How does Ryzen 7 5700X3D handle gaming, and how large is the gap versus cheaper models?

  The Ryzen 7 5700X3D is 8 cores and 16 threads on Zen 3, AM4 platform, 3.0GHz base and 4.1GHz boost, 96MB L3, 105W TDP, launched January 2024. It games at the same level as the 5800X3D: strong at 1080p high refresh, fine at 1440p, GPU-bound beyond.

  Upgrading to it on an old platform beats a full platform swap; the gap to cheaper chips like the 5600 shows most in high-refresh esports and sims, where the price difference is also visible. If your focus is 2K/4K AAA, the GPU is the bottleneck and the 96MB cache is more than enough.