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AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D Desktop Processor (16-core/32-thread, 144MB cache, up to 5.7 GHz max boost)

£9.9£99Clearance
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AMD’s Collaborative Processor Performance Control (CPPC2) interface already ranks the fastest cores as the highest priority, enabling the OS to schedule threads into these ‘preferred’ cores first. Not all Ryzen cores can reach the rated peak frequency, so this tech is critical to ensure strong performance in lightly threaded apps, like gaming. PlaneInTheSky said:The cons just weigh too heavy for me to even consider the CPU or the AM5 platform. Speaking of performance — boy howdy, this is a hell of a processor. It doesn't always hit the highest score on a given test, and it can often lag 5% to 10% behind the 7950X or i9-13900K on a few synthetic CPU benchmarks like CineBench R23 or Geekbench 5, but that could be chalked up to the pre-release BIOS and chipset drivers I used for testing. Even if that isn't the case, nobody buys a processor to run artificial test suites on it. If your BIOS has any specific X3D options called Core Flex, Gaming preset etc, leave those disabled. For most tests, we utilize an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Founders Edition graphics card as the primary display adapter. This is also used for all of the gaming tests—except those focused on testing the integrated graphics processor, or IGP. During those tests, we remove the Nvidia graphics card from the system. All tests are performed on Windows 11 Pro with all the latest Windows updates installed.

Finally, the last major difference is the lower TDP on the 7950X3D compared to the 7950X (120W to 125W). This is mostly from the lower frequency on the 3D V-Cache cores (as well as some other optimizations), meaning that the 7950X3D can use less power overall to get the same or better performance.It is good practice to update game bar once or twice a month as new games get released. It will often prompt you when you press the game bar hotkey when launching a game if there is an update available. DDR4 is a dead end and should only be considered for budget builds and upgrades on older systems at this point. Many will draw parallels between AMD’s approach and Intel’s Thread Director, the latter of which steers threads to either high-performance or efficiency cores in the company’s x86 hybrid CPUs. The two mechanisms have plenty of similarities, but as you would expect, each company has a unique implementation with different goals.

If the software detects a certain high level of thread utilisation, however, it will spin up that dormant chiplet and bring it online if its extra core count is needed. We do not charge you a fee for our services. We may receive commission from Novuna Personal Finance based on an agreed percentage of the amount you borrow. The cache clearly does not help enough to give the Ryzen 9 7950X3D the performance advantage in any other CPU test in our suite. At the same time, its lower TDP and heat limit cause the 7950X3D to operate a bit slower and perform worse in almost every test except that one. The Ryzen 9 7950X is slightly faster in many of these tests, but, considering how much cheaper that chip is at list price, it’s a bit of a no-brainer which is the better value in this scenario.

Just let the "platform cost" argument go, otherwise test Intel with DDR4 and make proper comparisons showing what you get going with older and slower technology.Especially considering that Intel's 13th gen would take a massive performance plunge if paired with DDR4. There's nothing like the cold harsh realities of logic to kill the upgrade urge. I think I will look at the actual upgrade cost to change my chip, motherboard and memory. I already have DDR4. AMD expects me to just throw this into the trash and buy expensive new DDR5 for a 1% difference in performance. It even bothers me from an e-waste perspective, let alone the financial cost.

Just let the "platform cost" argument go, otherwise test Intel with DDR4 and make proper comparisons showing what you get going with older and slower technology. Corsair Dominator Titanium First Edition DDR5-6600 C32 2x32GB Review: Abundant Capacity And Performance AMD’s new thread management technique requires Windows 10 (1903) or 11 (21H2) and four components — a new chipset driver, updated BIOS, Windows Game Mode, and an updated version of the Xbox Game Bar (you can update through the Microsoft Apps store). I’ve tested something like 30+ games in my Steam, Battle.net, Origin, GOG, Ms-Store, Ubisoft and everything was recognised and worked without issue.The fact performance of X3D CPU is all over the place bothers me too. Yes it's fast in -some- games, but then you get less overall performance in several important applications. If I just used my PC for gaming, I would have bought a console, I don't like the idea of having to make a trade-off with X3D CPU. In most CPU tests, however, the cache is not that helpful, and this is what paints the worst picture of the Ryzen 9 7950X3D. Out of all of our CPUs tests, the Ryzen 9 7950X3D is beaten by the Ryzen 9 7950X in all of them except one. That one is the single-threaded POV-Ray 3.7 test, and admittedly that's within the margin of error. To be clear (and contrary to our earlier theorizing that we mentioned in the Editors' Note up top), the Ryzen 9 7950X3D's IGP doesn't have access to the L3 cache on the processors, but just like the 3D V-Cache can help gaming performance with a graphics card, it can help the IGP perform better in the right scenarios, too. If the IGP did have access to the L3 cache, we would expect to see an even more pronounced performance boost, and the idea of seeing a future Ryzen 7000-series APU, a processor with a relatively powerful IGP and the 3D V-Cache together, would be exciting. That's not what this is, though. System Power and Thermals This difference is even more telling when it comes to gaming performance. Compared to the 7950X, the 7950X3D performs like it is fully one to two generations ahead of its non-3D V-Cache counterpart with roughly 20% to 25% better gaming performance at 1080p. Likewise, when it comes to the Intel Core i9-13900K, the 7950X3D lands about 16% to 19% faster on average, but some games will perform substantially better, and the 7950X3D is never that far behind the 13900K when it does occasionally lose out. The chipset drivers also install the AMD PPM Provisioning File Driver, which improves performance by parking the slowest cores when Game Mode or Mixed Reality Mode is active. In effect, this shuts down the ‘standard’ CCD when Game Mode or Mixed Reality Mode is active, thus constraining latency-sensitive workloads (like games) to the 3D V-Cache chiplet. This improves the cache hit rate and reduces high-latency communication between the two CCDs, resulting in faster performance for workloads that don’t need access to (or benefit from) all the cores.

With both tuned, I'd still rather have the 16 core variant personally. It'll be the better overall chip IMO, basing this off the 7950X vs the 7700X.PlaneInTheSky said: My PC from 14 years ago still browses the internet just fine. It still does Spotify, Netflix, indie gaming, etc.

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