What's The Problem With The 7900X? - AMD Ryzen 9 7900X Review

The Snowpiercer-level hype train for AMD's Ryzen 7000 series CPUs is rolling along the track at full speed, but just how much of that hype translates into actual gains for gamers? Are the new chips worth the cost of entry? Let's find out in this review of the Ryzen 9 7900X.
► Build your dream gaming PC here: computermania.pcbuilder.co.za/
► In South Africa? Buy all of the things at Takealot: www.takealot.com/
► Buy using my Amazon affiliate links to support the channel:
- AMD Ryzen 9 7900X 12-Core, 24-Thread: amzn.to/3DZV8UJ
- AMD Ryzen 7 7700X 8-Core, 16-Thread: amzn.to/3O0CGzE
- MSI PRO X670-P WiFi ProSeries Motherboard: amzn.to/3trs5Eu
- Crucial RAM 32GB DDR5 4800MHz CL40: amzn.to/3EoWU34
► Support The Channel Directly:
Patreon: / thetechtank
Paypal: paypal.me/JustTank?locale.x=e...
Bitcoin: 1DFEgMsJokXcqbgec6nBte9RFcMrcgpmZy
► Socials:
- Discord: / discord
- Twitch: / thetechtank
- Twitter: / its_just_tank
- Instagram: / the_tech_tank
- Facebook: / thetechtank
Timestamps:
00:00 - Intro
00:35 - Sponsor
02:15 - Quick specs
06:16 - Test systems
07:13 - Productivity benchmarks
08:52 - Gaming benchmarks
13:04 - Power, speed, thermals
14:34 - Hard fax (conclusion)
18:17 - Cheers

[@hefty8876]

I managed to grab the 7900x 64GB of ddr5 6000 and a pretty decent motherboard at micro center in a bundle for $549US. Amazing deal for all that performance.

[@ultimablue9778]

Same I got 7900x for 300 after tax NEW! I know it isn't hyper focused on gaming but I'll take it lol

[@GorgeousPuree]

you're so lucky guys

[@GorgeousPuree]

7900x. 32gb ddr5 6000 and mobo costed me 820$.

[@markcourtney4590]

I just picked up the bundle and added a 7900xtx gpu. The computer shreds frames like a beast.

[@J_THOR]

Music producer/mixing engineer here. The 7900x runs like a champion. It's nice not being limited by my computer and helps with my workflow overall. Def not the ideal tho if you're strictly gaming

[@Cacophaton]

hey i was looking at cpus for the same usage. does it run hot ? how do you cool it ?

[@J_THOR]

@Cacophaton I have a three fan corsair aio (CORSAIR ICUE LINK H150I RGB 360WT) and the corsair 5000d airflow case. All of my components run super efficiently I'm always around 60°c which is Crazy good imo

[@chills_tiny_mom]

Sounds like my use case and good thing I'm getting it, do you think that the 7950x would be a better pick or is the 7900x good enough?

[@CWWJR]

The reason most gamers have not made the upgrade yet is the 5800X3D is an insane value and an insane chip. Folks get this. They also get that 7000 series 3D V cache chips were coming. So most gamers were waiting for those to platform upgrade. When those drop in Feb I am sure you will see more gamers upgrading

[@CC-gt3ro]

I don’t trust these am5 first gen motherboard and cpu. I will pass until i see more reliable memory slot, memory speed , less cpu high temp and no cpu burn and also a more decent price on motherboard with more pci lanes. If necessary i will swap completely am5. I am still on zen 1 and it works great with my 1080ti. I will simply upgrade to a nvidia rtx5080 and eventually upgrade my 1800x to a 5900x. And that’s it. At 4k ultra settings or in VR the difference in cpu between 1800x and 7950x is probably less than 15% even less…

[@jmxtoob]

Great video! Slight disagreement which doesn't change anything - the b650 motherboards are usually not comparable to b550 - for better or worse they seem to have more features, bigger vrms etc. than their last gen midrange counterparts (just means if you get a b550 for your 5800x3D it's also probably dropping a few things you may or may not care about)

[@TheTechTank]

Appreciate it! Yip, that's true. Newer boards tend to have more, newer features which can present a lot of value to some. My own bias of not really caring about most of the new features wormed its way into the video there. Thanks for pointing that out. But even so (and I think that's why you mentioned it doesn't really change anything), I don't think anyone's too pleased with the pricing of the current-gen boards right now, regardless of the new features and capabilities, even if the added cost is somewhat justified from a manufacturing perspective.

