AMD Ryzen 7 2700X Processor Review

Final Thoughts
So we now have second generation Ryzen and the update is quite good. You’ll see anywhere from a 10-20% performance boost over the previous generation chips. That puts the 8-core, 16-thread Ryzen 7 2700X that we tested today on top of our test results, even over Intel’s Core i7-8700K. Having two more cores means that your multi-threaded performance is going to excel, but we also noticed an improvement in single-core performance, although the Core i7-8700K still remains on top there.

When it came to overclocking we were able to easily get the chip to run stable at 4.2 GHz across all eight cores. While this is not amazing, you are still going to see a performance boost running this chip overclocked, you just want to make sure you have a good cooling solution. Speaking on that AMD does ship this chip with their Wraith Prism RGB cooler that not only looks great, but actually has some good performance. If you are a bit on a budget it will save you some money getting an aftermarket CPU cooler initially when you are doing your build. Then when you’ve saved up some money you could get a different CPU cooler or an AiO.

With these second generation chips we now have new X470 chipset motherboards which are much more stable than early X370 boards. We all remember the issues when Ryzen first launched. These new boards have all of the great features you expect and see on Intel-based boards. You’ll also have more than enough PCIe lanes to run your M.2 SSD at full speeds and more.

So if you are running a first generation Ryzen system should you upgrade? I really don’t think so, while there is a decent improvement in performance it is not enough to justify buying a new processor. But if you are running an older system (pre-Ryzen) and are thinking about upgrading AMD’s Ryzen 2000-series chips are a solid choice.

So now it is Intel’s turn to strike back, we’ve been hearing they are preparing an 8-core, 16-thread mainstream desktop processor, but we do not know when and if that will launch.

Right now the Ryzen 7 2700X is selling at our favorite online retailer for $322.53 and remember it does come with a cooler. We would like to award the Ryzen 7 2700X our Recommended Award.

TC award recommended

Pros:
– Solid increase in performance of previous generation
– Backwards compatible with 300-series motherboards
– Soldered IHS (better cooling performance)
– Comes with cooler

Cons:
– Limited overclocking headroom

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