AMD Ryzen 7 3800X Review: Core i7 Has a New Challenger — Tom’s Hardware
Tom’s Hardware Verdict
Out of the box, the Ryzen 7 3800X offers a better mixture of single- and multi-threaded performance than Intel’s competing chips, and support for the PCIe 4.0 interface unlocks the potential of ultimate storage throughput. The impressive power efficiency and performance make for a compelling upgrade, but value-seekers who aren’t afraid of minimal tuning should look to the less-expensive Ryzen 7 3700X for similar performance.
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Cranking it up to 105W
AMD’s Ryzen 3000 series has landed, upping the ante with Intel in its high-stakes game for desktop PC market dominance with a well-rounded lineup of new chips that push mainstream platforms to higher core counts and more raw compute than we’ve ever seen. As a result, Intel’s commanding presence in the enthusiast space is threatened in a way we haven’t seen in over a decade.
We began with a look at the Ryzen 9 3900X and Ryzen 7 3700X last week and came away impressed, but our review left us feeling like something was missing.
That something is the Ryzen 7 3800X. AMD cranks the TDP dial up to 105W on this 8-core 16-thread chip, making it the high-performance counterpart to the 65W Ryzen 7 3700X, which is basically the same 7nm chip built with the Zen 2 microarchitecture, but with a lower TDP rating.
That chip came away from our first look at the Ryzen 3000 series with an Editor’s Choice award, going toe-to-toe with Intel’s Core i7-9700K, so it’s fair to say we have high hopes for the higher-performance model. AMD still hasn’t sampled the chip to the press, so we bought one at retail to put it under the microscope.
The Ryzen 7 3800X slots in beneath the Ryzen 9 3900X, which comes with two 7nm compute die tied together with a 12nm I/O die to yield a 12-core 24-thread part. AMD has worked wonders to reduce the impact of this sort of multi-chip arrangement, but it’s fair to assume that the Ryzen 7 3800X’s single-compute-die design, paired with a higher TDP rating that facilitates more aggressive boost clocks, could actually rival the 3900X in some applications – games included.
- AMD Ryzen 7 3800X (LED AMD Ryzen 7) at Amazon for $251.99
| SEP (USD) | Cores / Threads | TDP (Watts) | Base / Boost Frequency (GHz) | L3 Cache (MB) | PCIe 4. 0 Lanes |
|
| Ryzen 9 3950X | $749 | 16 / 32 | 105W | 3.5 / 4.7 | 64 | 24 |
| Ryzen 9 3900X | $499 | 12 / 24 | 105W | 3.8 / 4.6 | 64 | 24 |
| Ryzen 7 3800X | $399 | 8 / 16 | 105W | 3.9 / 4.5 | 32 | 24 |
| Ryzen 7 3700X | $329 | 8 / 16 | 65W | 3.6 / 4.4 | 32 | 24 |
| Ryzen 5 3600X | $249 | 6 / 12 | 95W | 3.8 / 4.4 | 32 | 24 |
| Ryzen 5 3600 | $199 | 6 / 12 | 65W | 3.6 / 4.2 | 32 | 24 |
And that’s exactly what we’ve found. The Ryzen 7 3800X takes the basic ingredients of the Zen 2 microarchitecture, which brings an average of 15% more instructions per cycle (IPC) throughput, and 7nm process and melds them into a high-performance chip that is impressive across our test suite, especially when we factor in the competitive pricing, PCIe 4.
0 interface, backward compatibility with most AM4 socket motherboards, unlocked overclocking features, and bundled cooler.
But we’ve also found that, after simple push-button overclocking, the Ryzen 7 3700X offers similar performance to the 3800X, even when it is also overclocked. But for $70 less. The Ryzen 7 3800X is an impressive chip and offers a better mixture of performance than Intel’s Core i7-9700K, no doubt, but in this case, value seekers might opt for its less expensive sibling.
Ryzen 7 3800X
We covered the deep dive details of the Ryzen 3000 chip design in our AMD Ryzen 9 3900X and Ryzen 7 3700X review, so head there for more information on the 3800X’s architecture, which is identical to the Ryzen 7 3700X.
