AMD Ryzen 7 7700X CPU Review

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Conclusion

In our review of the AMD Ryzen 7 7700X CPU, we put it through its paces in synthetic benchmarks, testing multi-core and single-core performance, as well as games at 4K, 1440p and 1080p. The AMD Ryzen 7 7700X is the mid-tier CPU from AMD sporting 8-cores/16-threads clocked at 5.4GHz and based on the Zen 4 architecture and AM5 platform for $399 MSRP. The AMD Ryzen 7 7700X sits right above the 7600X, offering two more cores, and four more threads giving multi-threaded and multi-core applications and multi-tasking a kick in the pants and more performance. It sits right in the middle between the 7600X and 7900X and provides that sweet spot configuration, performance, and pricing a lot of people are looking for. Also, do not miss our Ryzen 9 7950X, Ryzen 9 7900X, and Ryzen 5 7600X reviews.

Performance

Performance started strong with the AMD Ryzen 7 7700X in PCMark 10’s Application Benchmark of Microsoft Office performance. It was 22% faster than the Ryzen 7 5800X previous generation CPU and even faster than the Ryzen 9 5950X for office performance. It also outperformed the Intel Core i5-13900K by 4%. In Geekbench 5 we honed in on the multi-core and single-core performance advantages. The Ryzen 7 7700X was 41% faster than the Ryzen 7 5800X, despite both CPUs having the exact same core and thread count. This is a testament to the great architecture improvements from generation to generation.

The 7700X was also faster than the 16-core Ryzen 9 5950X by 4%, which is an amazing thing for an 8-core CPU to do. It did underperform compared to the Intel Core i5-13600K however since that CPU does have more threads. In single-core performance, the Ryzen 7 7700X was 29% faster than the Ryzen 7 5800X core-to-core, so that is a nice IPC and frequency uplift. In single-core performance, the 7700X was also faster than the Intel Core i5-13600K by 9%.

In AIDA64 benchmarks we saw the Ryzen 7 7700X provide a big uplift of 59% faster over the Ryzen 7 5800X in PhotoWorxx, which again is pretty big considering both have the same core count. This was also faster than the Ryzen 9 5950X once again. In this benchmark, it does favor frequency, and the Intel CPUs were much faster for it. Encryption and FPU performance is where the Ryzen 7 7700X fought back. In CPU AES the 7700X was 29% faster than the Ryzen 7 5800X and 11% faster than the Intel Core i5-13600K. In CPU SHA 3 the Ryzen 7 7700X was 37% faster than the Ryzen 7 5800X and 2% faster than the 13600K. In FPU Julia the Ryzen 7 7700X was 18% faster than the Ryzen 7 5800X and 20% faster than the Core i5-13600K. In FPU Mandel the 7700X was 11% faster than the 5800X and 21% faster than the 13600K.

The other area the Ryzen 7 7700X was very strong in was content creation and rendering applications. In Cinebench R23 multi-core performance the Ryzen 7 7700X was 29% faster than the Ryzen 7 5800X, despite both having the same core count. The 13600K did beat it though by 22% due to its higher thread count. In single-core performance, the Ryzen 7 7700X came back strong and was 25% faster than the 5800X and slightly ahead of the 13600K. In Blender, the Ryzen 7 7700X was slightly above 30% faster than the Ryzen 7 5800X. Once again the 13600K was consistently 8-14% faster due to the higher thread count. In V-RAY 5 the Ryzen 7 7700X was 30% faster than the Ryzen 7 5800X but the 13600K was 8% faster. Finally, in HandBrake the Ryzen 7 7700X allowed video encoding times that were actually faster than the Ryzen 9 5950X and provided a big boost over the 5800X for encoding time. The 13600K was faster overall though.

When it comes to gaming, the Intel Core i5-13600K and AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D lead in performance in this price range.  The AMD Ryzen 7 7700X is third, behind those two CPUs, as the next fastest CPU in this price range.  We also found that the Ryzen 7 7700X and Ryzen 7 7600X perform the same for gaming.  The extra cost for the added cores and threads of the Ryzen 7 7700X adds nothing to gaming performance and the 7600X is just as good at gaming for a lower price.

