AMD Ryzen 7 2700 Overclocking Review @ [H]

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FrgMstr

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AMD Ryzen 7 2700 Overclocking Review

With the AMD Ryzen 7 2700 (non-X) down to as little as $255, it seems that now is the time for us to discuss exactly what the benefits, if any, there are to purchasing the 2700 rather than its more expensive big brother, the 2700X. If you consider yourself a computer hardware enthusiast, and are building a new system any time soon, you will want to give this a read.

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cheers though thank you for the overclocking review of the 2700, seems just like Ryzen 1xxx generation there really is not much at all separating them nothing a quick and dirty bios level overclock will not fix.

I wonder how AMD will be able to seperate the lines when it comes to the actual Ryzen gen 2 (probably called 3xxx) so that the best of the cores are a good difference that maybe very few if any of the lower priced chips can hope to reach without exotic cooling or whatever O.O
 
Depends on your needs. If you're just gaming then I think that you made the right choice. I wanted a CPU that would be able to do most of whatever I wanted to do and I felt that the 8700k with its six cores and the 2700x with its eight cores ideal for my mixed usage. I went AMD honestly just to do something different since I have owned Intel CPU's exclusively and also felt that it was pretty competitive as well.
 
KingGlade said:
Depends on your needs. If you're just gaming then I think that you made the right choice. I wanted a CPU that would be able to do most of whatever I wanted to do and I felt that the 8700k with its six cores and the 2700x with its eight cores ideal for my mixed usage. I went AMD honestly just to do something different since I have owned Intel CPU's exclusively and also felt that it was pretty competitive as well.
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I gave team red a shot for the exact same reason. I've had Intel since.. the athlon 64 days when I had a opteron170.

So far with my 2700x I've been very impressed.
 
jmilcher said:
I gave team red a shot for the exact same reason. I've had Intel since.. the athlon 64 days when I had a opteron170.

So far with my 2700x I've been very impressed.
Click to expand...

Same here! I upgraded from a 3770k and have been greatly impressed with it. Especially, when I am multitasking and it makes me wish that I went HEDT like I wanted to instead of the 3770k.
 
Hey Kyle,

Just curious if you plan to do a review with Ryzen and memory speeds/timings? Just curious since I have seen numerous reports that higher clocked memory with higher CL timings might not be as good as lower clocked memory with tighter CL timings?
 
Brackle said:
Hey Kyle,

Just curious if you plan to do a review with Ryzen and memory speeds/timings? Just curious since I have seen numerous reports that higher clocked memory with higher CL timings might not be as good as lower clocked memory with tighter CL timings?
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I would definitely like a review on this as well. I started with 3200 with tighter timings but noticed an improvement in performance for me with higher clocks with slightly looser timings.
 
Nice article Kyle. I'll probably downshift my focus from 2700x to 2700 since I don't really care about the wraith prism cooler. $50 is still real money.
 
dragonstongue said:
cheers though thank you for the overclocking review of the 2700, seems just like Ryzen 1xxx generation there really is not much at all separating them nothing a quick and dirty bios level overclock will not fix.
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If you think that, then you are not well informed.
 
Brackle said:
Hey Kyle,

Just curious if you plan to do a review with Ryzen and memory speeds/timings? Just curious since I have seen numerous reports that higher clocked memory with higher CL timings might not be as good as lower clocked memory with tighter CL timings?
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What exact timings and clocks do you want to see tested?
 
The gains are a lot lower than you might think, outside of very specific, non 'casual' scenarios. They can however affect games (god help us) and synthetic benchmarks.
As to what is best, it's all already out there, but.. (from best to 'worst')

- 3200, 12 CAS. Good luck with that
- 3400, 14 CAS. Doable, but for most people, good luck with that
- 3400, 16, tight secondaries and tertiaries. If you can't do that, stop overclocking
- 3200, 14, tight secondaries and tertiaries. If you can't do that, really stop using computers. I hear Xbox can be fun

* and since i keep seeing that 1.35v figure.. don't be scared to reach 1.45v, at all. Just don't exceed it, not for 24/7. Mind you, 1.45 with LLC factored in. Don't input a 1.45 value with an LLC of 6 or 7 on top :)
 
