AMD's New Flagship CPU Outperformed by its Predecessor in Gaming Tests
Despite having more cores, the upcoming AMD Ryzen 9 9900X was recently outperformed by the Ryzen 7 7800X3D in gaming tests conducted by YouTube channel SaddyTech.
The tests, which used actual games instead of benchmarks, pitted a pre-release 12-core Ryzen 9 9900X (5.6 GHz boost clock, 120W TDP) against the 8-core Ryzen 7 7800X3D (5.2 GHz boost clock, 120W TDP). While the newer CPU boasts more cores, the 7800X3D benefits from a larger 96MB L3 cache, compared to the 9900X's 64MB.
div class='ytShdw'>The results showed the 9900X only managed to surpass the 7800X3D in Alan Wake 2 (at both 1080p and 1440p resolutions) and Starfield (at 4K resolution). The older CPU delivered superior performance in all other tested games. Additionally, the 7800X3D maintained lower temperatures (63°C vs. 67°C) and consumed less power (53W vs 107W) compared to the upcoming flagship.
These results align with AMD's own recommendation that gamers prioritize X3D series processors for optimal gaming performance. Eager gamers might be better off waiting for the release of the Ryzen 9000X3D, expected to launch this fall.