AMD Ryzen 7 9700X vs Ryzen 7 5800X3D: Which is best for gaming?
The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X is the latest replacement for the Ryzen 7 5800X3D. The Zen 3 chip had taken the market by storm when it launched in 2022. The CPU continues to be quite popular and easily beats some newer and pricier chips in gaming workloads thanks to the 3D V-cache powering it. However, with the latest Zen 5 architecture, are IPC improvements finally enough to surpass the advantage of the 3D V-cache? Let's try to answer that.
Do note that the Ryzen 7 9700X and the 5800X3D are fundamentally different chips in terms of their underlying hardware. While their spec sheets look quite similar, you can expect differing performance levels from either processor.
The Ryzen 7 9700X and Ryzen 7 5800X3D are designed for superb mid-premium gaming experiences
Let's look at the specs of the two chips, including differences in their power designs and total amounts of cache.
Specs comparison
At first glance, both CPUs are quite similar: they pack eight cores and sixteen threads. While the basics remain the same with a chiplet-based design, this is where things start to differ.
The Zen 5 architecture powering the newer 9700X is much more capable than the older Zen 3 technology. You get about 30% of performance improvements across the board with support for newer DDR5 memory standards, higher power delivery capabilities to the chip, and better upgradability among others.
However, the 5800X3D has a massive 64 MB L2 cache that tremendously helps in gaming performance. The 9700X, on the other hand, has to solely rely on higher clock speeds and IPC improvements to match up with the first 3D V-cached chip.
The Ryzen 7 5800X3D has been discounted from its launch price of $449 and is now selling for $329. However, leaks have suggested the Ryzen 9700X will sell for just $299, which will be a competitive price for an eight-core chip.
Performance comparison
The detailed performance details of the Ryzen 7 9700X aren't out yet. We'll have to wait for independent reviews to drop for that. However, the leaked benchmark data of the chip gives one a good idea of what to expect.
Below are the scores achieved by either processor in Cinebench R23 and Geekbench 6. In both tests, the newer 9700X takes a massive lead over the Ryzen 7 5800X3D, with single-core performance being about 60% better. We sourced these numbers from the aggregator website Nanoreview.
*Based on leaked benchmark scores
Do note that synthetic benchmarks like these don't do justice to the 3D V-cache technology that AMD has recently launched. In video games, the difference between the chips might be quite different. We expect the gap to be much smaller but the 9700X still commands a lead thanks to IPC improvements. Some leaks suggest that the newer Ryzen 7 will outperform the 5800X3D by as much as 12%.
Ryzen 7 9700X vs Ryzen 7 5800X3D: Final verdict
The Ryzen 7 9700X and the Ryzen 7 5800X3D are both capable gaming CPUs. However, the Zen 3 chip will be two generations old this July 31 when the first wave of 9000 series chips launch.
For now, we recommend waiting for independent reviewer data before pulling the trigger on your CPU upgrade. However, it seems that the 9700X would be a better choice for gamers.