AMD Ryzen 5 1500X CPU Review

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AotS: Escalation & Battlefield 1

Ashes of the Singularity: Escalation

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Ashes of the Singularity: Escalation's recent patch helped level the playing field between AMD and Intel processors. The CPU test scales well with core/thread count, so it might be natural to assume that Ryzen 5 1500X would enjoy an advantage due to its SMT implementation. But at stock settings, it doesn't. Rather, the 1500X slightly trails Intel's competing CPUs.

Overclocking does help AMD overcome the locked Core i5s.

Also, we noticed visible hitching on the Ryzen 5 1500X and Core i5-7400 platforms during the CPU-intensive test, and that tendency is reflected well in our frame time over run chart. 

Battlefield 1

We dialed Battlefield 1 up to the Ultra preset and repetitively took an armor-laden stroll across the O La Vittoria landscape.

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AMD's stock Ryzen 5 1500X falls to the bottom of the pack. Overclocking offers a small performance increase, but it's not enough to propel AMD's quad-core model ahead of Intel's Core i5s. Notably, the overclocked 1500X does offer a higher minimum frame rate than the Core i5-7400.

The i5-7400 also stumbles under several frame time outliers, which are visible during gameplay. The overclocked 1500X, in contrast, provides a similarly smooth experience as the Core i5-7500.


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Paul Alcorn
Paul Alcorn
Managing Editor: News and Emerging Tech

Paul Alcorn is the Managing Editor: News and Emerging Tech for Tom's Hardware US. He also writes news and reviews on CPUs, storage, and enterprise hardware.

69 Comments Comment from the forums
  • Goran_11
    Good review. I would like to see more reviews about AMD Ryzen platform.
    Reply
  • IceMyth
    I think you missed the i5-7600K from the Price per Usable Core/Thread table which is $57.2 if you buy it from OutletPC but if you buy it from Amazon.com it will be ~$60.
    Reply
  • Shale
    Be careful, your fingerprint is visible on the CPU, someone could get enough of it from that photo to print and form a latex fingerprint that could be used to frame you for a crime, or depending on the finger and usage, be used for security breach or unlocking your phone.
    Reply
  • InvalidError
    Cost per 1% low FPS might be a better metric: emphasize sustainability. Maybe a 35-45-20 blend of average-1%-0.1%.
    Reply
  • Wisecracker
    <50w in the gaming loop is impressive
    Great job overall by AMD, and would love to see a 'head-to-head' with an OC'd AM3+ rig (FX-6350 at 4.5GHz?)

    Page 5 _ "Civilization VI Graphics Test" Heading
    -- graphic says, "Resident Evil 7"

    Reply
  • jkhoward
    It has been shown time and time again that the AMD chip when paired with a Nvidia card has poor performance. You should really consider getting an AMD Workstation card for your test until Nvidia can fix the issue.
    Reply
  • velocityg4
    Why didn't you use the same CPU options for both the Workstation and gaming tests? It would have been helpful to know how an overclocked 1500x stands up against an i5-7500 in any use case. If someone is overclocking for gaming. They aren't likely to disable the overclock when working.

    It sounds like Toms German and US labs need to communicate a bit more to set exact testing requirements for a review. That way the reader receives consistent data.

    As it stands now. The review is haphazard. There are different data sources for gaming, workstation, temperature and power.
    Reply
  • $hawn
    "8T/12T powerhouses" - I think there's a typo here
    Reply
  • $hawn
    Sorry it's correct
    Reply
  • elbert
    Looks like the Ryzen 5 1500X bests the i5-7500 while overclocked. Should the test have included best OC with the stock cooler? Price is important at this level and an aftermarket cooler stripes it of the price advantage.
    Reply