AMD has unveiled its new line of desktop processors: the Ryzen 7950X, 7900X, 7700X and 7600X. Based on the Zen 4 architecture, they promise great performance gains.
As expected, AMD unveiled its new range of AMD Ryzen 7000 processors overnight. The new chips were expected: it kicks off the manufacturer’s new generation AM5 machines.
Let’s take a look at what’s new, prices and product release dates.
AMD Zen 4 Architecture in 5nm
At the heart of this new range of processors, there is a new architecture: AMD Zen 4. It logically replaces the AMD Zen 3 architecture used on the Ryzen 5000 and Ryzen 6000 ranges that are commonly found in PCs.
This new architecture is based on four major innovations for AMD. First of all, the switch to a 5 nm TSMC manufacturing process, eagerly awaited for its gains in performance and consumption.
Then comes the integration of AVX-512 instructions allowing AMD Zen 4 processors to be more gifted with AI inference calculations.
Finally, there are several architectural changes that allow AMD to announce an IPC (instruction per cycle) gain of 13%. Among the contributors, AMD points to changes to the predictive algorithm, the L2 Cache and especially the Front End. The latter is the 4th point put forward by AMD. On its chiplet architecture, AMD is moving the I/O Die to a TSMC N6 process, a far cry from Global Foundry’s 12nm used on the Ryzen 5000s. The CCDs use the TSMC N5 as mentioned above.
All this allows AMD to advance impressive performance gains, especially in video games.
Up against Intel’s best processor, the Intel Core i9 12900K, AMD promises to gain up to 11% performance on a single core, and 44% performance in multi-core, with up to 47% more performance per watts consumed. Here, AMD continues to bet mainly on raw performance to stand out, even if the firm goes through the question of performance per watt. With its hybrid architecture, Intel can do wonders on laptops in terms of power reduction, which is not reflected in a desktop processor like the 12900K.
In gaming, and compared to the previous generation, AMD promises up to 40% performance gain in physics-intensive games like Rainbow Six Siege and F1 2021 (+36%). The gain is more limited, but still noticeable, on high performance games like CS Go (+5%).
The new range of Ryzen 5, 7 and 9
Zen 4 architecture is good, but processors are better. AMD unveils 4 chips based on the new architecture and marketed from the end of September.
The range is made up of the Ryzen 5 7600X, Ryzen 7 7700X and Ryzen 9 7900X and 7950X. They integrate respectively 6, 8, 12 and 16 cores for a total of 12 to 32 threads. It’s the same distribution as on the previous generation: AMD does not increase the number of cores.
What we can notice is above all the TDP which rises to 105 W for a simple Ryzen 5 7600X and up to 170 W for the two Ryzen 9 flagships. As a reminder, the TDP of the Ryzen 5 5600X was 65 W only. This increase in TDP is certainly due to the maximum frequency which jumps from 4.6 to 5.3 GHz from one generation to another.
AMD promises that even its Ryzen 5 7600X should do better than the Core i9 12900K. To demonstrate this, the firm used the single-core Geekbench 5.4 score.
Prices and availability
AMD has not revealed the recommended prices in France for its new range of processors, but we can put the American prices in the tooth.
- AMD Ryzen 5 7600X: $299.
- AMD Ryzen 7 7700X: $399.
- AMD Ryzen 9 7900X: $549.
- AMD Ryzen 9 7950X: $699.
The price range is very close to that announced in 2020 by AMD for its Ryzen 5000. The brand is therefore not raising prices for its processors. The Ryzen 9 7950X even allows itself a reduction of 100 dollars, compared to the 799 dollars of the launch of the Ryzen 9 5950X. Competition is good.
Remember that the prices in euros could still be entitled to an increase, as recently happened to the PS5.
The launch of AMD Ryzen 7000 processors is scheduled for September 27.
New AM5 platform and B650E chipset
Another important change for AMD: the move to socket AM5 and a new generation of chipset. This is the first time in five years that the firm has renewed its socket and causes a break in the compatibility of motherboards with processors.
AMD does not break everything all the same: the cooling systems (ventirad or watercooling) used with AM4 sockets will be compatible with AM5 motherboards. So you don’t have to buy everything.
The switch to the AM5 platform is an opportunity for AMD to increase the maximum consumption of its chips, which will now be 230 W at the level of the socket. If you assemble your machines yourself, note that this is also a design change with the move to a socket LGA 1718. This means that the small installation pins are no longer on the processor, but on the motherboard. You will therefore have less risk of breaking the legs of your processor during installation.
AMD especially highlights the switch to DDR5 and PCI Express 5.0 already adopted by Intel since the 12th generation of Intel Core processors.
Four chipsets will be offered for AM5 motherboards: B650, X670, X670E and the brand new B650E. The difference will be in the number of PCI Express 5.0 lines managed, the possibility or not of having an M.2 SSD in PCIe 5.0 or even functions such as Wi-Fi 6E and USB4. Good news, AMD has the good idea to encourage manufacturers to offer PCIe 5.0 on the M.2 port as a priority. It must be said that SSDs will benefit from bandwidth much faster than graphics cards.
The X670 and X670E motherboards will be available on September 27 alongside the AMD Ryzen 7000 processors. The cheaper B650 and B650E models will be available from October.
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