AMD Ryzen 7 7700X Review: Is It Worth It?

AMD has released the much-awaited ZEN4-based new desktop CPUs under the Ryzen 7000 series. But this time around, we have a new platform, a new socket, and a new chipset. The ZEN4 is now featuring the LGA socket with 1718 pin counts called Raphael AM5. This means bye-bye to pins on the CPU as has been the case with up to Ryzen 5000 series CPUs. AMD has implemented a DDR5-based platform implying there will not be DDR4 compatibility on ZEN4. At this point in time, this is a rational move in my opinion but given that the competition has a balanced offering of DDR4 and DDR5 at the same time could make it difficult for the AM5 move.

Ryzen 7 7700X Changes

We are seeing the same chiplet design but multiple CCDx are only on the higher-end SKUs now. Up to Ryzen 7 7700X, we have a single CCD. The new chips are fabricated on 6nm FINFET from TSMC. AMD has initially released 4x SKUs in this lineup:

• AMD Ryzen 5 7600X
• AMD Ryzen 7 7700X
• AMD Ryzen 9 7900X
• AMD Ryzen 9 7950X

The above picture illustrates the salient specifications of all the SKUs. We have 6 Cores/12 Threads on the 7600X going as high as 16 Cores and 32 Threads on the enthusiast class, premium CPU 7950X. The L2 and L3 cache sizes have got a lift as well. This has been the thing with AMD using chiplet design to compensate for latencies using bigger cache sizes.

There is another key change this time. We now have an integrated GPU on these CPUs under the RDNA2 architecture. This is a basic graphics solution but good to see AMD doing things right. The CCD die size is 70mm² with a transistor count of 6.5 Billion. The IOD has a size of 102 mm² with a count of 3.4 Billion transistors.

There is no change in PBO so one would expect the same settings under the menu to take advantage of Precision Boost 2 plus it has an Eco Mode (not anything by this name in the BIOS though) which the user can utilize to have more power savings making these chips more efficient without a significant drop in the performance.

The Tj max on these SKUs is 95°C. While the users were eagerly waiting for this new platform, the way how AMD has implemented thermal dynamics in particular contributes towards a slow sale up to some extent. The rest of the challenge comes from a strict DDR5-based platform and the high price tags all around.

AM5 Socket

The above picture shows an AM5 socket on the GIGABYTE X670E AORUS MASTER motherboard.

The above picture shows some key differences between the AM4 socket and to AM5 socket. Since we have a different type of socket (PGA to LGA), the previous Ryzen generation CPUs are not compatible with the new platform. AMD has kept the overall package size to 40x40mm. That would mean the coolers compatible with the AM4 socket can be installed on the AM5 as well. However, there are a few catches:

• The coolers using hook-style mounting are compatible with AM5.
• The coolers using AMD stock backplates are compatible with AM5.
• The coolers using their own backplates are not compatible with AM5 although they are compatible with the AM4 socket. This is due to the fact that the backplate is not removable as the complete socket frame is screwed into it.

The AM5 has 4 more PCIe lanes compared to the AM4 and it has better USB connectivity as well.

The new platform’s 3 key features are:

• AM5 socket
• DDR5
• PCIe 5.0 Connectivity

This platform supports the M.2 NVMe PCIe 5.0 as well as the PCIe 5.0-based slots. The PCIe 5.0 doubles the theoretical bandwidth of 64GB from PCIe 4.0 to 128GB. Please note that not all motherboards will have the functionality of providing PCIe 5.0 support for the M.2 drives and the graphics cards, which will come down to the chipset being used.

AMD has double-pumped AVX-512 capability, which implements AVX-512 instructions on a 256-bit data path. This prevents the thermal and frequency compromises of other implementations, though peak performance is slightly reduced as a tradeoff. In AI inferencing workloads, multi-core FP32 is 30% faster than “Zen 3” and multi-core int8 is 2.5X faster as per AMD’s internal testing.

The above picture illustrates the ZEN4 micro-architecture. We have a large size OP cache with larger instruction retire queue and 1MB L2 cache in 8-way communication. The floating point unit has better AVX-512 support in terms of power efficiency. The salient highlights are:

• Front End, including: 2 branch-per-cycle prediction, 50% large L1 BTB, larger L2 BTB, 68% larger Op
• Cache, and +3 macro ops per cycle out of op cache (all versus “Zen 3”)
• Load/Store, including a 22% larger load queue, and 50% larger L2 DTLB, reduced data port conflicts in the cache.
• Execution Engine, including a 25% larger instruction retire queue, larger integer and floating point register files, and deeper buffers throughout the core to keep the engine fed.
• Doubled L2 cache capacity from 512KB to 1024KB in each core.

