Pick your AMD Ryzen 7000 processor
AMD finally announced the new Ryzen 7000 series plus the new AM5 platform. We are currently here in Austin, Texas to cover the event, and were treated with a few exclusive information about the current and the future processor line-up of AMD. In case you have not read our coverage of everything that AMD announced here in Austin, Texas, be sure to check it out on this link.
AMD announced 4 SKUs of the Ryzen 7000 series: Ryzen 5 7600X, Ryzen 7 7700X, Ryzen 9 7900X, and Ryzen 9 7950X.
- Ryzen 5 7600X ($299 or PhP18,000): 6-core, 12-thread, 5.3GHz Max, 38MB Cache, 105W TDP
- Ryzen 7 7700X ($399 or PhP23,000): 8-core, 16-thread, 5.4GHz Max, 40MB Cache, 105W TDP
- Ryzen 9 7900X ($549 or PhP31,000): 12-core, 24-thread, 5.6GHz Max, 76MB Cache, 170W TDP
- Ryzen 9 7950X ($699 or PhP40,000): 16-core, 32-thread, 5.7GHz Max, 80MB Cache, 170W TDp
The sweet spot here is more on the Ryzen 7700X and Ryzen 7900X if you are into price-to-performance ratio; and if you do not require a processor for heavier tasks such as rendering 4K 10-bit videos or developing UE 5.0 games.
Get ready to REALLY spend
The new Ryzen 7000 series is packed with a lot of new technologies – faster core for gamers and most compute processes for content creators, 5nm node, and a whopping +25% performance gain over Ryzen 5000 series. Underneath all these major upgrades, you have to understand that upgrading requires you to adapt to new core parts compatible with the series.
This means that you have to consider shelling out a few more pesos to buy a new motherboard compatible with AM5, DDR5 memory, and PCIe 5.0 interface. X670 Extreme and X670 motherboards are going to be available in September while the slightly cheaper B650 Extreme and B650 will start shipping in October. Socket AM5 is built to grow with evolving technologies, and this includes DDR5 and PCIe 5.0.
DDR5 memory and PCIe 5.0 interface are now part of the standard requirements to run alongside the new Ryzen 7000 processor. This will allow the latter to perform in perfect unison with the bandwidth of DDR5 and PCIe 5.0. However, as X670 and B650 boards’ PCIe slots are still compatible with PCIe 4.0, you will still be able to use your current parts on it albeit not maximizing the full potential of the processor.
Your current video card will still work, but there’s a catch
There is no immediate reason to actually upgrade your current video card. While Lisa Su gave a quick teaser of their new RDNA 3 GPU (working alongside the Ryzen 7950X), you will still be able to use your current video card for as long as it’s PCIe 4.0 and above.
AMD is committed to letting its users go through a workable pacing of their upgrades, which means you do not have to buy new parts in one go. For as long as you have GPU and even SSD that uses PCIe 4.0 interface, you can concentrate on focusing your expense on a new board, DDR5, and possibly a desktop PC case.
List, shop, and build until early 2023
Now, I understand that a lot of you are super eager to upgrade and max everything right away. However, you need to keep in mind that not all parts will be available ASAP and you may need to wait until early 2023 to buy everything you want. This is ultimately your choice though as you can either (1) use your current compatible GPUs, SSDs, and cooler in your new build; or (2) come up with a wishlist, and shop for the necessary parts including a Ryzen 7000 processor, motherboard and DDR5 memory, and build by 1Q of 2023.
AMD is working with its partners to build the PCIe 5.0 Ecosystem, More Choices for You
We may be contradicting ourselves here, but should you want to really splurge for your next big upgrade, AMD is working with their industry partners to offer products in the PCIe 5.0 ecosystem at launch.
FINAL PRO TIP – WAIT FOR REVIEWS
We may be contradicting ourselves yet again but as of writing, we have no data to back up and verify AMD claims over the performance improvements of the Ryzen 7000’s predecessors and against the Intel 12th Generation lineup. While it’s okay to be hyped up for the upcoming Zen4 CPUs, there isn’t anything left to do than wait for the reviews and product availability. It’s the reviews that will ultimately tell us whether or not the upgrade is worth it for you as there are you’re provided with in-depth data and analysis with content creation, gaming performance, and pricing taken into account.
That said, we recommend watching or reading reviews of the AMD Ryzen 7000 series once they become available before you purchase. Of course, we will be having our own Ryzen 7000 series review soon. Catch our full AMD Ryzen 7000 coverage. Watch out for our full tech breakdown on our website, and a quick comparison of AMD and Intel chipsets on our Facebook page.
Giancarlo Viterbo is a Filipino Technology Journalist, blogger and Editor of gadgetpilipinas.net, He is also a Geek, Dad and a Husband. He knows a lot about washing the dishes, doing some errands and following instructions from his boss on his day job. Follow him on twitter: @gianviterbo and @gadgetpilipinas.