Power and Temp

One area we were really impressed with was the power efficiency of the Ryzen 7 7700X. It only pulled 4% or 6 more Watts compared to the Ryzen 7 5800X, yet delivered 30%+ performance, and sometimes even larger than that in applications. That means it is pushing up the performance, but not really pushing up the power levels to ridiculous levels to do it. This is an efficient CPU. You do not have to worry about needing to configure a very high Wattage PSU and cooling rig for it. It is the kind of CPU that should do well in small cases and small form factor builds. It is actually the perfect CPU for a small form factor, it’s got a great balance of performance and power utilization. Whereas the Intel Core i5-13600K requires a lot more power and isn’t very efficient.

Temperature-wise, the CPU is designed to run at 95c and is designed to utilize all the cooling you give it. It uses that complete headroom. We gave it a beefy cooler with a 360mm AIO, so it was utilizing that to its maximum potential. However, this CPU does not require that. AMD only recommends a “Mid-frame tower cooler (or equivalent)” cooler. This would run just fine on a 120mm AIO, or mid-tier tower cooler.

Final Points

The AMD Ryzen 7 7700X is in a great position to be that “go-to” and “sweet spot” CPU for a lot of people. It covers several major areas of interest, Performance, Efficiency, and Price. In terms of performance, it has that sweet spot configuration of being an 8-core/16-thread CPU that will appeal to content creators, and gamers and cover almost everyone’s needs for today’s applications and games. The 8-core/16-thread configuration offers more than the 7600X and gives you just that extra bit of performance for content creation or multi-tasking while maintaining the gaming performance advantage over the previous generation.

In our performance testing, it offered a substantial multi-thread and single-core performance uplift versus the previous generation CPU in this price range from AMD. It is also very strong in gaming and provides a performance increase from the last generation. Its efficiency was very good, pulling only 4% more power than the Ryzen 7 5800X, yet performing well above that. It was not a power leech like the Intel Core i5-13600K seems to be. The performance produced compared to the Wattage utilized is efficient.

$299.03
$399.00
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5 used from $252.08
as of March 29, 2024 12:51 am
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$500.66
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Finally, it is in the right price range for a CPU of this nature. We do feel it is maybe slightly more expensive than it needs to be, but only slightly. We feel $349 would be a more appropriate price for this CPU. Consider the Ryzen 7 5800X launched initially at $449 in 2021, and then much later the Ryzen 7 5700X launched at a $299 MSRP in June of 2022. Making the Ryzen 7 7700X $349 would make more sense in our opinion, and make room for a theoretical “7800X” or X3D part. It is at least in the right range for a product like this, and that price range is more appealing and reachable to the masses. If you can find the 7700X for around $350 (and you just might if you spend some time looking) then the Ryzen 7 7700X really is a good deal and worth your consideration.

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REVIEW OVERVIEW

Performance
8
Efficiency (Perf per Watt)
10
Features
10
Value
9

SUMMARY

We review the AMD Ryzen 7 7700X Zen 4 CPU and put it through its paces and benchmarked synthetic and gaming scenarios at various resolutions. The CPU was a strong performer in our synthetic and gaming benchmarks, providing a big uplift from the previous generation. At times, the 13600K did outperform it in the same price range in select scenarios, especially in gaming. Its efficiency is second to none, it gives a lot but doesn't ask for a lot in power utilization, staying close to the previous generation. It's loaded with features, and overall its value is great if perhaps a slightly higher MSRP than we feel it should be.
Brent Justicehttps://www.thefpsreview.com
Former managing editor of GPUs at HardOCP for 18 years, Brent Justice has been reviewing computer components since the late 90s, educated in the art and method of the computer hardware review, he brings experience, knowledge, and hands-on testing with a gamer-oriented and hardware enthusiast perspective. You can follow him on Twitter - @Brent_Justice You can sub to his YouTube channel - Justice Gaming https://www.youtube.com/c/JusticeGamingChannel You can check out his computer builds on KIT - @BrentJustice https://kit.co/BrentJustice

Recent News

We review the AMD Ryzen 7 7700X Zen 4 CPU and put it through its paces and benchmarked synthetic and gaming scenarios at various resolutions. The CPU was a strong performer in our synthetic and gaming benchmarks, providing a big uplift from the previous generation. At times, the 13600K did outperform it in the same price range in select scenarios, especially in gaming. Its efficiency is second to none, it gives a lot but doesn't ask for a lot in power utilization, staying close to the previous generation. It's loaded with features, and overall its value is great if perhaps a slightly higher MSRP than we feel it should be.AMD Ryzen 7 7700X CPU Review