• Welcome to TechPowerUp Forums, Guest! Please check out our forum guidelines for info related to our community.

AMD RYZEN Demo Event - Beats $1,100 8-Core i7-6900K, With Lower TDP

Raevenlord

News Editor
Joined
Aug 12, 2016
Messages
3,755 (1.24/day)
Location
Portugal
System Name The Ryzening
Processor AMD Ryzen 9 5900X
Motherboard MSI X570 MAG TOMAHAWK
Cooling Lian Li Galahad 360mm AIO
Memory 32 GB G.Skill Trident Z F4-3733 (4x 8 GB)
Video Card(s) Gigabyte RTX 3070 Ti
Storage Boot: Transcend MTE220S 2TB, Kintson A2000 1TB, Seagate Firewolf Pro 14 TB
Display(s) Acer Nitro VG270UP (1440p 144 Hz IPS)
Case Lian Li O11DX Dynamic White
Audio Device(s) iFi Audio Zen DAC
Power Supply Seasonic Focus+ 750 W
Mouse Cooler Master Masterkeys Lite L
Keyboard Cooler Master Masterkeys Lite L
Software Windows 10 x64
At their Austin, Texas "New Horizon" Event, AMD introduced us to live "ZEN" chips working full-tilt, showing us what AMD's passion and ingenuity managed to achieve. The "New Horizon" event was a celebration to what AMD sees as another one of those special, breakthrough moments for a company: after starting work on "ZEN" 4 years ago in 2012 as a complete new design. The focus: building a great machine, whilst increasing IPC by 40% over their previous architecture, at the same power constraints; and to create a smart machine, which could sense and adapt to environment and applications so it improves over time. The company's verdicts: "ZEN" met or exceeded their goals, with the desktop PC market being home to the very first "ZEN" product.

According to AMD's CEO Dr. Lisa Su, AMD's event was named "New Horizon" as a reference to AMD's vision in the computing space: that they're on a journey to bring a new generation of processor technology, and customers towards a new horizon of computing. Their intention? To directly connect with fans who love PC gaming, whilst doing what AMD does best - pushing the envelope on performance, power, frame-rates and technology. AMD also flaunted their renewed faith in gaming, with it being on the company's DNA and passion, whilst revisiting the old memory lane, reminiscing on the Athlon Thunderbird, the world's first chip to break the 1 GHz barrier; the launch of their first 64-bit processor; and breaking the 1 TFLOP barrier in computing power with their HD 4850 and 4870 gaming GPUs.





AMD confirmed that CPUs based on their "ZEN" micro-architecture will carry the brand "Ryzen" - a play on the "ZEN" architecture's focus on balance, high performance and low power, while introducing new features. Ryzen is AMD's take of a processor that is both powerful in purpose, and efficient in design, and it symbolizes the power of "ZEN" reaching the next horizon in computing. They will do so by starting with an 8-core, 16-thread, SMT-enabled, 3.4 GHz+ base clock and 20MB combined cache new high-performance CPU, leveraging all the improvements baked into AMD's new AM4 platform (with 3.4 GHz apparently being the lowest frequency a Ryzen, consumer-level desktop solution will carry).



To prove their words and commitment to Ryzen's performance, AMD showcased the chip's prowess in a Blender test, pitting a Ryzen CPU at 3.4 GHz base clock (without Boost), with the consumer market's only other 8-core, 16-thread CPU in the Intel i7 6900K, at its stock 3.2 GHz base clock, with Boost enabled and no adjustments, "straight out of the box". The verdict: Ryzen matched the 6900K's performance. Dr. Lisa Su was quick to point out the 6900K's pricing at $1100, though she left an intentional silence at the point where she could have made a bombastic pricing announcement for Ryzen - perhaps keeping her cards close to her chest so as to not allow Intel to figure out any pricing changes in their products (if any), should Ryzen prove deserving of such a response. But the bottom line, and the home-run hit by Lisa Su, was the announcement that Ryzen was able to match Intel's performance with 45 W less TDP - 95 W TDP on Ryzen against the 140 W TDP on Intel's 6900K. In another test, this time a Handbrake transcoding demo, Ryzen transcoded a video in 54 seconds, against 59 seconds on Intel's 6900K processor.



