Ryzen 7 7800X3D vs Ryzen 9 7900X3D – which AMD CPU should you go for?

Ryzen 7 7800X3D vs Ryzen 9 7900X3D – which AMD CPU should you go for?
Rory Greig Updated on by

Video Gamer is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Prices subject to change. Learn more

If you’ve got questions about the differences between the Ryzen 7 7800X3D vs Ryzen 9 7900X3D, then you’ve come to the right place.

It has been a while now since Ryzen announces its 7000 3D V-cache range of CPUs, and we’ve seen many released. The next in line is the Ryzen 7 7800X3D which we now know will come out on April 6th.

Like the other chips in the range it combines Ryzen’s 3D V-cache technology, which vertically stacks the cache, making larger amounts of it faster to access. This makes the entire Ryzen 7000 X3D range perfect for gaming, as running them benefits greatly from the quickly accessible and regularly used data that can be stored in the cache.

The Ryzen 7 7800X3D will come out as the most budget-friendly option, meaning there is sure to be a spotlight on it. So, considering what we know so far how does it compare with other cards in the Ryzen 7000 range?

The Ryzen 9 7900X3D came out on February 28th and has already established itself as amongst the best CPUs for gaming on the market, working well with a top-end GPU like the RTX 4090. It is the second most powered X3D chip ever released, after the Ryzen 9 7900X3D.

This makes the comparison we are looking at today one many that will be made ahead of the Ryzen 7 7800X3D’s release, as these cards are next to each other in terms of price and performance.

We’ve broken our comparison down into separate sections, giving a detailed overview of each one. This means you will have a better understanding of both CPUs and which one better suits your needs and budget.

Let’s get into the comparison.

Ryzen 7 7800X3D vs Ryzen 9 7900X3D – Specs

SpecsRyzen 7 7800X3DRyzen 9 7900X3D
ArchitectureZen 4Zen 4
Core count812
Thread count1624
Boost speed5.0GHz5.6GHz
Cache96MB128MB
TDP120W120W

This specs table gives you a good overview of the differences between these two chips. Essentially the Ryzen 9 is slightly, or sometimes greatly, more capable than its Ryzen 7 counterpart, though both make use of the same Zen 4 architecture.

One of the specs with the biggest impact on performance is clock speed. We’ve listed the boost clock speed, which is it’s maximum, for both chips. As you can see the Ryzen 9 comes out on top at 5.6Ghz versus the 5.0Ghz of the Ryzen 7.

Read more: AMD Ryzen 9 7900X vs 7900X3D

The speed refers to how many calculations are being completed per cycle. Gaming can be CPU intensive meaning your chip may often be running at top speeds – this is where having a higher clock speed can have the largest impact.

The Ryzen 7 does have a seriously impressive cache size of 96MB, which is far higher than many top-end CPUs out there. However, it’s smaller than the Ryzen 9’s meaning the latter can make even more use of its cache stores to help your game run and load faster.

Ryzen 7 7800X3D vs Ryzen 9 7900X3D – Core count and thread count

The core and thread count of the Ryzen 9 is higher, and not by an insignificant amount, boasting 12 and 24 respectively vs 8 and 16 for the Ryzen 7. So what does this actually mean?

Cores exist physically within the CPU and are used in multitasking, and especially drawn on when running apps which are resource intensive. Threads meanwhile exist in the digital architecture, while still helping with multitasking processes.

Read more: Ryzen 7 5800X3D vs Ryzen 7 7800X3D

As a result, the Ryzen 9 has superior performance, which is evidenced by its already discussed higher boost speed.

Ryzen 7 7800X3D vs Ryzen 9 7900X3D – Architecture

The use of 3D V-Cache and Zen 4 architecture are points of similarity between these two chips.

Zen 4 architecture makes some serious improvements over the previous Zen 3, many of them physical. For example, it carries 5mn process nodes, which was a major breakthrough. This smaller size allows more to be packed into the same-sized chip.

Read more: Best CPU for RTX 3070

It also comes with support for top-end features such as DDR5 and the 5th generation of PCle. When you compare PCle 5.0 and PCle 4.0, the latest generation performs far better, and it’s great to see compatibility for this technology spreading.

The catch with DDR5 is that you will need to make sure your motherboard is compatible, which means it needs AM5 sockets. However, as both the Ryzen 7 7800X3D and 9 7900X3D use this same architecture, this doesn’t need to factor into any decision you make between the two.

Ryzen 7 7800X3D vs Ryzen 9 7900X3D – Value for money

When the Ryzen 7 7800X3D is released next month it will have an MSRP of $449. Not small potatoes by any means but still less than the Ryzen 9 7900X3D’s MSRP of $599.

Read more: Best thermal paste for CPU and GPU

But, a lower price does not necessarily mean a higher value for money. Let’s not forget that the Ryzen 9 will be the more powerful and capable overall card. Though both are top-end chips, very capable in high-end games.

CPU prices can fluctuate too, especially when the card has been out for longer. We’re already seeing modest $10 deductions for the Ryzen 9 7900X3D on Amazon, and this will only get higher in time.

Which one should you go for?

There is no obvious choice of exactly which card you should go for here. Both are high-end CPUs geared towards gaming that will serve you well. It comes down to the balancing act between price and performance.

If you want one of the best-performing gaming CPUs ever released, and have the right hardware to unlock its potential, then Ryzen 9 7900X3D provides just that. It will set you back a bit of cash but if you know you want to game at high resolutions and frame rates, even in the most demanding games, it will offer a good return on your investment.

If you are a serious gamer, who still wants to be able to play the top games, and doesn’t mind the thought of losing a slight bit of edge, in order to save a bit of money, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D offers brilliant performance for its price.

We’ve got a tonne of comparisons between CPUs, so if you want to do any more research on these two cards, you can check out our other Ryzen 9 7900X3D articles, or Ryzen 7 7800X3D articles.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Ryzen 7 7800X3D good for gaming?

Yes, when released, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D will be a powerful CPU. Its high clock speed makes it especially geared towards gaming performance.

Will a Ryzen 7 5800X3D bottleneck an RTX 3080?

No, as it is an 8-core CPU it should run alongside the RTX 3080 without any bottlenecking.