I am thinking of upgrading the AMD CPU of my machine, actually still running an AMD Ryzen 3700X.
I could afford the following CPU in terms of price:

Ryzen 5800X
Ryzen 5800X3D
Ryzen 5900X

So the cost is not the point, I am exclusively concerned with the performance in an audio PC.
Also please no comments a la "Intel is much better" etc, I'm not going to replace my motherboard.

 

AMD Ryzen 5800X3D
The AMD Ryzen 5800X3D has stacked L3 cache for the first time. In the test, this brings up to 40% more performance, but the model still remains a specialist in the end. This is because the additional performance is almost only available in games, while the CPU clearly loses ground in every application.


AMD Ryzen 7 5800X (i would take this one)
After all measurements and benchmarks have been completed, one thing can be said with certainty: AMD has done a very good job with Zen 3 and the Ryzen 5000 family! AMD achieves a significant performance increase with the new processors at virtually the same power consumption and does not have to change the socket for it on top of that.

This also makes Ryzen 5000 particularly interesting for upgraders, since all owners of current boards (all 500s and partly 400s) can enjoy the 5000 CPUs with only a BIOS update. There is more performance in the gaming sector and generally in single-core workloads, where the advantages of multi-core do not come into play. The optimizations of the third Zen generation bear impressive fruit and once again put pressure on the competitors in the market.

AMD Ryzen 7 5800X
- High performance in all areas, Strong single core performance, Energy efficiency, Price/Performance, Compatibility

 

Why not the 5900X? Its only about 80$ more.....

 

Why the 5900X? Arguments ?

 

If you can get hold of one at msrp ( or very close), go for it. The 1% percent lows are where the improvements are found for data intensive workloads (not just gaming). Wish companies would drop the gaming focus and just concentrate on overall 'compute' performance.

Otherwise wait for the next generation if you are not in a hurry. By then PCIe Gen 5, USB4, Thunderbolt 4 and DDR5 should all be improved. Hopefully offered as standard.

Remember that AMD Zen cpus work better with approved dual rank memory that has tight timings (like a Xeon cpu using ECC memory).
Also make certain your BIOS for the current motherboard is up-to-date.

 

well the question is about single core performance also, this is always a point in a DAW. What we know so far is, that the 5800X3D has the best single core performance - game-wise! I am not sure if this also applies to the audio DAW performance ? On the other hand the 5900X has the highest boost rate up 4,8 GHz - what counts more ?
And as I wrote, price is not the point here for the 3 CPU's, only performance for DAW PC counts.

 

If you read more CPU reviews you will know more in the end. Turbo is a selling point for gamers.
Turbo settings in the BIOS should be avoided when playing music. What counts is the actual performance.

AMD Ryzen 9 5900X - processor clock: 3.70GHz
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X - Processor clock: 3.80GHz

 

Deactivate CPU Power Saving Management in the BIOS

In some cases it is recommended to deactivate the power saving settings of the CPU in the BIOS. In this article we will show you where you can find the options and how you can deactivate them so that the power management options CPU P State Control and CPU C State Control are completely deactivated in the BIOS.

Deactivate CPU power management

1. Press the Delete key during the boot process to enter the BIOS
2. Go to -> Advanced CPU Configuration -> Advanced Power Management Configuration
3. Change Power Technology to Custom and Energy Efficient Turbo to Disable
4. Switch to CPU P State Control, deactivate EIST (P-States) and Turbo Mode
5. Then switch to CPU C State Control, change Package C State Limit to C0 / C1 state and deactivate CPU C3 Report, CPU C6 Report and Enhanced Halt State (C1E).

 

It is not just single core performance where DAW is affected. Multi-core optimized programs/apps/plugins also benefit from improved DATA throughput.

Audio performance is about moving data through a digital pipelines without losing anything important along the way. Well synced and optimized cache & buffers for CPU, Disk & RAM ensure long session up time with minimal chances of errors in the DATA stream which should equate to improved performance.

The elephant in the room is Windows configuration and support. Once that beast is tamed, better than 90% up time should be normal in everyday use.

 

I am in the same predicament, and I will be waiting until September for Zen 4. I also heard Zen 5 (2023) will double the number of physical cores.

 

Here is a comparison and the question of whether a change is now worthwhile? The performance gain is simply too low.