Aenra said:
The gains are a lot lower than you might think, outside of very specific, non 'casual' scenarios. They can however affect games (god help us) and synthetic benchmarks.
As to what is best, it's all already out there, but.. (from best to 'worst')

- 3200, 12 CAS. Good luck with that
- 3400, 14 CAS. Doable, but for most people, good luck with that
- 3400, 16, tight secondaries and tertiaries. If you can't do that, stop overclocking
- 3200, 14, tight secondaries and tertiaries. If you can't do that, really stop using computers. I hear Xbox can be fun

* and since i keep seeing that 1.35v figure.. don't be scared to reach 1.45v, at all. Just don't exceed it, not for 24/7. Mind you, 1.45 with LLC factored in. Don't input a 1.45 value with an LLC of 6 or 7 on top :)
Click to expand...

Thats the thing, some people are getting massive results, some aren't. I Also know that the Asus Crosshair VII has overclocked memory timings built in called stilts, which show pretty decent gains. So it makes me wonder spending the extra $$ on very good low latency memory might be worth it if you go with Ryzen.
 
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At that price, perhaps its biggest relevance is to those deciding between 2600x and 2700 - more cores for a temptingly small premium - clocks or cores?
 
msroadkill612 said:
At that price, perhaps its biggest relevance is to those deciding between 2600x and 2700 - more cores for a temptingly small premium - clocks or cores?
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it really just depends on what you use your cpu for.. i didn't think i really needed 12 threads with my 1600 but being able to transcode movies over my network while still being able to play any game i want at 75fps was the real eye opener for me.
 
Thanks for testing the AI benchmark. The difference between PB2 and OCed is quite surprising in that benchmark.

Us strategy guys are a weird breed. I'd take 5 seconds saved per turn over an extra 100 fps 9 times out of 10.
 
[QUOTE="Thats the thing, some people are getting massive results, some aren't. I Also know that the Asus Crosshair VII has overclocked memory timings built in called stilts, which show pretty decent gains. So it makes me wonder spending the extra $$ on very good low latency memory might be worth it if you go with Ryzen."[/QUOTE]

Yes, please on the fast/tight memory testing!
I'd especially be interested in these OC matchups -
TridentZ -3200 ~ 14 cas - https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820232649
Sniper X -3400 ~ 16 cas - https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820232727&cm_re=sniper_x-_-20-232-727-_-Product (not b-die but interesting)
TridentZ -3600 - 15 cas - https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820232306

Some testers suggest that -3400 is about the sweet spot for Ryzen but others think that the 3200 @ 14 (or OC'ed faster/tighter) might be better

I think as new BIOS updates come for the X470 boards that having more top speed @ 3600+ (but at decent cas) might be good too.
 
Lumpus said:
[QUOTE="Thats the thing, some people are getting massive results, some aren't. I Also know that the Asus Crosshair VII has overclocked memory timings built in called stilts, which show pretty decent gains. So it makes me wonder spending the extra $$ on very good low latency memory might be worth it if you go with Ryzen."
Click to expand...

Yes, please on the fast/tight memory testing!
I'd especially be interested in these OC matchups -
TridentZ -3200 ~ 14 cas - https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820232649
Sniper X -3400 ~ 16 cas - https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820232727&cm_re=sniper_x-_-20-232-727-_-Product (not b-die but interesting)
TridentZ -3600 - 15 cas - https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820232306

Some testers suggest that -3400 is about the sweet spot for Ryzen but others think that the 3200 @ 14 (or OC'ed faster/tighter) might be better

I think as new BIOS updates come for the X470 boards that having more top speed @ 3600+ (but at decent cas) might be good too.[/QUOTE]

Yea if I do go Ryzen I would be hard pressed not to buy the 3600 CL15 memory. I have read that some people are able to get CL14 speeds on them by upping the voltage a lil.
 
The major thing with Ryzen is you need to overclock your RAM including subtimings to maximize performance between CCXes. The Ryzen memory calculator and Stilt's guidelines / presets are a good place to start.

