The time has come for another review of the ZEN3 series, this time focusing on a special treat for PC gamers – the Ryzen 7 5800X3D. With eight cores, sixteen threads, and an impressive 96MB L3 cache, this CPU is generating a lot of buzz. The increased cache size is expected to enhance gaming performance, putting AMD back in the lead against Intel’s Alder Lake processors like the 12900K. A key feature of this new Ryzen chip is the addition of 3D V-cache memory. While the Intel Core i7-12700K offers 25MB of L3 cache, the Ryzen 7 5800X3D boasts a whopping 96MB L3 cache. This significant upgrade is anticipated to deliver superior gaming performance. Initial testing by AMD suggests that the Ryzen 7 5800X3D performs on par with the Intel Core i9-12900K, setting a high standard for this review.
Caution should be taken as the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D processor comes with eight cores but a slightly lower maximum clock speed of 4.5GHz. This makes it a bit slower compared to the standard Ryzen 7 5800X, which operates at a maximum speed of 4.7GHz. Additionally, the new model boasts 64MB of 3D V-Cache in addition to the 32MB of standard cache. The cache memory is positioned on top of the chip in this setup. Despite these changes, the TDP remains consistent at 105W.
ZEN serves as the codename for the processor architecture. ZEN3 introduced an updated architecture with improved IPC (instructions per clock) performance, along with chiplet designs that have become familiar and offer higher yields. AMD has consistently pushed the boundaries of chip-fabrication foundries, particularly excelling in 7nm production. The chiplet design has contributed to the high yields, as opposed to monolithic designs. For instance, with monolithic designs, only 30 chips may be obtained from a wafer with a 60% yield, resulting in 18 working dies. However, with chiplets, around 200 chips can be produced per wafer, leading to 120 working dies with the same yield ratio. This approach has played a significant role in AMD’s recent achievements.
Gaming king?
There has been extensive discussion surrounding the Ryzen 5000, also known as ZEN3, from AMD. While the single and multi-threaded performance has been commendable, there have been challenges with high FPS and CPU-bound games. This issue cannot be solely attributed to the processor, as the gaming industry has long favored Intel and optimized their processors accordingly. The architectural design of AMD’s ZEN and ZEN2 processors, specifically the cluster design, has posed certain disadvantages. Each processor die contains 8 cores, organized into two groups of four cores each, leading to latency issues between the two 4-core partitions. This latency contributes to the performance gap in gaming. To address this challenge, there are two primary approaches. The first involves enhancing IPC (instructions per clock) performance through more efficient buffers and caches to strengthen core performance. The second approach, commonly seen in Intel processors, focuses on maximizing clock frequency. While Intel excels in high turbo clock frequencies, AMD has traditionally been stronger in IPC. Despite AMD processors delivering solid gaming performance overall, they have struggled to surpass Intel in extreme scenarios such as CPU-bound games with high FPS. This has created a perception among enthusiasts that AMD lags behind Intel in gaming performance, overshadowing the processor’s other strengths. Ultimately, the question of whether AMD processors outperform Intel in games remains a key consideration for many users.
No overclocking?
AMD has stated that overclocking is not available for the Ryzen 7 5800X3D as they are still perfecting the packaging for their V-cache CPUs. The Ryzen 7 5800X3D has been voltage locked at 1.35V due to being the first of its kind. Despite this limitation, fabric and memory overclocking are still possible, allowing enthusiasts to make adjustments. Hopefully, future V-cache CPUs will not face the same restrictions, and AMD will be able to optimize these new processors effectively. While multipliers are fixed and PBO is inactive, the additional L3 cache in this gaming processor should help offset any performance decrease caused by lower clocks.
