CPU by stefan @ 2017-04-11
The $189 MSRP Ryzen 5 1500X quad-core CPU from AMD is quite competitive in games and can perform even better when overclocked to 3.9 or 4GHz. If you are purchasing this specific SKU mostly for streaming, video encoding or rendering applications, we would recommend a small upgrade to the Ryzen 5 1600 model which does feature two extra cores or even better, the fully-fledged Ryzen 7 1700.
At first, we would like to thank AMD for sending out their AMD Ryzen™ 5 1500X quad-core processor for testing and reviewing.
“Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD) is an American multinational semiconductor company based in Sunnyvale, California, United States, that develops computer processors and related technologies for business and consumer markets. While initially it manufactured its own processors, the company became fabless after GlobalFoundries was spun off in 2009. AMD's main products include microprocessors, motherboard chipsets, embedded processors and graphics processors for servers, workstations and personal computers, and embedded systems applications.
AMD is the second-largest supplier and only significant rival to Intel in the market for x86-based microprocessors. Since acquiring ATI in 2006, AMD and its competitor Nvidia have dominated the discrete Graphics Processor Unit (GPU) market.”
As we have mentioned before, AMD has recently launched their mainstream series of microprocessors, the Ryzen 5 that does include the following SKUs:
-Ryzen 5 1400 which does pack four cores and eight threads, with a base speed of 3.2GHz and a boost of 3.4GHz;
-Ryzen 5 1500X that does also come with four physical cores and eight threads, a base speed of 3.5GHz and a boost of 3.7GHz;
-Ryzen 5 1600 which does have no less than six cores, a total of 12 threads; this SKU does come with a base speed of 3.2GHz and a boost of 3.6GHz;
-Ryzen 5 1600X does also pack six cores and 12 threads, but has the highest speeds of the pack: 3.6GHz stock and 4GHz boost.
While the last article was concentrated on the top of the line Ryzen 5 1600X from the middle-class generation, we will now take a closer look at the Ryzen 5 1500X which does have two more cores disabled, but still has SMT enabled. This particular model comes with a MSRP of $189, which should be considered very affordable by most people that are now building a brand new work or mainstream gaming system.
As the Ryzen 7 1700, the Ryzen 5 1500X does feature a 65W TDP and AMD has chosen to still pack two CCXes instead of a single one with all cores enabled so we do have a 2+2 configuration. Ryzen 5 1500X comes with as much L3 cache as the higher priced variants, 16MB, does have 512K L2 cache per each core, comes with a 3.5GHz base frequency, a 3.6GHz all-core boost speed when conditions are met, 3.7GHz 2-core boost but also an impressive 3.9GHz XFR boost jump (we were used for the XFR to provide a 100MHz increase but this time we do have 200MHz!).
Ryzen 5 1500X is integrating the Zen architecture, which focuses on four different key areas: performance, throughput, efficiency but also scalability.
Regarding performance, the new Zen microarchitecture represents a very big leap in core execution capability versus the previous designs from the same company: Zen come with a 1.75X larger instruction scheduler window and 1.5X greater issue width and resources. This practically allows Zen to schedule and send more work into the EUs. Thanks to a new micro-op cache, Zen is allowed to bypass L2 and L3 caches when using frequently accessed micro-operations. The neural network-based branch prediction unit from the Zen microarchitecture does allow for more intelligent preparation of optimal instructions and pathways for future work.
Changes have been also made regarding the cache hierarchy with dedicated 64KB L1 instruction and data caches, we do have 512KB dedicated L2 cache per core and 8MB of L3 cache shared across four cores. The cache is enhanced with a learning prefetcher that speculatively harvests application data into the caches so they are practically available for immediate execution. These changes are assuring up to 5X greater cache bandwidth into a core. This type of design enhances the Zen architecture's throughput.
When talking about efficiency, the new Ryzen processors are built on the more power-efficient 14nm FinFET process; in more detail, the Zen architecture is using the density-optimized version of the Global Foundries 14nm FinFET process and this fact permits for smaller die sizes and lower operating voltages. The new Zen microarchitecture does incorporate some of the latest low-power design technologies:
-micro-op cache for reducing power-intensive faraway fetches
-aggressive clock gating to zero out dynamic power consumption in minimally utilized regions of the core
-a stack engine for low-power address generation into the dispatcher.
