Will the Ryzen 7 7800X3D be better than the 7900X?

Will the Ryzen 7 7800X3D be better than the 7900X? let's find out

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The Ryzen 7 7800X3D is set to release on April 6th. We’re eager to get our hands on it once it’s out, and so are gamers and PC enthusiasts all around the world. Today, we’re finding out: Will the Ryzen 7 7800X3D be better than the 7900X?

Now Read: Best CPU for gaming 2023.

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Ryzen 7 7800X3D vs Ryzen 9 7900X – Specs compared

Let’s first take a look at the official specifications for both processors. 

Ryzen 7 7800X3D

• Core count: 8 (Multithreading enabled)
• Thread count: 16
• Base clock. 4.X GHz
• Boost clock: 5 GHz
• L2 cache: 8MB – 1MB per core
• L3 cache: 96 MB
• TDP: 120 watts
• iGPU: Radeon Graphics
• Socket: AM5

Ryzen 9 7900X

• Core Count: 12 (Multithreading Enabled)
• Thread Count: 24
• Base Clock: 4.7GHz
• Boost Clock: 5.6GHz
• L2 cache: 12MB – 1MB per core
• L3 cache: 64 MB
• TDP: 170 Watts
• iGPU: AMD Radeon Graphics
• Socket: AM5

If you’d like to learn more about this processor, check out our Ryzen 9 7900X review. 

What are the differences?

There are a few key differences between the two processors. Firstly, it’s clear that the 7900X has an advantage in overall specs.

It has more cores and higher clock speeds. It also has a sizeable 64MB L3 cache, which is lower than the 96MB L3 cache sported by the V-cache enhanced 7800X3D, but by a very moderate margin. 

The 7800X3D has a lower TDP, although that doesn’t come into play when determining performance, given both processors are paired up with a capable CPU cooler. 

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Will the R7 7800X3D be better than the R9 7900X?

Let’s find out which processor is better in different categories of processing. 

Gaming performance

The 7800X3D isn’t out yet, so we don’t have the most comprehensive list of benchmarks, but its performance can be simulated by tuning the now-released 7950X3D. 

Based on simulated results and benchmarks AMD showed us at CES 2023, the 7800X3D will likely outperform the 7900X in gaming due to its higher V-cache – but not in all games. 

Most games prefer the large cache of the 7800X3D, but there are some that prefer the extra singlethreaded performance offered by the 7900X’s higher maximum clock speed. 

Generally speaking, however, the 7800X3D is the better gaming processor. And the performance gap may just widen now that game developers are likely to optimize for high cache size. 

Workstation productivity

For workstation productivity, the R9 7900X is the better processor. Its core, thread, and clock speed advantage is simply too dominant in this case. While the 7800X3D offers respectable multithreaded performance in its own right, its 16 threads can’t compete with the 7900X’s 24. 

The V-cache upgrade does little for the 7800X3D in most workstation workloads. The 7900X outperforms the 7800X3D is maximum multicore performance by a margin of 30% or more. 

Power usage and efficiency 

The 7800X3D will be the slightly more power-efficient processor, with a 120-watt TDP compared to the 7900X’s 170. Of course, we’re not determining power efficiency based on TDP alone, the performance delivered is a factor too. 

Since the 7900X offers more performance in multithreaded workloads, its power-efficiency is much closer to that of the 7800X3D in workstation usage. 

Price

The R9 7900 launched at an MSRP of $549, but its price has since fallen to a more agreeable $450 (prices can vary based on when you’re reading this). 

The 7800X3D will launch in April at a $449 MSRP, so if the 7900X’s price remains steady, you could see both processors being sold for an identical price. 

When price is identical, choosing between the two naturally boils down to differences in performance. That being the case, gamers will find the V-cache enhanced 7800X3D the better option, whereas workstation users will be better served by the 7900X’s 24 faster threads.