AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D Hands-On Review

Since AMD’s announcement of the Zen 5 CPUs in August 2024, anticipation has been high for the release of the X3D variant. Now, AMD has unveiled the Ryzen 7 9800X3D, the first X3D model in this new lineup.

With its innovative 3D V-Cache technology, the X3D series is well-regarded by gamers for its enhanced in-game performance. Following the success of the Ryzen 7 5800X3D in 2022 and the Zen 4 X3D lineup, the Ryzen 7 9800X3D has big expectations to meet—can it continue the momentum?

Specifications

Overview

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D is AMD’s latest Zen 5-based CPU, focusing heavily on high-performance gaming while still capable of handling productivity tasks. Featuring AMD’s innovative 3D V-Cache technology, this CPU incorporates an impressive 96MB of L3 cache, specifically intended to maximize gaming performance by accelerating data access. This expanded cache capacity can improve frame rates and create smoother gameplay, especially in CPU-limited scenarios or at 1080p resolution, where the CPU plays a crucial role in rendering speed.

AMD positions the 9800X3D as a powerful option for gamers seeking top-tier performance without stepping up to the higher-end Ryzen 9 series. However, the 9800X3D’s productivity capabilities are modest compared to CPUs with higher core counts, like the Ryzen 9 9900X, which is only $20 more. Given this, it primarily appeals to users who prioritize gaming but want the flexibility to handle moderate productivity workloads.

We’ll test not only its gaming prowess but also its computing and productivity capabilities to see if the Ryzen 7 9800X3D is a well-rounded value for its $479 price tag, especially when compared to similarly priced options. This should give a clearer picture of whether its extra gaming performance justifies the cost or if it’s best suited for specific gaming-centered setups.

Test system Setup

In this test, we’re comparing the gaming and productivity performance of AMD’s Ryzen 7 9800X3D against a range of CPUs, including the Ryzen 7 9700X, Ryzen 9 9900X, Ryzen 9 9950X, Intel’s previous flagship Core i9-14900K, and Intel’s new Core Ultra series, specifically the Core Ultra 9 285K, Core Ultra 7 265KF, and Core Ultra 5 245KF. Here’s an outline of the components used in each setup for both Intel and AMD test systems:

Test System 2

Synthetic benchmarks

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Starting with synthetic benchmarks, the Ryzen 7 9800X3D delivered surprising results. Tasks leveraging higher core counts naturally fall behind higher-core CPUs like the Ryzen 9 and Intel’s Core i9 and Ultra 9. Given its 8-core, 16-thread design like the Ryzen 7 9700X, this is expected, though it still performs admirably overall.

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In creative benchmarks such as Procyon, V-Ray, Corona Renderer, and Blender, are outpaced by flagship models due to their core advantage. The same holds in compression, Cinebench R23, and Geekbench 3 multicore tests, where the high cores count CPUs excel.

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However, in single-core performance, the Ryzen 7 9800X3D keeps pace with the top models, nearly matching the Ryzen 9 9900X in Cinebench R23 and even outperforming other flagships in Geekbench 3. Notably, increasing the clock to 5.4GHz had limited impact, as temperatures approached 95°C—a reasonable threshold but suggesting better cooling may be needed for further gains.

Games Benchmarks

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In our gaming benchmarks, the Ryzen 7 9800X3D met expectations for AMD’s X3D lineup, performing on par with the Ryzen 9 9950X and Core Ultra 9 in most titles under stock settings. However, unlike in synthetic benchmarks, we observed a notable boost with a slight overclock to 5.4GHz, particularly in titles like Horizon Zero Dawn and Far Cry 6.

Interestingly, higher memory clocks appeared to have minimal impact on gaming performance with the Ryzen 7 9800X3D, a notable contrast to non-X3D Ryzen CPUs. For those seeking further gains, investing in superior cooling could allow higher clock stability.

Power Draw and Temps

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In our power draw tests, the Ryzen 7 9800X3D showed efficient energy use. It drew 148W under stock settings and 154W when overclocked to 5GHz in CPU-intensive tasks, while games stayed below 105W.

Temperature-wise, the CPU peaked at 92°C on stock settings, reaching 96°C with a 5.4GHz overclock—higher than expected. Lowering temperatures is possible by tweaking BIOS settings like PBO, Curve Shaper, and Curve Optimizer, though the effectiveness may vary depending on the setup.

Final Thoughts

The Ryzen 7 9800X3D may not be the top choice for heavy productivity tasks like video editing or 3D rendering, but its gaming performance is exceptional, often surpassing pricier CPUs. One standout upgrade is the added overclocking potential, which lets you achieve even higher performance if your cooling solution can handle it. However, the price $479 is relatively high compared to the Ryzen 7 9700X.

Looking at the Ryzen 7 9800X3D as a whole, the gaming performance is indeed better than every single chip that we have tested, but we are losing core counts and ultimately losing in other tasks when we’re not gaming. Now if we look at the value, the Ryzen 9 9900X is much better with its many more cores and threads to be utilized by creative apps or even just faster Handbrake transcoding. Yet, the Ryzen 9 9900X is only $20 more than the Ryzen 7 9800X3D.

As of right now, we do recommend getting the Ryzen 9 9900X if you’re already looking for a new chip at this price range. The next one down the road is the Ryzen 7 9700X. It would offer a much more balanced experience albeit with lower overall performance. Even though the Ryzen 7 9800X3D is a great chip for gaming, I’d only recommend it if the price has gone down – maybe $429?