The Ryzen 9 series SKUs will have 2 CCDs whereas the below SKUs will have a single CCD. Each CCD has a CCX and AMD Infinity Fabric (die-to-die) with dedicated L3 caches. The IOD has Infinity Fabric (FCLK), a Unified Memory Controller (UCLK), and IO Hub Controller. The memory controller controls the DDR5 modules (MCLK). The above illustration is for the Ryzen 9 7950X.

The above picture shows the key differences or improvements in the ZEN4 over the ZEN3. The L1 and L3 cache sizes are the same whereas the L2 cache size is doubled. There is a good boost in Int Register and FP Register.

The above picture briefs the ZEN4 improvements over the previous generations. According to AMD, there is a +13% IPC gain with up to 5.7GHz boost frequency.

The IO chip has also got lifted over the previous generations like we have an integrated RDNA 2based graphics solution integrated, DDR5 support, 28 PCIe 5.0 lanes, USB Type-C support, and USB BIOS Flashback.

AMD has provided an RDNA 2-based dual compute unit graphics solution on the new ZEN4. It supports AV1 Decode as well as H.264/HVAC Encode/Decode along with Display Port 2.0 and HDMI 2.1 ports. The USB Type-C Alt-Mode for DP is also supported. The maximum support is 4K60Hz.

In order to take leverage full advantage of the above key features, AMD has introduced two new chipsets under the naming convention of X670 and B650.

The X670/X670E is the mainstream, upper-segment chipset solution for enthusiasts, gamers, and overclockers. This chipset is using 2x chips in upstream and downstream configurations. We have covered the chipset in our take on the GIGABYTE X670E AORUS MASTER review.

The B650/B650E is aimed at the mid-range segment offering a balanced feature set without taking much out of the equation but bringing the price range in check. The chipset was explored in our content of the GIGABYTE B650E AORUS ELITE AX motherboard.

We have mentioned the tip of the iceberg above. Let’s start with what AMD has sent us aka Ryzen 7 7700X.

Product:               Ryzen 7 7700X

Price:                   $399.99 [At the time of the review]

Specifications

 

The Ryzen 7 7700X is an 8-Core, 16-Thread CPU with a base clock of 4.5GHz and a boost clock of up to 5.4GHz which is of course subject to the thermal and power headroom. Though this time around, AMD has done the thermals in a different style. We will cover that later in the content. The L1 cache has a size of 512KB, the L2 has an 8MB size and the L3 cache has a 32MB size. The CPU features a 2-core graphics solution with a base clock of 400MHz and a boost clock of 2200MHz. The CPU does not come with a cooler. The maximum thermal junction is 95°C. The default TDP is 105W. Please note that TDP is not the same as the socket power (PPT) so don’t confuse these two.

Packing Box

We have a different packing this time around. The shipping box is finished in dark gray color with shades of orange and red colors. The number 7 here shows the Ryzen 7 series CPU.

The side of the packing box also has the 7 number.

There is a transparent shell inside the main packing box in which the CPU is shipped safe and sound.

We have a different IHS design. There are cutouts on the IHS and the thickness of the IHS is also thicker compared to the previous generation. The cutouts have exposed SMDs all around which would make the deliding job quite challenging. AMD is using a soldered interface anyway. The arrow marking on the top left corner indicates the side of the CPU to be matched with the arrow symbol on the socket. There are two cutouts on the main PCB; one on the top and the other on the base. These will align with the notches on the sockets.

The above picture shows the other side of the CPU.

These CPUs support dual-channel memory configuration. Here is a table showing the supported DDR5 speeds:

Module CountxRank	Supported Speed
1x1R	5200 MT/s
1x2R	5200 MT/s
2x1R	3600MT/s
2x2R	3600MT/s

Our testing shows the major comparison between the AMD Ryzen 7 7700X and Intel i7 12700K. Here is a quick rundown of the comparison of these chips:

	AMD Ryzen 7 7700X	Intel i7 12700k
Base Clock (MHz)	4.5GHz	P-Cores: 3.6GHz E-Cores: 2.7GHz
Boost Clock (MHz)	5.4GHz	P-Cores: 4.9GHz E-Cores: 3.8GH Max Turbo Boost is 5.0GHz on a Core (P-Cores)
Memory Channel	Dual	Dual
Memory Support	DDR5-5200MT/s	DDR4-3200MT/s DDR5 4800MT/s
Fabrication	5nm	10nm
Socket	AM5	LGA-1700
TDP	105W	125W
No of Cores	8	8+4
No of Threads	16	20
Integrated Graphics	RDNA2	Intel UHD Graphics 770
iGPU Base Clock	400MHz	300MHz
iGPU Boost Clock	2200MHz	1500MHz
L2 Cache	8MB	12MB [Total]
L3 Cache	32MB	25 MB
PCIe Version	Gen 5.0	Gen 5.0 and 4.0
Thermal Junction	95°C	100°C
Thermal Solution	Nil	Nil
Price US$	$399.99	$358.99
Launch Date/Qtr	Q3-22	Q4-21

 

The above picture shows the CPU-Z run from the system. Our sample was boosted to 5.4GHz out of the box.

