A dual-stack configuration is very advantageous for productivity workloads, but it wouldn’t do much for gaming. Equipping both CCDs with 3D V-Cache means dealing with cross-die latency and lower clock speeds due to thermal and power constraints, which are significant trade-offs for gaming. Our CPU hierarchy shows this clearly: for example, the Ryzen 9 9900X3D (12 cores, 128MB L3) falls behind the Ryzen 7 9800X3D (8 cores, 96MB L3) in gaming. Or, in another scenario, the Ryzen 9 9950X3D (16 cores, 192MB L3) offers similar gaming performance to the Ryzen 7 9800X3D.
AMD knows what it is doing, and the eight-core, single-CCD design is where gaming is at. This winning formula is clearly embodied in the Ryzen 7 5800X3D and, after it, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D and Ryzen 7 9800X3D, chips that have set the standard for high-end gaming processors.
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Zhiye Liu News Editor, RAM Reviewer & SSD Technician Zhiye Liu is a news editor, memory reviewer, and SSD tester at Tom’s Hardware. Although he loves everything that’s hardware, he has a soft spot for CPUs, GPUs, and RAM.
ejolson In the article "AMD's decision to ultimately pursue an asymmetric design was spot on for gaming" should probably read "AMD's decision to ultimately pursue a symmetric design was spot on for gaming." Reply
thestryker ejolson said: In the article "AMD's decision to ultimately pursue an asymmetric design was spot on for gaming" should probably read "AMD's decision to ultimately pursue a symmetric design was spot on for gaming." I believe they're referring to the choice to later debut dual CCD parts with only one having 3D V-cache. It's rather clunky where it shows up in the article though. Reply
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Reference reading
- https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/cpus/SPONSORED_LINK_URL
- https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/cpus/amds-secret-zen-3-gaming-cpu-had-128mb-of-l3-cache-but-never-saw-the-light-of-day-canceled-ryzen-9-5900x3d-breaks-free-from-the-chipmakers-vault#main
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