AMD Ryzen 7 1700X

The Goldilocks of AMD’s new Ryzen CPU range?

- Jeremy Laird

Ryzen is Here at Last and it’s good. You can find out exactly why on page 34. But let’s assume you buy into the broader proposition offered by AMD’s hot new CPU. You then need to decide between the three eight-core models available from day one.

While AMD has plans for quad-core and six-core variants, they won’t appear for several months. In the meantime, it’s the launch trio of Ryzen 7 1700, 1700X, and 1800X that demands your attention. The top-drawer 1800X model looks like a marginal proposition in value terms. For a $100 premium, the 1800X buys you 200MHz. That’s it. No additional features, no extra cache memory, just a mere five percent uptick in operating frequency, in return for 25 percent more money. Ouch!

At the other end of the scale is the entry level Ryzen 7 1700. For $329, it looks like a steal for a cutting-edge CPU, with eight cores, and 16 threads. But with a base clock of just 3GHz, and no support for AMD’s new XFR automated over clocking feature, those savings come at a price.