Again at 3.4 GHz, Ryzen was shown "beating the game frame-rates of a Core i7 6900K playing Battlefield 1 at 4K resolution, with each CPU paired with an Nvidia Titan X GPU". Not drawing any more attention than needs to be drawn towards the usage of an NVIDIA solution at their own event (which was puzzling, since AMD did show a Ryzen CPU and a VEGA-based graphics cards running Star Wars Battlefront's as-of-yet unreleased Rogue One DLC at over 60fps in 4K), we didn't actually see any reported frame-rated on the Battlefield 1 demo - only that the Ryzen-based system offered considerably less frame-skipping than the Intel solution, with the expected effects that has on the gaming experience.



AMD also announced what constitutes part of Ryzen's beating heart: their SenseMI technology, which includes "Neural Net Prediction" - an artificial intelligence neural network that learns to predict what future pathway an application will take based on past runs; "Smart Prefetch", which drinks from the "Neural Net Prediction", anticipating the data an app needs and having it ready when needed (with these two features alone being responsible for 1/4 of Ryzen's performance uplift, according to Lisa Su). Additionally, AMD announced Ryzen's "Pure Power" and "Precision Boost" features: more than "100 embedded sensors with accuracy to the millivolt, milliwatt, and single degree level of temperature enable optimal voltage, clock frequency, and operating mode with minimal energy consumption", controlling each part of the chip, independently, in milliseconds, leveraging "smart logic that monitors integrated sensors and optimizes clock speeds, in increments as small as 25MHz, at up to a thousand times a second". Finishing the pentad of new features was the "Extended Frequency Range" (XFR), a temperature-based boost function where the processor knows what temperature it's operating at, enabling higher clock speeds as the system gets cooler (and vice-versa, we'd expect, towards the 3.4 GHz base clock).



At the event, AMD showed Ryzen running a VR demo, as well as delivering performance in raytracing, with physically based shaders and materials, HDR, and a grand total of 53 million polygons in a single model. Interestingly, AMD also showed their Ryzen CPU against an Intel 6700K processor overlocked towards an unspecified frequency, comparing the chip's performance in streaming DOTA 2: where the 6700K showed severe frame-skipping on the streaming screen, but Ryzen handled it beautifully.



As a sendoff, AMD's CEO Lisa SU mentioned that Ryzen will be on desktop and notebook solutions (leaving out the server market, which could mean a brand distinction between both solutions", whilst reaffirming that Ryzen's Q1 launch is completely on track, from the only company that has both high-performance CPUs and GPUs. And as an appetizer, the good doctor did say that Ryzen's performance will only improve until their promised launch.



View at TechPowerUp Main Site
 
Last edited:

the54thvoid

Super Intoxicated Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Dec 14, 2009
Messages
13,051 (2.39/day)
Location
Glasgow - home of formal profanity
Processor Ryzen 7800X3D
Motherboard MSI MAG Mortar B650 (wifi)
Cooling be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4
Memory 32GB Kingston Fury
Video Card(s) Gainward RTX4070ti
Storage Seagate FireCuda 530 M.2 1TB / Samsumg 960 Pro M.2 512Gb
Display(s) LG 32" 165Hz 1440p GSYNC
Case Asus Prime AP201
Audio Device(s) On Board
Power Supply be quiet! Pure POwer M12 850w Gold (ATX3.0)
Software W10
If this thing isn't out in January, I'll be sorely pissed.

In fact, I really wonder if it's ready for then at all. Q1 can be all the way to March.
 
