AMD Zen 4 Ryzen 9 7950X and Ryzen 5 7600X Review: Retaking The High-End
by Ryan Smith & Gavin Bonshor on September 26, 2022 9:00 AM ESTSPEC2017 Multi-Threaded Results
Although single-threaded performance is important and Zen 4 has a clear advantage here, multi-threaded performance is also very important. Some variables to consider when evaluating multi-threaded performance is that desktop processor designs typically boost a single core higher, with the rest lagging in frequency behind to either stay under the thermal (TJMax) or power (TDP) envelopes. Some manufacturing processes are more efficient by design due to extensive R+D and product management, with Zen 4 looking to be much more in terms of perf per watt over Intel's Alder Lake architecture.
In the instance of the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, it has a clear advantage over its predecessors in that it not only has a higher single core boost (5.7 GHz versus 4.9 GHz), but it also has a higher TDP than the Ryzen 9 5950X (170 W versus 105 W. This increase in TDP not only allows for a higher frequency, but it allows for a higher frequency spread across all of the cores when under full load.
Opening up our look at our SPECint2017 NT results, and we see a similar uplift in performance gains as we did in the single-threaded tests. In tests such as 500.perlbench_r, the Ryzen 9 7950 is 38% ahead of AMD's previous generation Ryzen 9 5950X, which is impressive. In 523_.xalanbmk_r, the Ryzen 9 7950 is 55% ahead of the Ryzen 9 5950X, and over 100% better in performance over the Zen 2-based Ryzen 9 3950X.
In our SPECfp2017 NT testing, certain workloads such as in 538.imagick_r showed massive increases in performance over previous generations, with a 30% uplift in performance over Zen 3. The difference here between Zen 3 and Zen 2 was marginal (10%), but Zen 4 is a more efficient core architectural design, with many improvements across the board playing a hand here; the switch to DDR5 versus DDR4, more cache per core, higher frequency, higher TDP, etc.
Overall AMD's Zen 4 architectural differences and improvements show that not only does AMD have the crown for single-threaded performance, but it's also ahead in multi-threaded performance too, at least from our SPEC2017 testing. As always when Intel or AMD makes a claim on IPC performance increases, AMD seems to be about right with claims of around 29% in ST performance and even more so in MT performance.
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jakky567 - Monday, September 26, 2022 - link
I'm confused by USB 2, do you mean USB 2.0 or USB 4v2, or what? ReplyRyan Smith - Monday, September 26, 2022 - link
Yes, USB 2.0.USB 4v2 was just announced. We're still some time off from it showing up in any AMD products. Reply
Myrandex - Thursday, September 29, 2022 - link
lol did they share any reason why to give a single USB 2.0 port? ReplyRyan Smith - Friday, September 30, 2022 - link
Basic, low complexity I/O. Implementing a USB 2.x port is relatively simple these days. It's a bit of a failsafe, really. ReplyLuxZg - Monday, September 26, 2022 - link
One question and one observation.Q: ECO mode says 170W -> 105W but tested CPU was 170W -> 65W. Is that a typo or was that just to show off? I wish that sample graph showed 7600X at 105W and 65W in addition to 7950X at 170/105/65W.
Observation: 5800X is 260$ on Amazon. So with cheaper DDR4, cheaper MBOs, and cheaper CPU, it will be big competition inside AMD's own house. At least for those that don't "need" PCIe 5.0 or future proofing. Reply
andrewaggb - Monday, September 26, 2022 - link
I was confused by that as well.The way I read the paragraph suggested 170w eco mode is 105w but then it's stated the cpu was tested at 65w. Was it meant to say 105w or can a 170w be dialed down to 65w and the test is correctly labelled? Reply
Otritus - Monday, September 26, 2022 - link
By default while under 95*C, 203*F, 368.15K, the 7950X will have a TDP of 170 watts and use up to 230 watts of power. You can think of it like TDP and Turbo Power on Intel. Eco mode will reduce TDP to 105 watts (and use up to 142 watts??). You can manually set the power limits, and Anandtech set them to 65 watts to demonstrate efficiency. Meaning the 7950X was not in eco mode, but a manual mode more efficient than eco mode. Replyuefi - Monday, September 26, 2022 - link
Just by supporting Microsoft's cloud connected hardware DRM makes the 7000 series vastly inferior to all current Intel CPUs. ReplyMakaveli - Monday, September 26, 2022 - link
So you are saying intel is not going to implement this in any of their Future processors?If the Raptorlake review shows it supports that also i'm going to back to this message. Reply
socket420 - Monday, September 26, 2022 - link
I don't understand where these "intel rulez because they don't use pluton!!" people are coming from - one, the Intel Management Engine... exists, and two, Microsoft explicitly stated that Pluton was developed with the support of AMD, Intel and Qualcomm back in 2020. Intel is clearly on-board with it and I expect to see Pluton included in Raptor Lake or Meteor Lake, they're just late to the party because that's what Intel does best, I guess? Reply