Ryzen 7 2700X CPU review

The Ryzen 7 2700X is the most high-end CPU from the new second-generation Ryzen family, having eight cores, 16 threads, and 4.3 GHz maximum clock. Let’s check if is it faster than its competitor, the Core i7-8700K. Check it out!

Recently, AMD launched four second-gen Ryzen models: the Ryzen 5 2600, the Ryzen 5 2600X, the Ryzen 7 2700, and the Ryzen 7 2700X. They join the two models with integrated video: the Ryzen 3 2200G (which we already tested) and the Ryzen 5 2400G (click here to read its review).

These new CPUs are based on Zen+ architecture, which is a refresh of the Zen architecture used on the first-gen Ryzen CPUs. This architecture uses a new manufacturing process of 12 nm (first-gen Zen architecture uses a 14 nm process,) which allows higher clocks. The new architecture also brings optimizations such as lower cache latencies and advances on the SenseMI technology, which controls the clock rate based on CPU load, temperatures, and other factors. Keep in mind, however, that it is not the “Zen 2” architecture, which will be launched in 2019 with a 7 nm manufacturing process.

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These new models are compatible with the AM4 motherboards launched last year, with the first Ryzen CPUs. AMD released a new chipset, X470, so there are new motherboard on the market, but “old” motherboard (based on X370, B350, and A320 chipsets) and new ones (based on X470) are compatible with both first-gen and second-gen Ryzen models. However, it may be needed to update BIOS on older motherboards in order to support the recent CPUs.

The new Ryzen 7 2700X CPU we are analyzing today is very similar to its predecessor, the Ryzen 7 1700X. The main differences are the use of the Zen+ 12nm architecture, and the higher clock rates. The Ryzen 7 2700X has eight cores, 16 threads (due to SMT technology,) base clock of 3.7 GHz and maximum clock os 4.3 GHz. Like all Ryzen CPUs, it has an unlocked multiplier.

Ryzen CPUs are built with CCX (core complex) modules. Each CCX has four processing cores, 512 kiB of L2 cache memory for each core, and 8 MiB of L3 shared cache. On the Ryzen 7 2700X, there are two fully enabled CCX, which means the CPU has a 4+4 structure. The two CCX, memory controlled and other internal circuits are connected using the AMD Infinity Fabric bus.

The CPU has 16 PCI Express 3.0 lanes for video card connection, more four PCI Express 3.0 lanes for SSDs, two SATA-600 ports, and four USB 3.0 ports. Obviously, the system offers more ports and features, offered by the chipset.

Unlike the high-end first-gen Ryzen CPUs, which come without a cooler, the Ryzen 7 2700X comes with the new Wraith Prism cooler, which has RGB LEDs and direct-touch heatpipes.

Figure 1 shows the package of the Ryzen 7 2700X.

Figure 1: package

In Figure 2 we have the package contents: a manual, the Wraith Prism cooler, a case sticker, and the CPU itself.

Figure 2: package contents

Figure 3 unveils the Ryzen 7 2700X processor.

Figure 3: the Ryzen 7 2700X CPU

In terms of price, the direct competitor of the Ryzen 7 2700X is the Core i7-8700K. So, we compared these two CPUs, and also included the Ryzen 7 1700X, which is the model this new CPU replaces.

We used the GeForce GTX 1080 Ti, which is a high-end video card, to insure the video card is not a performance bottleneck when we are measuring CPU gaming performance.

Let’s compare the main specs of the reviewed CPUs on the next page.

In the tables below, we compare the main features of the CPUs included in our review.

CPU	Cores	HT/SMT	IGP	Internal Clock
Ryzen 7 2700X	8	Yes	No	3.7 GHz
Core i7-8700K	6	Yes	Yes	3.7 GHz
Ryzen 7 1700X	8	Yes	No	3.4 GHz

CPU	Cores	Turbo Clock	Core	Tech.
Ryzen 7 2700X	8	4.3 GHz	Pinnacle Ridge	12 nm
Core i7-8700K	6	4.7 GHz	Coffee Lake	14 nm
Ryzen 7 1700X	8	3.8 GHz	Summit Ridge	14 nm

CPU	Cores	TDP	Socket	Price
Ryzen 7 2700X	8	105 W	AM4	USD 330
Core i7-8700K	6	95 W	LGA1151	USD 340
Ryzen 7 1700X	8	95 W	AM4	USD 290

Below you can see the memory configuration for each CPU.

CPU	L2 Cache	L3 Cache	Memory Support	Memory Channels
Ryzen 7 2700X	8 x 512 kiB	16 MiB	Up to DDR4-2933	2
Core i7-8700K	6 x 256 KiB	12 MiB	Up to DDR4-2666	2
Ryzen 7 1700X	8 x 512 KiB	16 MiB	Up to DDR4-2666	2

During our bench marking sessions, we used the configuration listed below. The only variable was the CPU being tested, besides the motherboard, which had to be replaced to match the different CPUs.

