AMD Considers Boosting Ryzen 7 9700X TDP, Outperforms 7800X3D in Gaming
AMD's upcoming Zen 5-based Ryzen 7 9700X CPU is making waves in the tech community with two significant developments:
- Potential TDP Increase: AMD is reportedly considering a substantial TDP boost for the Ryzen 7 9700X.
- Gaming Performance: Early benchmarks suggest it slightly outperforms the popular Ryzen 7 7800X3D in gaming scenarios.
TDP Boost Under Consideration
Sources indicate that AMD might increase the Ryzen 7 9700X's TDP from the originally announced 65W to 120W. This nearly twofold increase could allow for:
- Higher base and boost clock speeds
- Improved multi-threaded performance
- Better competition against Intel's offerings
It's important to note that this change is still under evaluation and may not be finalized for the initial launch.
Gaming Performance Edge
In a surprising turn of events, AMD has revealed that the Ryzen 7 9700X is expected to be approximately 2% faster on average in gaming benchmarks compared to the Ryzen 7 7800X3D. This is notable because:
- The 7800X3D features 3D V-Cache technology, traditionally giving it an edge in gaming.
- The 9700X achieves this without 3D V-Cache, showcasing the improvements in the Zen 5 architecture.
Key performance highlights:
- Up to 30% faster than the older Ryzen 7 5800X3D in specific games
- 12% faster on average compared to the 5800X3D
Specifications and Pricing
The Ryzen 7 9700X is positioned as a strong mid-range option:
- 8 cores / 16 threads
- Base clock: 3.8 GHz
- Boost clock: 5.5 GHz
- 40 MB total cache
- Expected MSRP: $399
Outlook
The potential TDP increase and strong gaming performance position the Ryzen 7 9700X as a compelling option for gamers and enthusiasts. However, the true impact of these changes will only be clear once independent reviews are available.
AMD's strategy with the 9700X could also hint at the potential of future Ryzen 9000X3D processors, which may offer even more significant performance gains when combining Zen 5 architecture with 3D V-Cache technology.
