The latest AMD CPUs, the AMD Ryzen 7000 Series are great chips for both gaming and work, but be prepared to fork out cash. That's because these new chips, which run on the Zen 4 architecture, uses a new AM5 socket. That means you have to get new motherboards, unlike the jump from Intel's 12th-gen to 13th-gen processors. The new boards cost quite a bit more. Also DDR5 memory is a must, and they are currently two or three times the price of DDR4 RAM. In other words, get ready for an early adopter tax.
Quick specs
- 5nm process, AM5 Socket
- 7600X (6 core, 12 threads), 4.7GHz (base) 5.3GHz (boost), 105W TDP
- 7900X (12 core, 24 threads), 4.7GHz (base) 5.3GHz (boost), 170W TDP
If you've already planned to upgrade, here's what you can expect. We tested both the Ryzen 5 7600X and the Ryzen 9 7900X CPUs. They delivered great performance in benchmarks and actual games. I measured their performance against our standard Aftershock PC Intel 12th-gen Core i5-12600KF build. To keep things similar, we used the same Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 graphics card, and tried to keep GPU performance minimal to rule out GPU bottlenecks. However, do note that the AMD chips are on a newer motherboard, and using DDR5 memory, which may affect the performance. In Cinebench R23, the 7900X scored 27,567, while the 7600X delivered 14,304. The Intel Core i5-12600KF scored 16,086.
Video encoding performance is where both Ryzen 7000 series chips shone. In Handbrake, the Ryzen 9 7900X blazed through our 1GB battery test file and encoded that in just 3m 46s. The 7600X took just a bit more time at 4m 30s. But both CPUs easily outperformed the 12600KF's 5m 15s timing. As for games, we tested Cyberpunk 2077, Borderlands 3, and Spider-Man Remastered. Surprisingly, the numbers from gaming tests show that performance between the 7900X and the 7600X is fairly similar. You will get better frame rates with a more powerful GPU, though the differences between both AMD processors for gaming are minimal. But in games like Cyberpunk 2077, CPU utilization is lower on the 7900X. This is normal, since the 7900X has more cores — 12, to the 7600X's six.
What the tests indicate is that unless you're going to do a lot of content creation, and need ultrafast multi-core encoding, the 7600X is good enough. It will be interesting to see how it will hold up against the upcoming 13th-gen Intel CPUs. I also note that the AMD CPUs run pretty hot, at around 90 to 95 degrees Celsius. But that's apparently normal temps for these new chips, so I hope you're springing for a liquid-cooling solution. Since the AMD Ryzen 7000 chips are using the new AM5 Socket, you will need to pay for a new motherboard as well as DDR5 RAM. In short, you will need to dig deep into your wallet just to use the new AMD CPUs.
At US$299 for the AMD Ryzen 5 7600X and US$549 for the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X, the new AMD chips offer compelling performance for both gaming and content creation. The base 7600X is more than enough, but if you want your video encodes to be zippy fast, then go for the 7900X. They are available on Shopee and Lazada. Amazon's pricing is pretty good, too.
Note: Review units provided by AMD and Mansa Computers.
Any purchase you make through our links may generate a commission. It supports our work, but does not dictate our editorial reviews. See our FAQ here.
