AMD Ryzen Review: Ryzen 7 1800X & 1700X Put to the Test (2024)

After more than a decade of playing underdog and years of hyping its latest undertaking, we've reached the moment of truth: AMD Ryzen processors are on our testbed and we can finally discuss our findings.

Pricing and specs have been divulged and are known to most of you, but to quickly recap: AMD announced last week that its $500 Ryzen 7 1800X would squeeze eight cores/16 threads into a 95W package running at 3.6GHz (4.0GHz boost) and performing on par with Intel's $1,050 eight-core Broadwell-E Core i7-6900K.

AMD is also releasing the Ryzen 7 1700X for $400 featuring the same eight cores, 16 threads and 95W TDP, but with a reduced clock speed of 3.4GHz and 3.8GHz base and boost, respectively. AMD is pitting this chip against the Intel Core i7-6800K, a six-core processor that currently retails for $425.

The final processor launching today is the $300 Ryzen 7 1700. The same eight cores and 16 threads remain, but running at 3.0GHz base and 3.7GHz boost, as well as a lower TDP of 65W. The Ryzen 7 1700 is meant to compete with the Core i7-7700K, which is currently available for $350, though retailers appear to be implementing price cuts on most Intel processors.

The more affordable Ryzen 7 1700 CPU is arguably the most interesting chip in the series as its multiplier remains unlocked for easy overclocking, which could make it possible to achieve 1700X, or possibly even 1800X performance at a fraction of the price. Unfortunately for today's review we don't have one on hand, but we'll have it shortly for a proper review.

AMD said last week that Ryzen beat the company's goal of achieving a 40% IPC improvement over its Excavator architecture. The actual figure is said to be an impressive 52% improvement in IPC, which is enough to make their CPUs competitive and attractive to enthusiast PC builders for the first time in years.

The "Zen" Architecture

AMD says its new x86 architecture called "Zen" is a rare event in the semiconductor industry because it's a "clean-sheet" for the company. Performance-wise, the Zen microarchitecture sets out to not only tackle heavily multi-threaded tasks but also improve-single thread performance using enhanced instruction-level parallelism (ILP).

The architecture features a much larger instruction scheduler window, allowing the CPU to schedule and send more worth into the executions units. A new micro-op cache means that the L2 and L3 cache can be bypassed when utilizing frequently-accessed micro operations.

The company also speaks of a "neural network-based" branch predictor which is used to minimize prediction errors by allowing Zen to be more intelligent about preparing optimal instructions and pathways for future work.

Finally, the last performance feature to be implemented by AMD's latest architecture is SMT (simultaneous multithreading), which permits two threads per core. This is a feature we've seen in some IBM, Intel and Oracle processors and marks a departure from the CMT (clustered multi-thread) design used previously in Bulldozer.

Whereas Bulldozer used modules that performed much like a dual-core, dual-thread processor, Zen adopts SMT for what AMD calls a CPU Complex (CCX) design. CCX is a four-core/eight-thread module featuring its own L1, L2 and L3 cache.

The cache hierarchy looks like this: each core receives a 64KB L1 cache for instructions and data, a 512KB L2 cache and a shared 8MB L3 cache that services four cores. The L1 cache has been changed from write-through to write-back, allowing for lower latency and higher bandwidth. AMD is advertising up to five times greater cache bandwidth and we believe this claim is for the L3 cache while the L1 and L2 are closer to two times faster.

The Ryzen 7 series features two CCX units, enabling eight cores and 16 threads. It's possible for AMD to disable individual cores with the CCX and this is no doubt how they will create the six-core/12-thread models.

For those wondering, the CCXs communicate across the high-speed 'Infinity Fabric', a successor to HyperTransport, which itself had replaced the front-side bus in AMD's Opteron, Athlon 64, Athlon II, Sempron 64, Turion 64, Phenom, Phenom II and FX families of microprocessors.

Infinity Fabric (essentially HyperTransport 2.0) is a flexible interface/bus that facilitates the exchange of data between CCXs, system memory as well as I/O and PCIe controllers. This provides Zen with powerful command and control capabilities for real-time estimations and adjustments to core voltage, temperature, socket power draw, clock speed, and more.