Joined
Dec 29, 2010
Messages
3,809 (0.75/day)
Processor AMD 5900x
Motherboard Asus x570 Strix-E
Cooling Hardware Labs
Memory G.Skill 4000c17 2x16gb
Video Card(s) RTX 3090
Storage Sabrent
Display(s) Samsung G9
Case Phanteks 719
Audio Device(s) Fiio K5 Pro
Power Supply EVGA 1000 P2
Mouse Logitech G600
Keyboard Corsair K95
I dunno if I would say beat, more like match in one specific scenario.
 

qubit

Overclocked quantum bit
Joined
Dec 6, 2007
Messages
17,865 (2.88/day)
Location
Quantum Well UK
System Name Quantumville™
Processor Intel Core i7-2700K @ 4GHz
Motherboard Asus P8Z68-V PRO/GEN3
Cooling Noctua NH-D14
Memory 16GB (2 x 8GB Corsair Vengeance Black DDR3 PC3-12800 C9 1600MHz)
Video Card(s) MSI RTX 2080 SUPER Gaming X Trio
Storage Samsung 850 Pro 256GB | WD Black 4TB | WD Blue 6TB
Display(s) ASUS ROG Strix XG27UQR (4K, 144Hz, G-SYNC compatible) | Asus MG28UQ (4K, 60Hz, FreeSync compatible)
Case Cooler Master HAF 922
Audio Device(s) Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Fatal1ty PCIe
Power Supply Corsair AX1600i
Mouse Microsoft Intellimouse Pro - Black Shadow
Keyboard Yes
Software Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
It's looking promising. Still, I'll reserve my excitement for the official reviews. If they say it's epic then I'll jump for joy.
 
Joined
Sep 15, 2016
Messages
484 (0.16/day)
Things I would have liked to see:

1. Lower TDP (50-65W?) specs
2. XFR / Precision Boost benchmarked / demoed

I've trained myself not to believe the AMD hypetrain so I'm not entirely convinced just yet, but it was still nice to see something. Not that this isn't a giant leap forward for AMD and should cement them back in the CPU market for a while.

Is Ryzen going to throttle at 65-70C like antiquated AMD architectures? What about single thread performance? Is there an actual IPC advantage over SL/KL or is it just threadmagic? Time will tell?

Zen sounds much better than Ryzen. Not a fan of the new name.
 
Last edited:

Raevenlord

News Editor
Joined
Aug 12, 2016
Messages
3,755 (1.24/day)
Location
Portugal
System Name The Ryzening
Processor AMD Ryzen 9 5900X
Motherboard MSI X570 MAG TOMAHAWK
Cooling Lian Li Galahad 360mm AIO
Memory 32 GB G.Skill Trident Z F4-3733 (4x 8 GB)
Video Card(s) Gigabyte RTX 3070 Ti
Storage Boot: Transcend MTE220S 2TB, Kintson A2000 1TB, Seagate Firewolf Pro 14 TB
Display(s) Acer Nitro VG270UP (1440p 144 Hz IPS)
Case Lian Li O11DX Dynamic White
Audio Device(s) iFi Audio Zen DAC
Power Supply Seasonic Focus+ 750 W
Mouse Cooler Master Masterkeys Lite L
Keyboard Cooler Master Masterkeys Lite L
Software Windows 10 x64
Joined
Mar 18, 2008
Messages
5,717 (0.94/day)
System Name Virtual Reality / Bioinformatics
Processor Undead CPU
Motherboard Undead TUF X99
Cooling Noctua NH-D15
Memory GSkill 128GB DDR4-3000
Video Card(s) EVGA RTX 3090 FTW3 Ultra
Storage Samsung 960 Pro 1TB + 860 EVO 2TB + WD Black 5TB
Display(s) 32'' 4K Dell
Case Fractal Design R5
Audio Device(s) BOSE 2.0
Power Supply Seasonic 850watt
Mouse Logitech Master MX
Keyboard Corsair K70 Cherry MX Blue
VR HMD HTC Vive + Oculus Quest 2
Software Windows 10 P
And VEGA showcased as well. Freaking awesome.
 
