AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D CPU Review: The King Of PC Gaming
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D Review: Gaming Performance Benchmarks, Power Consumption And The Verdict
For our next series of tests, we moved on to some graphics and game-related metrics with 3DMark, specifically the physics benchmark that's part of the Time Spy test, along with a handful of actual games. For the 3DMark Physics test, we simply create a custom 3DMark run consisting solely of the physics test, which is multi-threaded and CPU dependent, and report the results...
UL 3DMark CPU Physics Benchmark
3DMark's Physics test jibes with all of the compute intensive tests we've run on the previous pages. The Ryzen 7 5800X3D finishes just behind the standard Ryzen 7 5800X -- but that's only part of the story with this benchmark.
High And Low Resolution Gaming & Graphics Benchmarks
We also ran some mid and high-resolution game and graphics tests on our test rigs with 3DMark, F1 2021, Metro Exodus, Shadow Of War and Shadow Of The Tomb Raider. We used 3DMark's default Time Spy preset, and the games were run in two different configurations -- either 1080p with Medium/High details, or 4K with High/Extreme details. The lower resolution tests are more CPU bound to somewhat isolate processor performance, while the higher resolution tests are more GPU bound.
In the overall 3DMark Time Spy scores, the Ryzen 7 5800X3D actually pulls ahead of the Ryzen 7 5800X. How could that be if the Ryzen 7 5800X3D had a lower Physics score? Well, let us show you...
Although its Physics score fell in slightly behind the standard Ryzen 7 5800X, the Ryzen 7 5800X3D put up the highest framerates in the actual game tests used in the 3DMark Time Spy test. And as you'll see, this performance wasn't a fluke.
When running a handful of actual games at 1080P with high / normal / medium image quality settings, the Ryzen 7 5800X3D takes the pole position across the board, outpacing all of the other processors we tested. AMD's claims that the Ryzen 7 5800X3D is the best processor for gaming is right in-line with our findings. If you're a gamer with an AM4-based rig itching for an upgrade, the Ryzen 7 5800X3D should offer the highest performance in a variety of titles.
With the resolution cranked up to 4K, and high / extreme image quality settings used in the games, the performance bottleneck shifts onto the GPU and the deltas separating the processors level off significantly. However, the Ryzen 7 5800X3D still manages to pull off another couple of victories, by the slimmest of margins.
Ryzen 7 5800X3D Total System Power Consumption
Throughout all of our benchmarking and testing, we also monitored how much power our Ryzen 7 5800X3D-powered rig was consuming with a power meter, versus the other systems we used for comparison.
Our goal was to give you an idea as to how much power each configuration used while idling at the Windows desktop and while under a heavy CPU workloads across one and all cores. Keep in mind, this is total system power consumption being measured at the outlet and not the the individual power being drawn by the CPUs alone.
Although the Ryzen 7 5800X3D features much more cache and is leveraging some bleeding-edge manufacturing technology, power consumption is quite good relative to its Zen 3-based counterparts, let alone the Intel processors. The Ryzen 7 5800X3D is one of the more power friendly processor of the bunch, and lands just above the mainstream, 6-core Ryzen 5 5600. For a "gaming" CPU, this is quite a feat. Gaming hardware is typically big, bold, and power hungry, but that is not the case for the Ryzen 7 5800X3D. In terms of its efficiency in gaming workloads versus Intel, there is simply no comparison. The Ryzen 7 5800X3D is far more efficient for gaming than anything Intel has offered for multiple generations.
Ryzen 7 5800X3D Hardware Details
Under typical operation, the Ryzen 7 5800X3D's frequencies stay within its 3.4GHz base and 4.5GHz boost clocks without fail. And in all of PCMark's workloads, temperatures are a non-issue. The Ryzen 7 5800X3D's temps typically hovered in the 60°C - 70°C range, and peak higher only with sustained, multi-threaded workloads. With the modest power consumption of the Ryzen 7 5800X3D, most quality AM4 coolers will do the trick. User's contemplating an upgrade of their existing socket AM4-based systems shouldn't have to invest in a new cooler to handle this processor.
What about overclocking, though? Well, the Ryzen 7 5800X3D is locked and cannot be overclocked like other Ryzen processors. According to AMD, the Ryzen 7 5800X3D's packaging technology does not offer the same voltage/frequency scaling as the company's conventional chiplet implementations. As such, AMD has optimized the implementation and locked it to prevent CPU core overclocking. However, the chip's Infinity Fabric and memory interface remains unlocked, and can be overclocked.
AMD's Ryzen 7 5800X3D: The HotHardware Review Verdict
AMD has made it clear from the get-go that the Ryzen 7 5800X3D is designed for gamers, and it’s obvious why the company was so clear about its messaging, looking back through the numbers. In scenarios where the Ryzen 7 5800X3D’s massive 3D V-Cache doesn’t come into play, the processor performs like a lower-clocked Ryzen 7 5800X. But when that 96MB of hybrid-bonded goodness gets to spin up, the Ryzen 7 5800X3D is a beast and offers the best overall gaming performance of any desktop processor we’ve tested. And AMD's Ryzen 7 5800X3D achieves this feat, while consuming only a fraction of the peak power of competing 12th Gen Intel Alder Lake processors. For gaming specifically, the Ryzen 7 5800X3D is both fast and efficient.The timing of AMD's Ryzen 7 5800X3D release is also interesting. Since the release of Intel 12th Gen core processors, we know many gamers have been contemplating the switch to Alder Lake. Though Intel has been aggressive with pricing on many of the mainstream 12th Gen processors, like the excellent Core i5-12600K, switching to a new platform means getting a new motherboard, new cooling, and potentially new RAM, along with that new processor. That’s not the case with the Ryzen 7 5800X3D, which will drop into most socket AM4 motherboard after a BIOS update. It is such a low-friction upgrade for existing socket AM4 owners that it makes perfect sense for folks looking to boost the performance of their games. We suspect the Ryzen 7 5800X3D is just what the doctored ordered for current AMD gamers, to tide them over until we all find out what Socket AM5, Zen 4 and the Ryzen 7000 series is all about.
The AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D will be available starting on April 20th for $449. That’s a full $100 more than the standard Ryzen 7 5800X, but significantly more affordable than competitive processors like the Core i9-12900K or KS. There are some productivity and content creation performance trade-offs to be considered with a processor like the Ryzen 7 5800X3D versus some others in its price segment, but for hardcore gamers already rocking socket AM4 it’ll likely be an easy choice.
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