[@jarablue]

I am appreciative for anything. Just got a gaming desktop with a 7900x. Very happy!

[@waseemh3863]

That is single stick of ddr5 probably had a measurable effect on the benchmarks, though I'd be hard pressed to tell you by how much. Personally I think AM5 just doesn't make sense for most people who are buying new, AM4 and Intel 13th gen are just better priced for most realistic builds. Really it very much depends on much on the pricing when you buying, AM4, AM5 and intel 13th gen are all good options assuming the price is right. Awesome video btw mate

[@TheTechTank]

I really want to get my hands on a second stick or a speedier kit of my own, but they're way too expensive right now to justify, especially since I don't own either new platform yet 😭 Never mind the RAM, there's no shot I can justify upgrading to either new platform on my own dime anyway, lol. If only we were working with direct US pricing here upgrading would be muuuuuuuch more justifiable! Thanks as always, Waseem, your support is S-tier.

[@thrlln9513]

Thinking about grabbing a cpu for my first build which one you recommend ryzen 9 5900x or Ryzen 7 7700x? Is new gen worth it or no ?

[@TheTechTank]

Depends on whether you'll just be gaming, or gaming plus streaming etc. The 5900X is overkill for just gaming. On last gen you'd get better performance with the 5800X3D. The 7700X will only be worth it if you pair it with good, expensive DDR5, and a good cooler.

[@AustnTok]

I wanted to upgrade from my i5-12600k because the E cores conflict with Star Citizen and that's the game I play the most by far. I switched to an AMD CPU for the first time and because I play Star Citizen, it's not optimized and it is very, very core hungry. so I decided to go with the Ryzen 9 7900x with G.Skill CL36 6000mhz (MT/s). I briefly thought about getting the Ryzen 7 5800X3D but decided to get something newer. I also thought about waiting for the 7900X3D but decided I didn't want to wait. I'm glad I didn't wait for the 7900X3D since it only has the L3 cache stacked on one CCD. All the games I play, my 7900x gets much better or notably better performance than my friends 5800X3D that also has the same 3080 Ti as I do. I am 100% happy with my purchase and I don't think I will ever switch back to Intel as long as they keep doing the P & E cores. I now have the CPU set to 105w manual Eco mode in the BIOS and I haven't noticed any difference in the performance.

[@TheTechTank]

Well, I'm stoked that through all of that you got a chip that's actually getting you the performance you need in SC. I've found that the new Intel chips are legitimately amazing, but without developers optimizing for it, it's eh. It sucks to have to wait for future performance when you can get pretty close to it now.

[@AustnTok]

@@TheTechTank The new intel chips definitely are amazing. I used my 12600k for a 2nd build because I dont want to get rid of it because I really loved that CPU for everything except that one game.

[@rtxrt73]

Sorry about that 5600x... I had a Phenom II X4 that suffered a similar fate (definitely my fault) and I ended up replacing it with an FX-8120... Man some dark days there🤣... But definitely the camera quality is spot on.. keep up the fantastic work... Can't wait to see your take on the Intel chips...

[@TheTechTank]

Thanks so much, man! I'm still holding out hope for the chip - still need to test it in another board, but I think one ot two of the pins might have shorted somehow or something since they're discolored.

[@rtxrt73]

@@TheTechTank hopefully it's just discoloration due to something minor. Hopefully the sales that are dropping on the Ryzen 5000 series make it out your way and you can get a cheap replacement.. not sure if you get to keep the stuff you review or not but hopefully it's not a major inconvenience to get that 5600X replaced!

[@TheTechTank]

We're already seeing some pretty good sale prices over here, thankfully. I'm pretty sure it needs to be sent back, and I don't think AMD will be very happy if I send them a dead chip if it is in fact dead 😂

[@rtxrt73]

@@TheTechTank yeah pretty sure they would want back a working sample... Hopefully it's an easy enough fix. At the very least hopefully they forget about it with the push for 7000 series 🤣

[@TheTechTank]

@@rtxrt73 Lol, I'm sure it'll be fine. If they want it back I'll just let them know that it might be dead so they can test it on their end, and if whatever happened was my fault I'll replace it. Luckily it wasn't the 7900X or 5800X3D - that might break the bank a little bit 😂

[@ACA322]

As for now, all 13th and 14th Intel CPU are unstable and might require replacement for a high voltage issue. I will switch to AMD this time for my next build.