Joined
Nov 10, 2011
Messages
245 (0.05/day)
Location
A country of Vast Meadows and Picturesque Forests
System Name SUPPRESSOR Mk IV
Processor AMD Ryzen 9 5900X @undervolt
Motherboard ASUS Crosshair VII Hero (X470)
Cooling EK CoolStream PE360 @front w/ 3x NB B12-P; Eisblock XPX; Eisbecher D5 250; Eispumpe VPP755;
Memory G.Skill Trident Z LGBT (B-die) 32GB (2x16GB) DDR4 3000MHz CL14 @4133 CL19 (F4-3000C14D-32GTZR)
Video Card(s) PowerColor RX 6800 XT @undervolt w/ EK-Quantum Vector N+; +EK CoolStream PE360 @top
Storage Samsung 980 Pro 1TB M.2 x2; +FreeNAS in Node 304 w/ 4x6TB Seagate IronWolf 3.5" HDD
Display(s) NEC PA241W @1200p; Dell U2412M @1200p; Dell U2413 @1200p; LG 65SJ950V @2160p
Case Fractal Define 7 Black /w Dark TG; +2x Be Quiet Shadow Wings 120mm at bottom
Audio Device(s) Yamaha AG06; UR28M; SB X-Fi Elite Pro; Yamaha HS7; Sennheiser HD 650; HyperX Cloud; AKG C214
Power Supply XFX XTS2 1000W (P1-1000-XTS2) (Seasonic PD platform)
Mouse Zowie EC1-A; +Akasa Mouse Pad TXL 1000x500mm
Keyboard Roccat Ryos MK Pro (Red Cherry MX)
Software Windows 10 Pro; / AMD Radeon 23.11.1
Intel has better designers, at least... all those AMD slides looks... meh
 
Joined
Mar 18, 2008
Messages
5,717 (0.94/day)
System Name Virtual Reality / Bioinformatics
Processor Undead CPU
Motherboard Undead TUF X99
Cooling Noctua NH-D15
Memory GSkill 128GB DDR4-3000
Video Card(s) EVGA RTX 3090 FTW3 Ultra
Storage Samsung 960 Pro 1TB + 860 EVO 2TB + WD Black 5TB
Display(s) 32'' 4K Dell
Case Fractal Design R5
Audio Device(s) BOSE 2.0
Power Supply Seasonic 850watt
Mouse Logitech Master MX
Keyboard Corsair K70 Cherry MX Blue
VR HMD HTC Vive + Oculus Quest 2
Software Windows 10 P
I'll believe it when I see it from independent testing. AMD is the king of "hype leading to disappointment".


Well under Lisa Su it has improved a lot. The 480 hype was mostly generated by the good old internet hype train.
 
Joined
Dec 22, 2011
Messages
3,890 (0.82/day)
Processor AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
Motherboard MSI MAG B550 TOMAHAWK
Cooling AMD Wraith Prism
Memory Team Group Dark Pro 8Pack Edition 3600Mhz CL16
Video Card(s) NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 FE
Storage Kingston A2000 1TB + Seagate HDD workhorse
Display(s) Samsung 50" QN94A Neo QLED
Case Antec 1200
Power Supply Seasonic Focus GX-850
Mouse Razer Deathadder Chroma
Keyboard Logitech UltraX
Software Windows 11
Joined
Mar 18, 2008
Messages
5,717 (0.94/day)
System Name Virtual Reality / Bioinformatics
Processor Undead CPU
Motherboard Undead TUF X99
Cooling Noctua NH-D15
Memory GSkill 128GB DDR4-3000
Video Card(s) EVGA RTX 3090 FTW3 Ultra
Storage Samsung 960 Pro 1TB + 860 EVO 2TB + WD Black 5TB
Display(s) 32'' 4K Dell
Case Fractal Design R5
Audio Device(s) BOSE 2.0
Power Supply Seasonic 850watt
Mouse Logitech Master MX
Keyboard Corsair K70 Cherry MX Blue
VR HMD HTC Vive + Oculus Quest 2
Software Windows 10 P
I am happy. Even though I am not going to build a new AMD system any time soon, the introduction of more competitive product will force the price of intel's HEDT down. If in one year I can upgrade to 6950X with $500 I will be thrilled!
 
