AMD’s Ryzen 7 7800X3D remains one of the best processors you can slot into an AM5 PC, and now the chip can be yours for all of £262.99. That’s the lowest price it’s ever been on Amazon UK. Meanwhile, those in the US can pick up the CPU for $339, just $20 shy of its all-time low.
AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D
“A fabulous gaming processor.” Read our review.
Getting down to brass tacks, the 7800X3D packs eight Zen 4 cores and 16 threads, with a 5.0GHz maximum boost clock. That’s plenty of processing chops to meet the demands of today’s games and graphics cards, but it’s the CPU’s L3 cache that makes it so enticing relative to other Ryzen offerings. Featuring a 96MB pool of speedy-fast L3 cache, the chip is less reliant on slower RAM to execute and hold game engine instructions, boosting frame rates in turn.
We’ll discuss how performance stacks up in a moment, but first it’s worth noting that the 7800X3D doesn’t come with its own cooler. The 120W CPU thankfully isn’t particularly difficult to cool, with many air and water coolers having the capacity to keep this processor’s temperatures in check. For context, I run this chip in my PC with an ageing 360mm AIO with no issues, and you can read our guide to buying the best CPU cooler if you need any more advice.
As you can see from the F1 25 performance chart above, reflecting a best-case scenario, the 7800X3D can deliver pleasingly high frame rates. Ryzen 9000 series processors with 3D V-Cache will provide more performance overall, but cost substantially more money, making this chip the smarter value pick.
We’ve found that the majority of games we’ve tested with 3D V-Cache processors, including the 7800X3D, accrue performance benefits from the technology. However, it’s worth noting that there are exceptions, with general applications relying more on raw instructions per clock and frequency.
As someone who’s run a 7800X3D in my own rig since launch, I heartily recommend picking up this chip if you’re looking for a relatively inexpensive way to maximise your graphics card’s performance. The CPU continues to happily work in tandem with my GeForce RTX 4080, and I’ve personally found little reason to upgrade, despite the allure of AMD’s Ryzen 7 9800X3D and its Zen 5 siblings.
Check out our Ryzen 7 9800X3D vs 7800X3D head-to-head to learn more about how the chip stacks up against its successor. Our Ryzen 7 7700X3D review is also worth a look to see how the processor measures more broadly in the market.