AMD Ryzen™ 7 3700X

Number of CPU cores: 8
Base clock speed: 3.6GHz
Number of threads: 16
Standard power consumption/power consumption: 65W
Max. Performance clock rate: Up to 4.4GHz
Total L1 cache: 512KB - Total L2 cache: 4MB
Processor Technology for CPU Cores: TSMC 7nm FinFET
Release date: 7/7/2019


AMD Ryzen™ 9 5900X

Number of CPU cores: 12
Base clock speed: 3.7GHz
Number of threads: 24
Standard power consumption/power consumption: 105W
Max. Performance clock rate: Up to 4.8GHz
Total L3 cache: 64MB
Processor Technology for CPU Cores: TSMC 7nm FinFET
Launch Date: 11/5/2020

 

Last edited: Apr 23, 2022

I'm also waiting for Zen 4 as there is a new socket.
But your case is different as you already have the mother board. In this case I would buy the 5800x.

 

Sometimes you have to bite the bullet when there is an architecture change, and it's tricky to know when to do it. Do you lock into the old tech or prepare for the new tech? My thinking would be influenced by whether Zen 4 & Zen 5 share the same socket or not. The OP said money is no object, so that may might the choice a little easier. Decisions, decisions, and either way Intel & AMD win!

 

Last edited: Apr 24, 2022

The original poster only asked about upgrading the CPU, he also said he wanted to keep his mainboard.

You are already in the future and have already infected me with the ZEN virus. I wonder if I'll even notice the speed.
I'm from the Stone Age, I still have DDR3 and AM3+ 4 Ghz. Can you tell me what advantages ZEN 4 brings?

 

My apologies, I just saw this part of the OP, so I was expanding on that ... "So the cost is not the point, I am exclusively concerned with the performance in an audio PC."

Without cost implications and a desire for improved performance I would recommend Zen 4, but like I said it's a tricky situation, do you future proof or wrench the last drops of performance out of the old tech?

 

Last edited: Apr 24, 2022

Zen4 or not Zen4 was not my question I actually thought I had phrased my question pretty clearly.
Ryzen 5800X
Ryzen 5800X3D
Ryzen 5900X
These are my current options, price-wise and without swapping my mainboard (X570 chipset).But it's probably too early to speculate on the audio performance of the 5800X3D, since it's practically unavailable right now - my apologizes.
Sure you can always wait and wait and wait for some better technology in the future that promises true miracles. Wait for Zen 4, or rather Zen 5, or Zen 6... but then you are only waiting and never have anything useful running.
When I have learned something in the world of IT in the last 20 years, never be an early adopter, you'll just make yourself a beta tester and have to suffer all the teething troubles of a new technology. And on top of that you are the idiot who spends the most money on what you get a little later for half. It is better to buy a proven technology, not too old, not too new, the happy medium.

 

Yes, that's also part of the decision making process, but we already have working computers and we can wait for the best moment to replace them. Also keep in mind the legacy AMD cpu are going to drop in price in September when the new ones come out, so I would keep my wallet in my pocket and see what the situation is in a few months time.

If you can't wait just go for it, I understand the consumerism drug, and I would probably go for the 5800X or 5800X3D depending on the benchmarks. I wouldn't bother with 5900X because Zen 4 is going to smoke it and it would make me very sad

 

Last edited: Apr 24, 2022

1.) AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D vs AMD Ryzen 9 5900X
https://www-cpu--monkey-com.transla...l=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=de&_x_tr_pto=wapp
Original in german Language: www.cpu-monkey.com/de/compare_cpu-amd_ryzen_7_5800x3d-vs-amd_ryzen_9_5900x

2.) AMD Ryzen 7 3700X vs AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D
https://www-cpu--monkey-com.transla...l=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=de&_x_tr_pto=wapp
Original in german Language:
www.cpu-monkey.com/de/compare_cpu-amd_ryzen_7_3700x-vs-amd_ryzen_7_5800x3d

 

Last edited: Apr 25, 2022

Are you really need to upgrade? I dont think so...

 

As I mentioned, 5800X3D if available. The use case is for yourself & how you, will use it. Also...There will only be one X3D chip for the current Generation. If you are willing to go 5800X3D, why not 5950X if performance is what you are after for production work?