Do I REGRET Buying It? — AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D

Summary

The AMD Ryzen 9 7950X 3D offers impressive power efficiency and cache improvements over the regular 7950X, making it a solid choice for enthusiasts prioritizing efficiency. While it doesn’t provide a substantial leap in gaming performance—often limited by GPU bottlenecks—it excels in multi-core productivity tasks. With lower power consumption and temperatures, it stands out against Intel’s 13900K, drawing significantly less power. For users who don’t need extreme gaming performance but appreciate efficiency and performance balance, the 7950X 3D is a great choice, though the regular 7950X or Intel’s 13900K may still appeal to those seeking more raw gaming power.

Takeaways

• 😀 The AMD Ryzen 9 7950X 3D offers enhanced cache (128 MB) compared to the regular 7950X (64 MB), thanks to its 3D V-Cache technology, improving certain performance metrics.
• 😀 The 7950X 3D is slightly slower in multi-threaded performance compared to the regular 7950X, but it compensates with better power efficiency and lower thermal output.
• 😀 While the 7950X 3D can exceed 5.7 GHz in boost clock speeds, its gaming performance is hindered by a GPU bottleneck, especially with high-end GPUs like the RTX 1390.
• 😀 In gaming tests, the 7950X 3D delivers up to 16% higher FPS than the regular 7950X in titles like *Borderlands 3*, but only marginal improvements over Intel's 13900K.
• 😀 Power consumption of the 7950X 3D is significantly lower than both the regular 7950X and Intel's 13900K, drawing up to 102 watts less under full load.
• 😀 At idle, both the 7950X and 7950X 3D consume 30-40 watts more than Intel's 13900K, indicating room for efficiency improvements at low load states.
• 😀 The 7950X 3D outperforms the regular 7950X in certain games like *Far Cry 6* and *Red Dead Redemption 2*, but performance differences are minimal in others like *Cyberpunk 2077*.
• 😀 The 7950X 3D shows notable improvements in 1% lows compared to the regular 7950X in games like *Red Dead Redemption 2*, highlighting its smoother gaming experience.
• 😀 Despite its lower clock speeds, the 7950X 3D achieves competitive performance in productivity tasks, with performance close to that of Intel's 13900K in most benchmarks.
• 😀 Overall, the 7950X 3D is a great choice for enthusiasts prioritizing power efficiency and lower temperatures over maximum gaming performance, though the regular 7950X offers better value for gamers on a budget.

Q & A

What is the main difference between the 7950X 3D and the regular 7950X?

The main difference is the 3D V-cache. The 7950X 3D features an additional 64MB of L3 cache, bringing the total to 128MB, compared to 64MB in the regular 7950X. This results in some performance improvements, especially in gaming.

Does the 7950X 3D perform better than the 7950X in all tasks?

Not necessarily. While the 7950X 3D outperforms the regular 7950X in gaming, it is slightly slower in multi-threaded tasks and some productivity benchmarks. It lags behind by around 8% in multi-core performance in applications like Cinebench R23.

How does the 7950X 3D compare to the Intel Core i9-13900K in terms of performance?

The 7950X 3D performs similarly to the 13900K in many cases, with some advantages in gaming performance, such as in Borderlands 3 and Far Cry 6. However, in multi-core productivity tasks, the 13900K generally outperforms the 7950X 3D by around 10%.

What makes the 7950X 3D more power-efficient than the regular 7950X?

The 7950X 3D is more power-efficient because it operates at a lower TDP of 120W compared to the 7950X's 170W. This results in the 7950X 3D consuming up to 102W less power under load than the regular 7950X and significantly less than the 13900K.

How does the 7950X 3D perform in gaming compared to the regular 7950X?

The 7950X 3D generally performs better in gaming due to its larger cache. It shows improvements in games like Borderlands 3, Red Dead Redemption 2, and Horizon Zero Dawn, delivering better FPS and smoother one-percent lows compared to the regular 7950X.

What is the impact of the GPU bottleneck on testing with the 7950X 3D?

The GPU bottleneck significantly impacts the ability to fully measure the 7950X 3D's CPU performance, as the RTX 1390 GPU isn't capable of showing meaningful differences in CPU performance. This suggests that a more powerful GPU would be needed to better showcase the 7950X 3D's potential.

Are there any temperature differences between the 7950X and the 7950X 3D?

Yes, the 7950X 3D runs cooler under load than the regular 7950X, with a noticeable reduction in temperatures due to its improved thermal management, likely because of the lower power consumption and more efficient design.

What kind of user is the 7950X 3D best suited for?

The 7950X 3D is best suited for hardcore enthusiasts who are looking for strong gaming performance and power efficiency. It's also ideal for users who want to avoid the complex optimizations needed for power management and cooling in other CPUs.

Is the 7950X 3D worth buying over the regular 7950X or the 13900K?

The 7950X 3D is a great option if you're looking for a balance of power efficiency and gaming performance. However, if you're primarily focused on raw multi-core productivity performance and cost-efficiency, the regular 7950X or the 13900K might be better alternatives.

What is the major downside of the 7950X 3D, according to the reviewer?

The major downside of the 7950X 3D is its high idle power draw, consuming 30 to 40W more than the 13900K when idle, which the reviewer finds disappointing. Despite this, the 7950X 3D is still considered more power-efficient during heavy workloads.