On February 28, 2023, AMD released its second processor with 3D-V cache technology, the Ryzen 9 7950X3D. It has the same core architecture as the 7950X, but it comes with 3D-V cache technology with extra cache. This processor comes with 16 cores and 32 threads. It uses TSMC 5nm FinFET processor architecture and has a base clock of 4.2 GHz which can be boosted up to 5.7 GHz.
The Ryzen 9 7950X3D’s maximum speed is pretty far from the Intel Core i9 13900KS, which has a max clock speed of 6 GHz without any overclocking. But with 3D-V cache, it has a massive 128 MB of L3 cache.
AMD calls it a gaming processor, and from the tests and benchmarks of many PC enthusiasts, it can be said that it delivers what it promises. Ryzen 9 7950X3D performs well in gaming compared to what was considered to be the fastest gaming processor on the market last year, Intel‘s Core i9 13900K. However, the new Ryzen processor still lacks a lot elsewhere, such as productivity-related tasks.
The 3D-V cache is a chip that only holds the cache. Each 3D-V cache chip holds 64 MB of L3 cache. These chips are installed vertically on top of the CPU. The first processor with 3D-V technology was Ryzen 5 5800X3D. It had one 3D-V cache and a 96 MB L3 cache. 7950X3D has two 3D-V caches, giving it a whopping amount of 128 MB L3 cache.
How are this much cache useful?
L3 cache reduces the need for the processor to communicate with the RAM. It is also faster than RAM. Most applications do not require this much cache, except for games. So with this much L3 cache on board, the Ryzen 9 7950X3D gets a huge advantage in gaming over any other processor.
Apart from that, the Ryzen 9 7950X3D is significantly more power efficient than Intel’s 13900K. The default TDP of Ryzen’s new processor is 120 watts while Intel’s 13900K has a power demand of 125 watts; the difference in core counts. The processor needs an AM5 CPU socket. It also supports DDR5 memory. As such, AMD encourages users to update their bios to the latest version to use this processor. Some users reported that the performance was horrible before they updated their bios.
https://twitter.com/AMDRyzen/status/1635361927500267523
The Ryzen 9 7950X3D is currently being sold at $699 on Newegg and $655 on Amazon. This price is around $100 higher than Intel core i9 13900K, which is priced at $579 on both marketplaces. But with the advantages and gaming performance boosts, it seems pretty reasonable for gamers who want to get that extra boost.
YouTube: AMD Ryzen™ 9 7950X3D: The World’s Fastest Gaming Desktop Processor
Photo source: The images used are owned by AMD and have been made available for press usage.
Sources: Monica J. White and Jacob Roach (Digital Trends) / Michael Justin Allen Sexton (PCMag)