The $399 Ryzen 7 3800X lands in the pricing gap between the $488 Core i9-9900K and the $374 Core i7-9700K. Of course, the -9700K slots in as the 3800X’s natural competitor, and while it matches the AMD part with eight physical cores, Intel’s trimming of the Hyper-Threading feature leaves it eight threads shy of the 3800X.
| Process | SEP / RCP (USD) | Cores / Threads | TDP (Watts) | Base Frequency (GHz) | Total Cache (MB) | PCIe Lanes | iGPU | Price Per Thread | |
| Core i9-9900K | 14nm | $488 | 8 / 16 | 95w | 3.6 / 5.0 | 16 | 16 Gen3 | Yes | $30.05 |
| Ryzen 7 3800X | 7nm | $399 | 8 / 16 | 105W | 3.9 / 4.5 | 32 | 24 Gen4 | No | $24.94 |
| Core i9-9700K | 14nm | $374 | 8 / 8 | 95W | 3.6 / 4.9 | 12 | 16 Gen3 | Yes | $46.75 |
| Ryzen 7 2700X | 12nm | $329 | 8 / 16 | 105W | 3.7 / 4.3 | 16 | 20 Gen3 | No | $20.56 |
| Ryzen 7 3700X | 7nm | $329 | 8 / 16 | 65W | 3. 6 / 4.4 |
32 | 24 Gen4 | No | $20.56 |
| Core i7-9700 | 14nm | $323 | 8 / 8 | 95W | 3.6 / 4.9 | 12 | 16 Gen3 | Yes | $40.38 |
The -9700K comes with a 95W TDP rating, whereas the 3800X weighs in with a 105W rating. Contrary to popular belief, these ratings aren’t meant to quantify power consumption. Instead, they measure the amount of heat the chip dissipates under load, but both companies use different test methodologies. Intel specs TDP at the base frequency, thus ignoring peak heat output during boost activity, while AMD measures with all cores fully loaded. The only way to make real power comparisons is via power measurement, which we’ll get to shortly. In either case, we expect that AMD’s 7nm design will continue the trend of heightened power efficiency over Intel’s 14nm parts. The 3800X also comes with a healthy serving of 32MB of L3 cache, while Intel’s -9700K comes with 12MB.
As the higher-priced version of the Ryzen 7 3700X, the 3800X has higher base and Precision Boost frequencies of 3.9 and 4.5 GHz, respectively. That’s a 300 MHz increase in base frequency and a 100 MHz bump to boost clocks, but the real advantage should lay in the higher Package Power Tracking (PPT) envelope, which is a measurement of the maximum amount of power delivered to the socket. The 3700X’s PPT tops out at 88W, while the motherboard can pump up to 142W to the 3800X at peak performance. That opens up much more aggressive boost behavior, on both single and multiple cores, that could widen the performance gap beyond what we see on the spec sheet.
(Image credit: AMD)
Like the other Ryzen 7 and 9 chips, the 3800X comes with the capable Wraith Prism RGB cooler which is rated to dissipate up to 124W if you crank the fans up to high. Given the 3800X’s maximum 142W PPT measurement, that means, at least on paper, that the Wraith Prism might come up a tad shy of dissipating the full heat output of the 3800X at stock settings.
Due to the dynamic nature of AMD’s Precision Boost 2 algorithms, the chip will react based upon its environmental conditions, with thermal dissipation being a key variable that dictates performance. That means you could likely get better performance, even at stock settings, with a better cooler. The Wraith also won’t provide much overclocking headroom. Consider buying a heftier cooler for overclocking or unleashing the full benefit of Precision Boost Overdrive (AMD’s automated overclocking feature). We’ve flagged this for additional testing once we receive more mature BIOS revisions.
Image 1 of 2
You can pair the Ryzen 3000 chips with the new X570 chipset to unleash the increased throughput of PCIe 4.0, a feature that Intel doesn’t offer, or you can drop the processor into most previous-gen motherboards as a value alternative, but you’ll lose PCIe 4.0 support.
| DIMM Config | Memory Ranks | Official Supported Transfer Rate (MT/s) |
| 2 of 2 | Single | DDR4-3200 |
| 2 of 4 | DDR4-3200 | |
| 4 of 4 | DDR4-2933 | |
| 2 of 2 | Dual | DDR4-3200 |
| 2 of 4 | DDR4-3200 | |
| 4 of 4 | DDR4-2667 |
Ryzen 3000 chips support dual-channel DDR4-3200, a step up from the previous-gen’s support for DDR4-2966.
AMD has greatly improved its memory compatibility and overclocking capabilities, but you still have to abide by rules that dictate the maximum supported frequency based on DIMM type and slot population.