Testing

Following is the configuration of the test benches that have been used for this content.

AMD X670E

• AMD Ryzen 7 700X [Stock, Auto]
• GIGABYTE X670E AORUS MASTER
• XPG Lancer RGB 32GB 6000MHz Kit
• Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus 2TB NVMe SSD for data and OS
• Samsung 840 EVO 1TB SSD for Games
• MSI GeForce RTX 3090 Gaming X Trio
• DeepCool LS720 AIO
• be quiet! Straight Power 11 1000W Platinum
• Praxis Wetbench

Intel Z690

• Intel i7 12700k [Stock, Auto]
• GIGABYTE Z690 AERO G
• XPG Lancer RGB 32GB 6000MHz Kit
• Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus 2TB NVMe SSD
• MSI GeForce RTX 3090 Gaming X Trio
• DeepCool LS720 AIO
• be quiet! Straight Power 11 1000W Platinum
• Thermaltake Core P6 TG Snow Edition in an open-frame layout

Intel Z390

• Intel i5 9600k
• Ballistix Elite 16GB @ 3000MHz
• Asus Strix Z390-E Gaming Motherboard
• Asus Ryujin 360 CPU Cooler
• Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 FE
• HyperX 120GB SSD
• Samsung 840 EVO 1TB SSD
• Thermaltake ToughPower RGB 750 Gold-rated PSU

Intel Z390

• Intel i9 9900k
• Ballistix Elite 16GB @ 3000MHz
• Asus Strix Z390-E Gaming Motherboard
• EK-AIO 240 D-RGB CPU Cooler
• Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 FE
• Lexar 250GB NVMe SSD
• Samsung 840 EVO 1TB SSD
• CORSAIR AX1200i PSU

Intel Z370

• Intel i7 8700k
• Ballistix Elite 16GB @ 3000MHz
• Gigabyte Ultra Durable Z370-HD3
• Asus Ryujin 360 CPU Cooler
• Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 FE
• HyperX 120GB SSD
• Samsung 840 EVO 1TB SSD
• Thermaltake ToughPower RGB 750 Gold-rated PSU

Intel Z490

• Intel i7 10700k
• Ballistix Elite 16GB @ 3000MHz
• EK-AIO 240 D-RGB
• MSI MAG Z490 TOMAHAWK
• Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 FE
• Addlink S70 256GB NVMe SSD
• Samsung 840 EVO 1TB SSD
• CORSAIR AX1200i

 AMD X470

• AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
• Ballistix Elite 16GB @ 3000MHz
• Asus Ryujin 360 CPU Cooler
• Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 FE
• HyperX 120GB SSD
• Samsung 840 EVO 1TB SSD
• Antec HCP1300 PSU

AMD X570

• AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
• Ballistix Elite 16GB @ 3000MHz
• Asus Ryujin 360 CPU Cooler
• Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 FE
• HyperX 120GB SSD
• Samsung 840 EVO 1TB SSD
• Antec HCP1300 PSU

Special note to thank our sponsors namely: AMD, ASUS, GIGABYTE, MSI, Sabrent, DeepCool, be quiet!, Intel, and ANTEC.

Methodology

The following was ensured for each test:

• Each test is done on the Auto and Stock settings.
• Default tweaking/performance enhancement options are disabled in the BIOS.
• XMP is loaded for each test. DRAM timings and Voltage are set manually.
• All other voltages are left at Auto.
• The pump and fans of the AIO are made to run at 100% during the testing.
• Games are benched on the stock clocks.
• The overclocking results of the processor under discussion are shown.
• The Graphics card is not overclocked.
• The motherboards’ BIOS is updated to their latest.
• Nvidia’s driver 517.48 is used.
• HWinfo64 is used to monitor the sensors.
• Each game was tested on maxed setting using the built-in benchmark utility where available and the MSI After Burner was used to record the FPS from the actual gameplay.

