Introduction

It has been five years since AMD last launched a processor lineup for the desktop market. The Bulldozer family was hit with lots of criticism at launch due to its lackluster and non-competitive nature in terms of performance and efficiency. Fast forward to 2017 and AMD finally has a fresh new line of CPUs for enthusiasts and mainstream desktop users.

Known as Ryzen, the new family of high-end and mainstream desktop CPUs comes with the latest 14 nm Zen architecture. After adopting FinFET for their graphics chips, AMD is extending the FinFET tech to their Ryzen processors. FinFET is just one aspect of their entire Zen architecture. AMD's entire journey to Ryzen was to meet the promised 40% IPC goal over Excavator. They did so and managed to achieve more than that. A mind boggling 52% IPC increase is what AMD achieved with Ryzen and that yielded a massive performance increase, bigger than anything AMD has ever offered to consumers.

Related Story AMD Prepping Ryzen 5000XT CPU Refresh For AM4 Budget Platforms, Faster Clocks On Zen 3

Intel had the lead in CPU performance for many years and AMD had nothing to offer. But it's wise to say that AMD is back and with a very competitive and disruptive processor lineup. During the intervening years, Intel had also gained a massive advantage by optimizing their platforms for future I/O support. AMD has done the same with their new AM4 platform which we will be focusing on today.

Our Ryzen 7 processor review focused on the enthusiast grade, 8 core and 16 thread chips. Today, we I'll be taking a look at the Ryzen 5 mainstream chip, a 6 core and 12 thread processor. I'll be using the Ryzen 5 1600X processor and ASRock X370 Killer SLI AC motherboard for this review to test the performance potential of AMD's more cost effective chips that aim to offer Core i7 level performance for the price of a Core i5 chip. I would also like to thank ASRock for enabling us to cover this review by arranging the board and processor.

You can also check out our Ryzen 5 1500X review in the video below:

AMD X370 "Promontory" Chipset - The Top AM4 Platform PCH

AMD has two "X" series chipsets powering their AM4 platform, the X370 and X300. The AMD X370 chipset is the flagship PCH while the X300 is a cost effective variant tuned for M-ITX boards.

The X370 chipset is a high-end PCH for overclockers and tweakers who need robust platforms. This chipset provides the ultimate low-level control to its users and delivers ultimate graphics card bandwidth. By bandwidth, AMD is referring to max PCI Express lanes as this is the only chip in the stack that supports multi-GPU functionality. The chipset supports both, CFX (CrossFire) and SLI. Features of X300 series chipsets include:

  • Dual-channel DDR4 memory
  • NVMe
  • M.2 SATA devices
  • USB 3.1 Gen 1 and Gen 2
  • PCIe 3.0 capability

AMD has mentioned two full x16 (Gen3) lanes for GPUs. AIBs can add additional lanes through a PLX chip but that would add to the cost. X370 features full overclocking support with a very sophisticated GUI that will allow the best overclock tools and experiences. Since all AM4 CPUs have an unlocked multiplier, most record breakers will definitely put X370 boards to the test on liquid and LN2 setups.

AMD Chipset Features and Specifications:

WccftechX670E/X670B650E/B650A620X570X399 RefreshX399X470X370B450B350A320X300A300
CrossfireX/SLI2-Way CFX2-Way CFXN/ATriple CFX/2-Way SLIQuad SLI/CFX
(Max 6 GPU Support)
Quad SLI/CFX
(Max 6 GPU Support)
Triple CFX/2-Way SLITriple CFX/2-Way SLIN/AN/AN/AN/AN/A
CPU Lanes24 Gen 5 (with Ryzen 7000 CPUs & above)24 Gen 5 (with Ryzen 7000 CPUs & above)24 Gen 4 (with Ryzen 7000 CPUs & above)N/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/A
PCH Lanes12 Gen 4
8 Gen 3
8 Gen 4
4 Gen 3
8 Gen 330 +16 (with Ryzen 7 CPU)60 (With Threadripper CPU)
4 Lanes Reserved for PCH
60 (With Threadripper CPU)
4 Lanes Reserved for PCH
16 (with Ryzen 7 CPU)16 (with Ryzen 7 CPU)
8 (with Bristol Ridge)
16 (with Ryzen 7 CPU)16 (with Ryzen 7 CPU)
8 (with Bristol Ridge)
16 (with Ryzen 7 CPU)
8 (with Bristol Ridge)
16 (with Ryzen 7 CPU)
8 (with Bristol Ridge)
16 (with Ryzen 7 CPU)
8 (with Bristol Ridge)
PCIe Gen 2 LanesN/AN/AN/AN/A8 PCIe Lanes (reserved)8 PCIe Lanes (reserved)8 (plus x2 PCIe Gen3 when no x4 NVMe)8 (plus x2 PCIe Gen3 when no x4 NVMe)6 (plus x2 PCIe Gen3 when no x4 NVMe)6 (plus x2 PCIe Gen3 when no x4 NVMe)4 (plus x2 PCIe Gen3 when no x4 NVMe)4 (plus x2 PCIe Gen3 when no x4 NVMe)4 (plus x2 PCIe Gen3 when no x4 NVMe)
USB 3.1/3.2 Gen22108222222100
USB 3.1/3.2 Gen1126212 (PCH + CPU)13 (PCH+CPU)13 (PCH+CPU)101066644
USB 2.0866N/A666666600
SATA 6Gb/s8448886644422
SATA ExpressN/AN/AN/A2222222211
DDR5 DIMMs444N/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/A
DDR4 DIMMsN/AN/AN/A4884444222
Overclocking
Support
YesYesN/AYesYesYesYesYesYesYesNoYesNo
XFR2 EnhancedYesYesN/AYesYesNoYesNoYesNoNoNoNo
Precision Boost OverdriveYesYesN/AYesYesNoYesNoYesNoNoNoNo
NVMeYes (Gen 5.0)Yes (Gen 5.0)N/AYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYes
Form FactorATX/mATX/ITXATX/mATX/ITXmATX/ITXATX, MATXATX, MATXATX, MATXATX, MITXATXATX, M-ATXATX, M-ATXM-ATX, Mini-ITXMini-ITXM-ATX, Mini-ITX

9.2
Wccftech Rating

AMD has built a disruptive platform with Ryzen and AM4 with the new Ryzen 5 1600X plus ASRock X370 Killer SLI AC showcasing a powerful bond in multi-tasking applications and competitive gaming potential.

Pros
  • Very Competitive Pricing (Both CPU and Board)
  • Very Good Multi-tasking Performance (CPU)
  • 14nm Process Allows For Cool and Efficient Operation (CPU)
  • Platform Cost Low Compared To Intel's Offerings
  • 6 Core, 12 Threads In The Price Bracket of Non-Threaded Intel Quad Cores (CPU)
  • ASRock Packs Lots of great features on the board
  • Wireless (AC) connectivity under $150 US
  • X370 Chipset With Nice VRM Design For Overclocking Ryzen CPUs
  • Dual M.2 Slots For Multiple NVMe SSD Support
  • Up To 64 GB DDR4 Memory Support
  • CrossFire and SLI Capable Motherboard
Cons
  • Gaming Performance Not On Par With Competition
  • Limited Overclocking Potential on Ryzen Processors
  • AM4 Motherboards Not Compatible With High Speed DDR4 DIMMs (yet)
  • Not many applications optimized for Ryzen Processors
  • No integrated graphics across all Ryzen Processors
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