Ryzen 7 7800X3D vs Ryzen 9 7900X3D: Price and Performance Value Showdown

Back when AMD launched the Ryzen 7 7800X3D and the Ryzen 9 7900X3D, choosing between them was a no-brainer for most enthusiasts. The price difference was stark—Ryzen 7 was significantly cheaper, making it the go-to choice for gamers who wanted top-tier performance without burning a hole in their wallets. Meanwhile, the Ryzen 9 was marketed towards those who needed a bit more muscle for productivity tasks while lacking performance in gaming. 

Fast forward to today, and the landscape has hilariously flipped on its head. The Ryzen 7 7800X3D is now being sold at prices well above its MSRP, while the Ryzen 9 7900X3D remains steady at its original price point. It’s almost comical how the value proposition has shifted. What was once the obvious choice for gamers is now pricey, forcing us to take a closer look at what each CPU truly offers in terms of performance and value.

With both CPUs now available at similar price points, the decision isn’t as straightforward as it used to be. This brings us to the crux of today’s comparison: which CPU offers better value for your money, and which one should you consider buying—or maybe not buying at all? By putting both the Ryzen 7 7800X3D and Ryzen 9 7900X3D to the test, we aim to uncover which one stands out in this new pricing scenario and how they stack up against each other in real-world applications.

Gaming Performance Benchmarks

To make things fair and relatable, all the performance benchmarks were conducted using an RTX 4090 graphics card at 1080p resolution. This setup ensures that the GPU is not a bottleneck and that we’re truly assessing the CPU’s capabilities across different games. Here are the results of all the game benchmarks:

Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty

Hogwarts Legacy

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

Spider-Man Remastered

Assetto Corsa Competizione

A Plague Tale: Requiem

Assassin’s Creed Mirage

Watch Dogs: Legion

Hitman 3

Counter Strike 2

COD: Modern Warfare III

Ghost of Tsushima

Helldivers 2

Senuas Saga Hellblade 2

Baldurs Gate 3

Final Fantasy XIV Endwalker

Far Cry 6

F1 22

Total War: Warhammer III

As we can see in the benchmarks, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D gives more FPS in most cases, but it’s not entirely consistent. Sometimes, the Ryzen 9 7900X3D leads by a bit, and there are instances where they draw and deliver similar performance. However, most of the time, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D has a slight edge and it is because the Ryzen 9 7900X3D has only six 3D V-Cache enabled cores while the Ryzen 7 7800X3D has eight.

Productivity Performance Benchmarks

Now, we’re going to shift gears and test the performance of these CPUs in productivity applications. Here are the benchmark results to see how these processors fare in real-world productivity environments.

Blender 3.3

Chromium Code Compile

Compression

Decompression

Adobe Premiere Pro

Adobe Photoshop

The Ryzen 9 7900X3D outperforms the Ryzen 7 7800X3D significantly in these productivity tasks, primarily due to its higher core count. The additional cores in the Ryzen 9 allow it to handle multi-threaded applications much more effectively, resulting in faster processing times and improved efficiency for users who rely on demanding software for content creation and multitasking.

Power Consumption

When it comes to power consumption, both the Ryzen 7 7800X3D and Ryzen 9 7900X3D exhibit interesting characteristics that can impact your build’s overall efficiency and cooling requirements. At maximum load, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D absorbs only about 86 watts, which is really impressive considering its TDP (Thermal Design Power) is rated at 120 watts. In fact, I’ve never really seen it reach even close to that TDP during my testing. This efficiency not only helps keep your energy bills down but also means less heat generation, allowing for a more straightforward cooling setup.

On the other hand, the Ryzen 9 7900X3D has a higher power draw, consuming about 120 watts at max load. This indicates that it will generate more heat, which means you’ll definitely need a robust cooling solution to keep it operating efficiently and quietly.

Pricing and Conclusion

Now, the thing is that, at the time of writing, you can get a Ryzen 9 7900X3D for about $600, and surprisingly, the cheapest Ryzen 7 7800X3D you can find is also priced at $600. Given this pricing situation, my recommendation is to avoid buying either of these CPUs. Instead, consider investing in the Ryzen 9 7950X3D, which comes in at around $620.

For just an additional $20, you get better or identical performance in gaming compared to the Ryzen 7 7800X3D and a significant boost in productivity applications thanks to its higher core count. I know you might have to deal with some scheduling issues but trust me—it’s not that difficult to manage, and you’ll get the hang of it. Yes, the 7950X3D does absorb more power than the 7800X3D, and it will require a good cooling solution, but if you’re spending this much on a CPU, these factors shouldn’t pose a significant issue for you.

In summary, for a slight increase in budget, the Ryzen 9 7950X3D offers superior performance across the board, making it the smarter choice for gamers and productivity users alike.

FAQs

Is the Ryzen 9 7900X3D better than the 7800X3D?

The Ryzen 9 7900X3D is better for productivity due to its higher core count, making it more efficient in multi-core tasks like video rendering. However, in gaming performance, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D is superior because it has all eight 3D V-Cache enabled cores, while the 7900X3D only has six 3D V-Cache enabled cores, giving the 7800X3D an advantage in cache-heavy games.

Why is 7900X3D slower than 7800X3D?

The Ryzen 9 7900X3D is slower than the Ryzen 7 7800X3D in gaming because the 7900X3D has only six 3D V-Cache cores enabled, while the 7800X3D has all eight 3D V-Cache enabled cores.

Is a Ryzen 9 7900X3D good for gaming?

Yes, the Ryzen 9 7900X3D is good for gaming, but the Ryzen 7 7800X3D is better because it comes at a lower price point and features more 3D V-Cache enabled cores. This additional cache improves gaming performance, especially in cache-heavy games, making the 7800X3D a more cost-effective option for gaming enthusiasts.

Is 7800X3D still king?

Yes, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D is still the “king” for gaming because it offers identical, if not better, performance compared to its more expensive siblings at a much lower price (if available at its MSRP).

Products mentioned in the article:

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