AMD Ryzen 7 2700X review - Introduction

AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
Breaching 4.3 GHz with 12nm Zen+ / MegaLuv for 329 USD

We review the new 12nm Zen+ Ryzen updates, yes, the Ryzen 5 2600X and Ryzen 7 2700X processors are in da house, this review will cover the flagship 2700X. What will they bring in terms of performance, paired as well with the new X470 series motherboards? AMD has been going strong over the past year, rattling all the cages with an Intel logo on them. From top to bottom they have been able to compete with Intel, introducing quad-core processors in the entry-level segment, six and eight-cores for the mainstream, and up to 16-core processors with Ryzen Threadripper at the enthusiast level. 

It has been a year already since AMD launched the first generation Ryzen processors. It had a bit of a rocky launch with the inter-core latency discussion, 1080p gaming performance as well as memory support. But the tide definitely turned for AMD as more and more people are considering purchasing an AMD processor-based PC for their next purchase. The memory compatibility issues are mostly all gone, of course, we'll look at game performance in this article as well. But yes, things are looking good.

Ryzen Series 2000

AMD launches the new Zen+ update of Ryzen. Pretty much these are the very same processors, yet tweaked a bit and now fabricated on a smaller fabrication node, AMD reached 12nm. Smaller fabrication of chips always comes with challenges, more overly, bigger benefits. There's often a little more room to play with voltages and frequencies. Last year's Ryzen processors had a frequency dead-spot threshold of roughly 3.9~4.0 GHz with some exceptions here and there. The new 12nm generation, however, can be clocked a notch higher. The upper range of frequencies at 4.2~4.3 now are feasible, it also means that on the lower end of the spectrum AMD is now capable of increasing base-clock performance on the more high-end parts. All these little tweaks bring the benefit of an overall faster processor series. Add to that improved memory latency and improved XFR2 ranges and you'll notice that the new ZEN+ generation has now become a really viable and more competitive product. So the ones that have not made a move towards AMD Ryzen just yet, now potentially could or will. 

Ryzen 2000 thus are 12nm Zen+ optimized Ryzen processors, the 'refresh' SKUs so to say. 12nm Zen+ processors will work fine with your X370 chipset based motherboard and vice versa, however, AMD will launch the new X470 chipset alongside these new Zen+ processors. The new chipset should offer small improvements in combo with the new 12nm products. To facilitate better XFR revision 2 options, AMD is releasing the X470 chipset, all optimized for the latest generation Ryzen procs. We'll address X470 in separate motherboard reviews though.

This article will be all about the Ryzen 2000 series. This review covers:

• Ryzen 7 2700X (8c/16t) priced at 329 USD

We’ll go into more detail on the next few pages, of course. The Ryzen 2000 series 5 and 7 processors are six and eight core processors, competitively priced combined with a nice performance increase over the last generation products. Have a peek at the 8-core beast shown above. Overall we have lots to talk about and to look at, let’s start up the review, shall we?