate in publicly available materials. However, it is possible that it will be the same as for Ryzen 7000s, i.e. 3840 × 2160 px (60 Hz).;

• Contents
• AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D in detail
• Methodology: performance tests
• Methodology: how we measure power draw
• Methodology: temperature and clock speed tests
• Test setup
• 3DMark
• Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla
• Borderlands 3
• Counter-Strike: GO
• Cyberpunk 2077
• DOOM Eternal
• F1 2020
• Metro Exodus
• Microsoft Flight Simulator
• Shadow of the Tomb Raider
• Total War Saga: Troy
• Overall gaming performance
• Gaming performance per euro
• PCMark and Geekbench
• Web performance
• 3D rendering: Cinebench, Blender, ...
• Video 1/2: Adobe Premiere Pro
• Video 2/2: DaVinci Resolve Studio
• Graphics effects: Adobe After Effects
• Video encoding
• Audio encoding
• Broadcasting (OBS a Xsplit)
• Photos 1/2: Adobe Photoshop a Lightroom
• Photos 2/2: Affinity Photo, Topaz Labs AI Apps, ZPS X, ...
• (De)compression
• (De)encryption
• Numerical computing
• Simulations
• Memory and cache tests
• Processor power draw curve
• Average processor power draw
• Performance per watt
• Achieved CPU clock speed
• CPU temperature
• Conclusion