AMD’s Robert Hallock, Director of Technical Marketing provided some more details on the new Ryzen 5000 series compatibility and features.
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AMD’s Ryzen 5000 series was finally released to the public yesterday, and we’ve been busy putting them to the test on our benchmarking rig. And, while benchmarkers around the world are pushing them to the limits, AMD’s Director of Technical Marketing, Robert Hallock, has provided us with more details around the CPU’s compatibility, upcoming features, and upgrade opportunities for those using AMD 500 series motherboards.
Get your hands on the new 5000-series CPUs with our links below:
November 5th was a big day for PC gaming enthusiasts as the long-awaited AMD Ryzen 5000 series of CPUs finally released to the public. After revealing details in their live-streamed event back in October, fans have been waiting with bated breath to get their hands on AMD’s next-generation CPUs. Going up head-to-head with Intel’s 10th-gen CPUs, gamers and PC builders alike have been excited to see how they stack up against their rivals. The series feature up to 16 cores and 32 threads and a boost clock of up to 4.9GHz. If you want to see how the different chips hold up against the last-generation Ryzen 3000 series and the new Intel chips, check out our comparisons below.
AMD decided to clarify some of the finer details of these new chips via social media, so we’ve gathered everything up in one easy to read place.
So, let’s take a look at what’s been said across social media about these new chips. Here’s a quick rundown of the smaller points:
1) AMD’s Ryzen 5000 series doesn’t need a power plan – so don’t expect to see one appearing any time soon
2) The CPUs can clock to DDR-4000 1:1 if you have a good sample, and the upcoming AGESA work will make this easier to achieve.
3) Turns out you can tweak Ryzen performance vs. power with the Win10 Power & Sleep sider after you install the chipset driver.
4) The memory controller is the same.
5) You don’t need a new AGESA for pre-5000 Series CPUs, they recommend staying on the BIOS you have.
6) Ryzen 5000 series will not support per-core overclocking.
7) Undervolting is temporarily gone for the 5000 series, but it will be back in an upcoming AGESA with new functionality – and he seems VERY excited about this, apparently, “It’s gonna be HYPE”.
Hallock also talked about Precision Boost and what it really means. While many seem to think Precision Boost is some kind of automatic overclocking, he hit back saying this was, in fact, not the case. He clarifies that every processor has a boost technology, but Precision Boost is AMD’s own version of this which is unique in that “X THREADS do not equal Y CLOCKS” because that makes things too slow.
A lot of people have questions about the best memory options for the Ryzen 5000 series, So Hallock ran through some of the most frequently asked questions for fans. Here’s what he had to say:
What is the fastest possible RAM you can run with 1:1 fclk?
DDR4-4000. 2000MHz fclk is to the Ryzen 5000 Series what 1900MHz fclk was to the Ryzen 3000 Series. Many samples can do it, but not all. In upcoming AGESAs, we will be implementing additional tuning that will make reaching 2000MHz easier. This is not a guarantee. There is no “safe bet” that your CPU will reach this frequency. But don’t be surprised to see a bunch of people bringing that magical 2000MHz fclk home with DDR4-4000.
Best RAM For Ryzen 5000 Series
Okay, so what’s the best price/performance?
DDR4-3600 continues to be a “sweet spot.” The kits are inexpensive, widely available, perform well, and have good compatibility. Is it the best in every category? No, but that’s not what the sweet spot is. 3600 is a good bet because it’s a good value in perf/$ for someone who wants to plug and play. Is it the best possible performance? No. Is it close? Yes, and without tinkering.
What’s the best memory, even if I have to overclock?
Probably very tight timing 3600 or 3800, just like the Ryzen 3000 Series. The timings on these memory bins can be super aggressive versus higher memory speed grades, and that usually overpowers frequency.
I only bought 3200, did I do bad?
No, DDR4-3200 is typically binned with tight timings that makes it very competitive with a weak or average DDR4-3600 kit. You’re not missing out on a ton of performance, but there are gains to be had w/ OC if you’re interested in it.
Did you change the memory controller?
No. Everything you know about memory from the Ryzen 3000 Series still applies. Everything. In full. Except the ceiling is now +100MHz higher @ DDR4-4000 for good samples.
(Answers taken from r/Amd)
Do you have any burning questions about the Ryzen 5000 series – or any other tech for that matter – be sure to drop us a comment below and one of our tech experts will get back to you!
