AMD released their Ryzen 7000 series processors this morning and there are tons of new changes. With the introduction of Zen 4 technology, AM5, DDR5 memory, and PCIE5 storage, there’s a lot to unpack. Especially if you’re new to PC building and components, this announcement can be daunting. Lucky for you, we brought in our lab specialist, Brad, to answer some of your burning questions regarding this new processor.

AMD Ryzen 7000 series Q&A w/ our specialist

Q: What are some key features that set the 7000 series apart from previous generations?

A: The Ryzen 7000 series is stuffed with a wealth of new features that set it apart from the prior generation. The new AM5 socket offers higher power delivery and a more secure CPU mounting technique while retaining most of the cooler compatibility from AM4, allowing the user to keep their existing thermal solutions. It also includes support for PCIE5 storage and DDR5 memory.

Q: How does the 7000 series compare to the 5800X3D?

A: The 7700X is the part that mostly competes with the 5800X3D in terms of pricing and core count. We expect an average of about 5% gaming performance improvement for the new processor and upwards of 30% improvement in tasks like rendering.

Q: Does the 7000 series support DDR4?

A: At this time, only DDR5 is supported. We cannot comment on any potential for DDR4 support in the future, but as DDR5 inches closer to price parity with DDR4 it should become a non-issue.

Q: What chip socket will the Ryzen 7000 series use?

A: All Ryzen 7000 parts use the new LGA AM5 socket. This means there is no backward compatibility with older AMD platforms.

Q: What is your favorite new feature of the 7000 series?

A: Honestly, it is silly, but it’s the new socket itself. I like being able to handle the CPU without accidentally damaging pins by putting it down on a surface, and I definitely like the added security of keeping the CPU firmly mounted in the socket during shipping, even with a heavy CPU cooler attached.