Learn more about Zen 4 architecture

Chip details.

AMD Ryzen 7000 processors (codename Raphael) are based on the Zen 4 architecture, which has evolved significantly from the Zen 1 architecture introduced more than five years ago. The CPU chips are manufactured by TSMC using an improved 5nm process technology, and the main architectural changes are related to changing the behavior of the front of the pipeline, optimizing the load / store blocks and increasing the L2 cache. As expected, the new architecture is designed for DDR5 RAM and PCI-E 5.0 bus support. Therefore, along with the processors, the presentation also showed the new AMD EXPO memory auto-overclocking technology, which is a free analogue of XMP from Intel.

Comparison with Ryzen 5000.

AMD also decided to ditch the PGA socket, so to work with the processor you will need a completely new motherboard with an AM5 socket and an increased power consumption limit of up to 230W. Largely due to the increase in power consumption, AMD was able to increase the core frequencies of new processors to almost 6 GHz, which affected both single-threaded and multi-threaded performance. In particular, AMD promises a 25% increase in performance per watt compared to Zen 3 cores. The new platform is designed for a wide range of consumers - from computer enthusiasts and gamers to creative authors and developers.

Popular AMD processors

Getting to know the Ryzen 7000 Raphael processors better

Debut list of 4 processors.

At launch, the Ryzen 7000 lineup includes only four processors, although AMD usually shows more, so this is clearly not the last announcement of the company and in the next 6 to 12 months, numerous modifications of entry-level and mid-level processors will certainly enter the market.

The Ryzen 5 7600X consists of 6 dual-threaded cores with a base clock speed of 4.7 GHz, which can be boosted to 5.3 GHz when needed. The volume of the cache of the third level is 32 MB. The TDP is 105W, while the predecessor Ryzen 5 5600X was capped at 65W. Listed price is $299.

Ryzen 7 7700X. The processor is equipped with 8 cores with a clock speed of 4.5 to 5.4 GHz and support for multi-threading. It is the successor to the Ryzen 7 5800X and is aimed at the middle price segment. Since only one CCD chip is used, the L3 cache is the same 32 MB as the junior chip from the seven hundredth Ryzen 5 7600X series. Claimed TDP of 105W is on par with the high-end models of the previous generation. The official price is $399, which is slightly lower than the cost of the Ryzen 7 5800X at the time of its release.

The Ryzen 9 7900X has 12 cores capable of processing 24 data streams simultaneously. The chip has perhaps the highest clock speed among all commercial processors on the market: 4.7 GHz - 5.6 GHz per core. Compared to the Ryzen 7 7700X, the amount of cache memory has been increased from 32 to 64 MB. The power consumption level reaches 170 watts. Listed price is $549. On our own behalf, we add that the chip has already been called a bastard on the network, since its essence is not entirely clear - whether it is a gaming processor, or a multi-core monster for work.

The flagship AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, like its predecessors on the Zen 2 and Zen 3 architecture, received 16 physical cores with multithreading support. AMD deliberately did not increase the number of cores, knowing full well that the 16 + 16 formula works fine by the standards of 2022 as well. The processor starts at a base frequency of 4.5 GHz, overclocking to 5.7 GHz if necessary, which is 200 MHz higher than the maximum clock speed of the Intel Core i9-12900KS competitor. The third level cache is 64 MB, and the total volume of L2 and L3 reaches 80 MB. In order not to limit this monster, AMD increased the nominal power consumption of the processor to 170 watts. Listed price is $699.

In addition to processors, AMD also introduced new generation motherboards with B650 / B650E and X670 / X670E chipsets, which are sharpened for DDR5 and PCI-E 5.0 standards.

AMD Zen4 Raphael Processors (Gen 7)

Overall Ryzen 7000 Chip Performance

Lisa Su, President and CEO of AMD Corporation.

And now let's take a closer look at the new items and deal with all the praise and criticism. Let's start with the good. Namely, tables of characteristics. Apparently, AMD decided not to increase the number of cores, but to focus on improving their performance. Thanks to this, the clock speeds of the new products have increased significantly, and the amount of cache memory has almost doubled.

All of this results in the Ryzen 7000 chips showing superior progress over the previous generation Ryzen 5000 in data processing, compiling, compression, and more. For example, according to the Cinebench benchmark, the new flagship Ryzen 9 7950X with multi-threaded performance is almost one and a half times faster than the previous leader Ryzen 9 5950X.

Performance in the Cinebench benchmark.

In the Blender benchmark, the Ryzen 7000 chips show similar results, outperforming the previous generation models by 30-40%. In other non-gaming tests, the dynamics are preserved, and we can draw some intermediate conclusions. In particular, the expensive Ryzen 9 7950X and 7900X had the biggest performance gains, while the more affordable Ryzen 7 and Ryzen 5 variants weren't that impressive.

Test results in Blender.