3200C12 might be better for latency sensitive things but 3466C14 (Stilt's setting is 3466C15) or 3600C15 (most Ryzen 2nd gen CPUs hit 3533 per the Stilt) could be better for other workloads with a small hit to latency. With GearDownMode enabled you pretty much need to use even timings though.

That said I would really want to see more extensive BCLK tuning on these chips. Most people are still using Intel-like methods of jacking up the multiplier, but retaining XFR / PB2 and turning up BCLK to say 103 or 104 BCLK might be better for the R7 2700X.

P.S. newer hwinfo64 has improved detection for X470 board sensors.
 
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ACC said:
The major thing with Ryzen is you need to overclock your RAM including subtimings to maximize performance between CCXes. The Ryzen memory calculator and Stilt's guidelines / presets are a good place to start.

3200C12 might be better for latency sensitive things but 3466C14 (Stilt's setting is 3466C15) or 3600C15 (most Ryzen 2nd gen CPUs hit 3533 per the Stilt) could be better for other workloads with a small hit to latency. With GearDownMode enabled you pretty much need to use even timings though.

That said I would really want to see more extensive BCLK tuning on these chips. Most people are still using Intel-like methods of jacking up the multiplier, but retaining XFR / PB2 and turning up BCLK to say 103 or 104 BCLK might be better for the R7 2700X.

P.S. newer hwinfo64 has improved detection for X470 board sensors.
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Yes BCLK tuning can indeed allow faster ram speeds if your other devices will allow it. Was running 3500mhz Cas 14 ram for awhile with 16gb. Running 32gb now at 3200mhz. Once I get the 2700 from EBay I may do some BCLK tuning - the 2700 maybe ripe for that since you have some headroom while the 2700x is pretty much maxed out.
 
So, save ~$20 (or put it towards better ram or mobo) by getting the 2700 and a good cooler, p-state o/c and you get a slight win in all core loads and a slight loss in lightly threaded apps and power consumption. Or save yourself the time and effort and just go with a 2700X and prism, put it in and forget it. An argument can easily be made for both.
 
bobzdar said:
So, save ~$20 (or put it towards better ram or mobo) by getting the 2700 and a good cooler, p-state o/c and you get a slight win in all core loads and a slight loss in lightly threaded apps and power consumption. Or save yourself the time and effort and just go with a 2700X and prism, put it in and forget it. An argument can easily be made for both.
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And I have also seen folks selling the Prism cooler for a some nice coin as well if you would want to go that route.
 
Since we are on the topic of memory and timings...

I re used my 2400 MHz ram from my Skylake build, with my 2700x.

I've seen benchmarks showing as much as a 10% difference in frame rates in games.

Gaming isn't really what this gets used for.

So at these prices I'd have to sell my 32 gb set for a 16 gb set of 3200 cl14.

Worth it?
 
Sorry if this is a dumb question, but I didn't see it mentioned specifically here and I don't think it warranted any attention in the 2700X review. Manually clocking to 4.2 pegs the cores at that speed - and there's no way to let them slow down when they're not being taxed, right? So yes we can clock to 4.2 for sweet performance, but we then have to deal with the constant heat output - there's no way to simply "overclock" the allowable TDP and simply let PB2 work?

What's the best option for trying for the best of both worlds with a 2700? Set up an OC profile and load it / unload it as required?
 
Brackle said:
Thats the thing, some people are getting massive results, some aren't.
Click to expand...

Before i get in to this, to briefly touch on the as usual overhyped Crosshair Hero Maximus Apexus Pwnagus board;
For one with the inclination, not even the knowledge, just the inclination, any premium 470 board can load the exact same timings this board can; the only exception to this rule would be 'a' board that had a radically different actual topology. We don't have such a board, not for AM4.
Derbauer has costs to cover, he does his job.
Not a jab at you, just commenting since you brought it up in relation to AM4 and RAM timings. You want more details/specifics, i could PM or reply in a relevant thread.

