AMD crowns the Ryzen 7 9800X3D a ‘gaming legend’ in a surprise announcement — chipmaker claims $479 Zen 5 3D V-Cache chip is up to an average 20% faster than Intel Core Ultra 9 flagship

Ryzen 7 9800X3D announcement
(Image credit: AMD)

AMD has announced its highly anticipated Ryzen 7 9800X3D processor, which will vie for a spot on the list of best CPUs. As it makes this processor official, the AMD PR machine has gone into overdrive, claiming the new AM5 chip is already a “gaming legend,” which will deliver enhanced gaming performance and more. Two of AMD's key claims are that the new Zen 5 processor with 3D V-Cache beats its predecessor and its newest Intel rival by 8% and 20%, respectively, in tests of 40 popular PC game titles.

The new Ryzen 7 9800X3D takes off where the Ryzen 7 7800X3D left off. It delivers AMD’s Zen 5 cores, plus lavish amounts of cache relocated beneath the processor – this is 2nd Gen AMD 3D V-Cache technology. The new Ryzen 7 9800X3D also offers a 500 MHz improved base frequency and embraces overclocking – but we’ll have to test to see if this is worthwhile. The relocated cache topology means that the Zen 5 cores can be kept cooler, too.

The specifications of the new Ryzen 7 9800X3D include eight of those Zen 5 cores for 16 threads of processing. It offers a base frequency of 4.7 GHz, with a boost of up to 5.2 GHz before any OC shenanigans. Last but not least, this 120W part packs 104MB of cache (64MB is dedicated 3D V-Cache).

The AMD news blast makes key performance claims, including that the Ryzen 7 9800X3D provides “up to an average 8% gaming performance improvement compared to our last-gen generation and up to an average 20% faster than the competition.” With this power in their AM5 machines, gamers and enthusiasts can push performance to new limits, it says.

AMD also provides some specific gaming performance pointers, but please remember that first-party benchmarks should not be taken as gospel. In a selection of 40 popular titles, AMD found the shiny new 9800X3D to perform up to 8% faster than the 7800X3D, on average. Slides showed games performing between 1% and 26% faster than the chip’s predecessor. Games like Hogwarts Legacy, Far Cry 6, and Ashes of the Singularity were boosted by over 20% on the new chip.

Its newest Team Blue rival, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, was also graced with a direct comparison. According to AMD’s in-house testing, the 9800X3D was 20% faster than the Intel chip in 40 games. Special mention went to Far Cry 6 and Cyberpunk 2077, where AMD claimed a stunning 40% advantage over Intel’s latest and greatest consumer desktop chip.

AMD has partnered with developers for upcoming titles. It claims games like Call of Duty, Frostpunk, and Warhammer series are helping to push boundaries with chips like the Ryzen 7 9800X3D.

Earlier today, we wrote about an internet tipster claiming the new AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D would launch at $30 over its predecessor parts. That has turned out to be accurate, with AMD confirming this processor will launch at an MSRP of $479.99. Retail availability is scheduled for November 7.

Mark Tyson
News Editor

Mark Tyson is a news editor at Tom's Hardware. He enjoys covering the full breadth of PC tech; from business and semiconductor design to products approaching the edge of reason.

  • TheHerald
    It's nice that they tested 40 games, but what is an "up to" average?
    Reply
  • -Fran-
    Hm... That 1% in CP2077, which is a game that loves clock speed and cores, looks very sus.

    Regards.
    Reply
  • TheHerald
    -Fran- said:
    Hm... That 1% in CP2077, which is a game that loves clock speed and cores, looks very sus.

    Regards.
    Maybe gpu bound. They aren't using a 4090 but a 7900xtx.
    Reply
  • KraakBal
    "this is 2nd Gen AMD 3D V-Cache technology"
    This would be 3rd gen, no? The first being the 5800x3d
    Reply
  • -Fran-
    KraakBal said:
    "this is 2nd Gen AMD 3D V-Cache technology"
    This would be 3rd gen, no? The first being the 5800x3d
    Technically, they're not wrong. The TSVs and how the slapped the VCache on top on both 7800X3D and 5800X3D is the same. I believe even the cache itself is the same exact one.

    The TSVs for this one was reworked and it does deserve the "2nd gen" moniker being fair to them.

    Regards.
    Reply
  • -Fran-
    TheHerald said:
    Maybe gpu bound. They aren't using a 4090 but a 7900xtx.
    Ah, good catch.

    If they're running GPU limited scenarios, well, they're sandbagging.

    And here I thought they finally learned how to test, LOL.

    Regards.
    Reply
  • KraakBal
    -Fran- said:
    Technically, they're not wrong. The TSVs and how the slapped the VCache on top on both 7800X3D and 5800X3D is the same. I believe even the cache itself is the same exact one.

    The TSVs for this one was reworked and it does deserve the "2nd gen" moniker being fair to them.

    Regards.
    Are you sure about that? The 5800x3d is @ 7nm die, while zen 4 is 5nm.
    Different dies, different TSV sizes and layout.
    This video from High Yield goes into detail with microscope shots: bPLKa4crk8AView: https://youtu.be/bPLKa4crk8A
    Reply
  • tennis2
    Reduce the price by $100 and we can talk about "legend"
    Reply
  • -Fran-
    KraakBal said:
    Are you sure about that? The 5800x3d is @ 7nm die, while zen 4 is 5nm.
    Different dies, different TSV sizes and layout.
    This video from High Yield goes into detail with microscope shots: bPLKa4crk8AView: https://youtu.be/bPLKa4crk8A
    Yes, I'm sure.

    Ugh, let me find the information.

    EDIT: https://www.tomshardware.com/news/what-7800x3d-looks-like-with-infared
    The cache in Zen4 is the same 7nm cache of Zen3 and the difference was they had to put the TSVs on top of the L2 cache as well and cover more of the die with it. I think they may have improved the arrangemnt of the SRAM die a bit, but overall it's the same.

    The 7800X3D is more of a 1.5 gen than gen 2 if you want to go there, I guess. So it'll depend on how many variables you want to account for and which ones determine what is a "leap" or just "improvement" from previous.

    EDIT2: Dr. Ian Cutress has a great video explaining why this does deserve the "gen 2" moniker. Very worth a watch alongside the link I pasted above:

    4pGDEYApniUView: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pGDEYApniU

    Regards.
    Reply
  • Fleshharrower
    I may be missing it, but what resolution were those AMD tests run at? 1080P? Hopefully we'll get some better tests from reviewers in the near future.
    Reply