The following test suite has been used for the testing:

• AIDA64 Engineer
• Performance Test (for CPU and Memory)
• PCMark 10
• 7-Zip
• Blender Benchmark (BMW27, Classroom)
• FryBench FryRender
• Corona
• Indigo Benchmark
• V-Ray
• Vera-Crypt
• POV-Ray
• Cinebench R23
• Geekbench 5.0
• X264 HD 5.0 Benchmark
• X265 HD 1.4 Benchmark
• Kraken
• Octane
• Web XPRT 4
• Fritz Chess
• Super-PI

Synthetic Gaming Benchmarks:

• FireStrike
• TimeSpy
• CPU Profile

Games:

• Assassin’s Creed Origins [DX11, Ultra High]
• Far Cry 5 [DX11, Ultra]
• Shadow of the Tomb Raider [DX12, Highest]
• DOOM Eternal [Vulkan, Ultra Nightmare]
• Metro Exodus [DX12, Ultra]
• Battlefield V [DX11, Ultra]
• Red Dead Redemption 2 [Vulkan, Ultra]
• CONTROL [DX12, High]
• CYBERPUNK [DX12, Ultra]
• The Witcher 3, The Wild Hunt [DX11, Ultra with Hair works off]

Let’s start with the results.

The testing was done on Microsoft Windows 11 x64 version 22H2.

General Tests

7-Zip

7-Zip is free software with open source. Most of the code is under the GNU LGPL license. Some parts of the code are under the BSD 3-clause License. 7-Zip has a high compression ratio in 7z format with LZMA and LZMA2 compression with supported formats of Packing/unpacking: 7z, XZ, BZIP2, GZIP, TAR, ZIP, and WIM and unpacking only: AR, ARJ, CAB, CHM, CPIO, CramFS, DMG, EXT, FAT, GPT, HFS, IHEX, ISO, LZH, LZMA, MBR, MSI, NSIS, NTFS, QCOW2, RAR, RPM, SquashFS, UDF, UEFI, VDI, VHD, VMDK, WIM, XAR and Z. For ZIP and GZIP formats, 7-Zip provides a compression ratio that is 2-10 % better than the ratio provided by PKZip This software has a built-in benchmark which tests the performance of the given CPU by compressing and decompressing the load. The results are in MIPS and a higher count is preferable.

The AMD Ryzen 7 7700X has a solid lead in the overall score compared to the other Intel i7 12700k though the latter has a good lead in the Compressing section. Remember that the i7 has 4 more cores at its disposal and

AIDA64

AIDA64 Engineer has a hardware detection engine unrivaled in its class. It provides detailed information about installed software and offers diagnostic functions and support for overclocking. As it is monitoring sensors in real-time, it can gather accurate voltage, temperature, and fan speed readings, while its diagnostic functions help detect and prevent hardware issues. It also offers a couple of benchmarks for measuring either the performance of individual hardware components or the whole system.

The following built-in benchmarks were run in this software:

• CPU AES
• CPU Queen
• Memory

CPU AES

This integer benchmark measures CPU performance using AES (a.k.a. Rijndael) data encryption. It utilizes Vincent Rijmen, Antoon Bosselaers, and Paulo Barreto’s public domain C code in ECB mode. CPU AES test uses only the basic x86 instructions, and its hardware is accelerated on VIA PadLock Security Engine capable VIA C3, VIA C7, VIA Nano, and VIA QuadCore processors; and on Intel AES-NI instruction set extension capable processors. The test consumes 48 MB of memory, and it is HyperThreading, multi-processor (SMP), and multi-core (CMP) aware.

CPU Queen

This simple integer benchmark focuses on the branch prediction capabilities and the misprediction penalties of the CPU. It finds the solutions for the classic “Queens problem” on a 10 by 10-sized chessboard.

The Ryzen 7 7700X is thriving the results in both tests.

Memory

This test measures the system memory’s read, write and copy speeds as well as the latency.

The Intel i7 12700k has a solid performance when it comes to memory operations. The AM5 is in its infancy and it will optimize in the coming time so the memory performance is expected to improve as well.

We are seeing high latency on the AM5 platform compared to the LGA1700.

The above results are run with Low Latency Support and XMP/EXPO High Bandwidth Support disabled. We enabled both settings and saw some fine improvements in the bandwidth and the latency in particular. Here is the result:

PCMark 10

PCMark 10 is the latest version in the series of industry-standard PC benchmarks. PCMark 10 features a comprehensive set of tests that cover the wide variety of tasks performed in the modern workplace. With express, extended, and custom run options to suit your needs, PCMark 10 is the complete PC benchmark for the modern office. It is the ideal test for organizations that are evaluating PCs for a workforce with a range of performance needs. The tests in this benchmark cover a wide range of activities from everyday productivity tasks to demanding work with digital media content.

The AMD Ryzen 7 7700X has a solid lead here.

Performance Test

PassMark PerformanceTest allows you to objectively benchmark a PC using a variety of different speed tests and compare the results to other computers. We have used only CPU and Memory benchmarks.

The i7 12700k has an upper hand here which is understandable as it is a 20-thread chip and the 7700X is a 16-thread chip.

Super-PI

Super PI is a single-threaded benchmark that calculates pi to a specific number of digits. It uses the Gauss-Legendre algorithm and is a Windows port of a program used by Yasumasa Kanada in 1995 to compute pi to 232 digits.