Joined
Mar 18, 2008
Messages
5,717 (0.94/day)
System Name Virtual Reality / Bioinformatics
Processor Undead CPU
Motherboard Undead TUF X99
Cooling Noctua NH-D15
Memory GSkill 128GB DDR4-3000
Video Card(s) EVGA RTX 3090 FTW3 Ultra
Storage Samsung 960 Pro 1TB + 860 EVO 2TB + WD Black 5TB
Display(s) 32'' 4K Dell
Case Fractal Design R5
Audio Device(s) BOSE 2.0
Power Supply Seasonic 850watt
Mouse Logitech Master MX
Keyboard Corsair K70 Cherry MX Blue
VR HMD HTC Vive + Oculus Quest 2
Software Windows 10 P
So was Titan X!

Still Zen sounds very promising.


VEGA will be a faster clocked slightly efficiency bumped Fiji. Not gonna magically do way better in old DX11/OpenGL games, but will be great in DX12/Vulkan/VR applications.
 
Joined
Apr 30, 2012
Messages
3,881 (0.84/day)
If this thing isn't out in January, I'll be sorely pissed.

In fact, I really wonder if it's ready for then at all. Q1 can be all the way to March.

It wont. You have CES coming up. I expect some motherboard vendors to start showcasing then. Earliest I see it coming to market is Mid-February but late March is more likely.


So was Titan X!

Still Zen sounds very promising.

I think that was smart. They took away the "AMD GPU optimization" concern i'm sure that would of come up if it was running an all AMD system with an undefined GPU. They wanted to highlight the CPU and smartly enough they took the GPU out of the equation by using a competitor.
 
Last edited:
Joined
Nov 4, 2005
Messages
11,983 (1.72/day)
System Name Compy 386
Processor 7800X3D
Motherboard Asus
Cooling Air for now.....
Memory 64 GB DDR5 6400Mhz
Video Card(s) 7900XTX 310 Merc
Storage Samsung 990 2TB, 2 SP 2TB SSDs, 24TB Enterprise drives
Display(s) 55" Samsung 4K HDR
Audio Device(s) ATI HDMI
Mouse Logitech MX518
Keyboard Razer
Software A lot.
Benchmark Scores Its fast. Enough.
6700K was at 4.5Ghz in the demo.
 
Joined
Jul 29, 2014
Messages
484 (0.13/day)
Location
Fort Sill, OK
Processor Intel 7700K 5.1Ghz (Intel advised me not to OC this CPU)
Motherboard Asus Maximus IX Code
Cooling Corsair Hydro H115i Platinum
Memory 48GB G.Skill TridentZ DDR4 3200 Dual Channel (2x16 & 2x8)
Video Card(s) nVIDIA Titan XP (Overclocks like a champ but stock performance is enough)
Storage Intel 760p 2280 2TB
Display(s) MSI Optix MPG27CQ Black 27" 1ms 144hz
Case Thermaltake View 71
Power Supply EVGA SuperNova 1000 Platinum2
Mouse Corsair M65 Pro (not recommded, I am on my second mouse with same defect)
Software Windows 10 Enterprise 1803
Benchmark Scores Yes I am Intel fanboy that is my benchmark score.
Well it performs way better then my previous expectations which were 6700K. But performance equivalent of 6900K is a very bold move since it cost like $1050.
 

the54thvoid

Super Intoxicated Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Dec 14, 2009
Messages
13,051 (2.39/day)
Location
Glasgow - home of formal profanity
Processor Ryzen 7800X3D
Motherboard MSI MAG Mortar B650 (wifi)
Cooling be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4
Memory 32GB Kingston Fury
Video Card(s) Gainward RTX4070ti
Storage Seagate FireCuda 530 M.2 1TB / Samsumg 960 Pro M.2 512Gb
Display(s) LG 32" 165Hz 1440p GSYNC
Case Asus Prime AP201
Audio Device(s) On Board
Power Supply be quiet! Pure POwer M12 850w Gold (ATX3.0)
Software W10
It wont. You have CES coming up. I expect some motherboard vendors to start showcasing then. Earliest I see it coming to market is Mid-February but late March is more likely.




