What is 3D V-Cache in AMD Ryzen 7000 3D CPUs, and how does it increase performance and efficiency?

AMD recently launched their new Ryzen 7000 3D processors that push gaming performance to a whole new level. The three chips introduced in the lineup include the Ryzen 7 7800X3D, the Ryzen 9 7900X3D, and the 7950X3D chips. All of these processors cost $100 more than their non-3D counterparts.

These CPUs pack the 3D V-cache technology first introduced with the Ryzen 7 5800X3D last year. They come with a larger L3 cache compared to the last-gen chip. This helps pump out more performance.

The market will highly benefit from the new technology that Team Red pioneered. However, what's interesting is how it helps achieve extra performance in video games.

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The 3D V-cache technology powering the Ryzen 7000 3D chips is an engineering feat

Before diving into the nitty-gritty of the Ryzen 7000 3D CPUs, we should check out the chief problem with the traditional processors that creates the need for this new technology.

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What problems do video games face on a traditional CPU?

In simple words, a computer system can pump out more performance in a video game by reducing the time required to pump out each frame. One of the major issues that increases frame time is the long distance that data has to travel between the different components in the gaming rig, namely the RAM sticks, the CPU, and the GPU.

A RAM stick is much slower than the cache on the CPU. However, high-performance cache memory is expensive. In addition, they cannot be shrunk in size.

A CPU cannot pack as much cache as one desires because that would simply make up for a processor the size of a living room. Thus, whenever the CPU requires data, it has to pull it from the memory, which acts as a reservoir for the information that wasn't immediately being processed. This increases the frame time, or in other words, lowers framerates.

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How does 3D V-cache help achieve higher performance in video games and productivity workloads?

The new 3D V-cache technology introduced by AMD solves the exact problem described above.

Since packing more cache in a CPU can make it indefinitely large, AMD has installed the L3 cache right on top of each Core Complex Die (CCD) with the Ryzen 7000 3D CPUs, which is the company's word for a bunch of operating cores.

Most high-end AMD CPUs, including the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X and the Ryzen 9 7950X, come with two CCDs. They pack six and eight cores apiece, respectively. However, the lower-end Ryzen 7 7700X packs one CCD with eight cores.

AMD has packed 96 MB of V-cache on one CCD in the 7900X and 7950X chips. The other CCD packs the regular 32 MB L3 cache that is not 3D stacked.

By adopting this asymmetrical design, the chip makes more L3 cache available for the fast processing of data while retaining the benefits of the traditional design in other core complexes.

Since data has to travel less distance, the Ryzen 7000 3D CPU acts as a smaller bottleneck. Thus, the largest framerate gains can be spotted in 1080p, the resolution in which the game is the most CPU-bound.

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Which AMD CPUs have a 3D V-cache?

Currently, the following chips come with a 3D V-cache:

	AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D	AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D	AMD Ryzen 9 7900X3D	AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D
Core count	8	8	12	16
Thread count	16	16	24	32
L3 cache	96 MB	128 MB	128 MB	128 MB
Clock speeds	3.4-4.5 GHz	4.2-5.0 GHz	4.4-5.6 GHz	4.5-5.7 GHz
Price	$349	$449	$599	$699

The Ryzen 7000 3D lineup from AMD is one of the most innovative solutions for pushing CPU computing power to the next level. We have already reached the ceiling of shoving extra volts to achieve higher clock speeds and performance metrics.

With CPUs hitting the 6 GHz mark, operating clock speed improvements are only expected to slow down further in the coming months.