AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D Benchmark Leak Reveals A Wonderful All-Core Boost Clock

The expectation is that it will not be long before AMD unleashes its first Zen 5 processors for consumers with 3D V-cache bolted on, which as we've seen in the current and previous generation chip models, is a boon for gaming. While we wait, a purported Ryzen 7 9800X3D processor has found its way into a benchmark leak with a clock speed that some will find surprising.

Before we get to that, let's recap the regular Ryzen 7 9700X processor that's available right now, to add some context. Based on AMD's Zen 5 architecture, the Ryzen 7 9700X is an 8-core/16-thread chip with a 3.8GHz base clock, up to a 5.5GHz boost clock, 8MB of L2 cache, and 32MB of L3 cache. It's a solid CPU, as you can see for yourself in our Ryzen 7 9700X review.

What about the X3D variant? A user on Bilibili posted a video showing a supposed Ryzen 7 9800X3D performing a benchmark run in Cinebench R23. It's a short 12-second clip, but what's interesting is the list of specifications. Specifically, it's revealed to be sporting a 4.7GHz base clock, compared to the Ryzen 7 9700X model's 3.8GHz base clock. Additionally, the leaker claims the chip can sustain an all-core boost clock of 5.2GHz at full load, while noting that the Ryzen 7 9700X runs 400MHz slower when Cinebench R23 clamps down on the chip.

As to the former, that's a rather large 900MHz speed boost, which in and of itself is intriguing. What's also notable, however, is that we've never seen a consumer 3D V-Cache processor run with a higher base frequency than its not-X3D counterpart. For example, the Ryzen 9 7950X3D has a 4.2GHz base clock, whereas the Ryzen 9 7950X has a 4.5GHz base clock, which is 300MHz faster.

Likewise, the Ryzen 9 7900X3D's base clock is 4.4GHz, versus 4.7GHz for the Ryzen 9 7900X. And the Ryzen 7 7800X3D—still one of the best chips for gaming, when factoring in bang-for-buck—has a 4.2GHz base clock, while the Ryzen 7 7700X has a 4.5GHz base clock.

Why compare those two, as well as a Ryzen 7 9800X3D to a Ryzen 7 9700X? A Ryzen 7 7800X does not exist, and neither does a Ryzen 7 9800X, whereas the Ryzen 7 7700X and Ryzen 9700X have the same number of cores and threads as the Ryzen 7 7800X3D and alleged Ryzen 9 9800X3D, respectively.

That's all to say, a higher base clock (and significantly higher to boot) for the Ryzen 7 9800X3D versus the Ryzen 7 9700X is certainly noteworthy. The caveat, of course, is that this is a leak. It wouldn't be difficult to fake the screenshot, so take this with a healthy dose of skepticism. Hopefully we'll find out soon, perhaps even before CES.