As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases and other schemes. Learn more.
AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D review
The AMD Ryzen 7800X3D offers flagship U performance for a fraction of the price and power, but 3D V-Cache doesn't always guarantee a higher frame rate.
The AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D is a remarkable processor that can push performance to new heights thanks to 3D V-Cache technology without guzzling much power at all. It's not the perfect processor for everyone, but for those that must have the best, this is it.
Pros
Flagship performance under $500/£500
Extremely efficient
AM5 platform is feature-rich and has longevity
Cons
Relatively slow clock speeds
No stock cooler
L3 cache doesn’t guarantee higher frame rates
After enduring a series of disappointing graphics card releases, writing this AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D review is just the reprieve I need. In fact, I've very little in the way of negative things to say about this near-perfect processor.
Why you can trust our advice ✔ At PCGamesN, our experts spend hours testing hardware and reviewing games and VPNs. We share honest, unbiased opinions to help you buy the best. Find out how we test.
I've been testing and gaming with the AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D for a few months now, and the eagle-eyed among you may have spotted it recently appearing in our review test bench. Now, though, it's time for this chip to take center stage, highlighting its many strengths and comparatively few shortcomings.
As its name suggests, the AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D is equipped with 3D V-Cache technology, meaning it's packing a heap of L3 cache – 96MB to be exact. This makes it a match for its AM4 predecessor, the Ryzen 7 5800X3D, and they also share the same number of cores and threads. For all these similarities, however, architectural improvements offered by Zen 4, faster clock speeds, and double the amount of L2 cache place the 7800X3D well ahead of the 5800X3D.
Here are the AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D specs:
AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D specs
Cores
8 (Zen 4)
Threads
16
Base clock
4.20GHz
Boost clock
Up to 5.00GHz
L2 cache
8MB
L3 cache
96MB
TDP
120W
Price
$449 / £439
Comparing the AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D to its current generation counterparts highlights one of its shortfalls: clock speeds. While they have received a boost generationally speaking, the decidedly cheaper Ryzen 7 7700X pulls ahead by 300-400MHz. It also offers the same number of cores and threads, but with just a third of the 7800X3D's L3 cache.
Meanwhile, the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X3D and 7950X3D are beefier in every way. However, their technical makeup is largely wasted on gaming and is better suited for creative and production workloads, not to mention that they're much more expensive. As such, gamers are better off opting for better value options, like the 7800X3D, for the lion's share of performance and to free up budget for other components.
Finally, like other Ryzen 7000 series processors, the 7800X3D requires a motherboard with an AM5 socket. This platform unlocks for PCIe 5.0 devices, including SSDs and GPUs, and is available in a wide range of chipsets at varying price points. Don't worry about slotting this chip into an X670E board, though, as it should perform just as well as in a budget-leaning B650 or A620 option. Just bear in mind that AMD plans to AM5 through 2025, and more motherboards with feature-rich chipsets are more likely to receive BIOS updates to Ryzen 8000 series Us and beyond.
1/7
AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D benchmarks
For my AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D benchmarks, I've paired the U with an AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX graphics card to best eliminate GPU bottlenecks. Frame rate data for games was captured at native 1080p at different quality presets, with the AMD Ryzen 7600X serving as a comparison point. I've also included some synthetic tests from 3DMark and Cinebench R23.
Here are the specs of my test system:
U: AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D
Motherboard: Asus TUF Gaming X670E-Plus (BIOS version 1413)
RAM: Corsair Vengeance 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR5 6,000MHz
Cooler: Corsair H100i Pro
GPU: AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX
Driver: Adrenalin 23.7.1
OS: Windows 11 Pro 22H2 (22621.1992)
SSD: WD_Black SN850X
PSU: Corsair RMx SHIFT Series 1000W
Case: Corsair 5000D RGB Airflow
For more information on our benchmarking process, see our how we test page.
AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D performance
To put it bluntly as I can, AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D performance is fantastic. While it does well enough in U benchmarks and impressively lifts both the ceiling and floor of frame rates, it does all this with a modest 120W TDP and rarely (if ever) thermal throttles.