Moving on to the scalability aspect, Zen architecture does start with the CCX (CPU Complex) which is a native 4C8T module; each CCX does come with 64K L1 I-cache, 64K L1 D-cache, 512KB of dedicated L2 cache per core and 8MB of L3 cache shared across all cores. Each core that is contained in the CCX may optionally come with SMD for additional threads.
Another aspect to remind in the product description is AMD’s SenseMI technology: a package of five related “senses” that are relying on learning algorithms and/or the command-and-control functionality of the Infinity Fabric, in order to empower AMD Ryzen processors with machine intelligence.
Thanks to the integrated network of smart sensors that are driving Precision Boost, processor power consumption can be carefully adjusted with any given workload. The telemetry data from the Power Power optimization loop does allow each Ryzen processor to inspect the characteristics of its own silicon, in order to extract individualized power management.
By using current/temperature/load information fed by the Infinity Fabric, Precision Boost is modulating an AMD Ryzen processor in 25Mhz increments; this type of granular clock speed control is offering the Ryzen processor a greater operational freedom in order to reach ideal frequency targets and at the same time allows for finer dithering at that ideal target.
XFR is kicking in when high-performance cooling systems are installed on the AMD Ryzen processors and lifts the maximum Precision Boost frequency beyond the ordinary limits. This is achieved by reading and forecasting AMD Ryzen processor’s distance to TJMax, then converting the available headroom into extra frequency. For non-X SKUs (such as the Ryzen 7 1700), XFR will add 50MHz extra to the operating frequencies, while X SKUs (such as the Ryzen 7 1800X, Ryzen 7 1700X) will add 100MHz extra to the stock operating frequency when the said conditions are met.
Every AMD Ryzen processor holds a true artificial intelligence inside which harnesses a neural network for learning in real-time the applications’ behavior and speculate on its next moves. Thanks to this feature, the AI readies vital CPU instructions in advance for tackling a new workload.
Thanks to the integrated sophisticated learning algorithms, internal patterns and behaviors of applications are understood, so they can anticipate what data is needed for fast execution in the future. Data is fed into local cache, so it is ready for immediate use.
The new AMD Ryzen processors would not operate by themselves, unless paired with the AM4 platform. This new platform consists of six chipsets that can be interchangeably paired with the new 1331 socket; this aspect allows motherboard manufacturers to craft different models in order to cover all market segments: entry level (A320 or A/B300), middle class (B350) and premium (X370 or X300).
These new solutions do incorporate the latest technologies such as NVMe PCIe 3.0 x4, SATA, SATA Express, dual channel DDR4, native USB 3.1 Gen 2 and more.
The Socket 1331 streamlines AMD’s socket infrastructure (AM3 and FM2+) into a single part which can host the AMD Ryzen processor, the 7th Generation APU or the future “Raven Ridge” APU based on the Zen architecture. AMD is intending on using this new socket through 2020 even with the introduction of new technologies such as DDR5 or PCI Express Generation 4.
The storage and I/O options that have been just described are extra to the SoC design of Ryzen CPU, which does also feature natively:
-4xUSB 3.1 Gen 1
-16 lanes of PCI Express Gen 3 for graphics (2x8 mGPU supported on X370)
-4x PCI-Express Gen 3 suitable for a high-speed NVMe SSD or other companion card
-4x PCI-Express Gen 3 for chipset communication (free for re-use along with X300 chipset)
As the flagship SKUs, the Ryzen 5 family of processors comes with unlocked multipliers, in order to squeeze even more performance from the system via the UEFI interface of the motherboard, Ryzen Master utility or the overclocking software coming from each motherboard manufacturer.
Right from the introduction in December 2016, AMD had promised that all mid-range and high-end motherboards based on the mid-range B350 and high-end X370 chipsets will expose the full-range of multiplier voltage control built into the AMD Ryzen processors. Entry-level motherboards, which have weaker VRM designs, are built to run at stock speeds, so A320 chipsets are locking the voltage and multiplier adjustments.
With the presentation of the AM4 platform, we also need to clarify the cooler compatibility; AM4 comes with a wider bolt-through mounting pattern in order to accommodate the extra pins of the Socket 1331 versus the older FM2+ and AM3 designs. AMD has discussed with no less than 15 of the top cooling manufacturers such as EKWB, Phanteks, Noctua, Corsair, Cooler Master and so on in order to provide mounting kits which will enable usage of the previously-launched solutions on the new AM4 platform. What is interesting is that the current AM3/FM2+ coolers that use the clip system for attachment to the socket retention brackets are fully compatible with the AM4 platform, with no modification!