The reported results are converted into seconds from minutes and seconds. The generational improvement from both camps is loud and clear.

wPrime

wPrime uses a recursive call of Newton’s method for estimating functions, with f(x)=x2-k, where k is the number we’re sqrting, until Sgn(f(x)/f'(x)) does not equal that of the previous iteration, starting with an estimation of k/2. It then uses an iterative calling of the estimation method a set amount of times to increase the accuracy of the results. It then confirms that n(k)2=k to ensure the calculation was correct. It repeats this for all numbers from 1 to the requested maximum. Each thread is designed to do 1/n of the work, where n is the number of threads.

We have used 1024M calculation. The reported time is in seconds. Please, take note that you would need to set the thread count manually. For i5 9600k, it was set to 6, for i7 8700k it was set to 12, for Ryzen 7 2700X it was set to 16 and for Ryzen 5 3600 it was set to 12. Without setting the proper thread count, the results would not be comparable.

We encountered an issue with the Intel i7 12700k probably due to its hybrid architecture. The test score with 20 threads was in the 300 slots which are inaccurate. We disabled the E-Cores in the UEFI/BIOS and ran the test again which is shown in the graph. AMD has delivered a solid punch.

Fritz Chess

Fritz Chess benchmark tests the CPU performance in terms of as many chess board positions as possible. It is using Deep Fritz 12 engine.

Vera-Crypt

Rendering Tests

We have run multiple rendering tests for evaluation. The results of these tests are mostly the rendering time and frames per second unless stated otherwise. Lower time and higher FPS are what we are looking for.

Blender

We have used the blender benchmark app for this purpose in addition to rendering the BMW27 scenario in the main Blender software. The Blender Benchmark will compute performance for CUDA, OpenCL, and CPU, along with GPU performance. Blender Benchmark is a new platform to collect and display the results of hardware and software performance tests. Blender is a free and open-source 3D creation suite. It supports the entirety of the 3D pipeline—modeling, rigging, animation, simulation, rendering, compositing and motion tracking, and even video editing and game creation. For the purpose of this testing, the quick run method was used in the Blender Benchmark. BMW27 and Classroom rendering scenes have been used.

The Intel i7 12700k is taking the lead which is again understandable. Overall the performance gap is huge comparing the AMD Ryzen 7 7700X with the other CPUs in the graphs.

Corona

Corona is another simple-to-use rendering benchmark. It starts benching as soon as the software is run. It reports the results in the rendering time and rays per second.

The Intel i7 12700k is taking the lead which is again understandable. Overall the performance gap is huge comparing the AMD Ryzen 7 7700X with the other CPUs in the graphs.

FryBench

Frybench is a multi-core CPU benchmark based on fryrender. fryrender is a physically-based light simulator developed by RandomControl, a Spanish company located in Madrid. fryrender is a photo-realistic render engine where all elements involved in the generation of the final image (materials, lights, and cameras) are based on physically accurate models.

 V-Ray

V-Ray Benchmark is a free stand-alone application to help you test how fast your hardware renders. The benchmark includes two test scenes, one for GPUs and another for CPUs, depending on the processor type you’d like to measure.

POV-Ray

The Persistence of Vision Ray Tracer, or POV-Ray, is a ray tracing program that generates images from a text-based scene description and is available for a variety of computer platforms. It was originally based on DKBTrace, written by David Kirk Buck and Aaron A. Collins for the Amiga computers. There are also influences from the earlier Polyray[6] raytracer contributed by its author Alexander Enzmann. POV-Ray is free and open-source software with the source code available under AGPLv3.

The result is in the points per second format; higher the better.

Indigo

Indigo Renderer is an unbiased, photorealistic GPU and CPU renderer aimed at ultimate image quality, by accurately simulating the physics of light. State-of-the-art rendering performance, materials, and camera models – it’s all made simple through an interactive, photographic approach with few abstract settings, letting you concentrate on lighting and composing your imagery.

The result is in M Samples/sec; higher the better.

Cinebench R23

CINEBENCH is a real-world cross-platform test suite that evaluates a computer’s performance capabilities. CINEBENCH is based on MAXON’s award-winning animation software Cinema 4D, which is used extensively by studios and production houses worldwide for 3D content creation. MAXON software has been used in blockbuster movies such as Iron Man 3, Oblivion, Life of Pi or Prometheus, and many more. CINEBENCH is the perfect tool to compare CPU and graphics performance across various systems and platforms (Windows and OS X). R23 is the latest version and includes the AVX load as well.

The Intel i7 12700k has a good score in multi-core load but Ryzen 7 7700X has a solid lead in the single-core performance.

