PC Processors

[phxrider]

Question about doing this swap - what needs to be done software-wise after changing out a 7800x3d for a 7950x3d, with regard to the chipset drivers, particularly the "AMD 3D V-Cache Performance Optimizer Driver"?

Do I need to do anything here? Reinstall the chipset driver (or even just the V-Cache Optimizer)? Uninstall and reinstall the whole chipset package? Or is the driver smart enough to just recognize the new CPU and optimize for the separate V-Cache and normal chiplets?

[johnnyenglish]

I would definitely try this, as I've seen people mentioning about it.. a lot!

Don't skip on the AMD 3D V-Cache Performance Optimizer Driver too.

But I have to ask, do you need the extra cores? Because, I'm sure the 7800X3D can even deal with light to medium content creation. As far as gaming goes, you won't see any improvement.

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Xbox Game Bar

The last one is a little unexpected. Although the Xbox Game Bar has come a long way from its early days of doom and gloom, many PC gamers still dislike it. AMD recommends the Game Bar be enabled and updated to the latest version.

The Xbox Game Bar ensures that the Windows kernel assigns the processes to the right cores (most games to the V-Cache die and compute-intensive to the standard CCD). By parking the unneeded cores, both power and resources can be better utilized.

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[Koyote7667]

I know only 2 with a 7950x3d, one sold it for the 7800x3d, and the other just deals with the scheduling issues. Game pass doesnt work all that well, and introduces other issues on some games. 

[FunkZ]

Here's the setup guide

https://community.amd.com/t5/gaming/how-to-set-up-your-system-with-a-new-amd-ryzen-9-7950x3d-or/ba-p...

[phxrider]

I've seen all that and my system with 7800X3D is already set up like that. The question was if I need to redo any steps after swapping to a 7950X3D, or if the already-installed latest version of the 3D V-Cache driver will "just work" with the 7950X3D.

I have noticed AMD drivers are pretty good about this (for example, you can upgrade an AMD video card and the drivers will pick up the new card with no user intervention, unlike a certain green-logoed brand), just looking for confirmation that this is the case with X3D processors.

[FunkZ]

The 7800X3D is a single CCD processor, and as such does not require the same setup steps as the dual CCD 7900X3D and 7950X3D to optimize cache performance and core parking during gaming.

If you have already completed the extra steps anyway, then you are correct that no further action should be required to upgrade.

[phxrider]

Thanks for the confirmation, but keeping the BIOS up to date is a must with Zen 4, the X-Box bar is installed by default and the chipset installer installs the V-Cache optimizer for any X3D CPU including the 7800, so there's really not much to do unless you've screwed around with your system and removed stuff and have to put it back. It's not like I did anything extra.

[Koyote7667]

Why.

The 7800x3d is as fast or faster in gaming. If you do production, and make money with your rig, then why even get a x3d model.  Just curious. Your asking about chipset drivers and such, when getting the one ccd to work properly in gaming is a night mare. For those typing already, process lasso is a hassle and not even worth it when (in gaming, when you would use it) the 7800x3d is as fast or faster, ......  aka - turn off half your 7950x3d. 

[phxrider]

In all reality, I probably don't need an X3D and would be better off with a 9000 series, if AMD's claims of being 12% faster overall than the 5800X3D are true. I happen to have a 7800X3d system and a 5800X3D system with identical 7900XTX GPUs, so I'm able to do some pretty apples to apples comparisons, and they perform the same (within the margin of error) in the games I play at 3440x1440. If you don't play eSports type games at 1080 with simple graphics at ultra-high frame rates, you are probably going to be GPU-bound with anything but a 4090 and not have to worry much about CPU.

Since I play all AAA games with challenging graphics on ultra settings at 3440x1440 or 4K and don't have a 4090, this means me.

And yes, the upgrade is for non-gaming reasons, I had money burning a hole in my pocket on Prime Day and got it stupid cheap on the basis that I have 30 days to return it, so I plan to leave it in the box until the 9000 series reviews hit the internet and then decide whether to use the 7950 or return it and get a 9000 series.

[phxrider]

OK, this kinda sucks.... I can't get core parking to work, even reinstalled Windows 11.

[phxrider]

Got it working with the Balanced power plan - still doesn't work in High Performance....

[phxrider]

Looks like the solution to this is to make a copy of the "Balanced" power profile to a new name like "Custom for X3D", then edit the new profile, so the visible control panel settings match the High Performance profile. Scheduling works completely fine.

Since I could not find any differences in the core parking settings (default for Balanced is still 100% of cores active), my assumption is the PPM driver doesn't work with the High Performance profile, either by design or by bug.

It would be good to add using "Balanced" or a variation of it to the documentation, most of us set "High Performance" as a part of our routine setup steps for a new Windows install. I suspect this is the source of a lot of people's frustrations with the dual-CCD X3D CPUs.

[Koyote7667]

Ill bet it doesn't work with every game. Dont know why youd be parking cores (non gaming reasons) In fact i know it doesn't. In fact, it kinda sucks. 

    Again, that's why most bought the 7800x3d for gaming.  (aka park cores you dont need) And again , if your going with production, then the 7950x with a lil tweaking is a beast on both ends. But, again, do you. I know you said "non gaming reasons" but, here you are, struggling with getting both ccd's to work right, with whatever your doing. Why are you even trying to park any cores, if gaming wasnt the goal.  But, again, do you mate. Cheers, and hope your happy. 

[phxrider]

I'm not struggling. Once I set it to balanced, it worked like a charm. The problem was literally that simple, and the solution was literally that stupid. Then it takes 15 more seconds to tweak the profile's visible settings in the GUI, and testing shows no difference in benchmarks between the tweaked balanced profile and the high performance profile.

After figuring that out, I did some searches on it to see if I am the only one that this applied to, and sure enough, it's known and documented online, although not widespread enough, I suspect because most people just run Windows how it comes out of the box and reviewers don't have time to tweak the hell out of systems when they are testing 20 CPUs for a review, each with dozens of benchmarks and games needing to be done.

Anything the X-Box bar recognizes as a game, it parks the fast cores. You can even tell it other apps are games, and it will park them whenever you open those apps. This is actually the "easy way" to test core parking - run resource monitor and show CPU cores, then open something like calculator or notepad and tell the X-Box bar it's a game, and it will immediately show the bottom 16 cores as parked. Close the app, they unpark, open it and they park again. I also tested with real games, since I have multiple monitors it was easy to put Resource Monitor on its own screen and watch what happens when I run a game.

And just because I want better performance in non-game apps, that doesn't mean I don't play games or care about game performance.