Skip to main content

AMD’s 3D-stacked Ryzen 7 5800X3D is ‘world’s fastest gaming processor’

The first processor to use a 3D V-Cache technology was announced at the big AMD CES 2022 keynote. The tech was first announced at Computex 2021, and fans have been eagerly awaiting a processor that will put it to use.

That processor is the Ryzen 7 5800X3D, which seems like a strange place to start a new range of processors. AMD has its Ryzen 9 chips, after all. That’s because the new Ryzen 7 can outclass AMD’s Ryzen 9 5900X while gaming, despite using the same architecture.

AMD CEO presenting new CPU.

It’s the “world’s fastest gaming processor,” according to AMD. Over the Ryzen 9 5900X, AMD says the Ryzen 5800X3D can deliver up to a 15% improvement in games at 1080p. That advantage shrinks at higher resolutions, but it’s still impressive to see performance gains out of the same chip that launched in 2020.

Well, almost the same chip. The Ryzen 7 5800X3D still comes with eight Zen 3 cores and 16 threads, as well as 32MB of L3 cache. It’s slower on the clock speed, with a base clock of 3.4GHz and a boost clock of 4.5GHz.

The secret sauce lies in AMD’s 3D V-Cache. It works by stacking cache on top of the chip, which allows AMD to add an additional 64MB of cache to the processor. That leads to an improvement over AMD’s current lineup, but also a lead over Intel.

AMD showcased benchmarks against Intel’s Core i9-12900K, which we crowned as the best gaming CPU when it launched. The improvements are minor, with the Ryzen chip matching the Core i9-12900K in the majority of games. But the Ryzen 7 5800X3D should come in at a cheaper price.

All of these numbers come from AMD, so it’s important to treat them with skepticism and wait for third-party validation. Still, it’s a hopeful sign that AMD’s 3D V-Cache technology has legs.

Although the Ryzen 7 5800X3D is a new processor, it’s not built for a new platform. It still works with socket AM4 motherboards, either sporting a 400-series or 500-series chipset. It comes with the same 105W power draw as the Ryzen 7 5800X, which will go up if you plan on overclocking.

AMD says the processor will release in the spring, though didn’t provide a specific time frame beyond that. We’re still waiting on pricing details, as well. We suspect the processor will be more expensive than the Ryzen 7 5800X, but not as expensive as the Ryzen 9 5900X. AMD hasn’t confirmed anything as of yet, though.

Editors' Recommendations

Jacob Roach
Senior Staff Writer, Computing
Jacob Roach is a writer covering computing and gaming at Digital Trends. After realizing Crysis wouldn't run on a laptop, he…
AMD’s new Ryzen 9 7950X3D is up to 24% faster than Intel’s best
AMD CEO Dr. Lisa Su showing the Ryzen 9 7950X3D at CES 2023.

AMD is starting off its CES strong with the introduction of new 3D V-Cache Ryzen 7000 CPUs. Unlike the previous generation, AMD isn't restricting its 3D V-Cache to just a midrange CPU, and is instead introducing three chips that match most of AMD's current-gen lineup.

AMD introduced the Ryzen 9 7950X3D, Ryzen 9 7900X3D, and Ryzen 7 7800X3D during its CES keynote today. The flagship chip, the Ryzen 9 7950X3D, tops out with 16 cores, a 5.7GHz boost clock speed, and 144MB of cache.

Read more
AMD, please don’t make the same mistake with the Ryzen 7 7700X3D
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D socketed in a motherboard.

AMD's Ryzen 7 5800X3D launched about six months ago. I gave it a rare Editors' Choice badge in my Ryzen 7 5800X3D review, and I stand by that assessment. But AMD made a big mistake with the Ryzen 7 5800X3D, and I hope it doesn't repeat that mistake with the Ryzen 7 7700X3D (or whatever name AMD ends up going with).

Next-gen 3D V-Cache processors are on the way; AMD has already confirmed that. It's no secret that AMD's 3D-stacked cache is a winning strategy to top the charts of the best gaming processors, but if AMD holds the Ryzen 7 7700X3D as long it held last gen's version, it's going to be tough to recommend.
Outclassed in an instant

Read more
AMD 7000X3D V-Cache CPUs could challenge Intel at CES 2023
AMD 3D V-Cache chip is shown over a coppery background.

New AMD 7000X3D V-Cache CPUs could be shown as early as January 2023 at next year’s CES, promising big gaming performance gains and potentially wrestling the title of best gaming chip from Intel once more.

The latest news comes from a supposedly leaked internal road map that reveals AMD is planning to unveil its next-generation 3D V-Cache CPUs based on the Zen 4 architecture at CES 2023. This information comes from Wccftech which has a good track record of uncovering insider information. The report goes on to suggest that there will be two 3D V-Cache chips announced at the event, which is notable.

Read more