AMD’s new Ryzen 9000 CPU gets beaten by an unexpected rival

AMD’s new Ryzen 9000 CPUs are releasing in a little over a week, and the first review has already been posted. SaddyTech posted a video taking a look at the 12-core Ryzen 9 9900X in a slate of games, and there’s some bad news for AMD. Across titles, last generation’s Ryzen 7 7800X3D is faster.

There are minor differences in some games, but others show a massive lead for AMD’s last-gen CPU. In Alan Wake 2 at 1080p, for example, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D and Ryzen 9 9900X are within two frames of each other. However, in The Last of Us Part One, SaddyTech showed that the Ryzen 7 7800X3D is 18% ahead at 1080p. And in Fornite, it’s 16% ahead.

The differences shrink at higher resolutions, but SaddyTech found that the Ryzen 7 7800X3D is upwards of 10% faster than the Ryzen 9 9900X at 1080p. Even more surprising was that the Ryzen 7 7800X3D managed higher performance while consuming less power. In Counter-Strike 2, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D consumed 50 watts on average and reached a maximum of 63 degrees Celsius. The Ryzen 9 9900X with its larger core array sucked down 102W on average and reached 67 degrees.

It’s not surprising that the Ryzen 7 7800X3D remains one of the best gaming CPUs you can buy. It packs AMD’s 3D V-Cache, and as we saw with the first generation of this tech, it’s fantastic for gaming. What really stands out is the gap between the Ryzen 9 9900X and the Ryzen 7 7800X3D. This isn’t a simply a case where the last-gen chip offers more bang for your buck — for gamers, it’s straight-up faster.

That’s an important caveat. Although it appears the Ryzen 7 7800X3D will remain the go-to CPU for gaming, SaddyTech didn’t run any productivity benchmarks. The Ryzen 9 9900X will surely have an advantage in multi-core workloads, and it will likely excel in single-core performance as well. But 3D V-Cache really makes the difference for games, and it’s clear the last-gen chip is still at the top of the stack.

AMD has confirmed it will eventually release versions of its Ryzen 9000 CPUs with 3D V-Cache, and that will surely change the conversation around the Ryzen 7 7800X3D. Those aren’t expected to arrive until early next year, however, likely in January.

Although this early review paints a grim picture of Ryzen 9000 for gamers, it’s important to remember this is just one review. AMD’s new slate of CPUs is arriving on July 31, so reviews should either go up at that time or shortly before.