The Ryzen 5 family of processors is officially supporting the following DRAM configurations:
The Ryzen 5 1500X processor is shipped in a bigger and heavier cardboard enclosure versus the ones we have seen with the Ryzen 5 1600X or even the Ryzen 7 series! This is basically because it is the first time we are seeing the CPU cooler shipped together with the processor. The same color theme is also present here and AMD informs us that we are dealing with a “5” series SKU:
On one of the other enclosure sides, we will get to see a small cut-out through which we can get a clear view at the processor:
Moving on, we will get to see a box-sealing sticker that comes with the internal product code along with some extra information regarding the platform:
AMD does also show a photo of the included CPU cooler right on the box:
After lifting the top box cover, we will get to see the individual CPU enclosure, along with the CPU cooler, which is also packaged separately:
The installation leaflet is showing general instructions:
We have been already accustomed with the small black AMD-branded cardboard enclosure that does contain both CPU and case sticker:
For extra safety, the components inside are further protected inside a transparent plastic mold:
This new processor series is supplied with nice-looking case stickers, which do sport a similar design to the ones we have seen with the Ryzen 7 SKUs:
A closer look at the Ryzen 5 1500X CPU does reveal a central logo that uses specific fonts. The Ryzen CPUs are using solder between the HSF and the cores, for an optimal heat conduction to the cooling system; the later experiments have proven that delidding does not bring any benefit in this case:
On the top area of the HSF, we will get to see the exact processor name for easy identification:
The lower area comes with some laser-etched serial numbers; our sample was manufactured in China:
A view from the side of the processor does reveal the HSF height along with the black sealing gasket:
On the back side of the CPU PCB, we will find 1331 golden pins, and its specific pin placement does not allow wrong installations on the motherboard socket:
Ryzen 5 1500X does come with a less complicated cooling solution versus the Wraith Max; in this case we are dealing with the Wraith Spire, a model which is also shipped along with the Ryzen 5 1600 SKU, both sporting a 65W TDP. This particular model does not feature RGB lighting and the top fan does only feature five blades:
Views from the laterals of the cooler do show the top plastic shroud, along with the orb-like aluminum fins construction:
This particular cooler does make use of AMDs stock motherboard backplate and it is mounted with four spring-loaded screws:
On the bottom area of the cooler we will get to see the circular copper plate which will make direct contact with the Ryzen 5 1500X HSF; thermal compound is pre-applied so it will help with the installation procedure:
The CPU cooler fan is powered from a 4-pin PWM connector:
For the time being, we will not use the supplied cooler to test out the Ryzen 5 1500X, but the more advanced Deepcool Captain 240 EX:
After installing all components on the ASRock Fatal1ty AB350 Gaming K4, it is time to get started!
Prior to testing the new hardware, we made sure to use the latest BIOS for the ASRock Fatal1ty AB350 Gaming K4 AM4 motherboard; AMD has instructed to use the 2.20A version, which was not available on the manufacturer’s website at the time of the review.
As before, we have reset the BIOS to defaults and made sure that all options inside the UEFI interface were set to “Auto”, in order to delegate the overclocking task to AMD Ryzen Master (recently updated to 1.01 in order to show correct temperatures for the Ryzen 5 1600X, Ryzen 7 1700X and Ryzen 7 1800X processors). The tool informs us that if improper settings are applied, damages may occur:
Ryzen Master is a very handy software tool from AMD, which allows adjusting the core speeds of the Ryzen processors on-the-fly, along with the core voltage, MEM VDDIO, MEM VTT or VDDCR SOC voltage. The other operations such as memory clock adjustment, core deactivation or memory latencies are requiring a system reboot after setup. You must also note that when overclocking the Ryzen 5 1500X CPU, features such as Precision Boost and XFR (which are part of SenseMI) will be disabled:
In order to provide a similar viewer experience as in the previous articles, we have started the first stage by running a Prime95 stress test instance on all threads, all this at stock speeds in order to monitor the CPU VCore voltages in full-load along with the maximum temperatures. We are happy to inform that the system did barely reach 48.8 degrees Celsius in Full Load, while the Deepcool Captain 240 EX fans were connected to the motherboard header, in “Auto” mode:
Since we are dealing with a 4-core SKU, we did expect to also see a higher overclocking potential, also due to much lower heat output so we went straight to 4GHz and dialed in 1.375V inside Ryzen Master. We were quite surprised to see full stability in Prime95 and at this time we have recorded about 60.3 degrees in Full-Load, while the real voltage the Ryzen 5 1500X was fueled at was just 1.312 (“thanks” to the HUGE VDroop of the ASRock Fatal1ty AB350 Gaming K4 board). Our journey at 4GHz did not stop until we did found the lowest possible voltage for this same speed, so we went down to 1.362V: another impressive result was obtained because the Ryzen 5 1500X was also stable at this setting! This time, the real CPU voltage in load was 1.3V and we have recorded maximum temperatures for the package of 56.2 degrees Celsius.