I think that was smart. They took away the "AMD GPU optimization" concern i'm sure that would of come up if it was running an all AMD system with an undefined GPU. They wanted to highlight the CPU and smartly enough they took the GPU out of the equation by using a competitor.

Damn.
 
Joined
May 7, 2009
Messages
5,392 (0.95/day)
Location
Carrollton, GA
System Name ODIN
Processor AMD Ryzen 7 5800X
Motherboard Gigabyte B550 Aorus Elite AX V2
Cooling Dark Rock 4
Memory G Skill RipjawsV F4 3600 Mhz C16
Video Card(s) MSI GeForce RTX 3080 Ventus 3X OC LHR
Storage Crucial 2 TB M.2 SSD :: WD Blue M.2 1TB SSD :: 1 TB WD Black VelociRaptor
Display(s) Dell S2716DG 27" 144 Hz G-SYNC
Case Fractal Meshify C
Audio Device(s) Onboard Audio
Power Supply Antec HCP 850 80+ Gold
Mouse Corsair M65
Keyboard Corsair K70 RGB Lux
Software Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
Benchmark Scores I don't benchmark.
I am happy. Even though I am not going to build a new AMD system any time soon, the introduction of more competitive product will force the price of intel's HEDT down. If in one year I can upgrade to 6950X with $500 I will be thrilled!

But what if in 1 year, what AMD is offering is faster than a 6950X for the same price, or the same performance for like $400?
 
Joined
May 7, 2009
Messages
5,392 (0.95/day)
Location
Carrollton, GA
System Name ODIN
Processor AMD Ryzen 7 5800X
Motherboard Gigabyte B550 Aorus Elite AX V2
Cooling Dark Rock 4
Memory G Skill RipjawsV F4 3600 Mhz C16
Video Card(s) MSI GeForce RTX 3080 Ventus 3X OC LHR
Storage Crucial 2 TB M.2 SSD :: WD Blue M.2 1TB SSD :: 1 TB WD Black VelociRaptor
Display(s) Dell S2716DG 27" 144 Hz G-SYNC
Case Fractal Meshify C
Audio Device(s) Onboard Audio
Power Supply Antec HCP 850 80+ Gold
Mouse Corsair M65
Keyboard Corsair K70 RGB Lux
Software Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
Benchmark Scores I don't benchmark.
if they have better solution they will charge for it. heck even when they not they still charge 1k for 9590.....initially.
Yeah, no. The FX-9590 has never been anywhere near $1k. I think it maxed out at $250.
 
Joined
Dec 22, 2011
Messages
3,890 (0.82/day)
Processor AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
Motherboard MSI MAG B550 TOMAHAWK
Cooling AMD Wraith Prism
Memory Team Group Dark Pro 8Pack Edition 3600Mhz CL16
Video Card(s) NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 FE
Storage Kingston A2000 1TB + Seagate HDD workhorse
Display(s) Samsung 50" QN94A Neo QLED
Case Antec 1200
Power Supply Seasonic Focus GX-850
Mouse Razer Deathadder Chroma
Keyboard Logitech UltraX
Software Windows 11
I think that was smart. They took away the "AMD GPU optimization" concern i'm sure that would of come up if it was running an all AMD system with an undefined GPU. They wanted to highlight the CPU and smartly enough they took the GPU out of the equation by using a competitor.

I don't disagree, besides nVidia's multi-threaded support is excellent so it's no wonder it's a great bed fellow for Zen.
 
Joined
Dec 29, 2010
Messages
3,809 (0.75/day)
Processor AMD 5900x
Motherboard Asus x570 Strix-E
Cooling Hardware Labs
Memory G.Skill 4000c17 2x16gb
Video Card(s) RTX 3090
Storage Sabrent
Display(s) Samsung G9
Case Phanteks 719
Audio Device(s) Fiio K5 Pro
Power Supply EVGA 1000 P2
Mouse Logitech G600
Keyboard Corsair K95
I think that was smart. They took away the "AMD GPU optimization" concern i'm sure that would of come up if it was running an all AMD system with an undefined GPU. They wanted to highlight the CPU and smartly enough they took the GPU out of the equation by using a competitor.

