// PC GAMER — GAMING
AMD Ryzen 7 7700X3D review
A CPU practically as good as the classic 7800X3D, but one that's limited by the regular discounts on the older chip and the number of them still left on the shelves. That makes it a difficult DIY recommendation, but full 7700X3D systems could be very competitively priced. There is Intel-shaped competition, however, in the shape of the $100 cheaper and more well-rounded Ultra 5 250K Plus.
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I'm trying not to be too down on the new(ish) AMD Ryzen 7 7700X3D. After all, we are living in a time when the regular narrative is that all hardware is brutally overpriced and every tech company out there is trying to make a quick buck off the back of an AI bubble that is ever more certain to wipe out the global economy in one big pop. But here's AMD trying to give us an even more affordable AM5 gaming processor with a lovely dollop of the 3D V-Cache good-stuff. And yet I'm still not happy.I guess, fundamentally, I don't get it. You see, what we have here is a slightly slower Ryzen 7 7800X3D CPU with slightly lower MSRP. On the surface, that sounds great. The 7800X3D was the best gaming CPU of its generation, and only dropped off our recommended list when its Zen 5 replacement, the Ryzen 7 9800X3D, dropped in price.The issue is that the 7800X3D is old now. I reviewed it—very favourably I might add—back in April 2023. That in itself is not an issue; the underlying silicon is still excellent and still performs fantastically well up against the latest from either AMD or rivals Intel. The issue is that it's been out in the market a long while, most enthusiasts have their eyes on that 9800X3D (or even its slight upgrade, the Ryzen 7 9850X3D), and the ol' 7800X3D still has plenty of numbers out in retail, too. For essentially the same price as this 'new' 7700X3D. Sometimes cheaper.And therein lies the friction. Why isn't AMD just making more 7800X3D chips and giving them a permanent price cut? Does it really have so many 3D V-Cache'd Zen 4 CCDs lying around—that couldn't quite get to the right clock speeds—that the only way to ship them would be to have them clocked lower out of the gate under a different chip name? And if so, wouldn't you rather spend the same money on the older, slightly faster, theoretically more reliable, CPU?I kinda feel like I would.
✅ You find it in a bundle or well-priced PC: We've already seen some Newegg bundles featuring the 7700X3D alongside motherboard and RAM options for less than 7800X3D equivalents, and I've got to believe there will be budget-friendly systems built around this chip from the usual suspects.
❌ You're looking for an affordable AM5 CPU upgrade: The standard 7800X3D will be a better purchase right now as it's either around the same price as the slower 7700X3D, at places such as Amazon, or sometimes even cheaper.
A CPU practically as good as the classic 7800X3D, but one that's limited by the regular discounts on the older chip and the number of them still left on the shelves. That makes it a difficult DIY recommendation, but full 7700X3D systems could be very competitively priced. There is Intel-shaped competition, however, in the shape of the $100 cheaper and more well-rounded Ultra 5 250K Plus.
If you remember the old Ryzen 7 7800X3D, then you know exactly what we're talking about here, because this is essentially the exact same silicon, except this time clocked a little lower out of the box.
That headline difference translates to a base clock of 4 GHz for the 7700X3D and 4.2 GHz for the 7800X3D, and then a boost clock of 4.5 GHz versus 5 GHz. That's where the differences begin and end, even when we're taking pricing into consideration, too. The starting price for the 7700X3D is $329, but while the 7800X3D launched with a $450 MSRP that's not its cost right now. There are so many of the excellent ol