At this moment we thought….is it even possible to go further down? We dialed 1.35V, started Prime95 for half an hour (Blend) and the system has been proven again as fully stable! Simply impressive, considering that the CPU was only receiving 1.287V in Full Load and we have recorded a maximum package temperature of just 58.5, so this is a setting which can be fully used for 24/7 operation:
A validation at this setting was also in order:
The first Intel CPU we will compare the Ryzen 5 1500X against is the Core i5 7600K (Kaby Lake), which can be seen as a product from Intel's lineup with one of the best price/performance ratios. In order to compare the platform with newer architectures/systems, we have used the supplied 16GB memory kit @ 2133MHz with default timings (15-15-15-36), a KFA2 GTX 1060 OC 6GB video card, one Cooler Master 850 PSU, but also an OCZ Vector 150 240GB SSD. The platform was running on a fresh Windows 10 Anniversary installation while all hardware was mounted inside a Cooler Master ATCS 840 Tower case.
Of course, we have left the results versus the Ryzen 7 1700X, Ryzen 7 1700 and Ryzen 5 1600X inside the charts too, to serve as reference in both stock and overclocked modes.
In CineBench R11.5, Ryzen 5 1500X clearly falls behind because of less active cores versus the other Ryzen SKUs, but it is still very competitive versus the Intel Core i5 7600K.
CineBench R15 is showing the same performance benefit of the mainstream Ryzen 5 1500X versus the Intel counterpart, which is great considering that the AMD processor is priced much lower.
Thanks to the Zen architecture the Ryzen 5 1500X does incorporate, we can see another clear win of the Ryzen 5 1500X processor in Blender.
PCMark Vantage does show the Ryzen 5 1500X falling quite a bit behind at stock settings, but it is able to recover quite well when overclocked, with 4GHz on all cores.
PCMark 7 does not seem to benefit from the extra cores of higher-specced SKUs, so the Ryzen 5 1500X is again, quite competitive.
PCMark 8 is displaying scores lower than the previously reviewed Ryzen CPUs, mainly because of the lower number of active cores.
As a single-threaded benchmark application, SuperPI 32M test does show the Ryzen 5 1500X with similar performances versus the Ryzen 7 series when overclocked, but falls quite a bit behind versus the Intel i5 7600K, mostly because of the higher clocks.
The HWBOT X265 Benchmark is another testing environment which does really benefit from the increased number of cores, so we can see noticeable less frames per second when working with the Ryzen 5 1500X; the all-core 4GHz overclock does not seem to improve the situation a lot either.
3DMark Vantage really scales well with the increased core count, so we can see considerably smaller scores in the case of the Ryzen 5 1500X; a surprise is the fact that it also succeeds to beat the Intel i5 7600K scores, in both stock and overclocked modes.
In 3DMark 11 we can see again lower scores for the 4-core Ryzen 5 1500X SKU, but it is pretty close to the Intel Core i5 7600K.
3DMark 2013 shows the fact that the Ryzen 5 1500X remains competitive even with the decreased core number.
Unigine Valley does seem to benefit more from the increased core clocks rather than the core number so with the all-core 4GHz overclock, the Ryzen 5 1500X performs quite well.
Ashes of the Singularity is a game that scales well with the number of cores, so we can see a significant decrease in performance with the Ryzen 5 1500X.
As a second stage, thanks to our colleague reviewer colleague Albrecht which has lend a hand with his database, we are going to also pit the AMD Ryzen 5 1500X against the six-core 6800K Broadwell-E, the Intel i7 7700K, i5 7600K but also the mainstream Ryzen 5 1600X and check out the performance differences. In order to produce comparable results, we have used the same memory timings as he did (DDR4 at 2133C15-15-15-35 2T), while exchanging the KFA2 GTX 1060 OC 6GB video card with a HIS R9 290X 4GB (1080 GPU/ 1250 MEM) video card.
In CineBench R10 we can see considerably less performance scores for the mainstream Ryzen 5 1500X SKU, due to the lower number of cores.
