Introduction
Since the release of AMD‘s new AM5 platform, consumers have been flocking towards these new chips to secure a solid foundation for a gaming or workstation system. Those who are willing to spend a little bit more money on this platform are able to leverage brand new features, like widespread PCI-E 5.0 support for GPUs and SSDs, USB4 capability, and insanely high clock speeds.
Although we didn’t believe that Ryzen 7000 was initially worth picking up versus Intel‘s newer options, they have since become extremely compelling based on the lower pricing that consumers can see across the entire platform. For this reason, building a brand new gaming PC using AMD’s new chips is definitely worth considering. To help you ease the frustration of having to pick and choose, we’ve rounded up the best high-end Ryzen 7000 CPUs to buy for gaming. We’ve also covered mid-range and budget options in other articles, providing choices for those looking to spend a little bit less on their PC build.
Suggested Article: MSI Won’t Be Launching Radeon 7700 XT and 7800 XT GPUs
Our Recommendations
1. AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D
👑 The best value high-end Ryzen 7000 gaming CPU.
Our first choice in this roundup is the 7800X3D. This is AMD‘s most recent offering within the Ryzen 7000 line-up and is the most capable one when it comes to gaming. There are few other CPUs, including Intel counterparts, that can rival the 7800X3D. Why is this? Because of the 3D V-Cache. Aside from the strong core capability and clock speeds, the 3D V-Cache provides more instruction space for your CPU. Having this extra cache works particularly well in games because of how many instructions are being fired off at once, which is why the 7800X3D is such a strong competitor versus other options on the market.
Key Specs
| Key Specs | AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D |
|---|---|
| Total Cores | 8 |
| Total Threads | 16 |
| Max Boost Clock Speed | 5GHz |
| Cache | 104MB |
| Default TDP | 120W |
| Socket | AM5 |
Things We Like
Excellent price point: The Ryzen 7 7800X3D has actually seen some recent price drops, making it a rather compelling choice if you’re looking to build a high-end gaming system. Consumers can expect to spend around $400 to secure this CPU, which considering its performance metrics, is extremely worth it.
Perfect for 4K gaming: Although you don’t necessarily need a CPU like the 7800X3D for 4K gaming, you will definitely see some benefits because of the 3D V-Cache. If you’re planning on maxing out your settings at 4K, when paired with the right graphics card, the 7800X3D can absolutely soar.
Things We Don’t Like
Not ideal for workstation applications: Although the 7800X3D is a solid gaming processor, it’s multifaceted capability isn’t as strong. There are a number of better options geared towards consumers that need a PC for more complicated workloads.
Stocking can be volatile: Due to the popularity of the 7800X3D, stocking can be a bit all over the place, which in turn, causes pricing to be volatile. If you’re looking to pick up a 7800X3D at the best price, you’ll want to be quick on the draw, because there isn’t a guarantee it’ll stay at said price point.
Summary
AMD’s Ryzen 7 7800X3D is one of the strongest high-end gaming CPUs on the market right now. If you’re looking to play all of your games at maxed out settings. It is somewhat pricey, but well worth it, if you’re just looking to play games.
Features: 4.4/5
Thermals: 4.4/5
Performance: 4.6/5
Value for Money: 4.7/5
Pros
- Solid price point.
- Excellent 4K gaming metrics.
- Comparable performance to
Cons
- Not great for workstation applications.
- Stocking can be volatile.
Where to Buy
Buy the AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D on:
2. AMD Ryzen 9 7900
👑 The best non-overclockable high-end Ryzen 7000 gaming CPU.
For our second CPU choice, we’ve recommended the Ryzen 9 7900, a non-overclockable model that comes in at a better price point versus its ‘X’ counterpart. The 7900 is AMD‘s more power efficient and slightly cheaper top-end CPU equipped with a huge amount of cores, but offers some slight differences that make it worth considering versus buying the flagship overclocking capable version. The most notable features are strong power efficiency, better thermals, and more usage that comes from PBO (precision boost overdrive). You get all of the performance bonuses, but at a much cheaper price point versus the 7900X.
