AMD Ryzen 7 vs Intel i7: Which Should You Choose?
Rivalries are great, even if the competitors in question might not necessarily be friendly. Some of the greatest advances in history have resulted from rivalries between individuals and powerful companies. This is especially true in tech, where competition has created iconic and distinctive results.
Even if it weren’t for rivalries between companies, gamers would still find a way to make their devices better. The multiplicity of components needed to build your PC makes technical manufacturing a fight on countless fronts. Fights in this field and others have defined the way we purchase items and interact with the digital world.
Sony vs. Nintendo vs. Microsoft, Apple vs. PC, and Hulu vs. Netflix vs. every other streaming site are only a small selection of the biggest tech rivalries. For component manufacturing competitions, few are as immediately relevant and comparable as Intel and AMD. Their chipsets have stoked countless articles, comparisons, and benchmark tests.
We are here to compare the AMD Ryzen 7 vs. Intel Core i7 series of processors. Choosing the best CPU for you isn’t just a single factor but requires a comprehensive look at everything from price to core count to Cinebench results and other benchmarks.
Below, WTFast is going to begin our in-depth rundown of the Intel and Ryzen chips, some of the most popular multi-core processors in the industry.
What Do These Processor Lines Target?
It’s important to go into this list understanding where the chips we are comparing stand in relation to each other.
The AMD Ryzen 7 5800X and Intel Core i7 processors are both in the middle-ground of their respective lines. They are surpassed by and surpass the Intel Core i9, Ryzen 9, Ryzen 5, and Intel Core i5, respectively. Their specs are better than entry-level options but not quite at the top tier.
Sourcing components for your PC quickly becomes expensive. As much as we would like to create a budget-less behemoth, real-world constraints exist. These are as much caused by MSRP as by a scarcity of components.
These mid-level designs are perfect for all but the most intense gaming. They can run pretty much any game and withstand playing on all but the highest settings. Affordability and performance are balanced perfectly here.
But which processor fulfills these needs the best? Find out below as we begin our list by discussing the power of Intel.
What Are the Specs for the Intel i7?
Intel has long made its name thanks to its components' strength and the ease it brings to building. Intel is currently in its 12th generation of chips, known as Alder Lake.
All i7 chips contain eight cores dedicated to performance and four cores for efficiency. This allows for higher processing power while addressing the TDP issues plaguing the last generation.
Base clock and boost clock vary on both model and core types. For this reason, we’ll be taking statistics from the 12700K, the strongest processor in the line. It features a clock speed ranging from 3.6 GHz for performance cores to 5 GHz when overclocking.
For good and bad, Intel processors have long been noted for using integrated graphics cards. Current Intel i7 processors run UHD 770, which plays most games, but fails to reach 60FPS in several AAA titles. This isn't an issue if you usually play indie games, but intensive online multiplayer performance may be hampered. It’s your choice whether to settle for these or purchase a discrete GPU.
The level of support Intel has for different devices is also essential. All 12th-generation Intel CPUs support both DDR4-3200 and DDR5, as well as PCIe 4.0 and 5.0. The result is theoretically better memory access than most other CPUs on the market presently. Though AMD is expected to support PCIe 5.0 later this year, the results of said promise have yet to materialize.
The Intel i7 chips are easily accessible and fairly budget-friendly. Looking up the Core i7 12700K reveals a price ranging from $375 to $470, with the majority around the $400 mark. This makes it a budget-friendly chip that’s well worth the investment. With Intel explored, it’s time to examine its competitor.
What Are the Specs for the AMD Ryzen 7?
The latest AMD Ryzen 7 offering has just been placed on the market, making it the perfect time for evaluation. We’re taking one of the first close looks at the Ryzen 7 58003XD.
The chip features eight cores with sixteen threads and 24 PCIe 4.0 lanes. This puts it slightly behind Intel in this department. It also features a lower base clock of 3.4 GHz and a boost clock of 4.5 GHz. These are both equal to or just slightly below other Ryzen 7 chips.