Geekbench 5

Geekbench 5 measures your system’s power and tells you whether your computer is ready to roar. How strong is your mobile device or desktop computer? How will it perform when push comes to crunch? These are the questions that Geekbench can answer. In Geekbench the result is in the form of Single Core and Multi-Core performance.

We are seeing a similar trend as in the Cinebench R23.

Transcoding

We have used X264 HD and X265 HD Benchmarks to measure the transcoding performance of the CPU.

X264 HD Benchmark

x264 HD Benchmark is a benchmark that allows you to measure how fast your PC can encode a 1080p video clip into a high-quality x264 video file. It allows for easy comparison because everyone running it will use the same video clip and software. The x264 video encoder has a fairly accurate internal benchmark (in frames per second) for each pass of the video encode and it also uses multi-core processors very efficiently. All these factors make the x264 HD Benchmark an ideal tool for comparing the video encoding performance of different processors and systems.

The reported result is in FPS. It is calculated by summing up the FPS count on each run of each pass and dividing it by 4 as there are 4 runs per pass. The average result is what is reported on the graph. A Higher FPS count means better performance.

X265 HD Benchmark

The result is reported in terms of frame per second and encoding time.

Web-based benchmarks

Just to give an idea of how the CPUs impact general web browsing, we ran a few benchmarks.

Kraken

Kraken is a JavaScript performance benchmark created by Mozilla that measures the speed of several different test cases extracted from real-world applications and libraries.

Processing time is reported in seconds; lower is better. Ryzen 7 7700X packs a solid performance.

Octane

Octane 2.0 is a benchmark that measures a JavaScript engine’s performance by running a suite of tests representative of certain use cases in JavaScript applications. Please note that Octane is retired and no longer maintained. We have used it to give an idea of the performance only.

Ryzen 7 7700X packs a solid performance.

WebXPRT 4

WebXPRT 4 is a browser benchmark that compares the performance of almost any web-enabled device. It contains HTML5, JavaScript, and WebAssembly-based scenarios created to mirror the tasks you do every day: Photo Enhancement, Organize Album Using AI, Stock Option Pricing, Encrypt Notes and OCR Scan using WASM, Sales Graphs, and Online Homework. Use WebXPRT to see exactly how well different devices handle real-world tasks.

Ryzen 7 7700X packs a solid performance.

Gaming Benchmarks

Let’s start with the synthetic benchmarks. For this purpose, We have used 3DMark Fire Strike and Time Spy benchmarks.

Fire Strike

Fire Strike is a showcase DirectX 11 benchmark for modern gaming PCs. Its ambitious real-time graphics are rendered with detail and complexity far beyond other DirectX 11 benchmarks and games. Fire Strike includes two graphics tests, a physics test, and a combined test that stresses the CPU and GPU.

We have included the CPU score only to showcase the result coming from the CPU only and not the graphics card. The AMD Ryzen 7 7700X is the topper here.

Time Spy

3DMark Time Spy is a DirectX 12 benchmark test for Windows 10 gaming PCs. Time Spy is one of the first DirectX 12 apps to be built the right way from the ground up to fully realize the performance gains that the new API offers. With its pure DirectX 12 engine, which supports new API features like asynchronous computing, explicit multi-adapter, and multi-threading, Time Spy is the ideal test for benchmarking the latest graphics cards.

We have included the CPU score only to showcase the result coming from the CPU only and not the graphics card. We have quite a difference between both CPUs in DX12.

We have tested the games on 1080P and 1440P resolutions. The 2160P was dropped as we know that the higher resolutions are less CPU demanding than the lower resolutions.

1080P Gaming Performance

Both chips are in the same performance margin except for a few titles where the difference is 3 FPS or more.

1440P Gaming Performance

Almost a similar result here as well.

Frequency

The AMD Ryzen 7 7700X has a base clock of 4.5GHz and a turbo frequency of up to 5.4GHz. Please, keep in mind that this turbo frequency is for a single core only depending upon the load type and there is a multitude of variables that could affect this turbo frequency. For example, the thermal headroom, power limit, cooling solution, thermal paste application, how good a motherboard is, etc.

Our sample was boosted to 5.4GHz out of the box. On a few occasions but repeatedly it boosted to 5.5GHz which is very good. Who would not want an extra 100MHz without any tweaking? The above snapshot from the HWInfo64 was taken after a run of Cinebench R23 single-core run.

What is more stunning are the sustained clocks across all cores under the multi-load run. Our sample has been doing 5.1GHz approximately on all cores under the Cinebench R23 CPU run of 30 minutes, Blender run. This is an impressive performance and a good gain over the previous Ryzen generation. But AMD has done this in a way, which is actually letting it down. We are covering this in the next section.

