AMD Ryzen 5 1500X CPU Review

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Rise of the Tomb Raider & The Division

Rise of the Tomb Raider

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Rise of the Tomb Raider is the perfect example of a game that doesn't efficiently utilize Ryzen's on-die resources. If there's one game in our suite that could really use a round of optimization for AMD's architecture, this is it. Even at their best, the Ryzen processors trail Intel's offerings by 33 FPS. We also recorded significant frame time variance from Ryzen during the test's latter half. Then again, Intel's Core i5-7400 and -7500 encounter their fair share of inconsistent performance, as well.

Tom Clancy's The Division

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Tom Clancy's The Division is also fairly graphics-bound, so it doesn't show much variation between host processors.

AMD's stock Ryzen 5 1500X trails the pack in average frame rate, though its minimum is higher than Intel's Core i5-7400 and -7500 (and surprisingly, the stock Core i5-7600K).

We expected to see more consistent performance, given the higher minimum frame rates we observed. However, Ryzen 5 1500X suffers extensive variance during the test's opening seconds, which the other CPUs don't encounter. This trend persists, even after we overclock the 1500X, and manifests as noticeable stuttering during the run.  


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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