AMD Ryzen 7 7700X: More efficient, but much weaker than Core i7

It clearly outperformed its predecessors (including the R7 5800X) and also the Core i9-10900K, which has two more cores. But it can’t compare with the Core i7-13700K in heavy MT workloads, and that’s just a month after its release. In ST loads, however, it’s even performance-wise, as in games, where Ryzen 7 is more efficient. Whether the R7 7700X is worth more than the Ci7-13700K for similar money, however, you’ll have to judge for yourself. Read more “AMD Ryzen 7 7700X: More efficient, but much weaker than Core i7” »

Ryzen 5 7600: Raphael in AMD’s most popular series scores again

This time, it wasn’t as long a wait as for the Ryzen 5 5600. On the contrary, the Ryzen 5 7600 came out very shortly after the faster model with the “X” in the name. AMD apparently hurried with this lower-power model also because of dissatisfied reactions that 7600X criticize the worse cooling. With the significantly more efficient R5 7600, the situation with silicon is brighter. Plus it’s cheaper and doesn’t lose all that much in performance. Read more “Ryzen 5 7600: Raphael in AMD’s most popular series scores again” »

Intel Core i7-13700K: Efficient choice for a gaming “workhorse”

The sixteen-core desktop Raptor Lake (Ci7-13700K) is a curious compromise between Core i9 (13900K) and Core i5 (13600K). Compared to the Core i5, it is significantly faster thanks to higher clock speeds and Turbo Boost 3.0 support, and it doesn’t lose much performance compared to Core i9 in lighter workloads, including gaming, but it is significantly more power-efficient. Read more “Intel Core i7-13700K: Efficient choice for a gaming “workhorse”” »

Intel Core i5-13600K: Better value than Ryzen 5 7600X? Yes and no

The Intel Core i5-13600K processor gives the impression of being from a slightly different class than the Ryzen 5 7600X. AMD’s Raphael with only 6 cores against 14 cores (albeit eight of them only small, Gracemont) of Raptor Lake may look like an underdog that should be significantly cheaper. However, one must be careful when making judgments. Although the Ci5-13600K is a great processor, so is the still only Ryzen 5 7000 in the game so far. Read more “Intel Core i5-13600K: Better value than Ryzen 5 7600X? Yes and no” »

Older Windows 10 versions than 22H2 slow down Raptor Lake CPUs

The release of Intel Raptor Lake processors also coincided somewhat with the release of the latest update for Windows 10, the 22H2. We write this in this context because it (22H2) quietly removes the most significant performance shortcomings, and the difference to the detriment of the older builds can be as much as 57 %. Most of the time this update doesn’t change performance too much, but when it does, it changes it greatly. Read more “Older Windows 10 versions than 22H2 slow down Raptor Lake CPUs” »

Intel Core i9-13900K review: Biggest predator in the lake

A fully active Intel Raptor Lake CPU chip, that’s tremendous performance for all situations, but also a lot of worries. These revolve around how to use this great potential and not hold anything back. There are more obstacles than usual. When it’s not on a software basis, it’s a struggle with cooling for a change. And you already know that the 13th-generation Intel Core CPU is sometimes more efficient than the Ryzen 7000. Read more “Intel Core i9-13900K review: Biggest predator in the lake” »

First results of Raptor Lake: A fairy tale in a single thread and…

We’ll be releasing our full tests of the Intel Core i9-13900K (Raptor Lake) tomorrow. The sample arrived at the editorial office after the gallows deadline and it was not possible to make the full tests, but for now we have at least something that may get you in the right mood. One of the pleasant surprises is the higher single-threaded performance at lower power draw than AMD Ryzen 7000 CPUs. And that’s even at a record 5.8 GHz. Read more “First results of Raptor Lake: A fairy tale in a single thread and…” »

Analysis: What have we learned from motherboard tests

Over time, we have tested ten motherboards with Intel B660 and Z690 chipsets in great detail. From more than 5000 different measurements, we can thus confidently deny some speculations that are usually spread on the Internet from the ignorance of the authors of articles or comments (in discussions). But this is natural. The less substantial the reviews are, the more fertile ground they create for various confusions. Read more “Analysis: What have we learned from motherboard tests” »

AMD Ryzen 5 7600X: The most popular Core i5 declassed

The cheapest Ryzen 7000 processor (7600X) is a class above Intel’s cheapest Core i5-class processor (12400). Ryzen dominates in virtually everything, and it does so at higher efficiency. Yes, it’s not the same price range, and the R5 7600X is ultimately “killed” by the high price (not just in terms of the CPU itself, but the entire platform), but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s a great processor. Read more “AMD Ryzen 5 7600X: The most popular Core i5 declassed” »

AMD Ryzen 9 7900X test: A BANG of an intergenerational leap

More aggressive power limits? Okay, but at a higher efficiency than Intel can do, AMD told itself while working on the Ryzen 7000 processors. And that’s how it really is, despite record-high clock speeds that are truly unusual for a new, unrefined manufacturing node. If this is just the beginning… In any case, not everything is rosy and AMD’s new processors have downsides that will need to be addressed in the future. Read more “AMD Ryzen 9 7900X test: A BANG of an intergenerational leap” »

AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D: Best for gaming? In practice, rarely

AMD’s first processor with 3D V-cache is a rather controversial piece of hardware. Sure, it may be the ultimate in gaming performance, but the desired effect is more “on paper” than practical, and when it does come, it’s in very rare cases. So that you don’t end up disappointed with a virtually single-purpose processor that may not even excel at gaming, we’ve broken it all down in detailed tests. Read more “AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D: Best for gaming? In practice, rarely” »

AMD reveals future processor plans and first details on Zen 5

From AMD’s Financial Day 2022 conference on Thursday, we’ve already covered here what the company said that was new about Zen 4 and Ryzen 7000 (especially the IPC reveal). Now let’s take a look at the roadmaps for future processors. The company has revealed these plans for practically all market segments, which comes after a long time during which we didn’t see any roadmaps from it and could only rely on unconfirmed leaks. Read more “AMD reveals future processor plans and first details on Zen 5” »

AMD conquers Intel territory: Ryzen 5 5600 vs. Core i5-12400(F)

In the cheaper mid-range of processors, only Intel has been involved in recent years, gaining a lot of popularity in the segment of the cheapest Core i5s. Similar to the popularity that the Ryzen 5 3600 once had. Since its release, however, Intel has turned around three generations of competing processors to get on the proverbial horse. To knock it off it though, AMD is coming up with the Ryzen 5 5600. Read more “AMD conquers Intel territory: Ryzen 5 5600 vs. Core i5-12400(F)” »

AMD Ryzen 7 5700X: A much more efficient CPU than the 5800X

At the eleventh hour, but still. The long-awaited Ryzen 7 5700X is here. However, we won’t be writing about the successor to the Ryzen 7 3700X as a significantly cheaper alternative to the Ryzen 7 5800X. The new octa-core Ryzen 7 5700X is primarily more economical compared to the higher-end model. Its power draw is just half in some tasks, which means that temperatures are also significantly lower. Read more “AMD Ryzen 7 5700X: A much more efficient CPU than the 5800X” »

BIOS bugs inflate Pentium G7400’s power draw by up to 100 %

Manufacturers don’t bother too much with tuning BIOSes for cheaper processors. As a result of mishandled power management, the processor may have an inadequately high power draw in the default settings. In addition, there is poor cooling and lower performance than there should be. However, this is not a thing you can’t fix, you just need to know where, what and how to adjust. You’ll learn that too from this article. Read more “BIOS bugs inflate Pentium G7400’s power draw by up to 100 %” »