If you believe the internet (and who doesn't these days) AMD has a good lineup with something for everyone, offering great performance per buck and delivered on its ambitious goals of 13 percent IPC uplift, higher maximum frequency, and more than 29 percent single-thread performance gain, compared to the Ryzen 5000 series.
From tomorrow, 27 September, the AMD Ryzen 7000 series supports DDR5 and PCI-Express Gen 5. In case you missed it, the serious is based on Zen 4 CPU architecture. The Zen 4 CPU core dies (CCDs) use TSMC's 5nm EUV (N5) manufacturing process, which gives Zen 4 a 49 per cent higher performance at the same power level, or 62 per cent lower power at the same performance, compared to the 7nm-based Zen 3 core. The I/O die got shrunk from 12nm to 6nm (N6).
Comparied with the Zen 3 CPU cores, AMD has doubled the amount of per-core L2 cache to 1MB, and each eight-core cluster shares 32MB of L3 cache, which means that 6-core and 8-core SKUs have a single CCD, while the 12-core and 16-core SKUs come with two CCDs, and 64MB of L3 cache.
As expected, AMD Ryzen 7000 series comes with a brand new AM5 socket -- a 1718-pin LGA socket. On the plus side AM4 coolers are compatible with the AM5 socket. AMD will have four different chipsets for socket AM5, the X670E and X670 for the high-end, and B650 and B650E for the mid-range.
AMD is launching a total of four Ryzen 7000 series SKUs, including the flagship Ryzen 9 7950X is a 16-core/32-thread SKU working at a base frequency of 4.5GHz, with a maximum turbo set at 5.7GHz. This is a 170W TDP CPU with 16MB L2 and 64MB of L3 cache.
The rest of the lineup includes:
- The Ryzen 9 7900X, a 12-core/24-thread SKU working at 4.7GHz base and 5.6GHz maximum turbo clock. It has the same 170W TDP and packs 12MB of L2 cache and 64MB of L3 cache;
- The Ryzen 7 7700X is an 8-core/16-thread SKU working at a 4.5GHz base and 5.4GHz maximum turbo frequency. It has a 105W TDP and features 8MB of L2 cache and 32MB of L3 cache.
- The Ryzen 5 7600X is a 6-core/12-thread SKU with the same 105W TDP. It works at 4.7GHz base and 5.3GHz maximum turbo frequency and packs 6MB of L2 and 32MB of L3 cache.
All four will be available from today priced at $699 for the Ryzen 7 7960X, $549 for the Ryzen 9 7900X, $399 for the Ryzen 7 7700X, and $299 for the Ryzen 5 7600X.
Performance is there but there are some issues and it is still pricey
It is all not good though. While performance is there, and the price of each CPU SKU is not that bad, the price of the platform leaves a sour taste, as currently, you are limited to X670/X670E motherboards (especially if you going for two affordable SKUs like the Ryzen 7600X and the Ryzen 7700X).
There is a temperature concern as the Ryzen 7000 series is harder to cool, with CPUs hitting the 95°C thermal limit even with high-end CPU coolers. While AMD says that this is quite normal, it will drop boost clocks.
Another thing that plagues the X670/X670E platform is the annoyingly long startup time. It takes more than 30 seconds before the BIOS logo appears which is longer than some fanboys have sex. AMD said it is working with motherboard manufacturers in fixing this issue so hopefully, it will come soon (if you excuse the pun).
Performance-wise, AMD promised some impressive performance gains compared to its previous generation and ntel's current top offer. It has definitely delivered, as all four SKUs cater to a specific market, with the Ryzen 7700X marking itself as the clear winner for the gaming market, mostly due to its single-CCD configuration, although the Ryzen 7900X and the 7950X do offer great performance per buck, as well.
The Zen 4 and the Ryzen 7000 series bring impressive performance improvements and it is a shame that it costs so much. Of course, the price is expected to go down on the AM5 and DDR5 memory side, and hopefully, the B650/B650E motherboards will come soon too.
Here are some of the Ryzen 7000 series reviews from our list.
- Anandtech.com
AMD Zen 4 Ryzen 9 7950X and Ryzen 5 7600X Review: Retaking The High-End
- Techpowerup.com
AMD Ryzen 9 7950X Review - Impressive 16-core Powerhouse
AMD Ryzen 9 7900X Review - Creator Might, Priced Right
AMD Ryzen 7 7700X Review - The Best Zen 4 for Gaming
AMD Ryzen 5 7600X Review - Affordable Zen 4 for Gaming
- PCInq.com
Ryzen 7 7700X, 7600X, X670E & AM5: The Zen 4 Review
- Igorslab.de
Ryzen 9 7950X and Ryzen 7 7700X Review with gaming and workstation benchmarks
- Hothardware.com
AMD Ryzen 9 7900X And 7950X CPU Review: Fantastic Zen 4 Performance Gains
- Techspot.com
AMD Ryzen 5 7600X Review: Mainstream Zen 4 - Core i9 Killer or Not?
- Tomshardware.com
AMD Ryzen 9 7950X and Ryzen 5 7600X Review: A Return to Gaming Dominance
- Tweaktown.com
AMD Ryzen 9 7900X "Zen 4" CPU Review
AMD Ryzen 5 7600X "Zen 4" CPU Review
- PCWorld.com
Ryzen 9 7950X review: A ferocious start to AMD’s next chapter
- Overclock3d.net
AMD Zen 4 Ryzen 7 7700X and Ryzen 9 7950X Review