Key Specs
| Key Specs | AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D |
|---|---|
| Total Cores | 12 |
| Total Threads | 24 |
| Max Boost Clock Speed | 5.4GHz |
| Cache | 78MB |
| Default TDP | 65W |
| Socket | AM5 |
Things We Like
Competitively priced: The Ryzen 9 7900 is one of the best priced top-end CPUs on the market right now, sitting well below the $400 from a variety of vendors. It is also worth noting that this is a $50-$70 price difference versus the 7900X, which is effectively the same processor, minus the overclocking capability.
Strong multifaceted performance: The 7900 is equipped with 12 cores and 24 threads, which is an ample amount for most top-end workstations. if you’re pushing your PC with some more complex workloads, we’d recommend taking a look at the 7900 as your CPU choice.
Things We Don’t Like
Wasted purely as a gaming CPU: The Ryzen 9 7900 is an incredibly capable workstation CPU, offering excellent multi-core performance metrics across the board, alongside strong efficiency and thermals. If you’re looking to just play games we’d recommend looking at an alternative like the 7800X3D, as the 7900 would be wasted.
Pricing difference versus the 7900X could be better: Although the 7900 comes in at a pretty affordable price considering the performance metrics, we feel the difference between its overclockable counterpart could be much better. We’d expect around a $100 difference, making the 7900 an even stronger option.
Summary
AMD’s Ryzen 9 7900 is an extremely efficient and powerful CPU capable of handling complex multi-core workloads. Consumers can expect strong top-end gaming performance too, at a reasonable price point too, especially versus market alternatives.
Features: 4.6/5
Thermals: 4.6/5
Performance: 4.6/5
Value for Money: 4.5/5
Pros
- Well priced versus market alternatives.
- Excellent multi-core performance.
- Can easily handle top-end gaming.
Cons
- Pricing versus the 7900X could be stronger.
- Wasted purely as a gaming CPU.
Where to Buy
Buy the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 on:
3. AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D
👑 The best performing high-end Ryzen 7000 gaming CPU.
Our final option is the 7950X3D, one of the best performing CPUs on the market right now. AMD’s Ryzen 9 variants of the 3D V-Cache CPUs weren’t received particularly well during their initial launch due to the existence of the 7800X3D. But months later, the 7950X3D is a very competitive option for those looking to leverage AMD’s cache technology, combined with a superior amount of cores and threads. The 7950X3D is extremely capable, cementing it as one of the best processors on the market, rivalling the 13900K and KS models.
Key Specs
| Key Specs | AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D |
|---|---|
| Total Cores | 16 |
| Total Threads | 32 |
| Max Boost Clock Speed | 5.7GHz |
| Cache | 144MB |
| Default TDP | 120W |
| Socket | AM5 |
Things We Like
Unrivalled performance: The 7950X3D is one of the most capable CPUs on the market right now, offering excellent performance in pretty much everything you can throw it at. If you’re building a top-end CPU and you’ve got plenty of money to spend on a processor, this is one of the options we’d recommend looking at.
Doesn’t offer insane thermals: Due to the temperature constraints of the 3D V-Cache, these CPUs are generally much cooler than their non-3D counterparts. You still get the benefit of high clock speeds, but without the caveat of insane thermals.
Things We Don’t Like
Quite pricey: As you can probably expect with this being a top-end CPU, it does not come in at a low price, and you’d be correct. This processor comes in above the $500 mark, which is a lot to spend on a CPU, especially for 4K gaming.
Cache isn’t really used in productivity applications: Although the strong core count on this CPU does provide big benefits in multi-core benchmarks, consumers need to temper expectations with the 3D V-Cache, as it isn’t really utilised in these applications.
