AMD Ryzen 7 vs Intel Core i7 – Pricing and performance

AMD recently unveiled its Ryzen 7 desktop processors, offering competitive value in the high-end desktop bracket.
Intel’s high-end Core i7 processors previously dominated the CPU market, with products like the Intel Core i7 6900K offering octa-core performance at a high price point.
The Ryzen 7 processors are set to disrupt the market by offering solid performance at a more aggressive price.
Ryzen chips are manufactured on a 14nm process node, offering a 52% increase in IPC over the previous Bulldozer CPU architecture while drawing less power.
According to AMD, the flagship Ryzen 7 1800X processor is the fastest eight-core in the world.
Ryzen 7 processors are currently available for pre-order in South Africa, and will be released on 2 March 2017.
Specifications
AMD’s Ryzen 7 line-up competes against Intel processors in the high-end desktop bracket, with all Ryzen 7 chips boasting 8 physical cores with 16 threads.
The specifications of the processors included in AMD’s benchmark comparison are detailed below.
Processor | Cores | Threads |
Base Clock
|
Boost Clock
|
TDP
|
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Intel 7th-Gen Kaby Lake
|
|||||
Intel Core i7 7700K | 4 | 8 | 4.2GHz | 4.4GHz | 91W |
Intel 6th-Gen Skylake / Broadwell-E
|
|||||
Intel Core i7 6900K | 8 | 16 | 3.2GHz | 3.7GHz | 140W |
Intel Core i7 6800K | 6 | 12 | 3.4GHz | 3.6GHz | 140W |
AMD Ryzen 7
|
|||||
AMD Ryzen 7 1700 | 8 | 16 | 3.0GHz | 3.7GHz | 65W |
AMD Ryzen 7 1700X | 8 | 16 | 3.4GHz | 3.8GHz | 95W |
AMD Ryzen 7 1800X | 8 | 16 | 3.6GHz | 4.0GHz | 95W |
Benchmarks and Pricing
AMD compared the Cinebench multithreaded benchmark scores of Ryzen 7 processors against Intel’s chips in its marketing, showing that its CPUs defeat the competition in terms of value for money.
The single-threaded performance of the Ryzen 7 processors was also good, with the Ryzen 7 1800X and Intel Core i7 6900K achieving the same score in Cinebench tests.
In South Africa, the superior performance and relatively low pricing of AMD’s Ryzen processors make them an attractive option for high-end desktop builders and gamers.
While Ryzen 7 offers great performance, though, gamers should consider waiting for Ryzen 5 chips to launch – as these may offer a cheaper gaming solution than the high-end Ryzen 7 CPUs.
The performance and South African pricing of AMD Ryzen 7 and comparative Intel Core i7 processors is detailed below.