If you don’t like those rules, you can simply bump up the voltage and try your hand at overclocking, or buy a higher-rated kit with a one-click A-XMP profile. As we know, the Zen microarchitecture profits heavily from improved memory performance, so higher-priced kits are a good investment that yield dividends, particularly in gaming.
(Image credit: AMD)
AMD has improved memory overclocking substantially, partly due to decoupling the Infinity Fabric from the memory clock. To sidestep the Infinity Fabric’s maximum frequency of 2,000 MHz, which effectively constrains memory overclocking, AMD separated the memory and Infinity Fabric clock dependencies. The domains remain tied together at a 1:1 ratio up to DDR4-3600, but run at a 2:1 ratio beyond that transfer rate. This setting, which is also user-adjustable in the BIOS, improves memory bandwidth but comes with a latency penalty (~9ns).
AMD says that the price/performance sweet spot lands at DDR4-3600. As per its usual policy, AMD supports up to 128GB of RAM and enables ECC support, but leaves ECC qualification and enablement to motherboard vendors.
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Cranking it up to 105W
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Paul Alcorn is the Deputy Managing Editor for Tom’s Hardware US. He writes news and reviews on CPUs, storage and enterprise hardware.
AMD Ryzen 7 3800X Review
3 years ago
WEB: AMD MSRP: US $399.99 | ZAR 7,499 | AUTHOR: Neo
Hard to believe it’s been almost four months since AMD announced the AMD Ryzen 3000 series.
In that time, this platform has undergone quiet a few changes, all for the better I might add. All of the firmware updates from AMD and motherboard vendor side have improved mainly in increased compatibility and adding high speed DRAM support. As it stands, the Ryzen 7 3800X is a better CPU today than it was at launch. What follows is what you may expect out of a Ryzen 7 3800X in everyday use, gaming and in productivity right now.
Where high end gaming CPUs are concerned, the Ryzen 7 3800X may not be the fastest money can buy, but as you might suspect that’s more academic than experienced. On the flip side where content creation and general productivity applications go, the Ryzen 7 3800X is indeed the fastest eight core /16 thread CPU there is on the market. It is this balance of being more than fast enough for gaming, and being the outright fastest for everything else which makes the Ryzen 7 3800X so compelling.
Without too much hullabaloo, let’s get to it.
| Specifications | ||
| Socket | CPU | Socket 1331 | Zen2 | 3rd Generation Ryzen | |
| Frequency (Base) | 3,900MHz | |
| Frequency (Boost) | 4,500MHz | |
| Node | Transistor Density | TSMC 7nm | 19. 2BN |
|
| Unlocked Multiplier | Yes | |
| TDP | 105W | |
| Cache L1 | L2 | L3 | 768K | 4MB | 32MB | |
| Cores | Threads | 8 | 16 | |
| Integrated Graphics | No | |
| DRAM Support | Dual Channel DDR4 3200 | |
| Price | $399 USD | R7,499 | |
AMD’s clock frequencies with the Ryzen 7 3800X are quite ambitious.
Prior to AGESA 1.0.0.3 ABBA, it was fairly uncommon for the CPUs to reach the claimed maximum frequency. Since then, AMD has remedied the situation and as it stands, your Ryzen CPU should readily reach the claimed frequencies under the appropriate loads. In some cases, the frequencies go even beyond the specification slightly.
You are here: Page 1 – Introduction
Jump to page…Page 1 – IntroductionPage 2 – General overviewPage 3 – General overview – ContinuedPage 4 – Software – AMD Ryzen MasterPage 5 – Test configurationPage 6 – Benchmarks – Futuremark & Gaming performancePage 7 – Benchmarks – GeekBench & AIDA 64Page 8 – Benchmarks – Multithread workloadsPage 9 – Overclocking – Sub-Zero overclockingPage 10 – Conclusion
Tags: AMD, Ryzen 7 3800X, X570, Zen 2
Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Test and Review: AMD Ryzen 7 3800X — Better but Less Efficient 8-Core Processor
Page 1: Test and Review: AMD Ryzen 7 3800X — Better But Less Efficient 8-Core Processor
Just Before Launch long-awaited AMD Ryzen 9 3950X and 3rd generation Threadripper processors, we decided to close another gap in the benchmark database.
Our test lab received an AMD Ryzen 7 3800X processor with eight cores and a higher TDP compared to the «younger» model, which allows us to hope for higher clock speeds. Let’s see if the AMD Ryzen 7 3800X is a worthy alternative to the Ryzen 7 3700X or Ryzen 93900X.