Ironically on another forum they were complaining that if Zen and Vega were all that why didn't they use it Vega. They can't win either way lol.
 
Joined
Nov 3, 2013
Messages
2,141 (0.53/day)
Location
Serbia
Processor Ryzen 5600
Motherboard X570 I Aorus Pro
Cooling Deepcool AG400
Memory HyperX Fury 2 x 8GB 3200 CL16
Video Card(s) RX 6700 10GB SWFT 309
Storage SX8200 Pro 512 / NV2 512
Display(s) 24G2U
Case NR200P
Power Supply Ion SFX 650
Mouse G703 (TTC Gold 60M)
Keyboard Keychron V1 (Akko Matcha Green) / Apex m500 (Gateron milky yellow)
Software W10
Looks like they got a glimpse at the tdp over at guru3d, and it seems the cpu is around 95w
 
Joined
Jun 10, 2014
Messages
2,987 (0.78/day)
Processor AMD Ryzen 9 5900X ||| Intel Core i7-3930K
Motherboard ASUS ProArt B550-CREATOR ||| Asus P9X79 WS
Cooling Noctua NH-U14S ||| Be Quiet Pure Rock
Memory Crucial 2 x 16 GB 3200 MHz ||| Corsair 8 x 8 GB 1333 MHz
Video Card(s) MSI GTX 1060 3GB ||| MSI GTX 680 4GB
Storage Samsung 970 PRO 512 GB + 1 TB ||| Intel 545s 512 GB + 256 GB
Display(s) Asus ROG Swift PG278QR 27" ||| Eizo EV2416W 24"
Case Fractal Design Define 7 XL x 2
Audio Device(s) Cambridge Audio DacMagic Plus
Power Supply Seasonic Focus PX-850 x 2
Mouse Razer Abyssus
Keyboard CM Storm QuickFire XT
Software Ubuntu
They will do so by starting with an 8-core, 16-thread, SMT-enabled, 3.4 GHz+ base clock and 20MB combined cache new high-performance CPU, leveraging all the improvements baked into AMD's new AM4 platform (with 3.4 GHz apparently being the lowest frequency a Ryzen, consumer-level desktop solution will carry).
I wonder how the cache hierarchy will work. Zen will have more L2 cache, but less L3 cache per core. It will be interesting to see details about associativity etc.

To prove their words and commitment to Ryzen's performance, AMD showcased the chip's prowess in a Blender test, pitting a Ryzen CPU at 3.4 GHz base clock (without Boost), with the consumer market's only other 8-core, 16-thread CPU in the Intel i7 6900K, at its stock 3.2 GHz base clock…

In another test, this time a Handbrake transcoding demo, Ryzen transcoded a video in 54 seconds, against 59 seconds on Intel's 6900K processor.
Both of which are workloads with is expected to run well on Zen, considering it's more of a superscalar than Intel's architecture. How good will the general performance be? We will see in time.

Again at 3.4 GHz, Ryzen was shown "beating the game frame-rates of a Core i7 6900K playing Battlefield 1 at 4K resolution, with each CPU paired with an Nvidia Titan X GPU". Not drawing any more attention than needs to be drawn towards the usage of an NVIDIA solution at their own event (which was puzzling, since AMD did show a Ryzen CPU and a VEGA-based graphics cards running Star Wars Battlefront's as-of-yet unreleased Rogue One DLC at over 60fps in 4K)
So, they don't (yet) have confidence in their own graphics hardware.

AMD also announced what constitutes part of Ryzen's beating heart: their SenseMI technology, which includes "Neural Net Prediction" - an artificial intelligence neural network that learns to predict what future pathway an application will take based on past runs; "Smart Prefetch", which drinks from the "Neural Net Prediction", anticipating the data an app needs and having it ready when needed (with these two features alone being responsible for 1/4 of Ryzen's performance uplift, according to Lisa Su).
All of which is just fancy new buzzwords for technology existing for many years.
 
Top