Amd ryzen 7 1700 review in Spanish (full analysis)

We start with one of the most interesting processors that AMD has recently released. Specifically, we bring you the complete analysis of the new AMD Ryzen 7 1700 that comes to fight against the X99, Z270 platform and against its older brother AMD Ryzen 7 1800X, which we will soon bring the review to the web. Prepared? Grab the popcorn! Let's start!

We have acquired this unit to offer you one of the first reviews in Spanish.

AMD Ryzen 7 1700 technical characteristics

Unboxing and design

It comes in a compact box and that includes a heatsink inside. The Ryzen logo is located in the center of the front, while in the lower right corner we have a 7, which indicates the range of processor in hand.

Once we open the box we find:

• AMD Ryzen 7 1700 processor. AMD Spire heatsink with 65W TDP support. Power cable for RGB aor (direct connection on motherboard). Sticker for your tower. Quick installation guide.

The grace of the new AMD heatsinks is to see the improvement of the new Wraith. We assume that they will leave it for a separate bundle, sell it independently or in new soft drinks. In this case we have a small Spire cooler for the AMD Ryzen 7 1700 (much better than those of Intel), than its TDP of up to 65W. As it could not be otherwise, it incorporates an RGB LED ring that automatically changes color and is in great demand in the gaming world.

The first thing we see is that, unlike Intel, the pins are still integrated into the processor and not the motherboard. Many users claim that this approach is better and the truth is that in previous generations the pins of the AMD processors were much more resistant than those of the Intel motherboards. Despite this, the new AMD platform has greatly increased the number of pins so these are thinner and weaker than in previous generations. These new processors include no less than 1, 331 pins, far more than the 940 pins of previous Bulldozer-based AMD FX.

At the top of the chip we see the IHS on which the "Ryzen" logo has been screen printed.

We are already focused on more technical details, the Ryzen 7 1700 processor is based on the new Zen microarchitecture, a design that has been created from scratch to be able to offer a much more competitive product in all levels than previous AMD FX. AMD Ryzen promise more performance, more threads, less power, and less heat generation.

This new microarchitecture is built using Global Foundries' 14nm FinFET node, manages to integrate a whopping 4.8 billion transistors and offers 52% higher performance per core and MHz than previous Excavator cores from Bristol Ridge APUs. With these figures, the new microarchitecture stands above Intel Broadwell and more or less on par with Slylake. This improvement represents the largest jump in CPU performance seen in the last 6 years or even more. AMD Ryzen marks the start of a new multi-year roadmap that will include markets as varied as workstations, mobile equipment and the HPC sector.

AMD Ryzen die picture:

AMD Ryzen uses a DDR4 compatible integrated memory controller (IMC) in dual channel configuration for a faster access speed to stored data, it officially supports memories of up to 2, 400 MHz although thanks to AMP technology we will be able to use much faster modules of 4, 000 MHz.

In the case of the AMD Ryzen R7 1700 we have a silicon consisting of a total of 8 cores, these have Simultaneous multithreading SMT technology that allows each core to handle two threads of data, analogous to the hyperthreading (HT) technology that came using Intel so far. Therefore it is an 8-core processor and 16 processing threads. Its most important features continue with a 16 MB L3 cache and a TDP of only 65W, this processor works at a clock speed of 3 .2 GHz in base mode and 3.7 GHz in turbo mode. Another great protagonist of Zen is the eXtended Frequency Range XFR technology, something that we could define as a second turbo mode that will make the processor operate at a higher frequency than its turbo speed if the working temperature allows it (we will see later).

It is also important to mention that all AMD Ryzen processors have the multiplier unlocked. What does this mean? that we can all overclock to increase their working frequencies and obtain even higher performance, of course we will need a high-end heatsink for this.

All new AMD processors are built around the AM4 platform, which is the first in recent company history to break backward compatibility with previous processors, a necessary commitment to support the new DDR4 memory, and in our opinion beneficial as no compromises are made in performance to support older components.

On this platform, the processor has 16 PCI Express 3.0 lines, which can be distributed to a single slot, or to two slots running at 8x. This covers the most common configurations, with one or two graphics cards, we remember that Nvidia does not currently support more than two of its most modern gpus in SLI . In addition to this connection, we find a Dual Channel memory controller, as we have advanced.

Given these data, it is evident that we find a level of connectivity similar to that of the Intel consumer socket (1151), which is not intended to put a large number of PCI Express Cards for a high-performance computing center or Workstation, but rather the home user. To the enthusiastic user , yes, as we will see where these processors really shine is in tasks with high power demands and the use of many cores simultaneously.