[@roythunderplump]

Visual quality is good to go. Your content is the main thing.

[@TheTechTank]

True, but nothing wrong with investing in stuff that makes creating said content even more fun, especially if it also benefits the viewer.

[@juiiceandpopsshow]

need some help building my podcast , editing pc. anyway you could help.. also would be cool to have you on the show.

[@choppergirl]

Set your CPU temperature limit at 80C in BIOS, stick it on a water cooler, expect and be happy it hovers around 5.3ghz regardless of how much power or heat you pump into it, and be happy. My 7950x works fine, though it's mystifying how Windows sceduler uses cores and puts them to sleep. Expect your computer fans to be very breathy as it ramps up and down. As long as you don't run it at red line all the time, you're totally fine. You really don't need that last 5% for anything at all, when you've got 12 or 16 cores...

[@cuongtang9539]

2x 8 Cores, in between is a latency gap

[@Soyboythoughts]

This is my first video of yours so i cant talk about camera quality of older videos and this video... but i was able to see you! So it works! This video is a year old so i hope its been treating you good!

[@TheTechTank]

Lol. It has, though even a year later I'm still struggling with Fuji's weird autofocus 🙄

[@Soyboythoughts]

@@TheTechTank im sure some day you will tame that auto focus!

[@NetNeelsie]

Oh no! I hope you get that CPU up and running again.

[@TheTechTank]

Same! I'm going to test it in two other boards just to confirm. It just stopped working after a swop. Don't think it showed up in the vid, but even though none of the pins are bent or damaged as far as I can see, there are one or two pins that seem a little discolored? Really hope it wasn't a short or something.

[@TylerLeyden]

wait did you say it only supports up to 5600mhz ram?

[@TheTechTank]

Max officially supported speed is 5200, but with overclocking you can go much higher.

[@HasanBabasi]

I got a really good deal on the 7900x so I grabbed it, games run much better and i'll be getting my new gpu this week. Even if the CPU isn't super game focuses, i'll be finally getting into learning how to make games and make stuff for 3d printing.

[@GorgeousPuree]

same! learning unreal engine!

[@Kensai127]

Upgrading from a 5800X to a 5800X3D may not be the most cost effective upgrade, but at this point I'd rather get the 5800X3D over the Zen4s. I just hope AMD will continue to produce the 5800X3Ds for a while longer, but it may ultimately not be in their best interest to do that.

[@TheTechTank]

I wouldn't be surprised if they kept making the chip for a while longer. They referenced it directly as still a viable option during the launch event for Zen 4 after all. And I've even seen them discount it by a lot recently.

[@atta1798]

7900X a great choice

[@ADesertVoice]

This video is REALLY outdated since the recent benchmarks shows the 7900x killing all those other cpus compared in this video.

[@voradeaur]

Before or after buldging themselves to death xD

[@nivea878]

i keep my 9700 more than enough for 2k gaming

[@TheTechTank]

Yip, the 9700 is still great for 1440p gaming.

[@nivea878]

@@TheTechTank now i bought it anyways🙄 its my first AMD build

[@TheTechTank]

@@nivea878 Congrats, it's a great chip, my only issue with it was the pricing, but if you already have it you're going to love it.

[@nivea878]

@@TheTechTank i returnet it for 13600k, i had problems with TPM 2.0 even enabled in bios, not showing up in windows🙄 with intel no problem

[@waseemh3863]

I propose CPUs use both PGA and LGA, that way its easy to break both the cpu and motherboard. Nods to myself🤣

[@TheTechTank]

Lol, I'm trying to imagine what that would look like and it's giving me anxiety 😂

[@waseemh3863]

Boop

[@GetRevived3]

I believe AM4 is on dead end!

[@TheTechTank]

Yes and no. The platform is "dead" since we won't get any more new CPUs for it, but for people who are still on the older generations of AM4 Ryzen chips it still makes a lot of sense to stick with AM4.

[@thealien_ali3382]

Sorry allready bought it

[@TheTechTank]

Oh no! How will you ever recover from this?!

[@lokimillzmillieon2985]

Lol same i bought it

[@SauvageHeske]

Damn I'm early

[@TheTechTank]

Heck yeah, dude, notification gang!