After the announcement of the third generation of Ryzen processors, we published a test of two Ryzen 9 3900X and Ryzen 7 3700X processors, which provided eight to twelve cores and were a strong competitor to Intel. Particularly in the multi-threaded performance segment, but also in gaming, the new Ryzen performed well thanks to numerous improvements to the Zen 2 architecture. Later, we published tests of the Ryzen 5 3600X and Ryzen 5 3600 processors, which, with six cores, provided a good price/performance ratio for some scenarios. We then added an AMD Ryzen 5 3400G APU with integrated Vega graphics. This processor is based on the Zen + architecture, despite the name, the improvements compared to the first generation are not as extensive.
With the AMD Ryzen 7 3800X processor, we’re closing another gap in our test database, just before the introduction of AMD’s new 16-core flagship for socket AM4 and the X570 chipset.
The AMD Ryzen 7 3800X processor, like the previously tested Ryzen 7 3700X, offers eight cores and 16 threads, but clock speeds are increased, as is the TDP from 65 to 105 watts. The base frequency increased from 3.6 to 3.9 GHz, the Boost frequency rose slightly, from 4.4 to 4.5 GHz. Of course, 32 MB of L3 cache and 4 MB of L2 cache at the same level were not without. The next model in seniority, namely AMD Ryzen 9The 3900X offers four more cores, more cache, and clock speeds of 3.8 to 4.6 GHz. But with an identical TDP of 105W.
After the announcement of the Ryzen 7 3800X, the retail price dropped significantly. Today, the processor can be purchased from 28.800 ₽. Unfortunately, the Ryzen 9 3900 and Ryzen 5 3500X are not available for purchase, they are reserved for the OEM segment or the Asian region.
| Cores/Threads | Base frequency/Boost | L3 cache | L2 cache | TDP | Price | |
| Ryzen 9 3950X | 16 / 32 | 3.5 / 4.7 GHz | 64MB | 8MB | 105 W | from 56.400 ₽ |
| Ryzen 93900X | 12 / 24 | 3.8 / 4.6 GHz | 64MB | 6MB | 105 W | from 45.500 ₽ |
| Ryzen 7 3800X | 8 / 16 | 3.9 / 4.5 GHz | 32MB | 4MB | 105 W | from 28.800 ₽ |
| Ryzen 7 3700X | 8 / 16 | 3.6 / 4.4 GHz | 32MB | 4MB | 65 W | from 22. 900 ₽ |
| Ryzen 5 3600X | 6 / 12 | 3.8 / 4.4 GHz | 32MB | 3MB | 95 W | from 35.400 ₽ |
| Ryzen 5 3600 | 6 / 12 | 3.6 / 4.2 GHz | 32MB | 3MB | 65 W | from 14.800 ₽ |
| Ryzen 5 3400G | 4 / 8 | 3.7 / 4.2 GHz | 4MB | 2MB | 65 W | |
| Ryzen 3 3200G | 4 / 4 | 3.6 / 4.0 GHz | 4MB | 2MB | 65 W | from 13.000 ₽ |
Let’s see how the Ryzen 7 3800X performs in practice. Which high-end Ryzen processor can enthusiasts recommend from AMD’s current Socket AM4 range?
- 5°C higher than maximum operating temperature?
95°C vs 90°C
Why is AMD Ryzen 7 5800X better than AMD Ryzen 7 3800X?
- 23.
01% higher PassMark score?
28752 vs 23374 - 27.93% higher PassMark score (single)?
3513 vs 2746 - 15.33% higher Geekbench 5 multi-core result?
10330 vs 8957 - 15.4% higher Cinebench R20 score (multi-core)?
5724 vs 4960 - 23.38% better than Cinebench R20 (single core)?
628 vs 509 - 28.43% higher Geekbench 5 single core result?
1658 vs 1291 - 13.1 higher performance per watt?
98.4 vs 85.3 - Has NX bit?
What are the most popular comparisons?
AMD Ryzen 7 3800X
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Reviews of users
General rating
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3 User Reviews
Features
Value for Money
8.7 /10 90
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0007
9.7 /10
3 Votes
Games
8.7 /10
3 VOTES
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3 VOTES 9000 9000
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Reliability
8.0 /10
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performance
1. Skurity of the central processor
8 x 3.9ghz
8 x 3.8GHZ 9000 9000 9000 processing per second can be performed by the processor, considering all its cores (processors). It is calculated by adding the clock speeds of each core or, in the case of multi-core processors, each group of cores.
2. processor thread
More threads result in better performance and better multitasking.
