I'm in the process of setting up a server for multiplayer games like Conan, Minecraft, and 7 Days to Die. My plan includes running Proxmox with two virtual machines: one Linux and one Windows 11 Pro (for games without Linux server support). Since most game servers are single-threaded, I'm focusing on CPUs with higher clock speeds rather than just more cores. I'm curious about whether investing in a Ryzen CPU with X3D technology is beneficial for a headless server setup like mine. The marketing suggests that the 3D cache helps with single-threaded games, but I doubt that's significant for a server that won't be handling game rendering. For reference, a standard 9900X is $230 cheaper than the 9900X3D. Would I be better off sticking with the non-X3D for this purpose?
4 Answers
X3D CPUs in the Ryzen 7000 series are generally more power-efficient, which is a bonus. But the difference in performance between the 9900X and 9900X3D isn’t significant for most tasks outside of gaming—just around 1%. So for your use case, it’s really not worth the extra cost.
Honestly, it might not be worth it. I have a 9950X3D that runs VMs and multiplayer games really well, but it’s pretty pricey for what you need. For hosting games like Minecraft, a 9900X will do the job just fine and save you money. It really comes down to whether you plan to use the server more for hosting or for playing games yourself. Think about your budget!
It depends on the game's code architecture. More cache can help, but it really varies by how well a game can utilize it. Sure, AMD has Epyc CPUs with massive caches, but they're expensive. The X3D is designed for gaming; for most game servers, you'd be better off with the 9900X unless you’re planning to host more demanding applications.
In short, there's really no benefit to getting the X3D for your server, plus it has a higher power draw with only a marginally lower boost clock. It’s more geared towards gaming rather than server hosting, so I’d recommend sticking with the 9900X instead.
Thanks for the insight! Sounds like I’m leaning more towards the 9900X after hearing similar feedback from others.
This will be a dedicated server running the game servers. Right now, I’ve got an Intel 14xxx with a 4070 for my daily use.