Stop, Intel’s Already Dead! - AMD Ryzen 9600X & 9700X Review

Summary

AMD's Ryzen 9000 series offers significant generational improvements, including a boost in performance, efficiency, and cache size, thanks to the Zen 5 architecture and TSMC's new process. Despite these advancements, AMD's new chips don't drastically outperform their predecessors in all areas. While the Ryzen 9700X excels in gaming and efficiency, it falls short in some productivity tasks. The video also critiques Intel's current challenges and hints at future competition, particularly with AMD's anticipated X3D variant. Ultimately, these chips are solid but not groundbreaking, especially for gamers.

Takeaways

• 🚀 AMD's Ryzen 9000 series is a significant generational improvement, boasting larger cache sizes, TSMC's 4nm FinFET process, and a double-digit IPC increase with Zen 5 architecture.
• 🏆 The Ryzen 9000 series claims to outperform AMD's previous 5800X3D on average, while consuming less power, suggesting a new standard for performance efficiency.
• 🔥 In comparison to Intel, AMD appears to be in a stronger position, with Intel facing challenges that make AMD's offering seem more attractive.
• 💻 MSI is promoting a summer sale event for laptops, including the Cyborg 14, with deals available through a link in the video description.
• 📈 The Ryzen 5 9600X and Ryzen 79700X have slightly higher boost frequencies and increased L1 cache compared to the previous generation, but other cache sizes remain the same.
• 🎮 For gaming, the new 9000 series chips perform well, with the 9700X showing a lead in certain titles, though the difference is marginal in some cases.
• 📊 AMD's 9000 series shows a generational performance gain of over 20% in some tests, which is impressive given the minimal spec differences and lower power usage.
• 🔧 The 9000 series chips' efficiency is highlighted by a significant reduction in power consumption, with the 9700X consuming nearly 40% less power than the 7700X.
• 🔄 The new chips feature AMD's two AHEAD branch prediction, which improves performance by predicting and fetching instructions more quickly.
• 💡 The lack of XDNA 2 AI component and the higher cost of upcoming Ryzen 9000 chips may be a concern for some users looking for more budget-friendly options.
• 🛒 The lowest-tier AM5 B840 motherboards do not officially support PCIe Gen 4, which could limit graphics and storage bandwidth for budget-conscious customers.

Q & A

What is the main improvement in AMD's Ryzen 9000 series processors?

The Ryzen 9000 series processors feature a significant generational leap with the new Zen 5 architecture, improved 4nm TSMC FinFET process, and a double-digit IPC uplift.

How does AMD's Ryzen 9000 series compare to their previous generation in terms of power consumption?

AMD's Ryzen 9000 series processors claim to use less power than their predecessors, which is a notable improvement in efficiency.

What is the Ryzen 5 9600 X and Ryzen 79700 X's performance like in gaming compared to the previous generation?

The Ryzen 5 9600 X and Ryzen 79700 X have slightly higher boost frequencies and increased L1 cache, but the performance gains in gaming are more nuanced and not as straightforward as AMD's claims suggest.

What kind of performance uplift can be expected from the new Ryzen 9000 series in CPU-bound games?

In CPU-bound games like Returnal, the Ryzen 9000 series shows gains of over 20% compared to the non-X3D predecessors, which is quite impressive.

How does the Ryzen 9000 series perform in productivity tasks compared to Intel's offerings?

AMD's Ryzen 9000 series has increased its lead over Intel in productivity tasks like Handbrake and Photoshop, with a 10% plus gain over the previous generation.

What is the significance of AMD's new two-ahead branch prediction and dual porting instruction fetching?

The new two-ahead branch prediction and dual porting instruction fetching in AMD's processors allow for faster and more efficient path prediction in program execution, which can significantly speed up the entire process.

Why might the Ryzen 9000 series not be reaching the advertised 5.5 GHz boost clock in some scenarios?

The Ryzen 9000 series might not be reaching the advertised boost clock due to power and thermal constraints, as well as potential conservative power management settings by default.

What is the potential downside of the lower power consumption in the Ryzen 9000 series for some users?

While lower power consumption is generally beneficial, some users might be disappointed if they were expecting higher out-of-the-box performance and are unable to reach the advertised boost clocks without manual adjustments.

How does the Ryzen 9000 series compare to Intel's 14900 K in terms of gaming performance?

The Ryzen 9000 series generally outperforms everything else in the field except for Intel's 14900 K, where the difference in gaming performance is minimal and may not justify the extra heat, power consumption, or cost.

What is AMD's strategy regarding the future of the AM5 platform and support for it?

AMD has confirmed that the AM5 platform will be supported until at least 2027, indicating a long-term commitment to this platform.