Competition with the large Workstations that can be mounted with the X99 Chipset will come from the hand of the Naples server platform , which promises to shake up this market quite considerably.

Unlike the Intel ecosystem, here are another 4 direct PCI Express 2.0 lines added to the processor, designed to connect an NVMe disk at the highest possible speed. These lines can instead be dedicated to 4 SATA3 ports (or 2 SATA3 and 2x PCIE) if NVMe storage is not used. Another big difference with Intel is that AMD has chosen to include 4 USB3.1 Gen1 ports directly on the processor. This eliminates a possible bottleneck in communication with the chipset, as well as making it cheaper to produce low-end motherboards that use only the connectivity provided by the processor.

We note that USB3.1 Gen1 is simply a new name for devices that support the speed of USB3.0 (5GB / s), usually under new connectors, USB Type-C, while devices that really mean an improvement in speed are They call it USB3.1 Gen2 (10GB / s).

Apart from the processor connections, the AM4 socket offers enough connectivity in the chipset, with different ports depending on the chosen one. The different chipsets are the X370, which is the one that enthusiastic users will choose, the B350, aimed at mid-range equipment, and the A320, for the entry-level range. We will focus on the X370, which we assume, at least until the launch of the Ryzen SR3 and SR5, will be the most popular to accompany these 8-core beasts.

The X370 chipset gives us, in addition to processor connectivity, 8 PCI Express 2.0 lines, 4 SATA3 ports (with hardware RAID support), 2 SATAe, 2 USB3.1 Gen2 ports (now yes, full speed ports), 6 USB3.1 Gen1 ports and 6 USB2.0 ports.

Ryzen news

One of AMD's big concerns with Ryzen was not to repeat the mistake of its old processors, and to attach great importance to performance per core and energy efficiency, both values ​​well below its competition with the FX. The technologies that have been most detailed from the company itself are the following:

Pure Power & Precision Boost

According to AMD documentation, the Zen architecture employs around 1, 000 highly accurate voltage, current and temperature sensors, which send information at intervals of 1 thousandth of a second. In this way, each processor can make adjustments in real time based on its own characteristics (quality of the silicon wafer, etc.). In this way, an energy saving is achieved if the performance is similar, or an increase in performance if what we set is consumption.

This achieves a good use of energy in all performance states (P-states), allowing a faster change from one to another than with previous AMD technologies, such as Powertune or Enduro.

eXtended Frequency Range (XFR)

This technology consists of a small extension of the maximum frequency when conditions are right, or, in other words, when our cooling is powerful enough to allow it.

In this way, 100mhz are added "as a gift" if we have adequate cooling for the processor, leaving the Ryzen 1800X, for example, with 4.1Ghz instead of 4Ghz. AMD mentions that this feature scales with air, water and liquid nitrogen cooling, although we do not know if there is any maximum that can be raised.

While this on-paper feature sounds really good, it remains to be seen if it really hits the performance levels of Intel's latest turbo boost reviews. In addition, this kind of "unlimited overclock" does not usually reach the values ​​that a user will achieve with some skill with the overclock, but rather it is a little extra for users who do not want complications and leave everything as standard.

Directions Prediction and Neural Network

Another of AMD's ambitious statements is that each Zen microprocessor includes a neural network, capable of learning the behavior of the applications we are running at any given time, and preloading instructions that have been frequent even before the code that invokes these instructions. to run.

A previous version of this prediction was presented with the Jaguar cores, which we imagine has been vastly improved. The technology seems really powerful and well designed, although it is difficult to quantify how much it affects the results and if it really translates into a significant improvement in performance. The problem with predicting instructions and executing them "ahead of time" is that, while it saves time if much of the prediction is correct, it is relatively computationally expensive to "undo" an operation that is not ultimately performed.

Test bench and performance tests

TESTING BENCH
Processor:	AMD Ryzen R7 1700.
Base plate:	Asus Crosshair VI Hero.
RAM:	Corsair Vengeance 32 GB DDR4.
Heatsink	AMD Spire Reference Heatsink.
HDD	Samsumg 850 EVO.
Graphic card	GTX1080 8GB.
Power supply	Corsair AX860i.

To check the stability of the AMD Ryzen 7 1700 processor in stock and overclocked. The motherboard we have stressed with Prime 95 Custom and air cooling. The graphics we have used is an Nvidia GTX 1080, without further delay, let's see the results obtained in our tests with a 1920 x 1080 monitor.

Benchmarks (Synthetic tests)

• Cinebench R15 (CPU Score).Aida64.3dMARK Fire Strike.PCMark 8.VRMark.