3.speed turbo clock
4.5GHz
4.7GHz
When the processor is running below its limits, it can jump to a higher clock speed to increase performance.
4. Has unlocked multiplier
✔AMD Ryzen 7 3800X
✔AMD Ryzen 7 5800X
Some processors come with an unlocked multiplier and are easier to overclock, allowing for better performance in games and other applications.
5.L2 Cache
More L2 scratchpad memory results in faster results in CPU and system performance tuning.
6.L3 cache
More L3 scratchpad memory results in faster results in CPU and system performance tuning.
7.L1 cache
More L1 cache results in faster results in CPU and system performance tuning.
8.core L2
0.5MB/core
0.
5MB/core
More data can be stored in the L2 scratchpad for access by each processor core.
9.core L3
4MB/core
4MB/core
More data can be stored in L3 scratchpad for access by each processor core.
Memory
1.RAM speed
3200MHz
3200MHz
Can support faster memory which speeds up system performance.
2.max memory bandwidth
47.68GB/s
47.68GB/s
This is the maximum rate at which data can be read from or stored in memory.
3.DDR memory version
DDR (Double Data Rate Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory) is the most common type of main memory. New versions of DDR memory support higher maximum speeds and are more energy efficient.
4 memory channels
More memory channels increase the speed of data transfer between memory and processor.
5.maximum memory capacity
Maximum memory capacity (RAM).
6.bus baud rate
Unknown. Help us offer a price. (AMD Ryzen 7 3800X)
Unknown. Help us offer a price. (AMD Ryzen 7 5800X)
The bus is responsible for transferring data between various components of a computer or device.
7. Supports memory debug code
✖AMD Ryzen 7 3800X
✖AMD Ryzen 7 5800X
Memory debug code can detect and repair data corruption. It is used when necessary to avoid distortion, such as in scientific computing or when starting a server.
8.eMMC version
Unknown. Help us offer a price. (AMD Ryzen 7 3800X)
Unknown. Help us offer a price. (AMD Ryzen 7 5800X)
A newer version of eMMC — built-in flash memory card — speeds up the memory interface, has a positive effect on device performance, for example, when transferring files from a computer to internal memory via USB.
9.bus frequency
Unknown. Help us offer a price. (AMD Ryzen 7 3800X)
Unknown. Help us offer a price. (AMD Ryzen 7 5800X)
The bus is responsible for transferring data between various components of a computer or device
Geotagging
1. PassMark result
This test measures CPU performance using multithreading.
2. PassMark result (single)
This test measures processor performance using a thread of execution.
3.Geekbench 5 result (multi-core)
Geekbench 5 is a cross-platform benchmark that measures the performance of a multi-core processor. (Source: Primate Labs,2022)
4.Cinebench R20 result (multi-core)
Cinebench R20 is a benchmark that measures the performance of a multi-core processor by rendering a 3D scene.
5.
result of Cinebench R20 (single core)
Cinebench R20 is a test to evaluate the performance of a single core processor when rendering a 3D scene.
6.Geekbench 5 result (single core)
Geekbench 5 is a cross-platform test that measures the single core performance of a processor. (Source: Primate Labs, 2022)
7. Blender test result (bmw27)
171.6seconds
Unknown. Help us offer a price. (AMD Ryzen 7 5800X)
The Blender benchmark (bmw27) measures CPU performance by rendering a 3D scene. More powerful processors can render a scene in a shorter time.
8.Blender result (classroom)
520.7seconds
Unknown. Help us offer a price. (AMD Ryzen 7 5800X)
The Blender (classroom) benchmark measures CPU performance by rendering a 3D scene. More powerful processors can render a scene in a shorter time.
9.
performance per watt
This means that the processor is more efficient, giving more performance per watt of power used.
Functions
1.uses multi-threading
✔AMD Ryzen 7 3800X
✔AMD Ryzen 7 5800X
processor into logical cores, also known as threads. Thus, each core can run two instruction streams at the same time.
2. Has AES
✔AMD Ryzen 7 3800X
✔AMD Ryzen 7 5800X
AES is used to speed up encryption and decryption.
3. Has AVX
✔AMD Ryzen 7 3800X
✔AMD Ryzen 7 5800X
AVX is used to help speed up calculations in multimedia, scientific and financial applications, and to improve the performance of the Linux RAID program.
4.Version SSE
SSE is used to speed up multimedia tasks such as editing images or adjusting audio volume. Each new version contains new instructions and improvements.