Introduction
How does the AMD Ryzen 7 7700 CPU perform versus the Ryzen 7 7700X CPU? In today’s head-to-head CPU performance comparison review, we pit the Ryzen 7 7700 versus the Ryzen 7 7700X head-to-head and benchmark them in both synthetic system benchmarks, as well as gaming performance to see what the real difference is between them.
If you’ve been wondering how close the Ryzen 7 7700 performs compared to the Ryzen 7 7700X, then this is the review for you. To go even one step further, we are also going to enable AMD Precision Boost Overdrive (PBO) on the Ryzen 7 7700 and see how close to the Ryzen 7 7700X it can perform when running PBO overclocking! Will it enable the Ryzen 7 7700 to reach Ryzen 7 7700X performance? We will find all of this out in this Ryzen 7 7700 vs Ryzen 7 7700X CPU Review.
AMD Ryzen 7 7700 Specs
On January 10th, 2023 AMD introduced a new line of power-efficient 65W processors in its new Ryzen 7000 CPU series lineup. These three new CPUs are based on the same Zen 4 architecture and AM5 socket platform as the rest of the Ryzen 7000 series CPUs but differ in that they all have a power-efficient new TDP of 65W.
These Non-X variants of the Ryzen 9 7900, Ryzen 7 7700, and Ryzen 5 7600 offer more efficient power consumption, and lowered clock speeds (versus their “X” counterparts), but retain the same cache and core and thread count. They also offer lower pricing to fit the new SKUs. They all still support DDR5 memory and PCI-Express 5.0 and operate on the AM5 platform. The table below details the main differences between the Ryzen 7 7700 and Ryzen 7 7700X that we are directly comparing in this review.
| Ryzen 7 7700 | Ryzen 7 7700X | |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | Zen 4 | Zen 4 |
| Cores/Threads | 8/16 | 8/16 |
| Cache (L2+L3) | 40MB | 40MB |
| Base Clock | 3.8GHz | 4.5GHz |
| Turbo Clock | 5.3GHz | 5.4GHz |
| TDP | 65W | 105W |
| Cooler | AMD Wraith Prism | Not Included |
| Launch MSRP | $329 | $399 |
The MSRP at the launch of the Ryzen 7 7700 was $329 while the Ryzen 7 7700X was $399 at launch. That would put the launch MSRP pricing about $70 apart, and thus the Ryzen 7 7700 offered savings for a CPU that has the same core and thread count with the same cache. However, you can find these parts for lower prices today online. As always, check the latest prices on Amazon and Newegg to see what they are going for online, they can change over time. With prices more competitive today, it is important to know how the two CPUs differ in performance. The Ryzen 7 7700 also uniquely comes with an AMD Wraith Prism cooler in the box, something you do not get with the Ryzen 7 7700X and would require an added cost.
As you can see from the specifications, the Ryzen 7 7700 can boost up to 5.3GHz, while the Ryzen 7 7700X boosts up to 5.4GHz. However, due to the difference in TDP, the lower power 65W Ryzen 7 7700 may not realistically boost as high when all cores are being used. That is also its benefit, however, the fact that it can run at a much lower TDP for very efficient builds.
Installing Ryzen 7 7700
Installing the AMD Ryzen 7 7700 went flawlessly in our ASUS ROG CROSSHAIR X670E HERO AM5 platform-based motherboard based on the AMD X670E chipset. We updated the BIOS to the latest BIOS at the time of testing, which was BIOS 1303 based on AGESA 1.0.0.6. We combined it with 32GB of G.SKILL Trident Z5 Neo DDR5 F5-6000J3038F16GX2-TZ5N (32GB 6000MHz @ 30-38-38-96) memory. The Ryzen 7 7700 was cooled by an MSI MEG CORELIQUID S360 AIO Cooler. You can see the CPU-Z and HWiNFO64 readouts below.