Hardware Configuration

Motherboard (LGA1151): ASRock Fatal1ty Z370 Professional Gaming i7
Motherboard (AM4): Gigabyte X470 AORUS GAMING 7 WIFI
Memory: 16 GiB, two DDR4-3200 8 GiB Geil modules configured at 2933 MHz
Boot drive: Samsung 960 EVO 500 GiB SSD
Video Card: GeForce GTX 1080 Ti
Video Monitor: Philips 236VL
Power Supply: Corsair CX600

Operating System Configuration

Windows 10 Home 64-bit
NTFS
Video resolution: 1920 x 1080 60 Hz

Driver Versions

NVIDIA video driver version: 391.35

Software Used

Error Margin

We adopted a 4% error margin. Thus, differences below 4% cannot be considered relevant. In other words, products with a performance difference below 4% should be considered as having similar performance.

PCMark 10

PCMark 10 is benchmarking software that uses real-world applications to measure computer performance. We ran the standard test, which included opening applications, web browsing, writing, photo editing, video chat, video conversion, and rendering. Let’s see the results.

On the 3DMark 10 benchmark, the Ryzen 7 2700X was 4% slower than the Core i7-8700K and 11% faster than the Ryzen 7 1700X.

3DMark

3DMark is a program with a set of several 3D benchmarks. Time Spy runs a Direct X12 simulation; Fire Strike runs a “heavy” DirectX 11 simulation, and Sky Diver also measures DirectX 11 performance but is aimed at average computers.

On Time Spy, the Ryzen 7 2700X was 5% faster than the Core i7-8700K and the Ryzen 7 1700X.

On the Fire Strike benchmark, the Ryzen 7 2700X was 13% slower than the Core i7-8700K and performed similarly to the Ryzen 7 1700X.

On the Sky Diver benchmark, the Ryzen 7 2700X was 5% slower than the Core i7-8700K and 11% faster than the Ryzen 7 1700X.

On the Cloud Gate benchmark, the Ryzen 7 2700X was 13% faster than the Core i7-8700K and 27% faster than the Ryzen 7 1700X.

Cinebench R15

Cinebench R15 is based on the Cinema 4D software. It’s useful to measure the performance gain obtained by the presence of several processing cores while rendering heavy 3D images. Rendering is an area where a bigger number of cores helps a lot because usually, this kind of software recognizes several processors (Cinebench R15, for example, can use up to 256 processing cores).

We ran the CPU benchmark, which renders a complex image using all the processing cores (real and virtual) to speed up the process. The result is given as a score.

On Cinebench R15 CPU benchmark, the Ryzen 7 2700X was 23% faster than the Core i7-8700K and 14% faster than the Ryzen 7 1700X.

Blender

Blender is an image and movie rendering software that uses all the threads of the CPU. We used the program to render a heavy image of a project named Gooseberry Benchmark. The graph below shows the time the CPU used to finish the image, so the less, the better.

On Blender, the Ryzen 7 2700X performed similarly to the Core i7-8700K and was 10% faster than the Ryzen 7 1700X.

CPU-Z

On its current version, the well-known hardware identification software CPU-Z comes with a benchmarking tool, which measures CPU performance for one core and for all available cores.

On the single thread benchmark, the Ryzen 7 2700X was 9% slower than the Core i7-8700K and 13% faster than the Ryzen 7 1700X.

On the multiple thread benchmark, the Ryzen 7 2700X was 26% faster than the Core i7-8700K and 11% faster than the Ryzen 7 1700X.

Handbrake

Media Espresso is a video conversion program that uses the graphics processing unit of the video engine to speed up the conversion process. We converted a 1 GiB, 1920x1080i, 23,738 kbps, .mov video file to a smaller 320×200, H.264, .MP4 file for viewing on a smartphone. The results below are given in seconds, so the lower the better.

Here the Ryzen 7 2700X was 14% faster than the Core i7-8700K and 12% faster than the Ryzen 7 1700X.

WinRAR

Another task where the CPU is very demanded is on file compacting. We ran a test compacting a folder with 8 GiB on 6.813 files to a file, using WinRAR 4.2. The graph below shows the time taken for each test.

In WinRAR, the Ryzen 7 2700X was 19% slower than the Core i7-8700K and 6% faster than the Ryzen 7 1700X.

On the gaming test performance charts, we bring data from the average (green bars) and minimum (red bars) framerate, but we are comparing only the averages.

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (or simply CS:GO) is a very popular FPS, launched in august 2012, that uses the Source engine, which is DirectX 9. We benchmarked it playing the “Inferno” map against bots, in Full HD and graphic settings as “medium”, measuring the framerate with FRAPS.

The results below are expressed in frames per second.

On CS:GO, the Ryzen 7 2700X was 8% slower than the Core i7-8700K and 29% faster than the Ryzen 7 1700X.

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided is an action RPG with FPS elements, launched in August 2016, that uses the Dawn engine, being compatible with DirectX 12. We tested it using the benchmark included in the game, with DirectX 12 enabled, Full HD, and graphics options as “medium”.