Now on to the topic, it depends on what you do really.. games could and usually do so see an improvement from both freqs and timings; up to a lot, engine depending. Everyday, casual usage? Zero, one should not even bother. Memory intensive applications? Surely a benefit, but again, can be quite minimal, depends on the workload we'd be talking about. Am afraid there's no one rule here.
Generally speaking however, i stick to what i've been saying for years now. Barring a need to stroke one's ego, or a person's being too OCDd for their own good (guilty)? Freq and primary timings are enough. Really.
 
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Nicepants42 said:
Sorry if this is a dumb question, but I didn't see it mentioned specifically here and I don't think it warranted any attention in the 2700X review. Manually clocking to 4.2 pegs the cores at that speed - and there's no way to let them slow down when they're not being taxed, right? So yes we can clock to 4.2 for sweet performance, but we then have to deal with the constant heat output - there's no way to simply "overclock" the allowable TDP and simply let PB2 work?

What's the best option for trying for the best of both worlds with a 2700? Set up an OC profile and load it / unload it as required?
Click to expand...
If your board supports it, using AMD PState you can control the different PStates and clocks.

Other boards (can't say all of them, here the ASUS CrossHair 6 and Biostar I own), setting the CPU multiplier in the bios will still allow the different PStates to take effect without any added effort from the user. So you are not stuck at 4.2 ghz if that is the clockspeed you dialed in at. Also believe Ryzen master (that is if you don't mind software based applications running etc.) also allows OCing and PStates to work normally.

Looks like Friday I will get my 2700 which over the weekend I should be able to stick it in and test out the thermal pad as well.
 
noko said:
If your board supports it, using AMD PState you can control the different PStates and clocks.

Other boards (can't say all of them, here the ASUS CrossHair 6 and Biostar I own), setting the CPU multiplier in the bios will still allow the different PStates to take effect without any added effort from the user. So you are not stuck at 4.2 ghz if that is the clockspeed you dialed in at. Also believe Ryzen master (that is if you don't mind software based applications running etc.) also allows OCing and PStates to work normally.

Looks like Friday I will get my 2700 which over the weekend I should be able to stick it in and test out the thermal pad as well.
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TYVM. In that case, the 2700 is indeed looking like a good buy.
 
If this is a retail bought 2700 I'm impressed. If it was an AMD supplied review sample (which 99.9% makes it a Golden Sample) then it's just okay-ish.
Overclocking a golden sample will always be a breeze and leave any reviewer with a wonderful impression.
 
Calavaro said:
If this is a retail bought 2700 I'm impressed. If it was an AMD supplied review sample (which 99.9% makes it a Golden Sample) then it's just okay-ish. Overclocking a golden sample will always be a breeze and leave any reviewer with a wonderful impression.
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1000 series Ryzen shows that this is standard issue. There were very few duds on 1000 series. Always hit 3.8-4.0 GHz in capable hands.
These new chips, under intelligent hands, seem to be 4.0-4.2 GHz.
 
Calavaro said:
If this is a retail bought 2700 I'm impressed. If it was an AMD supplied review sample (which 99.9% makes it a Golden Sample) then it's just okay-ish.
Overclocking a golden sample will always be a breeze and leave any reviewer with a wonderful impression.
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I tested 10 retail purchased samples against AMD samples last year and found no difference.
 
lightsout said:
I wonder if there is a way to get the 2700 to act like a 2700 using PB2. Some sort of bios setting. I mean the difference int he chips is artificial right? They are identical physically no?
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No there is not.
 
lightsout said:
Do you know what prevents that? Whatever identification is in the chip? Just curious
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Probably disabled in the microcode, if not deeper in the chip. You could reverse engineer the microcode, but I think it's signed nowadays, so flashing may be an issue.
 
Nobu said:
Probably disabled in the microcode, if not deeper in the chip. You could reverse engineer the microcode, but I think it's signed nowadays, so flashing may be an issue.
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Thanks that's above my pay grade for sure.
 
Going to finally build a mostly new system with the 2700, the Aorus used in this benchmark review (because I have never had a problem with Gigabyte), some new RAM from G.Skill, and the 4g 970 GTX from my old i7 920 system from 2008....Along with most of the hard drives from that as well.
 
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