Thermals and Power

We have tested the AMD Ryzen 7 7700X on the GIGABYTE X670E AORUS MASTER motherboard with the latest BIOS update. For one thing, we are sure that the motherboard being a beefy design will push the CPU to its brink for maximum performance. From the cooling perspective, we have used the latest AIO from DeepCool which is LS720. Thermal paste is Noctua NT-H1. In that we have covered three aspects:

• Powerful Motherboard
• Powerful Cooling
• A good thermal paste

AMD with the ZEN4 has designed the chips so that they will reach their Tj max immediately i.e the chips will run at 95°C under a heavy workload. According to AMD, this is by design and it will not impact the longevity of the CPU. AMD has taken the thermal limit out of the overall equation. With CPUs hitting their thermal limit, the only limiting factor would be the power which is defined by three variables:

• Max Socket Power (PPT): 142W for 7700X
• Max Current (EDC): 170A for 7700X
• Max Current Thermally Limited (TDC): 110A

These settings are for the Ryzen 7 7700X and 7600X.

This is something that is not warmly welcomed by the community and this is why we have said AMD has done this in a way, which is letting it down. What the users should know is that AMD is loud and clear that this is by design and that the Eco mode can be utilized to realize power saving which would also result in better thermals. More on this in the next section.

We left the system idle for like 30 minutes and used HWInfo64 to monitor the thermals and power usage.

As can be seen in the above picture, the minimum temperature was 30°C (Tdie only) at an ambient of 27°C, and the minimum package power was 20.864W. We have no complaints over here. The minimum frequency was 2.1GHz on any core during idling. The stats are good.

Next, we run a Cinebench R23 30-minute run on the CPU and monitor the stats using the HWInfo64.

The temperature immediately peeked at 95°C which is by design.

The power draw on the CPU package was 136.869W. The VCore on Auto was 1.332V.

We also monitored the power usage on the single-core load using Cinebench R23. Both CPUs were drawing the same power on the Package. Please note that single-core load does not use E-Cores on the Intel i7 12700k (in Windows 11).

Overclocking or Fine Tuning

Since our sample was already achieving 5.1GHz across all cores under heavy multi-load, overclocking all cores to 5.1GHz manually did not give us any betterment. However, 5.2GHz on all cores was never a satisfactory experience.

We decided to play with the AMD ECO Mode instead and tried to determine the level of power settings which not resulted in improved thermals but no loss in performance. AMD Eco Mode allows the user to configure their processor to adhere to a lower TDP. For example, a 105W TDP chip moves to 65W TDP, or a 170W TDP chip moves to 105W TDP. Please note that there is no dedicated, single-click option in the UEFI/BIOS to enable the Eco Mode.

The relevant settings are located under the Precision Boost Overdrive in the CPU Advanced Options. You need to enable the Efficiency Curve. However, there is a change this time around. We are not using mV values for the adjustments, instead, there is a count that needs to be entered in a positive or negative offset. Select Negative for all cores and start playing with the maximum value of 30. This would depend on how good silicon you have got.

After that, you need to remove the AMD’s power limits and start playing with the PPT (Socket Power). This in tandem with the efficiency curve adjustment would yield some good results. This is a time taking process so patience is your virtue.

For each change, we have tested the Cinebench R23 to see if there is any performance hit or gain. This was then tested further for stability.

Please note that we left the VCore on Auto settings as it would be adjusted automatically by the efficiency curve as can be seen from the result. In our opinion, the optimal settings for our particular CPU are with -30 offset on the efficiency curve and PPT or 90W to 95W. Our reference point is the result of the Stock settings. These two particular settings gave us the best in terms of the lower thermals, overall stability, and sustained clocks on all cores and the result was a bit above the score from the Stock settings. All in all, this is a win-win scenario. Below are AMD’s recommended TDP settings which the user can input in the UEFI/BIOS to achieve power saving on a high TDP chip:

1. 65W TDP = 88000 PPT; 75,000 TDC; 150,000 EDC
2. 105W TDP = 142,000 PPT; 110,000 TDC; 170,000 EDC
3. 170W TDP = 230,000 PPT; 160,000 TDC; 225,000 EDC

Conclusion

ZEN4 is finally here and we are in for a party though a little late but like it is said, it is never too late! AMD has introduced an altogether new platform with new sockets, and new chipsets for the new generation of the Ryzen Desktop series CPUs. Meet the Raphael AM5; an LGA-based socket with 1718 pins as AMD is bidding farewell to the PGA layout. ZEN4 is a new micro-architecture with a performance boost of +13% in IPC compared to the previous architectures (from AMD’s internal testing). There is more to this architecture than meets the eye. We have covered the salient features in the introduction of this article hence we will not delve into the details here. Summing it up, we have:

