AMD Ryzen 7 2700X Processor Review

With the initial AMD Ryzen 2nd Generation APU reviewed, we now turn our attention onto the next big thing – the AMD Ryzen 7 2700X CPU. It is technically one of the first 8-core AMD CPUs to grace the 12nm production process and is the top of the line at that. 

The AMD Ryzen 7 2700X is slated to feature a $329/₱19000 SEP. This puts the Ryzen 7 2700X at the pinnacle of the AM4 platform with an attainable price point. Effectively replacing the Ryzen 7 1700X and the 1800X in the process.

2ND  Generation AMD Ryzen Processors

The 2nd generation AMD Ryzen processors are 12nm process CPUs with improved power efficiency, frequency range and cache. At least that’s the basics of it, together with a lower SEP and a bundled cooler.

Several key features of the new Ryzen 2000 series processors are as follows:

• Pure Power
  • Improves processor energy efficiency
• Precision Boost 2
  • Improved automatic frequency adjustment
• Extended Frequency Range 2
  • Takes advantage of better motherboard components to raise frequency range
• Neural Net Prediction
  • System adapts to software / application usage to boost performance
• Smart Prefetch
  • Anticipates data required by applications to raise performance

AMD dubs the Ryzen 2000 series as the Ryzen+ architecture. Basically, this is not quite the Ryzen 2 that some of us are waiting for. Regardless, the Ryzen+ architecture is a huge production process and optimization based refresh from AMD. Think of it as the “Tock” in Intel’s own “Tick Tock” business model.

AMD Wraith Prism

The Wraith Prism is technically a Wraith MAX with a more sophisticated lighting option. It is a boxed cooler capable of cooling the Ryzen 7 2700X – hence, sold as a bundle. The AMD Wraith Prism also comes with its own lighting software and could be used to sync with motherboard lighting technologies via its headers.

AMD X470 Chipset Platform

The AMD X470 chipset as a souped up X370 chipset with better power delivery, optimized memory routing and an included AMD StoreMI technology support out of the box. This chipset is tailor made to unleash the full potential of the latest AMD Ryzen 2000 series processors.

Apart from the said features, the new X470 motherboards also features a refreshing design (AIB partner dependent). The AMD X470 motherboard chipset is required to fully support Precision Boost 2, XFR 2 and AMD StoreMI. It is also fully compatible with the last generation Ryzen CPUs.

• Advanced Design
  • Optimized memory routing for high speed memory support
  • Optimized VRM and power layout for CPU overclocking
• Advanced Efficiency
  • Lower idle power
  • Designed for 2019 CEC energy requirements
• Advanced USB
  • USB per-port disable
  • Improved maximum data transfer rate
• Advanced Storage
  • AMD StoreMI
  • Bootable NVMe RAID support
  • Enmotus FuzeDrive technology bundle

AMD StoreMI Technology

The AMD StoreMI Technology is basically a storage caching technology. It’s an intelligent software that caches your most used files on a faster storage device. The AMD X470 will support this software out of the box without any royalty fees.

Test Setup

The performance of the system shall be evaluated by various benchmarking tools and applications. With the CPU, memory and gaming performance being the focus of the tests. We are testing this system with the high-performance settings enabled at the OS, with the default UEFI configuration. Background processes such as anti-virus and third-party applications are disabled as well. Outlined below are the applications and benchmark tools for reference:

Power

System power consumption is evaluated during idle and a 15-minute load via the AIDA64 System Stability Test. Power readings are recorded with a watt-meter.

Temperature

The AIDA64 System Stability Test is also used to evaluate the system thermals. Readings are taken with AIDA64 and is cross-referenced with HWiNFO.

Power figure are excellent even for a CPU with a 105W TDP. It idles low on power, while it is acceptable at load. The temperature of the Ryzen 7 2700X on the other hand is just excellent with a 62ºC load using our 140W TDP cooler. Going 12nm with a good IHS design won’t get any better than this.

Arithmetic

Super PI is a single-threaded program that calculates pi to a specified number of digits after the decimal point. It is a widely used benchmark and stress test within the industry.

WPrime is a multi-threaded program that calculates a set number of square roots for estimating functions. It verifies the results by squaring them, then compares it with the original numbers.

Memory

The AIDA64 Memory Benchmark measure the data transfer bandwidth and latency of the system memory. On this benchmark, we are measuring the memory kit’s latency.

The Ryzen 7 2700X continues its impressive performance on our memory and CPU intensive benchmarks. It scored a favorable single threaded performance combined with a excellent multi-threaded performance. While rather far from Intel’s offerings, the Ryzen 7 2700X scored an improved memory latency as well over its predecessors.

Productivity

GIMP or GNU Image Manipulation Program, is a free and open-source image editing tool. A 7 MB worth of images is be processed and converted to gauge the system performance.

HandBrake is a free video encoding tool that supports a wide variety of media codecs. A 150MB worth MP4 video is converted using the H.264 codec to gauge the system performance.

WinRAR is a file archive utility that can create, view and unpack numerous archive file formats. The software’s built in benchmark tool is utilized to gauge the system performance.

Productivity performance is excellent. It inches near the Intel CPUs on GIMP, while it demolishes everything else at HandBrake. The Ryzen 7 2700X is the fastest non-HEDT CPU we’ve tested yet on multi-threaded applications.

Gaming

Battlefield 4 is Electronic Art’s popular First Person Shooter, running on the Frostbite 3 game engine developed by DICE. It utilizes the DirectX 11 and the Mantle API.

DIRT: Rally is CODEMASTER’s take on the rally racing game genre. It utilizes the EGO game engine with support for the DirectX 11 API.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is CDProjekt RED’s award-winning Action Adventure RPG. The Witcher 3 utilizes the REDengine 3 with DirectX 11 support.

There is nothing exciting to see on the gaming benchmarks.

Overclocking

Overclocking the Ryzen 7 2700X requires at least an AMD B350 motherboard. We had ours tested with the ASUS X470-F Gaming and with that said, we tried to push the CPU at its limits. By limits, we tried using the latest AMD Ryzen Master and checked how far we could go with 1.55v. That’s the maximum CPU voltage that the software could safely provide.

Overclocking with the Ryzen Master is easy, although the same cannot be said with the Ryzen 7 2700X. We struggled to get past 4200MHz even with 1.55v on the vCore and we simply gave up. Overclocking all 8 cores to match each other is just hard to obtain above 4200MHz. SMT disabled though is another thing but we don’t really recommend reaching higher clocks for numbers alone. Unless you’re into world records.

Conclusion

The AMD Ryzen 7 2700X is by definition, a true and proper 2nd generation Ryzen processor. It is the fastest AM4 platform CPU so far and it does so with finesse. Reaching new heights over the models it replaced. That’s in terms of performance, power efficiency and thermals.

Gaming performance wise, we are looking at similar figures with other Ryzen systems. While it’s a slight bummer even with the CPU’s improved single-threaded performance, it is not in anyway a detrimental to the processor’s value.

Thermals are excellent and the same could be said with its power requirements. Clearly, the move to 12nm and optimizing every inch of what AMD could brought us a true replacement to the former multi-threaded heavy weights.

The AMD Ryzen 7 2700X with 8-cores and 16 threads retails for about $329, with a local landing price of  ₱19,000. That’s an extra $35 premium but it won’t get in the way at all for us to give this CPU a well deserved pat on the back.