From February, AMD processors with a particularly large cache will no longer only be available with eight cores. At the CES 2023 technology fair, the company announced three models with stacked cache dies for the AM5 platform: the Ryzen 9 7950X3D, Ryzen 9 7900X3D and Ryzen 7 7800X3D.
AMD calls them the “ultimate gaming processors” – if the fps plus in games is as high as the previous Ryzen 7 5800X3D, that would not be an exaggeration. AMD is also introducing the three cheaper models Ryzen 9 7900, Ryzen 7 7700 and Ryzen 5 7600 with reduced thermal design power (TDP).
Ryzen 9 asymmetry
All three X3D models each use a single stacked cache die. In the case of the two faster models, this leads to an asymmetrical structure: only eight CPU cores within a compute cluster can access the enlarged Level 3 cache with 92 MB. The eight CPU cores in the second cluster have to be content with the usual 32 MB.
In return, the compute chiplet can apply higher voltages without the stack cache and thus clock higher. The 5.7 GHz maximum boost on the Ryzen 9 7950X3D and 5.6 GHz on the Ryzen 9 5900X3D only apply to the chiplet without a stack cache. Since the latter makes heat dissipation more difficult, the stacked cache chiplet is limited to around 5.0 GHz.
Specifications of the Ryzen 7000X3D CPUs: The 9 models have an asymmetric structure with 32 + 32 + 64 MB level 3 cache.
(Image: AMD)
That’s why AMD advertises the Ryzen 7 7800X3D exclusively for gaming PCs and the two Ryzen 9 X3D for people who want to play as well as have high application performance. You should get “the best of both worlds”.
It will be exciting to see how Microsoft’s Windows scheduler can deal with the asymmetrical structure. After all, this must determine which CPU cores the games and applications run on. At the latest, it could get tricky with games that benefit more from high clock frequencies than from a lot of cache.
| Specifications AMD Ryzen 7000 for desktop PCs | |||||
processor | cores / threads | Base Clock / Max Boost | L3 cache | TDP | RRP |
Ryzen 9 7950X | 16 / 32 | 4.5/5.7GHz | 64 MB | 170W | $699 |
Ryzen 9 7950X3D | 16 / 32 | 4.2/5.7GHz | 128 MB | 120W | ? |
Ryzen 9 7900X | 12/24 | 4.7/5.6GHz | 64 MB | 170W | $549 |
Ryzen 9 7900X3D | 12/24 | 4.4/5.6GHz | 128 MB | 120W | ? |
Ryzen 9 7900 | 12/24 | 3.7/5.4GHz | 64 MB | 65W | $429 |
Ryzen 7 7800X3D | 8 / 16 | ? / 5.0GHz | 96 MB | 120W | ? |
Ryzen 7 7700X | 8 / 16 | 4.5/5.4GHz | 32 MB | 105W | $399 |
Ryzen 7 7700 | 8 / 16 | 3.8/5.3GHz | 32 MB | 65W | $329 |
Ryzen 5 7600X | 6 / 12 | 4.7/5.3GHz | 32 MB | 105W | $299 |
Ryzen 5 7600 | 6 / 12 | 3.8/5.1GHz | 32 MB | 65W | $229 |
TDP adjustment
Meanwhile, the TDP of the Ryzen 9 7950X3D and Ryzen 9 7900X3D, which has been reduced from 170 to 120 watts, is pleasing, which should result in a power limit of 162 watts – almost 70 watts less than in the X models without additional cache.
With the Ryzen 7 7800X3D, the TDP increases by 15 watts to 120 watts compared to the Ryzen 7 7700X. In view of the reduced boost, however, the real power consumption should be well below the theoretical power limit.
65 watt CPUs for sanity
The presentation of the three models Ryzen 9 7900, Ryzen 7 7700 and Ryzen 5 7600 was already whistling from the roofs. They are cheaper than the previous X models and have a much more reasonable TDP of 65 watts, i.e. a real power limit of 88 watts. The guaranteed base clock frequencies drop significantly, but the new CPUs still achieve high boost clock frequencies of 5.1 to 5.4 GHz.
AMD has probably recognized itself that the previous Ryzen 7000X processors have been beaten far too high: A presentation slide advertises the Ryzen 9 7900 with a 47 percent increase in efficiency compared to the Ryzen 9 7900X.
Strange: AMD makes its own Ryzen 7000X CPUs bad because of their high power consumption.
(Image: AMD)
Ryzen 9 7900, Ryzen 7 7700 and Ryzen 5 7600 will go on sale on January 10th and each will come with a boxed cooler (Ryzen 9: Wraith Prism, Ryzen 7: Wraith Stealth). Since the X models are already well below the official recommended prices, it remains to be seen at what prices the newcomers will be sold. The X3D models are to follow in February – AMD is not yet naming prices here.
(mma)