5950x PBO versus 5800X3D comparison
5950x PBO versus 5800X3D comparison
I’m eager to upgrade to an X3D and replace my 5950x. Recent workloads have eased and gaming is the main focus now. I could even earn some extra cash by selling my 5950x. According to what I’ve read, the 5800X3D isn’t overclockable and doesn’t support PBO. Is that accurate? My 5950x has PBO turned on and runs smoothly at 4.9/5.0 during gaming. A 360mm AIO paired with an H500M case keeps the chip at a comfortable 61°C. I’m curious if switching to X3D will really boost single-core performance. I haven’t found any specific tests comparing a PBO-enabled 5950x to an X3D. The X3D seems to offer less improvement. Longevity is also a factor—this could be about two years before the next GPU/CPU release. I’m not planning a build until then. Edit: You can still overclock the X3D... but I wouldn’t recommend it. This adds more uncertainty about the change. Especially since I can push my 5950x up to 5.1 if needed. I have plenty of cooling capacity left. Edit2: My GPU is a 3090 with a 3840x1600 display. I mainly play games, though I enjoy CPU-heavy titles as well.
No amount of boosting can match the x3d in games needing strong single-core speed. None of the CPUs listed will become outdated in two years, and none will limit performance on a 3090 with 3840x1600 resolution. The 5800X3D would use less power, which is another factor to think about.
Understood, the focus remains on 5950x but the core issue stays consistent. With the extra cache, performance in games tends to stay better no matter the clock speed. We've been aware of this since the release. While the gap at 3840x1600 might be minor, it probably isn't worth rushing for now. On average, this is the typical 1080p ranking for a dozen popular titles, helping you gauge their performance.
In theory on paper the X3D seems like the fastest gaming CPU available, but in practice it's more about achieving a slight edge—like 280 FPS versus 270 FPS in most games. (The exact numbers came straight from my end, just to highlight the difference.) Basically, it's tough to justify the investment unless the upgrade ensures you can earn a profit and actually need that extra cash.
I actually own this processor and have boosted its speed, so I can share my thoughts: the temperatures on this CPU are higher than a 5950x yet it consumes less power. The Vcache keeps the core running hotter. All single-core boost reaches 4450mhz, and the multi-core boost is 4550mhz—this isn’t typically found on most motherboards. You can raise the BCLK using an external clock generator, though results differ between setups. Some boards support a negative curve optimizer, which helps lower temps and boost multicore performance. If your system doesn’t have this feature, a Windows utility can do the job. The 5800x3d will boot in any Ryzen 5000 compatible BIOS, but it will be limited to under 4ghz unless your BIOS supports it.
I upgraded from a 3900x with lots of OC to a 5800x3d and it also reached 4750mhz. It really helped in games that rely heavily on cache. On other titles it still improved thanks to better IPC. If I had gone with the 5950x, I wouldn’t have achieved the 5800x3d. Just keep the system and consider upgrading to AM5 if you want that model. Otherwise, hold on and wait. The 5800x3d can get very hot—especially with a 360/60 rad push-pull and another 120mm rad with push-pull, it can hit 80°C. But it does accelerate things, like reaching over 120 FPS on Star Citizen at full performance.
Your X3D might be overheating compared to your 5900X/5950X, so consider upgrading the cooler.