AMD is giving what the people want, and it's none other than Ryzen.
That said, the company has finally disclosed the details everybody has been waiting for, from the release date and performance to the pricing and preorder info.
Not 1 But 3 Ryzen 7 CPUs Unveiled
To start things off, AMD is launching three Ryzen 7 CPUs, with each one sporting eight cores and 16 threads and supporting overclocking.
First up is the 1700 model with a 3.0 GHz base clock that boosts to 3.7 GHz, 65W TDP, and a Wraith Spire cooler, which runs at 32 decibels; second is the 1700X model with 3.4 GHz that can reach 3.8 GHz and 95W TDP; and the third is the 1800X model with 3.6 GHz that goes up to 4.0 GHz and 95W TDP — the crème de la crème of the bunch, so to speak.
The Ryzen 7 family is targeted at Intel's Core i7 product line, and that means it's AMD's high-end offering.
Meanwhile, the Ryzen 5 and Ryzen 3 are set to roll out at a later date, and needless to say, they are the midrange and budget-friendly variants of the series respectively.
Performance: Intel Core i7-7700K, i7-6800K, And i7-6900K In The Crosshair
To highlight the Ryzen 7 family's performance, AMD released benchmarks that put its CPUs against some of Intel's.
First, the Ryzen 7 1700 goes up against the Core i7-7700K (4.2 GHz base, 4.5 GHz turbo, and 91W TDP), beating it by 46 percent. This is more or less expected since the Intel chip does have fewer cores. It's eight versus four, after all.
Second, the Ryzen 7 1700X goes head-to-head with the Core i7-6800K (3.4 GHz base, 3.6 GHz turbo, and 140W TDP) and Core i7-6900K (3.2 GHz base, 3.7 GHz turbo, and 140W TDP).
It made quick work out of the Core i7-6800K and Core i7-6900K, surpassing them in terms of performance by 39 percent and 4 percent respectively.
Last but not least, the Ryzen 7 1800X goes toe-to-toe with the Core i7-6900K, coming out on top by 9 percent in Cinebench R15.
Release Date: Ryzen's Just A Couple Of Days Away
Set the date, as AMD is going to release the Ryzen 7 on March 2. It also promises it's going all out on that day.
"With an anticipated 82 new motherboards from ODMs worldwide, Ryzen-based designs from top global PC OEMs expected soon, and boutique SIs and OEMs showing extreme-performance PC designs, this will be a launch like no other," Jim Anderson, general manager and senior vice president of AMD's Computing and Graphics Group, says.
Anticipated brands that are part of the list include Asus, ASRock, Biostar, Gigabyte, and MSI.
Pricing: Ryzen Sparks A War?
Considering the prices of the Ryzen 7 CPUs, AMD may start a price war in the CPU competition.
The Ryzen 7 1700 will set back consumers by $329, the 1700X by $399, and the 1800X by $499.
For the Ryzen 7 1700X and 1800X, they beat their Intel counterpart when it comes to cost-effectiveness. In other words, they are only a fraction of the cost of the $1,089 Core i7-6900K, and yet they're ahead in performance.
Preorder: Reserve A Ryzen 7 CPU As Early As Today
For those who are itching to nab at least one of the three Ryzen 7 CPUs, preorders are already live, notably at Amazon, Best Buy, and Newegg, to name a few.
What do you think of AMD's answer to Intel's Core i7 lineup? Feel free to drop by our comments section below and let us know.
