AMD has launched a huge amount of disruptive hardware recently. Here’s the official Logical Increments™ analysis you have all been waiting breathlessly to absorb.
Threadripper CPUs
You cannot deny the immense power of a 16-core, 32-thread CPU — particularly if there is nothing to match it from the competition! AMD’s Ryzen Threadripper 1950X ($1,000) is the most powerful consumer-grade CPU currently available, and the cheaper 1920X (12 cores, 24 threads, $800) packs quite a punch as well.
Both of these CPUs are fantastic for workstation productivity tasks. But, like the rest of the Ryzen CPUs, they are 10-20% weaker in single-threaded performance compared to Intel’s competition. Regardless, PC builders shopping for an extreme high-end CPU are looking for multi-core performance, which is where Threadripper crushes the current Intel competition.
As such, we have added the Threadripper 1920X and 1950X to the Monstrous tier, replacing the Intel Skylake-X i9-7900X. You can still find the i7-7820X and i9-7900X in the Extremist tier.
RX Vega GPUs
The launch of the RX Vega 64 and Vega 56 has been plagued with problems.
The RX Vega 64, now available, has the GTX 1080’s performance, but with a much higher price. AMD’s MSRP at launch was $500, but many models started out listed on retailer sites at $600, with the majority of models displaying a $700-plus price tag. By comparison, the GTX 1080 can be had for around $550.
The Vega 64 stock cards run hot and loud, but that is to be expected from AMD stock cards. At the time of writing, with Vega 64 being hot, loud, and overpriced, we will not be recommending it on Logical Increments. Given time, new models of Vega 64 cards will likely release with better cooling, and prices will come down to reasonable levels. When that finally happens, the Vega 64 should be a good alternative to the GTX 1080. Until then, it is not a logical recommendation.
The RX Vega 56 has been reviewed, but isn’t launching until August 28th. It has better performance than the ~$450 GTX 1070, and should come with a comparable price tag. As long as the price is right, it should be a better recommendation than the GTX 1070. However, the graphics card market has been insane recently, mainly due to high demand from cryptocurrency miners buying up the available stock. So, we’ll see if the RX Vega 56 can be found for a reasonable price upon launch.
Ryzen 3 CPUs
This update occurred back in July, but we haven’t mentioned it on the blog yet.
AMD’s Ryzen 3 range consists of two CPUs: the Ryzen 3 1200, and Ryzen 3 1300X. Aimed to compete with Intel’s i3 series in the $100-$120 range, these CPUs are true quad-cores with good performance.
The 1300X has much better clock speeds and can overclock better, but the 1200 is cheaper. Both are good choices for the price, but the Intel i3-7100 is also good. So, we’re adding the R3 1200 to the Fair tier, keeping the i3-7100 in the Good tier, and adding the R3 1300X to the Very Good tier.
Recap
In conclusion, we have updated the following:
- Threadripper 1950X and 1920X CPUs added to Monstrous tier, replacing the i9-7900X. i7-7820X and i9-7900X still found in the Extremist tier.
- Ryzen 3 1200 added to Fair tier.
- Ryzen 3 1300X added to Very Good tier. Intel i3-7100 still found in Good tier.
- RX Vega 64 will be excluded from our recommendations until it becomes a logical purchase. We continue to recommend the GTX 1080 instead.
- RX Vega 56 may be added as a better recommendation over the GTX 1070 upon August 28th release, depending on market conditions.