The 7800X3D shines brightest in F1 22, which sees minimum and average frame rates reach absolutely outlandish heights. While I expected exceptional levels of performance using lower quality presets, I was shocked to see the 7800X3D and 7900 XTX push out a 461fps average using the 'High' preset. This is a 19% improvement compared to the Ryzen 5 7600X, with minimum fps jumping by a whopping 41%, serving as an ideal showcase for those extra two cores and larger L3 cache.
In Cyberpunk 2077, the 7800X3D puts in a strong showing too, keeping minimum frame rates around 100fps at 'Ultra', a 10% improvement versus the 7600X. Turning on ray tracing, however, leads to a GPU bottleneck and leaves the two processors more or less neck and neck as the 7900 XTX weighs them down. Meanwhile, Total War: Warhammer 3 sees minimal improvements that are within the margin of error, except for a strange 15% bump at 'Medium' which I can't explain.
Across the 3DMark test suite, I observed score improvements ranging from 12%, right up to a jaw dropping 51% in Time Spy. However, the 7800X3D did falter against the 7600X in lower thread count tests by as much as 10%, where clock speeds are more important than cores or cache. The same was true in Cinebench R23, with the chip falling behind in the single-threaded test and then absolutely flying when using multiple threads.
These results paint a positive picture where the 7800X3D leaves the likes of the 7600X in the dust in U bound scenarios (as it should). However, I've purposefully compared these two processors in a bid to showcase that either will offer similar frame rates in GPU bound scenarios, but its extra cores and L3 cache aren't necessarily a guarantee of better performance. Without a 7700X for comparison, it's hard to say where these differences are stemming from exactly, but there is one thing that puts the 7800X3D well above its siblings in my eyes: temperatures.
During my testing, the 7800X3D peaked at around 70°C and didn't come close to thermal throttling. By comparison, as I touched on in my AMD Ryzen 7600X review, the hexacore processor can run mighty hot if left unchecked. The efficiency of the 7800X3D truly is remarkable – in fact, it's one cool chip.
AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D price
The AMD Ryzen 7800X3D price comes in at $449 / £439, matching its predecessor and putting it in direct competition with the Intel Core i7 13700K. I believe team red has priced this chip fairly, as this processor is best suited for enthusiast builds rather than mainstream midrange rigs.
While I haven't had the chance to put the Core i7 13700K to the test, buying into basically any high-end Raptor Lake processor versus their Zen 4 equivalent is a tough sell for me. Why? There are two reasons: efficiency and platform longevity. The 7800X3D achieves similar, if not greater, performance while consuming less power and exists on a platform that will have viable upgrade paths in two years, saving me money now and potentially into the future if I opt for a drop-in upgrade.
I hope that AMD releases a Ryzen 5 7600X3D at some point down the road, so the benefits of 3D V-Cache can be enjoyed by more gamers that don't necessarily need eight cores. For now, though, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D is a great buy at its MSRP if you have a high-end system.
Is the AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D worth it?
As someone looking to update their personal rig soon, I can't see myself putting anything else at the heart of my system but the AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D. It packs all the performance I could want from my U, consistently ensuring no frames are left on the table when it's up to the processor to pick up the slack.
While its clock speeds and single-threaded performance do pale in comparison to other options, the benefits of its 3D V-Cache greatly outweigh this disadvantage. Its price stops me short of recommending it to absolutely everyone, but there's no doubt in my mind that the 7800X3D is the 9800X3D review, where we take the 7800X3D's successor for a spin.
The AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D is available from retailers including Amazon, Best Buy, and directly from AMD. Here's a roundup of the best deals on the U right now:
AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D alternatives
If the AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D doesn't fit the bill for your build, here are some alternative options for you to consider:
AMD Ryzen 5 7600X
The AMD Ryzen 5 7600X features fewer cores and less cache than the 7800X3D, but packs faster clock speeds and better overclocking potential. It's more affordable, too, and can often be found at a promotional price.
If you're still using an AM4 motherboard and don't fancy upgrading to AM5, the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D is the closest U you can get to the 7800X3D on that platform. As it's a last generation part, you can often find it discounted, making it a bargain for an upgrade or new build.
Intel Core i7 13700K
For those of you with an LGA1700 motherboard that don't fancy switching to team red, the Intel Core i7 13700K is worth considering. It performs similarly to the 7800X3D and can be bought without integrated graphics if you want to save a few bucks.