Same behavior pattern can be spotted when testing with the CineBench R11.5 rendering suite.
Fritz Chess benchmark is showing a performance decrease since we do only have four active cores with SMT.
SuperPI 32M shows good performances for the Ryzen 5 1500X SKU, mainly because it is a single-theaded benchmark. However, the Intel platforms are scoring considerably higher because of the different core clocks.
HandBrake encoding is another task which enjoys the extra number of cores, so the Ryzen 5 1500X falls behind.
FutureMark FireStrike Extreme and Ultra tests are showing much lower Physx scores due to the lower core count, but even in this case the Ryzen 5 1500X is more competitive than the Intel Core i5 7600K.
Thanks to the AGESA updates and the fact that HWBOT Unigine Heaven does mostly enjoy higher core speeds than core count, we can see very good numbers for the cheaper Ryzen 5 1500X SKU.
In Ashes of the Singularity (GPU oriented, DX11, Extreme preset), the resulted FPS are very competitive considering that we are dealing with a four-core processor.
By using the memory timings of the previously supplied AMD kit (15-17-17-35), we will check out how the performance of the AMD Ryzen 7 1700X does scale when the memory frequency increases. For this aspect, we have included games, CineBench R15 suite for rendering, HWBOT X265 Encoding suite but also SuperPi 32M.
With the help of the AIDA64 utility, we have been able to check out the memory bandwidth differences at the speeds we have tried during the DDR scaling tests.
We will also take a look at the Wraith Spire CPU cooler, as supplied by AMD and check out the temperature outputs at stock settings, but also make sure if it can handle the overclocking speed we have succeeded thanks to the Deepcool Captain 240 EX liquid cooler.
This particular model does not have RGB lighting and is meant to be used along with the Ryzen 5 1500X CPU.
The installation procedure is quite simple and it does use the stock AMD backplate:
Besides the 4-pin PWM power cable, no extra wires are involved:
Let’s power up the system and check out the temperatures!
In order to monitor the CPU temperatures, we did use the HWiNFO64 utility, while for stress testing we have utilized the Prime95 applications (Blend):
Wraith Spire was able to keep the processor at a decent 62.3 degrees Celsius temperature at maximum stress, while the fan speed did increase only a little bit (monitored by the ASRock Fatal1ty AB350 Gaming K4 motherboard). We have also tried the same 4GHz overclock at the 1.350 voltage in Ryzen Master, but the system froze after just a few minutes!
Even if we are dealing with a 65W TDP SKU (as the Ryzen 7 1700), this particular 4-core model does feature XFR so the clocks can jump as high as 3.9GHz when the conditions are met. As the more expensive models, we have 16MB of L3 cache, 512K L2 cache per core and two CCXes. Many people were wondering before the release if the Ryzen quad-cores would come with a single CCX with all cores enabled but instead we are getting two, each having only two cores active.
Since we are dealing with a four-core processor, streaming while gaming CPU-intensive games is not ideal, because this process would decrease the performance of both tasks. For this type of activity we would recommend getting either the Ryzen 5 1600, the Ryzen 5 1600X which do come with two extra cores enabled.
Regarding overall gaming performance, in really depends if the specific game we are playing is well-optimized for using more than four cores; in our benchmarks, we have observed that the Ryzen 5 1500X can hold its own, especially when overclocked at 4GHz versus the more expensive SKUs, which is great!
When discussing about productivity applications such as encoding or rendering, we could see noticeable performance drops versus the more expensive 6-core and 8-core variants, so if you are frequently doing video encoding-intensive tasks or render more complicated projects, you’d better look elsewhere!
For added value, AMD has also included the Wraith Spire CPU cooler, which is able to keep the temperatures at bay even with an overclocked system. When opting for a water cooling solution, the temperatures will decrease even further so if you are aiming for a 3.9 to 4GHz overclock, you should get values between 55 and 60 degrees Celsius when running Prime95 (which puts a higher stress on the CPU even versus encoding/rendering activities).
Regarding the power consumption of the system, we have recorded 52.6W in IDLE, 68.4W while watching a 4K movie clip, 111W while encoding with Handbrake but also 128W when gaming. With a 3.9GHz all-core overclock, we have got 53.4W in IDLE, 72.7W when watching the exact same movie clip, 124W while encoding with Handbrake and 132W while gaming.
For the European market, the MSRP for the Ryzen 5 1500X is 219 Euros, while the Ryzen 5 1400 can be found for about 194 Euros.
We would like to thank again to AMD for making this review possible!