Overclocking and XFR demonstrations of the AMD Ryzen processors have been revealed. A video that has been uploaded on YouTube shows us a part of the Ryzen Tech Day event which was kept under wraps till the NDA lifts. That's no longer the case as we can now see the NDA section too with details on Ryzen's OC potential.
AMD Ryzen Live Overclocking and XFR Demos Revealed - Flagship Ryzen 7 1800X Hits 4.1 GHz With XFR on Both Single and Multi-Core Benchmarks
First up, we want to recap a bit about AMD's XFR (Extended Frequency Range) feature. The overly hyped feature will allow the Ryzen processors to clock higher than their maximum rated precision boost limits. The clock speed of XFR will scale with the tier of cooling solutions being used. The better the cooling, the better the overall clock speeds. This is a fully automated process that works similarly to the GPU Boost tech that we see on modern graphics cards.
During the live demo, AMD used a PC that was running the Ryzen 7 1800X along with a pretty high-end cooler. The maximum XFR boost for this chip was +100 MHz to 4.1 GHz. AMD ran a test run of Cinebench R15 showcasing XFR that pushed the chip up to 4.1 GHz across all cores. The chip was again tested in the single-threaded test and it once again boosted beyond its precision boost limit, to 4.1 GHz. So, as we had already detailed in our Ryzen Master post, we are expecting around +100 to +200 MHz increments in overall clock speeds with XFR on the "X" series processors.
We had previously posted an article on AMD's 1800X world record which saw the chip clock past 5 GHz across all 8 cores on LN2 cooling. Auto overclocking frequencies that can be applied through boost OC features on AM4 motherboards were also detailed here.
AMD Ryzen Master Overclocking Demoed - Ryzen 7 1800X Crashes While Overclocked
We also get our first detailed look at the Ryzen Master overclocking utility. The Ryzen 7 1800X chip was overclocked to 4.1 GHz across all 8 cores in the Ryzen Master utility and tested in Cinebench R15. The test however didn't end well and resulted in a system crash that led to a black screen.
The Master overclocking utility will offer full range of overclocking and tuning features to enthusiasts that include:
- Per Core Clock Adjustment For All Ryzen Chips
- Enable / Disable / Set Core Count (0/2/4/6/8 as per needed)
- Step Size: +25 ~ +50 MHz increments for non-X and +100 ~ +200 MHz increments for X series chips (TBC)
- CPU Voltage Adjustment
- MEM VDDIO Voltage Adjustment
- MEM VTT Voltage Adjustment (IMC)
- VDDCR SOC (PCH Voltage Adjustment)
- CAS Latency Adjustment
- Row Precharge Delay (15 bus clock @ standard)
- RAS Active Time (36 bus clock @ standard)
- Read Row-Column Delay (15 bus clock @ standard)
- Write Row-Column Delay (15 bus clock @ standard)
These are just the tuning options in the AMD Master control panel and there’s more. A sleek looking speedometer shows the peak speed your AMD chip would be operating at. It will indicate both the speed and temperature. The chip used for the showcase was operating at 3.9 GHz boost frequencies and idling around 2.20 GHz so temperatures varied between 40-50 degrees centigrade.
You can set clock speeds at a minimum of 3.00 GHz and a maximum of 6.375 GHz (LN2 maybe?) But that would mostly depend on the specific SKU you are getting and also the cooling used. You can save up to five custom profiles for your chip in the Master utility.
AMD Ryzen 7 Series CPUs – Flagship AMD 7 1800X With 8 Cores, 16 Threads, 4 GHz Boost Clocks
The AMD 8 core range will feature the fastest “X” variant in the lineup. This processor will be known as the AMD 7 1800X and will feature 8 cores and 16 threads. This model is expected to operate at base clocks of 3.6 GHz and boost clocks of 4.0 GHz. The performance of this processor should be on par with Intel’s Core i7 6900K. Other details include an L2 + L3 cache of 20 MB (4 MB + 16 MB) and a TDP of 95W. The chip will have enthusiast level pricing at $499 which compared to Intel's 6900K ($1000 US+) is a great deal.
The rest of the processors in the Ryzen 7 family are also 8 core and 16 threaded variants. The Ryzen 7 series has clock speeds ranging from 3.0 GHz up to 3.6 GHz. The processors include Ryzen 7 PRO 1800, Ryzen 7 1700X, Ryzen 7 1700 (Gaming and CPU Benchmarks here) and Ryzen 7 PRO 1700. The AMD 1800X also managed to break the 8 core Cinebench R15 performance world record last week, more details here.
AMD Ryzen 7 Series Processor Lineup:
| AMD Ryzen CPU Model | Cores/Threads | Base Clock | Boost Clock | L3 Cache | TDP | Socket | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ryzen 7 1800X | 8/16 | 3.6 GHz | 4.0 GHz | 16 MB | 95W-SR3+ | AM4 | $499 US |
| Ryzen 7 Pro 1800 | 8/16 | TBD | TBD | 16 MB | 95W | AM4 | $449 US |
| Ryzen 7 1700X | 8/16 | 3.4 GHz | 3.8 GHz | 16 MB | 95W-SR3+ | AM4 | $399 US |
| Ryzen 7 1700 | 8/16 | 3.0 GHz | 3.7 GHz | 16 MB | 65W | AM4 | $329 US |
| Ryzen 7 Pro 1700 | 8/16 | TBD | TBD | 16 MB | 65W | AM4 | $299 US |
AMD's Ryzen 7 processors will launch on 2nd March, 2017 followed by mainstream chips in Q2 2017 and budget-tier chips in 2H 2017. Retailers have already dropped prices on several Intel processors which hints at the start of a major price war which will be seen between the two CPU rivals after several silent decades. For the full AMD AM4 motherboard lineup, visit our detailed round-up on this page.
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