The Ryzen 7 7800X3D is the best gaming processor in 2024, and it will most likely remain so until the Ryzen 7 9800X3D becomes widely available. This is an eight-core, 16-thread CPU that delivers a base clock speed of 4.2 GHz and a maximum boost frequency of 5 GHz. However, as I mentioned above, the best thing about it is the 3D V-Cache.
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Thanks to vertically stacking extra cache, AMD was able to give the 7800X3D a whopping 96MB of L3 cache. This is why an eight-core CPU — which is a fairly conservative number of cores — can breeze through games like no other processor. I’m not trying to sound sales-y here, by the way. I own this CPU and can confirm that it’s nothing short of a gaming beast.
More L3 cache, stacked the way AMD does, means that more data can be stored closer to the CPU. This makes data retrieval much faster, lowers latency, and can deliver more consistent frame rates in games.
Benchmarks consistently show the Ryzen 7 7800X3D beating much pricier CPUs in gaming scenarios. It wipes the floor with the current-gen Ryzen 9 9950X but also the last-gen Intel Core i9-14900KS. Both of those processors cost a great deal more than the Ryzen 7 7800X3D.
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The weakness of this CPU lies in its productivity potential. It’s a gaming processor through and through, so if you’re planning to build a balanced rig for both work and gameplay, you might be better off choosing something else. It’s not always available on Amazon these days as demand is consistently high and the next generation is on the horizon, but if you can snag it, then go for it for a pure gaming build.