The Ryzen 7 58003XD has one special feature backing it up, and it’s something only AMD has managed so far. This chip integrates 3D V-Cache technology, allowing for a larger amount of L3 memory. This onboard memory boosts the performance of the other memory cache and features more storage with less space taken up. This boosts its performance metrics to phenomenally bolster the line.
Zen 3 architecture is still the name of the game. This is the case until, like seemingly everything related to AMD, Zen 4 releases later this year.
The TDP is also slightly higher than other 4th generation Ryzen 7 chips, at 105 W. This number isn’t terrible, as it is still below the base speed of Intel’s most powerful offering. The power consumption and core performance are a small trade-off for the gaming performance this otherwise high-end chip offers.
We have to end our initial discussion somewhere. Our next task is to identify which chips are the best between Intel and AMD. Find out how AMD Ryzen compares to Intel Core chips below.
Intel Core vs AMD Ryzen: The Two Side by Side
On paper, Intel chips seem to be the winner. The Ryzen chipset does not support overclocking, whereas Intel actively makes it easier to overclock your pc build. The i7 chipset, thanks to a combination of cores, also features a higher number of cores than AMD.
However, the more complex metrics of how Intel succeeds vs. AMD Ryzen creates some dissonance. In theory, its overall performance should meet that of the Core i9 chipset. It should say something that the L3 cache for Intel is only represented in their most hard-wearing workstation PCs. The AMD Ryzen takes this cache further than any individual gaming processor has before.
Even considering turbo, this should imply a better performance than anything in the Core i7 line. More time may be needed to thoroughly verify its real-world performance, however.
The i7 chips have better connectivity in terms of what they support. The AMD Ryzen 7 chips have the upper hand in terms of being supported. The 4th generation still operates on AM4 architecture, meaning most current and older motherboards will support them.
Alder Lake chips, however, mark the introduction of LGA1700 sockets. If you are upgrading and not just building a new PC, you’ll need a new motherboard. This adds a cost that AMD users don’t need to worry about.
However, the i7 chips do benefit from superior threading and data transfer rates. They may be more suited to complex workloads, especially if you want a gaming PC.
Choosing the best CPU in this situation isn’t just about one factor. It’s about identifying the benefits and drawbacks of each one.
Which Chip Is the Best?
Choosing between Intel i7 and AMD Ryzen 7 is complicated. The present Intel offerings definitively beat out the original AMD Ryzen 7 ones. However, the release of the Ryzen 7 58003XD stands to change all this.
A slightly weaker processor in terms of GHz is contrasted by an incomparably better L3 cache. The result has the potential, with the right build, to compete with even i9 chips. As the chip has a longer release window, its specific strengths and weaknesses will become more apparent.
We would like to declare AMD the winner of this comparison: the Ryzen 7 58003XD the best chip overall. However, we have to highlight this with a slight caveat.
First, both AMD and Intel are on the warpath. AMD is in the process of releasing next-gen architecture, which has entered into production and will appear this year. Intel, meanwhile, plans to enter the world of GPUs while introducing new processors to fuel a 10% year-over-year growth shortly.
Conclusion
Choosing between the two today is complicated. Choosing between the two six months from now may very well be byzantine. Whatever happens in the industry, WTFast will be there to document the latest and best releases in tech and gaming.
As a company, we first and foremost want to enhance your online gaming experience as every gamer’s secret weapon. This requires simplifying your internet connection on the server end and using the best affordable components in your PC. With hardware and software operating in tandem, the future of gaming is yours.
Sources:
Nintendo vs Sony: The Epic Gaming Partnership That Ended in Shambles | Newsweek
Recommended specifications for new personal computer purchases | University of Delaware
What is a Motherboard? - Definition, Function & Diagram - Video & Lesson Transcript | Study.com
