AMD Ryzen 7 9700X vs Ryzen 7 9800X3D: Which is the faster gaming CPU?

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and Ryzen 7 9800X3D are the company's mid-premium eight-core offerings this generation. The key difference between the chips is 3D V-cache. Like previous processors introduced in this lineup, the 9800X3D delivers extra gaming performance across the board, often beating higher-end Intel chips.

Departing from the community stigma, how does performance differ between the chips in the real world? Let's compare the specs and performance and try to answer that in this article.

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The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and Ryzen 7 9800X3D are some of the fastest mid-premium gaming CPUs

The Ryzen 7 9700X is a capable 8-core gaming CPU (Image via AMD)

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and 9800X3D are both based on the same Zen 5 architecture. However, 3D V-cache has led to certain tradeoffs in the specs design of the latter. Let's review the specs details to get a better idea.

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Specs comparison

The Ryzen 7 9700X and the Ryzen 7 9800X3D are both based on a similar eight-core 16-threaded design. They are Zen 5 processors based on a 4 nm manufacturing process. However, that's where all similarities end.

The Ryzen 7 9700X operates with a base clock of 3.8 GHz and can boost up to 5.5 GHz, while the Ryzen 7 9800X3D has a higher base clock of 4.7 GHz but a lower maximum boost of 5.2 GHz. This downgrade is targeted at handling the added thermal and power headroom of the 3D V-cache.

Talking about cache, the 9700X features 32 MB of L3, while the 9800X3D triples that for 96 MB total. This causes a significant hit to the operating power: while the lower-end Ryzen 7 draws just 65W, the X3D is rated at 120W.

Here's a look at the specs side-by-side:

Specification	Ryzen 7 9700X	Ryzen 7 9800X3D
Cores / Threads	8 cores / 16 threads	8 cores / 16 threads
Base Clock	3.8 GHz	4.7 GHz
Boost Clock	5.5 GHz	5.2 GHz
L3 Cache (incl. 3D V-Cache)	32 MB	96 MB (with 3D V-Cache)
TDP / Power Consumption	65 W	~120 W
Gaming Performance Uplift	Solid performer; great value	Up to ~8% better gaming performance on average
Price / Value Aspect	$329	$479

In terms of pricing, the 9700X takes a solid lead over the X3D. While the latter launched at $479 and seldom drops below the price, the 9700X is priced at just $329. We spotted it for under $300 on Amazon Prime Day.

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Performance comparison

Performance may differ widely between Ryzen 9000 CPUs (Image via AMD)

Here's a look at the framerates you can get on an RTX 3090 Ti at 4K with either chip. We sourced these benchmark results from the YouTube channel Mark PC.

	Ryzen 7 9800X3D	Ryzen 7 9700X
God of War	141 FPS	127 FPS
Cyberpunk 2077	94 FPS	68 FPS
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	130 FPS	107 FPS
Watch Dogs Legion	125 FPS	106 FPS
Red Dead Redemption 2	128 FPS	97 FPS
Horizon Zero Dawn	147 FPS	121 FPS

On average, the Ryzen 7 9800X3D delivers 23.7% better performance. The biggest gains are in graphics-heavy titles like Cyberpunk 2077 (+38.2%) and Red Dead Redemption 2 (+32%). The difference is smaller in games that demand more CPU processing power, like God of War. This is primarily because X3D chips reduce GPU bottlenecks to squeeze the maximum from the underlying silicon.

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While the Ryzen 7 9800X3D is the faster CPU, it is much costlier than the 9700X. If we look at performance-per-dollar metrics, the former comes at 0.266 FPS per $, while the 9700X beats it with 0.317 FPS per $.

This is the X3D premium, making the Ryzen 7 9700X a better value for budget-conscious gamers. Given that the difference in raw FPS numbers will be slimmer on mid-range GPUs, we recommend opting for the non-3D chip. The $150 price difference could mean going from a 70 to an 80-class GPU, which should deliver bigger FPS gains in video games.