Gaming's Greatest CPUs: I Tested Every Ryzen X3D Model (6 & 8 Core)

This video reviews all nine of AMD's single CCD 3D V-Cache enabled Ryzen 5 and Ryzen 7 processors, spanning both AM4 and AM5 platforms. This extensive comparison aims to address previous feedback regarding missing CPUs in earlier reviews. The testing methodology involved 14 games at 1080p resolution, utilizing an RTX 5090 graphics card to ensure CPU limitation. Starting with Rainbow Six Siege, an almost 80% performance difference was observed between the fastest and slowest X3D processors at medium quality settings. The 9850X3D was over 60% faster than the 5800X3D, and the 6-core 7500X3D was 25% faster than the 5800X3D. These gains are largely attributed to the improved Instructions Per Cycle (IPC) of the Zen 4 architecture over Zen 3. In Battlefield 6, a 51% margin separated the slowest and fastest X3D processors. The 5800X3D and 7500X3D showed comparable performance, with the 9850X3D being 34% faster. Interestingly, the upgrade from DDR4 to DDR5 memory offered minimal performance benefits for these L3 cache-heavy X3D parts in this title. Arc Raiders, a game that significantly benefits from AMD's 3D V-Cache, presented an instance where the 5800X3D outperformed the 7500X3D by 7% at epic quality settings. The 7500X3D only matched the 5700X3D, suggesting that DDR5 isn't always a substantial upgrade for these X3D CPUs. Borderlands 4 was largely GPU-bound with a modern CPU, showing only a 9% performance discrepancy between the fastest and slowest X3D processors at badass preset, increasing to 24% with medium settings. Marvel Rivals exhibited a massive 80% performance difference between the slowest and fastest CPUs at medium settings and 51% at ultra settings. This game is highly memory sensitive, with the 7500X3D being 11% faster than the 5800X3D in average frame rate and 14% faster in 1% lows at medium settings. Memory bandwidth and core clock speed, rather than core count, were identified as key performance factors here. Baldur's Gate 3, another title benefiting from 3D V-Cache, showed a 97% performance increase from the slowest to the fastest X3D processor at medium quality. The 5800X3D and 7500X3D were closely matched, though the Zen 4 part had 11% better 1% lows. Performance in this game benefited from core count, core clock speed, IPC, and memory bandwidth. Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty also saw gains from core count, memory bandwidth, and IPC improvements. The 5700X3D was 15% faster than the 5600X3D due to additional cores, and the 7800X3D was 10% faster than the 7600X3D for the same reason. The 7500X3D was 7% faster than the 5800X3D. Ray tracing significantly impacted the performance of the 5600X3D and 5500X3D. Counter-Strike 2, a lightly threaded game, primarily benefits from IPC. The 15% performance increase of the 7500X3D over the 5800X3D was attributed to Zen 4's IPC gains over Zen 3, not DDR5 memory. The 9800X3D was 10% faster than the 7800X3D at medium settings. At very high preset, the game became more GPU-bound, reducing the performance gap. Space Marine 2, a CPU-limited game, highlighted the importance of CPU clock speed, core count, and IPC. The 5700X3D was 6% faster than the 5600X3D, and the 7800X3D was 15% faster than the 7600X3D, demonstrating the impact of both core clock speed and core count. Mafia: The Old Country, at medium quality, saw a 57% performance increase from the slowest to the fastest X3D processor. Core clock speed, core count, and memory bandwidth were key drivers, with DDR5 offering significant gains in previous tests. Core count was more relevant at the lower end of the performance scale. ACC (Assetto Corsa Competizione) is sensitive to core clocks and memory bandwidth but not necessarily additional cores. The 5600X3D outperformed the 5700X3D and matched the 5800X3D. The 7500X3D was 15% faster than the 5800X3D, likely due to DDR5's improved bandwidth and IPC gains, as the 9800X3D was up to 18% faster than the 7800X3D. Spider-Man 2 is extremely memory-sensitive and bandwidth-heavy, with core clock speed being more important than core count. The 5500X3D trailed the 5600X3D by 10% at medium settings. The 7500X3D, with DDR5, was 17% faster than the 5800X3D, a difference also pronounced with ray tracing. Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered showed consistent performance scaling, with core performance, core count, clock speed, and memory bandwidth all contributing. A nearly 70% increase was seen from the slowest to fastest X3D processors at medium settings, rising to 83% at very high settings. The 7800X3D showed a 23% increase in 1% lows and 20% in average frame rate over the 7600X3D, indicating core count's significant role. The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered showed more congested data, with minimal performance differences between core count variants (e.g., 7600X3D vs. 7800X3D). Core clock speed appeared to be the primary performance driver. A 14-game average revealed consistent scaling. The medium data showed a 64% margin between the slowest and fastest models, while ultra data reduced it to 54%. The 7500X3D was 8-9% faster than the 5800X3D, and the 7800X3D was 20-24% faster. The 9800X3D was 8-10% faster than the 7800X3D, making it 30-37% faster than the 5800X3D. The 7800X3D emerged as the most impressive gaming CPU AMD has released since the 5800X3D, showing 20-24% generational gains over the 5800X3D. The 9800X3D offered 8-10% gains over the 7800X3D. Most other X3D CPUs are binned versions of the 5800X3D, 7800X3D, or 9800X3D.