AMD allowed the publication of reviews of the Ryzen 7000 processors and the network was flooded with a wave of reviews and tests of representatives of the line. Looking ahead, let’s say what many were waiting for – AMD managed to make the best processors on the desktop market in terms of performance and price. Consider their characteristics and tests of senior and junior representatives.
Brief characteristics of the Ryzen 7000
| CPU | Price | Cores/Threads | Frequencies | Cache (L2+L3) | TDP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ryzen 9 7950X | $699 | 16/32 | 4.5/5.7 GHz | 80 MB | 170/230W |
| Ryzen 9 7900X | $549 | 12/24 | 4.7/5.6 GHz | 76 MB | 170/230W |
| Ryzen 7 7700X | $399 | 8/16 | 4.5/5.4 GHz | 40 MB | 105/142W |
| Ryzen 5 7600X | $299 | 6/12 | 4.7/5.3 GHz | 38 MB | 105/142W |
A first glance at the specs table may reveal an impressive increase in processor frequencies compared to the previous generation. The flagship Ryzen 9 7950X is 1100/800MHz ahead of the 5950X, while the budget Ryzen 5 7600X is 1000/700MHz ahead of the 5600X. Also, the L2 cache has been increased by 2 times compared to its predecessors – in Zen 4 it is 1 MB per physical core. At the same time, the company did not increase the number of cores – the changes were focused on increasing their performance.
At the same time, prices look competitive compared to the cost with the 12th generation of Intel, and the better performance makes AMD the undisputed leader at this stage. The Ryzen 9 7950X competes against the Core i9-12900K at $699/$729, while the lower-end leaves the i5-12400 behind and takes on the i5-12600K at $299/$289. With Intel promising to increase prices for its own processors, the near term looks even better for AMD.
Of interest is the Ryzen 9 7900X model. For those who don’t need all the flagship’s 16 cores and 32 threads, but are still interested in high performance, a $150 cheaper processor might be the best solution. At the same time, it outperforms the Intel Core i9-12900K in the price of $40.
A fly in the ointment could be the increased power consumption of the Ryzen 7000. The minimum TDP of 7950X and 7900X at 170 W is 45 W higher than the Intel counterparts and 65 W higher than the consumption of the Ryzen 9 5950X. The 7700X and 7600X chips consume 105W, which is 40W more than the 5600X but 20W less than the Core i5-12600K. The first tests showed that the top-end Ryzen 9 of the new generation really needs good cooling.
Interesting features of Zen 4 processors
AMD Ryzen 7000 processors are installed in socket AM5, which the company has committed to support until 2025. The new architecture supports DDR5 memory, PCIe 5.0 standards, and EXPO memory overclocking profiles that compete with Intel XMP technology. Working only with DDR5 memory can increase the cost of system assembly – DDR5 is still more expensive than DDR4, but in the future this factor will be eliminated.
It’s important to know that the Ryzen 7000 only supports DDR5-5200 when one DIMM per channel is installed. When using two memory sticks per channel, only DDR5-3600 is supported. For best performance, you will need two capacious slats. It is worth thinking about this when assembling the system – the “buy later” option in this light looks less attractive.
Intel KF processor models without integrated video lose their former appeal – all presented Zen 4 processors are equipped with RDNA 2 graphics. AMD does not position the integrated graphics core as a solution for games, but it supports AV1 and VP9 decoding, H.264 and HVEC encoding and decoding , USB Type-C with DisplayPort Alternate Mode, DisplayPort 2.0 (Adaptive Sync, DSC, UHBR10, HDR) and HDMI 2.1 (HFR, 48Gbps FRL, DSC, HDR10+ and VRR) and 4K60 output.
AMD Ryzen 7000 does not come with coolers out of the box – you will need to buy them separately. For the two older chips, AMD recommends water cooling systems, the younger ones will need a powerful fan and a massive heatsink.
Performance Tests
By the time the publication embargo was lifted, Tom’s Hardware had prepared benchmark results for the Ryzen 9 7950X and Ryzen 5 7600X compared to other models. The test gaming system was set to 1080p and 1440p resolutions, which showcase the processing power at its best. NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 was used as a graphics card, which allowed the CPU to realize its full potential. The charts show the combined performance of the Ryzen 9 7950X and Ryzen 5 7600X chips in F1 2021, Horizon Zero Down, Red Ded Redemption and Watch Dogs Legion, as well as in synthetic gaming tests.
In production applications and synthetic benchmarks, the processors also show excellent results in their price range.
conclusions
The $699 Ryzen 9 7950X is on average 5% faster in games than the Intel Core i9-12900K and 44% faster in multi-threaded benchmarks, making it the most powerful desktop chip currently available. The Zen 4 architecture also closes the gap with Alder Lake in single-threaded applications.
The Ryzen 5 7600X was 12% faster than the Core i5-12600K in gaming tests, but more impressively, it outperformed the Intel Core i9-12900K by 4%. This makes it a unique gaming solution for $300. The Core i5-12600K retains its multi-threading advantage, but the difference isn’t big enough to offset the 7600X’s higher performance in lightly threaded games and tasks.
The question of comparing performance with a competitor remains open until the release of Raptor Lake processors. Intel confidently claims a performance increase of 15% in single-threaded tasks, 41% in multi-threaded tasks, and a 40% increase in overall performance. The AMD Ryzen 7000 is a great option to buy “right now”, but for the most balanced choice, you should wait for the competitor’s products to come out soon.
AMD to Introduce B650 Logic and More Affordable Ryzen 7000 Processors on October 4th