Summary
AMD’s Ryzen 9 7950X3D is one of the strongest CPUs on the market right now, offering exceptional performance in both gaming and workstation applications. There are limitations on the 3D V-Cache front when it comes to productivity performance, but aside from this, the strong core count makes this CPU a worthwhile option if you’re willing to spend the money it.
Features: 4.6/5
Thermals: 4.5/5
Performance: 4.8/5
Value for Money: 4.2/5
Pros
- Excellent unrivalled top-end performance.
- Can handle pretty much anything you throw it at.
- Perfect for a top-end workstation/gaming system.
Cons
- Pretty expensive.
- Cache isn’t that useful in workstation applications.
Where to Buy
Buy the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D on:
Is the 3D V-Cache Worth It?
AMD’s 3D V-Cache is an impressive technological marvel that we’ve seen in action since the Ryzen 5000 range. The previous generation’s 5800X3D provided excellent performance metrics in modern games, offering framerates that rivalled the 12900K and KS models. With the release of Ryzen 7000, AMD has furthered this technology by providing even more cache, but also increasing clock speeds which continues to provide performance bonuses. Needless to say, the 3D V-Cache technology is excellent, and it is likely we’ll see some form of Team Blue variant that rivals AMD’s own technology. But one question still stands, is picking up a 3D V-Cache CPU worth it?
Honestly this depends. While the 3D V-Cache does have some major benefits in a number different use-cases, this is primarily in gaming applications. Games benefit from more cache due to the amount of instructions required for a game to run. So effectively, the more storage the CPU has to store these instructions, the quicker the CPU can execute them. Productivity and workstation applications don’t tend to utilise the cache in the same way that games do, so there’s not much of a performance bonus that can be gained from this cache.
For this reason, those planning on building a multifaceted system might want to reconsider their options when it comes to CPU choices, as there will be better processors built to handle more complex multi-core tasks. However, if you’re planning on building a gaming PC designed to last for the next 5 years or so, a Ryzen 3D V-Cache CPU will be a solid bet to enjoy top-end gaming without any hindrances.
Why You Can Trust Us
Whenever we get our hands on a new component or product at the GeekaWhat office, our team of PC hardware experts instantly get to work testing and evaluating it. After putting it through various gaming and productivity benchmarks, the results are used to create an extensive overview. In this overview, we’ll compare the product in question’s quality, value, and features to the rest of the market.
If you’re interested in learning more about our editorial team and promise, head to the About Us section on our website.
How We Tested the Best High-End Ryzen 7000 CPUs
In order to test and evaluate the best high-end Ryzen 7000 CPUs, there are a number of factors that we take into account, these are:
- Performance
- Thermals
- Upgrade Paths
- Platform Longevity
- Value for Money
Conclusion
Best High-End Ryzen 7000 CPU for Gaming: AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D
The Ryzen 7 7800X3D is one of the best CPUs on the market right now, providing excellent metrics in gaming and workstation applications. Whilst this CPU could do with some more cores, it is one of the best priced options on the market right now, and is likely to last for quite a few years in modern triple A titles. This CPU is definitely worth considering for just gaming along, but if you’re looking to push your PC with some slightly more complex workloads, we’d urge you to look at some higher-end options.
Read our full AMD Ryzen 7000 coverage, or Buy the AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D on Amazon
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 3D V-Cache Good for Workstation Applications?
Not really, most productivity workloads aren’t able to make use of the cache, so picking up a CPU with more cores is vital.
Is the Ryzen 7000 Platform Expensive?
In comparison to most Intel builds, yes it is. The new AM5 motherboards and DDR5 memory are rather expensive, so building a new AMD PC will generally cost more than an Intel system.
Why are Ryzen 7000 CPUs so Hot?
The new Ryzen 7000 chips have a slightly different boosting behaviour in comparison to their predecessors, so they reach their power and thermal limit before the actual boost starts to happen, resulting in higher temperatures.
Do I Need to Buy DDR5 for a Ryzen 7000 Build?
Unfortunately yes. The new motherboards only support DDR5, which means you have no choice but to pick up these pricier DIMMs.
