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If the CPU utilisation gets high enough, you may find that one or more cores on the inactive CCD wake up and become active and begin work. This is normal and expected and exactly how the CPU is designed. It offers extra performance vs keeping highly utilised cores to one CCD, which is what happens to those poor folks using Process Lasso. People that advocate for apps like Process Lasso often think this is a bug and it hurts performance, it doesn't, It helps performance. Thoroughly tested on a 4090 and a 7900 XTX over many games and settings.

AMD’s decision to add extra cache to only one of these chips is somewhat unconventional, as the two CCXs will have different performance characteristics as a result, but there’s a logical reason behind it. The added cache chip and its position on top of one of the CCXs introduce power and heat considerations to the CPU that didn’t exist before. AMD’s Collaborative Processor Performance Control (CPPC2) interface already ranks the fastest cores as the highest priority, enabling the OS to schedule threads into these ‘preferred’ cores first. Not all Ryzen cores can reach the rated peak frequency, so this tech is critical to ensure strong performance in lightly threaded apps, like gaming. Finally, the last major difference is the lower TDP on the 7950X3D compared to the 7950X (120W to 125W). This is mostly from the lower frequency on the 3D V-Cache cores (as well as some other optimizations), meaning that the 7950X3D can use less power overall to get the same or better performance.

I already have DDR4. AMD expects me to just throw this into the trash and buy expensive new DDR5 for a 1% difference in performance. It even bothers me from an e-waste perspective, let alone the financial cost. With both tuned, I'd still rather have the 16 core variant personally. It'll be the better overall chip IMO, basing this off the 7950X vs the 7700X. AMD’s new thread management technique requires Windows 10 (1903) or 11 (21H2) and four components — a new chipset driver, updated BIOS, Windows Game Mode, and an updated version of the Xbox Game Bar (you can update through the Microsoft Apps store). The chipset drivers also install the AMD PPM Provisioning File Driver, which improves performance by parking the slowest cores when Game Mode or Mixed Reality Mode is active. In effect, this shuts down the ‘standard’ CCD when Game Mode or Mixed Reality Mode is active, thus constraining latency-sensitive workloads (like games) to the 3D V-Cache chiplet. This improves the cache hit rate and reduces high-latency communication between the two CCDs, resulting in faster performance for workloads that don’t need access to (or benefit from) all the cores. The Ryzen 9 7900X3D has also been crafted for high-performance gaming and creating. Its cache capacity is 140MB, paired with twelve cores, twenty-four threads, and boost speeds up to 5.6GHz.The Ultimate Processor for Gaming, with AMD 3D V-Cache™ Technology for Even More Game Performance 1 Thanks for that. I have done everything suggested and cores would not park. Interestingly, if I changed my power plan from balanced to Power Safe it works. Cores 1 - 16 are parked and Visual Studio .... games all get assigned to 17 onwards.