New items are able to seriously compete with Intel Alder Lake processors, outperforming them by an average of 10% in single-threaded performance, and 45% in multi-threaded performance. The screenshot above clearly shows how the Ryzen 9 7950X dominates its competitor in the face of the Core i9 12900KS. However, here we must not forget that the Alder Lake chips came out almost a year ago and the real competitor for the Ryzen 7000 will be the recently announced Intel 13th generation Raptor Lake stones.

Gaming performance

Gain in gaming performance estimated by AMD.

What about games, you ask? But with them, not everything is so clear. On the one hand, new products from AMD are ahead of both their predecessors and competitors represented by Intel Alder Lake. However, the increase turned out to be far from being as strong as we would like after getting acquainted with the characteristics of the new processors. In most popular games like Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Cyberpunk 2077 and Microsoft Flight Simulator, Ryzen 7000 chips show power gains in the region of 8-10%.

Test results in Microsoft Flight Simulator.

Another fact is more interesting here: the weakest Ryzen 5 7600X chip in games demonstrates performance at the level of the Core i9 12900KS with the official price tag almost 2.5 times higher.

Test results in Tomb Raider.

Questions about the gaming performance of new products begin when the recent hit Ryzen 7 5800X3D is connected to the tests, which among gamers has been elevated to popular status. Thanks to the expansion of the cache memory through the use of an additional SRAM semiconductor crystal, the Ryzen 7 5800X3D in games does not stand out against the background of new products, and in some places bypasses them a little. Moreover, it bypasses even the most powerful Ryzen 9 7950X, which costs one and a half times more.

Pay attention to the performance of the previous generation Ryzen 7 5800X3D.

Separately, I would like to note the combined test published by Tom's Hardware, in which they deduced the average FPS in different games. And in the table, we see that most games do not see much difference between the most expensive Ryzen 9 7950X chip and the Ryzen 5 7600X, which in fact belongs to the middle level. Therefore, if you are considering new items for a purely gaming system, then it is wiser to save on the processor by investing this money in a video card.

Average test scores across four games.

The other side of progress

Motherboard from MSI with socket AM5.

At this point, the reader may wonder where the dog is buried and why most intelligent bloggers were not enthusiastic about the new products. The fact is that the transition to a new platform promises a lot of unplanned expenses. In particular, the increased power consumption of the Ryzen 7000 can become a fly in the ointment. The TDP declared for the platform has increased significantly: for younger chips from 65 to 105 W, for older ones from 105 to 170 W. At the same time, the real power consumption of the Ryzen 9 7950X with auto overclocking reaches 230 watts. That is, the power supply is needed more powerfully than before.

The problem with power consumption exacerbates the issue with heating. As preliminary tests have shown, operating temperatures around 95 degrees are the norm for multi-core Ryzen Raphael chips and few coolers are able to cool them. For example, if the younger models have a powerful enough tower cooler, then the flagship Ryzen 9 7950X is guaranteed to need a full-fledged liquid cooling system with at least two fans. And this is almost the first mass-market processor for which the manufacturer recommends using purely liquid cooling. Needless to say, an already assembled dropsy from a proven AA brand will cost a little less than the processor itself?

It's hot!

Then the potential owner will have to face the shortage and severe overestimation of the new type of memory. There are already quite a few DDR5 -class sticks on the market, but for the most part these are products for enthusiasts, which cost several times more than DDR4 memory and at the same time provide almost no performance boost in games. Well, solid-state drives with support for the PCI-E 5.0 bus are still corny on the market. Judging by the development of SSDs with PCI-E 4.0, the new standard may need at least 2 years to simply gain a foothold in the market.

Well, the icing on the cake is the motherboard with the new AM5 socket. For most vendors, this is still terra-incognita, but Asus, MSI, Gigabyte and other manufacturers mostly presented solutions for enthusiasts costing from $250 to $500. But before, motherboards for Ryzen were cheaper than similar solutions from Intel, and for a conditional Ryzen 5600X, you could get a high-quality motherboard for more than 100 evergreens.

If you add together the prices of LSS, DDR5 and new never budget SSDs, then the cost of a gaming assembly on a Ryzen 7000 can cost $ 1000 - 1500 more than a similar system with a Ryzen 5000 chip, DDR4 memory and an AM4 motherboard. At the same time, in games they will actually row at the same speed.

AMD AM5 Motherboards

Conclusion

AMD is looking to the future.

If you look at the Ryzen 7000 announcement objectively, then you have to admit that this is an excellent platform for the future. AMD kept the AM4 platform afloat there for a long time, releasing actually 5 generations of processors for it, although the same Intel updates its platform every 2 years. Taking into account the work for the future, AMD did not pull the cat for a causal place and sewed into the new platform everything you need for another 5 years ahead.

Is it worth it to overpay for all this? If finances allow and there is a strong need to build a powerful workstation for years to come, then the Ryzen 9 7950X is an excellent choice. But in all other cases, these are senseless expenses, which today do not justify themselves in any way. Especially when it comes to a gaming PC. For it, we would recommend the Ryzen 7 5800X3D with overclocked DDR4 memory and a fast PCI-E 4.0 SSD.