Introduction

Meet double O seven with a nine up front, our Ryzen 7 9700X review, this young rascal has eight cores and sixteen threads based on the new Zen5 architecture. The CPU will be analyzed, tested, and benchmarked. Given its excellent performance combined with an architecture that supports PCIe Gen 5, DDR5, and a CPU that easily exceeds 5.5 GHz, this product might become a sweet spot processor for many. AMD recently announced its first ZEN5-based Ryzen 9000 processors. While some updated graphics cards have been released this year, not much else has been released in the component hardware arena. Yes, AMD has officially announced the launch date for its new Ryzen 9000 series desktop CPUs which include four SKUs: the 16-core Ryzen 9 9950X, 12-core Ryzen 9 9900X, 8-core Ryzen 7 9700X, and 6-core Ryzen 5 9600X. The Ryzen 7 9700X will be a key model in the lineup and has been a topic of extensive discussion, particularly concerning its performance relative to previous models. AMD has addressed rumours regarding potential changes to its Thermal Design Power (TDP), confirming that it will launch with an incredibly low 65W TDP. The higher-end Ryzen 9 9950X will feature a 170W TDP, while the Ryzen 9 9900X will maintain a 120W TDP. Both the Ryzen 7 9700X and Ryzen 5 9600X are set at 65W, highlighting AMD's effort to balance performance and power efficiency.

However, it is also believed that the Ryzen 7 9000 will not match the gaming performance of the Ryzen 7 7800X3D, based on statements from AMD’s Don Waligroski. For that, you'll have to wait for X3D processors. AMD's launch presentation included a series-to-series comparison, demonstrating an 11% to 22% performance improvement from the previous generation while simultaneously lowering the TDP for three of the four new SKUs. That is something we're going to validate in our reviews. The Zen 5 architecture marks a meaningful advancement in AMD's Ryzen 9000 series processors for desktops. The structural aspects such as the socket and the internal layout remain consistent, featuring an unchanged I/O die and one or two new Zen 5-based CPU core dies, compatible with the current series 500/600motherboards.  

AMD Ryzen 9000 Series Overview

The Ryzen 7 9700X is a high-end performing desktop processor deriving from the AMD Granite Ridge series. This processor stands out with its 8 Zen 5 cores and 16 threads, offering speeds from 3.8 GHz up to 5.5 GHz. The 9700X utilizes AMD's latest Zen 5 microarchitecture, similar to the Strix Point APUs, but differs by featuring only high-performance cores without any efficient core variants. Unlike the Strix Point, which is built as a single-die processor, the 9700X adopts a multi-die approach, with its cores manufactured using a 4 nm process by TSMC. AMD has highlighted a 16% increase in instructions per cycle (IPC) with Zen 5, attributed to enhancements in branch prediction among other upgrades. The processor is equipped with 32 MB of L3 cache and offers robust support for the latest PCIe 5.0 interface, providing 24 direct lanes that can deliver speeds up to 3.93 GB/s each. Additionally, it supports up to 12 PCIe 4.0 lanes, depending on the motherboard. The Ryzen 7 9700X supports DDR5 RAM, capable of reaching 5600 MT/s with a 6000 MT/s sweet spot, it can also handle ECC (Error-Correcting Code) memory, which enhances system stability by correcting data corruption. The chip is unlocked, allowing for overclocking to boost performance further. It is compatible with the AM5 socket and supports modern operating systems including Windows 11, 64-bit Windows 10, and various Linux distributions.

In terms of graphics, the Ryzen 7 9700X includes an integrated GPU (iGPU) with 2 compute units (CUs) based on the RDNA 3+ architecture. This iGPU has 128 unified shaders and can operate up to 2,200 MHz. Despite being capable of supporting DirectX 12 Ultimate, including ray tracing, the modest number of shaders suggests that its performance in gaming will be limited as of mid-2024. However, it can still manage to drive up to four ultra-high-definition monitors at 4320p resolution and supports both hardware encoding and decoding for popular video codecs like AVC, HEVC, VP9, and AV1, although it does not support VVC like some other contemporary chips. Power efficiency, the 9700X's 4 nm process technology aims to minimize power consumption. The processor's long-term thermal design power (TDP) is rated at 65 watts. Under intense or prolonged workloads, it could consume at least 100 watts.