AMD announced the global launch of AMD Ryzen 7 desktop processors, with the pre-orders starting from more than 180 global retailers and boutiques OEMs.
The company states,
“Four years ago we began development of our 'Zen' processor core with the goal to deliver unprecedented generational performance gains and return choice and innovation to the high-performance computing market," said Dr. Lisa Su, president and CEO of AMD. "On March 2, enthusiasts and gamers around the world will experience 'Zen' in action, as we launch our Ryzen 7 family of processors and reinvigorate the desktop computing market."
On March 2 -- and it is now pre-orderable – the first three Ryzen processors will be available for purchase. All the three processors use AMD's latest Zen core. All three are eight-core, 16-thread parts and they all come with a 16MB level 3 cache shared across all cores and all three are unlocked for overclocking.
Image Source: amd.com
The top-end model is the R7 1800X. This $499 chip comes with 3.6 GHz base speed and a 4.0 GHz boost speed, with a 95W TDP. AMD is positioning it against Intel's i7-6900K, a $1,050 processor using the Broadwell-E core running at 3.2 GHz, and turboing up to 3.7GHz.
The other two variants are the R7 1700X, a $399 part with a base of 3.4GHz and a boost of 3.8GHz; and the R7 1700, with clocks of 3.0 and 3.7GHz, for $329. AMD is positioning these against the $439 Intel Core i7-6800K (a six-core, 12-thread part) and $349 Core i7-7700K, respectively.
The company states,
“We deeply appreciate the ways in which our partners and customers came together to build a high-performance ecosystem for Ryzen," said Jim Anderson, senior vice president and general manager, Computing and Graphics Group, AMD. "With an anticipated 82 new motherboards from ODMs worldwide, Ryzen-based designs from top global PC OEMs expected soon, and boutique SIs and OEMs showing extreme-performance PC designs, this will be a launch like no other. Unprecedented pre-order support from etailers globally shows that our ecosystem and partners are fully behind AMD and our commitment to return innovation and competition to high-performance PCs."