• A new LGA1718 Socket (AM5)
• PCIe 5.0
• DDR5
• Integrated RDN2-based dual-compute unit Graphics Solution
• USB Type-C and a plethora of USB-based connectivity
• New Chipsets (X670/E and B650/E)
• AVX-512 uplifted support on FP Register
• AMD EXPO for Memory Overclocking
• New 6nm I/O Die
• 5nm CCD Design

AMD has released 4 SKUs in the new series starting from 6-Core, 12-Threads 7600X to going as high as 16-Core, 32-Threads 7950X CPU. AMD sent us the flagship SKU in the mainstream segment i.e Ryzen 7 7700X. This is an 8-Core, 16-Threads CPU having a base frequency of 4.5GHz with a turbo boost of 5.4GHz. The stock TDP is 105W. The Tj max is 95°C. This CPU comes with a dual-core iGPU having a base clock of 400MHz with a boost clock of 2200MHz.

AMD has put out that DDR5 6000MHz is a sweet spot for this new platform for which fclk of 2000MHz and 1:10 ratio on the uclk and mclk is suggested. However, you are no longer contended to play with the fclk as it will adjust automatically. But, you would need to play with the uclk and mclk this time. Also, with AMD EXPO, one can reap the benefits of high bandwidth and good latencies on this platform.

AMD has used a new design for the IHS this time around and we are seeing a thicker diffuser with cut-outs. There are SMDs on the exposed PCB in those cutout areas. One would need to pay attention not to use conductive thermal paste or ensure that thermal paste is not over-squeezed. Alternatively, one can look at the upcoming product release from Noctua namely NA-TPG1 which sits over the CPU and covers the sides to catch the squeezed-out thermal paste.

The good thing about these new CPUs is that they will boost over 5.0GHz out of the box. AMD is filling the gap for sure. Our sample was boosted to 5.5GHz on multiple occasions (single-core performance). What is even more impressive is the sustained all-cores clock under a heavy workload. Our sample was doing 5.1GHz of all cores in the Cinebench R23 and other benchmarks. If we take it to the blue camp, then up till the 12th gen, we have to manually overclock the cores to achieve 5.0 or 5.1GHz and above. My 12700K never achieved all P-Cores 5.0GHz without hitting 99°C. Average silicon with poor ILM design! Strictly from this perspective, AMD has done a great job in binning their chips closer to their maximum potential. But this is done at the cost of high thermals which these CPUs will achieve the instant you put a heavy load on them.

We are dealing with two main variables; thermal limit and power limit which is also the case on Intel but the dual power limit gives Intel chips a boost even for the fraction of a second and then there is a thermal velocity boost. AMD has taken a different approach and this is by design according to them. They have removed the thermal limit from the equation. With the CPUs operating at 95°C or so, we have to deal with the power limits to achieve the maximum out of these chips. This is something the PC community is not used to; no thanks to Intel and even AMD’s past generations. But the Notebooks/laptop owners would be ok with this. Different perspective! This is easily among the major reasons we are seeing a slow sale for ZEN4. With these thermals, the CPUs will boost to their maximum possible clocks even the sustained clocks and this is what we have seen exactly in our testing.

But, there is a solution; ECO Mode. You would need to play with the PPT (Socket Power) and efficiency curve in particular to achieve the same results but with good thermals all around. Please check our Fine Tuning Section for more details. AMD has also provided their suggested power settings for each TDP type which the user can input in the UEFI/BIOS to achieve power savings:

65W TDP = 88000 PPT; 75,000 TDC; 150,000 EDC

105W TDP = 142,000 PPT; 110,000 TDC; 170,000 EDC

170W TDP = 230,000 PPT; 160,000 TDC; 225,000 EDC

We have tested the Ryzen 7 7700X against the Intel i7 12700k. Both are quite strong contenders but the Ryzen 7 7700X is an efficient CPU compared to this i7. This is coming from our multi-core testing. On single-core, both CPUs were drawing almost the same power. Remember, the i7 12700k is a hybrid design with 12-Cores and 20-Threads. This is very why we are seeing better performance in the multi-core heavy workload but the Ryzen 7 7700X is outperforming the i7 12700k in the single-core performance thanks to up to 5.5GHz clocks under a single-core load. Both CPUs were neck and neck in the gaming performance.

While the performance of the Ryzen 7 7700X is brilliant and it is efficient as well, this CPU requires new motherboards using an LGA1718 socket (AM5) and X670/E or B650/E chipsets. This would put a toll on the users who would want to switch to ZEN4. The high price tag of the new platform is another reason for the slow sale. Intel is reaping the benefit of the LGA1700 socket which also supports their new 13th-generation CPUs and they are also providing support for DDR4. In my opinion, AMD has made a wise move by sticking with the DDR5 only at the time of release. There is also a fuss about the coolers’ compatibility with the AM5. To put it in a nutshell, as long as your cooler is using AMD’s stock backplate on AM4, it is compatible with the AM5, Period.