The results below are expressed in frames per second.

On this game, the Ryzen 7 2700X was 30% slower than the Core i7-8700K and 10% faster than the Ryzen 7 1700X.

Dirt Rally

Dirt Rally is an off-road racing game released in April 2015, using Ego engine. To measure performance using this game, we ran the performance test included in the game, in 1920 x 1080 (Full HD) resolution and image quality configured as “medium” and MSAA off.

The results below are expressed in frames per second (fps).

In this game, the Ryzen 7 2700X was 25% slower than the Core i7-8700K and 13% faster than the Ryzen 7 1700X.

Grand Theft Auto V

Grand Theft Auto V, or simply GTA V, is an open-world action game released for PCs in April of 2015, using the RAGE engine. In order to measure the performance on this game, we ran the performance test of the game, measuring the framerate with FRAPS. We ran GTA V at Full HD, with all image quality set as “normal” and MSAA off.

The results below are expressed in frames per second.

In GTA V, the Ryzen 7 2700X was 9% slower than the Core i7-8700K and 6% faster than the Ryzen 7 1700X.

Hitman

Hitman is an action/stealth game, launched in March 2016, that uses a DirectX 12 compatible version of the Glacier 2 engine. To measure performance in this game, we ran the benchmark in it, measuring the framerate with FRAPS. We ran this game in Full HD, with DirectX 12 enabled, with image quality set as “medium”.

The results below are expressed in frames per second.

On Hitman, the Ryzen 7 2700X was on a technical tie to the Core i7-8700K, being 5% faster than the Ryzen 7 1700X.

Mad Max

Mad Max is an open-world action game launched in September of 2015, using the Avalanche engine. In order to measure the performance using this game, we ran its intro, measuring the framerate with FRAPS three times. We ran the game with image quality set as “normal”.

The results below are expressed in fps and they are the mean between the three collected results.

On Mad Max, the three CPUs had similar performances.

Rise of the Tomb Raider

Rise of the Tomb Raider is an adventure/action game launched in January of 2016, based on Foundation engine. In order to measure the performance using this game, we ran the benchmark included on it, using Full HD resolution and graphics quality set to “medium”.

The results below are expressed in frames per second.

Also on Rise of the Tomb Raider, the Ryzen 7 2700X was 17% slower than the Core i7-8700K and 5% faster than the Ryzen 7 1700X.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is an open-world RPG, released in May of 2015 and based on the REDengine 3 engine. In order to measure the performance in this game, we walk around at the first scene of the game, measuring the framerate with FRAPS three times. We ran the game at Full HD (1920 x 1080), with image quality set to “medium”.

The results below are expressed in frames per second and represent the arithmetical mean of the three collected results.

In this game, the Ryzen 7 2700X was 4% slower than the Core i7-8700K and 5% faster than the Ryzen 7 1700X.

As we mentioned on the first page of this article, the Ryzen 7 2700X CPU has unlocked clock multiplier, which means you can overclocking it just by changing its multiplier, as long as the motherboard has this feature.

We were able to configure the CPU to run stable at 4.2 GHz (100 MHz reference clock and x42.0 multiplier), with 1.35 V at the CPU core voltage (VCore.) It may be possible to reach higher frequencies if you “play” with the available adjusts.

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It may look weird that the CPU reaches “only” 4.2 GHz, when its maximum stock clock is 4.3 GHz. But remember that this clock is reached when there is only one active core, and the more cores in use, the lower the clock. But when you configure a manual overclocking, the automatic clock adjust is disabled and all the cores work at the frequency you set.

Because of power feeding and thermal dissipation, the CPU accepts to work at 4.3 GHz with only one active clock, but has trouble reaching this clock when all the cores are being demanded.

It is clear that this CPU is factory adjusted to work close to its limit, so there is not a huge gain when you set an overclocking.

But keep in mind that the overclock capability depends on pure luck, since two CPUs of same model can reach different maximum clocks.

The Ryzen 7 2700X CPU is proposed to be the evolution of its predecessor, the Ryzen 7 1700X, and also of the higher-end model, the Ryzen 7 1800X. It was successfull in this task, being on average 12% faster than the Ryzen 7 1700X on tasks it was already great. There was also increase of gaming performance.

When we compared it to its competitor, the Core i7-8700K, we have the same scenario we saw on the first generation: the AMD model is faster on some applications, mostly in tasks that use all the threads, like video and image rendering, and slower in other ones, mostly games.

That fact all new Ryzen CPUs come with a cooler is great, since it makes it easier (and less expensive) to build a PC. Launching a new generation of CPUs that keep compatibility with the older motherboards was also a great move from AMD.

So, if you intend to build a computer for core-intensive tasks, like video and image rendering, the Ryzen 7 2700X is a great option, with high performance and excellent cost/benefit ratio. On the other hand, for gaming PCs, it is a good CPU, but both AMD and Intel offer other processors with a better cost/benefit ratio.

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