Those command and control capabilities are essential for AMD's SenseMI technology, which is a package of five related "senses" that rely on sophisticated learning algorithms and the aforementioned C&C functionality to fine-tune performance, power characteristics of the cores, manage speculative cache fetches, and perform AI-based branch prediction.

Each Ryzen processor has a grid of interconnected sensors that are accurate to 1mA, 1mV, 1mW and 1-degree C with a polling rate of 1000/sec. These sensors provide telemetry data that feeds into the Infinity Fabric control loop and allows the CPU to make adjustments based on current and expected operating conditions.

The five senses are described as the following:

  • Pure Power A closed-loop control system that optimizes clock speeds and frequencies to deliver the best performance at the least power consumption. AMD says Pure Power is used to enable "lower power for same performance."
  • Precision Boost Works in tandem with Pure Power, but instead offers higher performance at the same power consumption level through incremental clock speed boosts of 25MHz.
  • Extended Frequency Range (XFR) Perhaps the most interesting SenseMI feature, XFR allows the CPU to increase its clock speed beyond rated boost clock frequencies depending on the temperature levels. This sounds similar to Nvidia's GPU Boost 3.0 technology, which often pushed Pascal GPUs well above their rated frequencies. AMD says XFR will reward enthusiast coolers by allowing Ryzen's clock speeds to scale with cooling solutions.
  • Neural Net Prediction The use of the term "neural net" is a bit loose here, however this technology will pre-load instructions by anticipating the actions a user can perform ahead of time.
  • Smart Prefetch Learns data access patterns to prefetch necessary data into the CPU cache so it can be immediately accessed where necessary.

The AMD AM4 Platform

Complementing the Ryzen processors is AMD's all-new AM4 platform which will launch with three key chipsets: the entry-level A320, the mid-range or mainstream B350, and then enthusiast-grade X370.

ChipsetUSB (3.1 G2 + 3.1 G1 + 2.0)SATASATAePCIe Gen 2Multi-GPUOverclocking
X3702 + 6 + 6428 LanesYesUnlocked
B3502 + 2 + 6226 LanesNoUnlocked
A3201 + 2 + 6224 LanesNoLocked

All of the chipsets support NVMe PCIe SSDs, SATA, SATA Express, dual-channel DDR4 memory, native USB 3.1 Gen 2 and more.

The X370 differs from the B350 model by offering more USB 3.1 Gen1 ports, more SATA ports, more PCIe 2.0 lanes and support for multi-GPU technologies. As you can see in the table above, the A320 sacrifices another USB 3.1 port and two more PCIe 2.0 lanes in addition to being locked (no overclocking).

The great thing about the AM4 platform is its flexibility. Socket 1331 streamlines AMD's socket infrastructure (AM3 and FM2+) into a single interface that can support both Ryzen and seventh-generation APUs. AMD also claims that future Raven Bridge and Zen processors will support the AM4 platform. The company plans to keep this socket for several years through 2020 and will integrate future technologies such as PCIe 4.0 and DDR5.

If you enjoy our content, please consider subscribing.Ad-free TechSpot experience while supporting our workOur promise: All reader contributions will go toward funding more contentThat means: More tech features, more benchmarks and analysis
AMD Ryzen Review: Ryzen 7 1800X & 1700X Put to the Test (2024)

FAQs

What is the Ryzen 7 1700X equivalent to? ›

AMD is positioning this $399 chip against Intel's Core i7-6800K. That's a six-core, 12-thread processor with the same 3.4GHz base frequency as the Ryzen 7 1700X. But the Intel chip's top Turbo Boost frequency of 3.6GHz is lower than the 3.8GHz boost clock speed of the Ryzen 7 1700X at stock settings.

Is the Ryzen 7 1800X good for gaming? ›

But unless you have a 120Hz or 144Hz gaming monitor and your eyesight is eagle-like, the gaming performance the Ryzen 7 1800X delivers at launch is still very good.

Which Ryzen 7 series is best? ›

The AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D stands out as the premier choice for gaming enthusiasts, delivering exceptional performance across virtually all games, courtesy of its innovative 3D V-Cache technology. However, its capabilities outside of gaming are somewhat less impressive.

Is the Ryzen 7 1700X a good CPU? ›

Early Verdict. The Ryzen 7 1700X offers a simple path to overclocked performance that matches its more expensive 1800X counterpart. The 1700X lags behind Intel's faster quad-cores in many gaming applications, but offers diverse capabilities in heavy workloads.