Game testing

Ryzen 7 1700 Overclock

All the tests we have carried out with the AMD Ryzen 7 1700 at stock speeds: 3200 MHz, when we wanted to overclock the heatsink has limited us to 3600 MHz in all its cores . The increase in applications such as Cinebench R15 we have reached 1472 cb .

Note: We will update the review when we test the performance with heatsinks and liquid coolers that the different manufacturers send us, in order to check the scaling.

Temperatures and Consumption

It was a surprise to find us with fantastic temperatures with the heatsink that incorporates the AMD Ryzen 7 1700. At rest we have about 29.5º C while at maximum load we have an average of 46º C together with peaks of 50º C. Soon we will be able to test the new Noctua NH-D15 SE-AM4 and we will see how it scales the performance of the XFR technology that has caught our attention so much in its previous launch. While with overclocking we have gone up to 37ºC at rest and up to 56ºC at FULL.

Regarding consumption, we have obtained about 46W at rest and at maximum power a total of 126W. Taking into account the potential of the team and the graph, we find incredible results.

Final words and conclusion about AMD Ryzen 7 1700

As we have seen in our tests the AMD Ryzen 7 1700 is one of the best processors on the market or at least keep it in mind for those users who are looking for an "all-terrain" equipment.

The results in our test bench speak for themselves. We have accompanied it with 3200 MHz DDR4 memories, an Asus Crosshair VI Hero motherboard, an 8 GB GTX 1080 graphics card, a high-performance SSD in SATA format and a NVMe Samsung 960 EVO disk to test its interface. The results are as expected and it does not make any type of bottleneck to the graph or any of its components.

What is clear is that they become the perfect option for those users who work and play with the same PC. But as long as they take advantage of those 8 cores and 16 threads of execution or want to be cautious and have a team for many years, without thinking if 4 cores really are enough. The difference between the i7 6900K processors and the i7 6800k is around 10 to 20 FPS depending on the title… You yourselves will have to assess whether it is really important for you to play 190 or the 175 that this processor offers you in Full HD resolution. In the case that you want to play at 2560 x 1440 (2K) or 3840 x 2160 (4K), the difference in FPS is even less noticeable. Since, in these resolutions the demand of the processor is less and the graphics card does almost all the work.

What we did not like about this platform, is the "limitation" when connecting graphics card (16 LANES), NVMe disk (4 LANES) and USB 3.1 connections (4 LANES) that make a total of 24 LANES. This can be a small “bottleneck” for those users who want a very enthusiastic configuration: graphics card, NVME disk plus several SATA disks. Small, but small in the end. Nor can we forget its low consumption compared to the X99 platform.

We recommend reading our guide to the best motherboards on the market.

We believe that the best option for the ZEN platform right now is the AMD Ryzen 7 1700 that we have analyzed. It is an all-terrain processor and ideal for those who need a "Low Cost" Workstation or users who combine games with heavy design, virtualization or rendering tasks. For example, we can mount a combo of X370 motherboard (189 euros) and processor (369 euros) for a price of 560 euros. Of course, if you are going to use your computer only to play, wait for the Ryzen 5 and 3 series that will be released soon, but if you need it urgently you can choose Kaby Lake.

Ultimately, it is the first time in the past 6 years that AMD has put Intel on the spot and nearly matched it in performance. Therefore we have competitiveness and good performance. If it continues to improve, we would not be surprised if it will be overtaken very soon. The AMD Ryzen 7 1700 for its price of 369 euros, and for those users who play and work with the PC, we see it as a better option than the 7700k for the present and near future.

ADVANTAGE	DISADVANTAGES
+ ONE OF THE BEST PROCESSORS IN THE MARKET.	- SERIAL HEATSINK, LIMITS THE OVERCLOCK.
+ GOOD OVERCLOCK CAPABILITY, BUT BETTER HEATSINK IS NEEDED.	- IT IS NOT THE BEST PROCESSOR FOR GAMING, BUT IF A BET FOR THE FUTURE AND THAT OFFERS A PERFECT ALLY FOR USERS WHO PLAY AND WORK WITH HEAVY APPLICATIONS.
+ OVERCLOCK SOFTWARE LIVE AND WITH GREAT POSSIBILITIES.
+ CONSUMPTION AND IMPROVED TEMPERATURES.
+ PERFECT PRICE.

The Professional Review team awards you the gold medal and recommended product:

AMD Ryzen 7 1700

YIELD YIELD - 90%

MULTI-THREAD PERFORMANCE - 99%

OVERCLOCK - 75%

PRICE - 90%

89%