Computer Shopper - UK (2019-12)

ISSUE 382|COMPUTER SHOPPER|DECEMBER 2019 19

EVENIFIT’Snot the most powerful CPU in
AMD’s newest, third-generationRyzen series,
the Ryzen 73700X makes the best poster
child forwhat this processorfamily is all
about. TheRyzen 93900X (Shopper381) has
more cores and threads, while theRyzen 5
3600 is cheaper,but it’s theRyzen 73700X
that most fully encapsulates the AMD way:
loads of cores, high performance andalow
price,atl east comparedto Intel equivalents.

SWEET 16
First, let’s look at the cores.Youget
eight of them here,with atotal of 16
usable threads via Simultaneous
Multi-Threading (SMT). The
12-core,24-threadRyzen 9
3900X has it beat, but that’s
more forbridging the gap
between mainstream and enthusiast
CPUs; theRyzen 73700X isafully
mainstream chip,and in this arena
it’s unbeatable.Even its closest
Intel rival, the Core i7-9700K, has
eight cores but only eight threads.
Next, performance.Following on
from theRyzen 72700X (Shopper366),
AMD has taken the unusual stepof clocking
the Ryzen 73700X withalower base clock
speed butahigher boost clock speed,
rather than raising both, as you’d expect.
It consequently runs ataminimumof 3.6GHz,
comparedto 3.7GHz on its predecessor,while
its maximum boost clock has gone 100MHz in
the other direction, upto 4.4GHz.
AMD’s usual dynamic auto-overclocking
features, ExtendedFrequency Range (XFR)
and Precision Boost, are both present, but
as with second-generationRyzens, their
potential gains are included in the stated
maximum boost speed.You’ll therefore
need agood coolerto ensure there’s
sufficient cooling headroomforboth
systemsto kick in.
Lowering the base speed also seems
counterproductive,but based on what we’ve
seen from theRyzen 93900X andRyzen 5
3600X, there are reasonsto be confident.
Like these chips, theRyzen 73700X is built

with an updated 7nm FinFET process, making
it moreefficient than previous 12nm and
14nm Ryzens. Thisefficiency doesn’t just
reduce energy consumption; it also allows, in
theory,for more instructions per clock cycle,
potentially allowing the CPUto blast through
more processes at 3.6GHz than theRyzen 7
2700X could at 3.7GHz.
Lastly,there’s the price.We’ve found the
Ryzen 73700X for£313, which is higher than
what theRyzen 72700X cost at launch but
still easily undercuts the £375 Core i7-9700K
–which, don’tforget, offers fewer threads in

exchange.It’s alsoahefty£233 cheaper than

the Ryzen 93900X, which is aneffective

consolationto missing out onfour extra

cores and eight extra threads.

CORE STRENGTH

There’s no integrated graphics, which is fine

as the Ryzen 73700X is intended specifically

fordesktop systems with dedicated graphics

cards. What you do get is an RGB-litWraith

Spire cooler bundled in the box. It’s notabad

start if you spent the lastof your PC build

budget on the chip itself,althoughforthe

best XFR and Precision Boost performance,

it’s betterto pair this CPU with either a

larger air cooler orawatercooler system.

Forconsistency with previousRyzen testing,

we used the Noctua NH-U12S.

With both components installed in our

test PC, withaGTX 1060 on video output

duties, theRyzen 73700X put in a

commanding performance in our benchmark

tests. Its imagetest scoreof 182, for

example,isn’t justamajor improvement on

the Ryzen 72700X’s scoreof 149 –ite ven

beat theRyzen 93900X, which hit 168.

Amazingly,ite ven edges past the 173 scored

by Core i9-9900K, which is supposedto be

Intel’s best single-core performer–even more

so than the Core i7-9700K.

Moving onto the video-encodingtest, the

Ryzen 93900K’s additional threads helped it

take ahealthy lead, but theRyzen 73700X is

still kingof its price range with 315. That’s

practically enoughforprofessional-grade

media editing, contained withinarelatively

affordable consumer CPU.

ONTHE RISE

The multitaskingtest produced its single

best performance,with ascore of 389.

Again, this isn’t close enoughto bother the

Ryzen 93900X, which smashed the record

with 523, but it’s better than you’d get

from even an overclocked Core i7-9700K.

It’s alsoasingle point behind the Core

i9-9900K’s multitaskingtest result: an

incredible achievement, considering Intel’s

top-end chip hasfarhigher clock speeds and

aprice on apar with the 3900X.

Overall, theRyzen 73700X scored an

excellent 330, improving on theRyzen 7

2700X by 99 points and outperforming the

Core i7-9700K. 330 also happensto be the

exact sameoverall score as thatof the Core

i9-9900K, so not only does theRyzen 9

3900X outshine Intel’s premier CPU on

The Ryzen73700X put inacommanding performancein

our benchmarks, outperforming the IntelCorei7-9700K