How old is the Ryzen 7 1700X? ›

The AMD Ryzen 7 1700X is a desktop processor with 8 cores, launched in March 2017, at an MSRP of $399.

Is Ryzen 7 better than 12th gen i7? ›

Geekbench 5 (Multi-Core)

In the Ryzen 7 vs Intel Core i7 comparison, they are both amazing in gaming and graphic-heavy jobs. Ryzen 7 has eight cores and hits a speedy 3.80GHz boost clock speed, while Intel's i7 12700K is a bit slower at 3.6GHz but still would do the job for you.

Is Ryzen 7 outdated? ›

Ultimately, the 2700 and 2700X still work well in a lot of scenarios. Anyone more sensitive to framerate or things like render times would benefit from an upgrade, but these CPUs are far from obsolete. They still run most of these games well overall.

What is the Intel equivalent of Ryzen 1800X? ›

The AMD Ryzen 7 1800X is newer than Intel Core i7-7700K @ 4.20GHz also around 41% faster in multi-threaded (CPU Mark) testing, but Intel Core i7-7700K @ 4.20GHz is around 19% faster in single-thread testing. Both CPUs operates at simliar power levels (TDP).

How fast is the Ryzen 1800X? ›

Ryzen 7 1800X has 16 MB of L3 cache and operates at 3.6 GHz by default, but can boost up to 4 GHz, depending on the workload. AMD is building the Ryzen 7 1800X on a 14 nm production process using 4,800 million transistors. The silicon die of the chip is not fabricated at AMD, but at the foundry of GlobalFoundries.

What is the best AMD CPU right now? ›

The World's Most Powerful Desktop Processor

It doesn't matter if you're working hard or gaming hard, the AMD Ryzen™ 9950X processor is an absolute powerhouse. High-performance “Zen 5” core technology from AMD is your key to game-changing performance you can trust.

Is a Ryzen 7 overkill? ›

On the other hand, the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X is overkill for gaming. If you're someone hoping for increased performance from its extra two cores, you'll be disappointed. That's not how most modern games work, so you'll be left with less money in your pocket for no real reward.

Why is Ryzen better than Intel? ›

Each offers unique features tailored to different user needs and budgets. While Intel processors are preferred for high-end gaming due to their high clock speeds, Ryzen processors powered laptops are favoured for productivity tasks and versatile builds.

What is the Ryzen 7 1700 equivalent Intel? ›

The Ryzen 7 1700 is — just as the 1800X and 1700X — an 8-core 16-thread processor. Unlike the X-series CPUs though, the 1700 only has an XFR (extended frequency range) of 50 Mhz, whereas both the 1800X and 1700X can boost up to 100 Mhz higher on a single a core.

What GPU goes with Ryzen 7 1700X? ›

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 is the best graphics card for the Ryzen 7 1700X, offering excellent performance and value for money. AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT is a great alternative to the RTX 3070, with similar performance at a lower price point.

What is the max temp for Ryzen 7 1700X? ›

AMD 1700X Specs
Thermal Design Power (TDP, Max)95 W
Included Thermal SolutionNo
Maximum Temperature203°F / 95°C

What is the Ryzen 7 equivalent to? ›

Intel i7: Breakdown. The AMD Ryzen 7 and Intel i7 processors are, respectively, the flagship product lines of AMD and Intel. These CPUs are intended for high-end desktop and laptop computers, offering exceptional Performance and Efficiency.

Is Ryzen 7 stronger than Ryzen 5? ›

For same generation of cpu, all Ryzen 7 will be better than Ryzen 5. It depends on multiple factors, the two most important ones are generation and use case.

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Recommended Articles
Article information

Author: Nathanael Baumbach

Last Updated:

Views: 5679

Rating: 4.4 / 5 (75 voted)

Reviews: 82% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Nathanael Baumbach

Birthday: 1998-12-02

Address: Apt. 829 751 Glover View, West Orlando, IN 22436

Phone: +901025288581

Job: Internal IT Coordinator

Hobby: Gunsmithing, Motor sports, Flying, Skiing, Hooping, Lego building, Ice skating

Introduction: My name is Nathanael Baumbach, I am a fantastic, nice, victorious, brave, healthy, cute, glorious person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.