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The Ryzen 9 7945X3D is basically a repackaged desktop Ryzen 9 7950X3D for laptops.
AMD
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A visualization of what 3D V-Cache is, for those unfamiliar: 64MB of cache, layered directly on top of the typical Ryzen CPU die.
AMD
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AMD’s “Hybrid bond 3D” technology provides high bandwidth between the cache and the rest of the chip.
AMD
For a few years now, AMD has offered special versions of its desktop processors with an additional 64MB chunk of L3 cache included. This cache is layered on top of the existing processor’s silicon, earning it the name “3D V-Cache”, and it has proven to be particularly effective in accelerating cache-sensitive software like games.
Today, AMD is announcing the first 3D V-Cache processor for laptops, the Ryzen 9 7945X3D. This is a version of the standard 16-core Ryzen 9 7945HX with the same chunk of 64MB cache added, giving it a total of 144MB of L3 cache.
The 7945HX is essentially a repackaged version of the Ryzen 9 7950X desktop for use in laptops instead of high-end desktops; while chips like the 7940HS of the same name use a monolithic silicon chip for everything from CPU cores to the chipset to the integrated GPU, the 7950HX uses a pair of 8-core CPU chips and an I/O chip. S separated.
Similarly, the 7945X3D is a mobile version of the Ryzen 9 7950X3D for desktop computers. The 3D V-Cache is layered on top of one of the processor’s chiplets, giving it eight cores with access to the additional cache and eight cores without it; AMD’s chipset software is responsible for ensuring the “right” cores are used for a given task, as non-V-Cache cores can be fully parked while a game is running. . (In our tests of the 7950X3D, the software performed as advertised, although, as with many heterogeneous processor architectures, there were some hiccups).
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AMD claims that the benefits of 3D V-Cache become more pronounced as CPU TDP decreases (these comparisons are for a 7945HX).
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On average, performance should improve by 15%, although it could improve further (and as with any gaming laptop, GPU, power limits and temperatures will also be a factor).
AMD
One of the fringe benefits of the 7950X3D was also lower power consumption and increased efficiency, as the CPU chip with the cache stacked on top had to run at a lower voltage to prevent overheating (we don’t know if this is also the case in the 7945X3D, but it seems likely). AMD claims that the performance advantage of the 7945X3D over the regular 7945HX increases as the CPU TDP is reduced; at 45W, the 7945X3D can be up to 23% faster than the 7945HX in games. At 70W, the 7945X3D has an 11% lower performance advantage. AMD says you should expect it to be around 15% faster in games than the 7945HX on average.
For now, the 7945X3D will only launch on one laptop: a version of Asus’ ROG Strix Scar 17, which will launch on August 22. AMD said the ROG Strix Scar would be the only 7945X3D laptop “for the foreseeable future,” though presumably any design that currently uses a 7000-series HX processor like the 7945HX should also be able to use the 7945X3D with minimal modifications. The configuration AMD tested includes 32GB of DDR5 RAM and a mobile Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090, which will make it one of the fastest (if not THE fastest gaming laptops) you can buy, however, as with any gaming laptop, your performance will be somewhat limited by power limits and temperature caps.
Asus’ ROG Strix Scar 17 will, for the “foreseeable future”, be the only laptop with a 7945X3D.
AMD
AMD hasn’t said what the 7945X3D version of the Strix Scar 17 will cost, but the safe answer is “over $3,300”, which is the current street price for the same laptop with a 7945HX.
If that price makes you cringe, AMD has more budget-friendly X3D processor options for desktop buyers. Last month, the company announced a Micro Center-exclusive Ryzen 5 5600X3D, an upgrade aimed at owners of older socket AM4 Ryzen systems who want a budget-conscious performance boost without having to upgrade to an AM5 plus system. newer (or buy a fancy new laptop). ).
List image by AMD/Andrew Cunningham