AMD, don't make the same mistake with the Ryzen 7 7700X3D

AMD’s Ryzen 7 5800X3D launched about six months ago. I gave it a rare Editors’ Choice badge in my Ryzen 7 5800X3D review, and I stand by that assessment. But AMD made a big mistake with the Ryzen 7 5800X3D, and I hope it doesn’t repeat that mistake with the Ryzen 7 7700X3D (or whatever name AMD ends up going with).

Next-gen 3D V-Cache processors are on the way; AMD has already confirmed that. It’s no secret that AMD’s 3D-stacked cache is a winning strategy to top the charts of the best gaming processors, but if AMD holds the Ryzen 7 7700X3D as long it held last gen’s version, it’s going to be tough to recommend.

Outclassed in an instant

Someone holding the Ryzen 7 5800X3D in a red light. — Jacob Roach / Digital Trends

The Ryzen 7 5800X3D launched on April 20, 2022, and six months later, it’s not the gaming champion it once was. Launched at $450, it was the go-to processor for gaming, outperforming chips that ran almost twice as much. Now that Intel’s Raptor Lake and AMD’s Ryzen 7000 processors are here, however, it doesn’t look as enticing.

Sure, the flagship Core i9-13900K and Ryzen 9 7950X offer better gaming performance, but that’s not the problem. The Core i5-13600K and Ryzen 5 7600X also outclass last gen’s 3D V-Cache chip in most games, all while costing around $150 less. At launch, the Ryzen 7 5800X3D claimed the second-highest result we’d recorded in Forza Horizon 4, only surpassed by Intel’s Core i9-12900K. Now, the Ryzen 7 7600X is nearly 16% faster, while the Core i5-13600K is 20% ahead.

Intel Raptor Lake performance in Forza Horizon 4.

In Far Cry 6, where the Ryzen 7 5800X3D showed a dominating lead of 28% over the Ryzen 9 5950X, it now only shows about a 4% lead over the Core i5-13600K and Ryzen 5 7600X. And in titles like Red Dead Redemption 2 where the Ryzen 7 5800X3D struggled, the current-gen AMD and Intel midrange options are some 17% ahead.

Intel Raptor Lake performance in Far Cry 6.

Intel Raptor Lake performance in Red Dead Redemption 2.

In short, the Ryzen 7 5800X3D has become obsolete. It’s not a bad processor — I actually have one in a small form factor PC for gaming on the couch — but there’s little reason to pick one up now. It’s more expensive than newer processors that offer better performance, plain and simple. At launch, the Ryzen 7 5800X3D was a massive value win for gamers, but it only stole the limelight for a brief time.

And that’s a shame for gamers. The Ryzen 7 5800X3D was never a great processor overall, taking a clear backseat to its competitors in basically every task but gaming. Still, it offered a huge boost in gaming performance at a price that Intel and even AMD itself couldn’t match with processors in the main lineup. I hope the Ryzen 7 7700X3D arrives sooner, so it can have the time to shine that it deserves.

All eyes on CES

Dr. Lisa Su presenting AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D.

Hopefully, we’ll have a clearer view of AMD’s 3D V-Cache plans soon. Rumors say that the company will announce two 3D V-Cache processors at CES, while we previously heard rumors that AMD planned to launch three chips. It doesn’t matter if we get two or three processors; I just hope we see Ryzen 7000 3D V-Cache processors at all.

Ryzen 5000 launched in November 2020, and the Ryzen 7 5800X3D was the last processor to launch in the range (a year and a half after the first processors rolled out). AMD’s current roadmap suggests it will release next-gen Ryzen processors sometime in late 2023, but that’s unconfirmed at this point. Regardless, one thing is clear: The clock is ticking for the Ryzen 7 7700X3D to not be trumped by the generation that follows.

Hopefully, the extra time the Ryzen 7 5800X3D took in the oven was to refine 3D V-Cache, and we’ll get the Ryzen 7000 versions soon. Right now, it’s tough to recommend the processor with the Ryzen 5 7600X and Core i5-13600K floating around, especially for those who aren’t focused solely on gaming.

Although the Ryzen 7 7700X3D could top gaming charts like its last-gen counterpart, we still don’t know at this point. It’s important to wait for third-party testing before making any assumptions about the chip.