Compare the options and see which fits your needs best.
Compare the options and see which fits your needs best.
Performance gains between 7700x and 9700x are minimal, except for AVX512. Could adding 3D-VCache improve Zen 5’s speed beyond 7800X3D, or is Zen 5 merely underwhelming?
It should raise a few hundred MHz, especially in the 5.0-5.2GHz band. Per clock, Zen5 offers superior performance. The 9800x3D is expected to hit MSRP around $450 USD or higher, while the 7800x3D will sit in the $340-$360 USD range. You won’t find another ~$100 boost in performance, so the 7800x3D seems to provide better value until it’s discontinued.
It seems the 7800x3D model will likely be worth it unless they upgrade to the 9800x3D at higher frequencies like 5.3-5.4 GHz, which I question—those gains will probably be minimal. Fingers crossed it doesn’t end up with a 14nm+ process.
The cache in the x3D chips seems to handle most of the processing, so the performance should be similar to the 7800x3D. I’m still hoping for more reviews before deciding, just in case AMD makes improvements. Adding more cache could definitely make a difference.
I have a different take here than others. I say you should wait for the Ryzen 9000 X3D chip, and here is why... Ryzen 9000 launch has been a complete disaster, we all know that. However, there are literal MOUNTAINS of evidence showing that Ryzen 9000 isn't working properly and that a few BIOS or Microcode updates are likely to improve Ryzen 9000 performance in the next couple months. Once the 800-series MotherBoards get here, THAT is when we will see the true performance of Ryzen 9000. The performance pickup isn't likely to be huge but it will be something and widen the gap between Ryzen 9000 and Ryzen 7000, and because the launch was such an utter mess, Ryzen 9000 will likely be discounted quite quickly. I believe the first X3D chip will be the 9800X-3D as it has always been in the past and a lower-clocked 9700X-3D wouldn't come for quite some time. However, given that Ryzen 9000 should be discounted quickly, you could probably find 9800X-3Ds for under $400 USD just a few months after launch. Now this would push your upgrade timeline back quite a bit, instead of upgrading now you would be looking at early 2025. However if you can hold out for that long, you will end up with a better system and a better value overall because of it. X3D chips are low power, because of that, the 9800X-3D shouldn't suffer from a stupidly low default TDP and should get much closer to advertised boost clock in all core loads, coming up 400 MHz short rather than a full 1000MHz. This will make it much better than the 9700X with the same default limits. And because the issues should be fixed by then, I imagine the 9800X-3D will deliver a decent 10% uplift over the 7800X-3D. Its not huge, but its something. And remember, it took 2 years to go from Ryzen 7000 to Ryzen 9000. The argument of "There is always something better around the corner so don't bother waiting" is no longer a valid statement. Ryzen 9000 is on 4 Nanometer transistors, and shrinking transistors any smaller is becoming next to impossible. Within the next few generations, CPUs will HAVE to move on from Silicon-Based Transistors. What this means is the 9800X-3D might not even get outdated for a full 3 years, CPU development cycles will only continue to get longer, and longer, and longer and continue to show only small uplifts over previous gen each time. This means a 9800X-3D build would probably last you up to a decade as long as parts don't break prematurely. Thats just my 2 cents, its obviously your money.
It’s unlikely the 9700X3D will be significantly quicker than the 7800X3D. Considering the 7800X3D is now a few years old, you’re likely to discover many attractive offers that make it a much better value than the 9700X3D. Since the rest of the Zen 5 rollout hasn’t been exciting, a 7800X3D should be fine for most people.