AMD Ryzen 5 1600X + ASRock X370 Killer SLI
April 2017Type
Processor + MotherboardPrice
$249.99 US + $144.99 USTest Setup
For testing, we used the latest AMD Ryzen 5 1600X processor which I had acquired with the help of ASRock. The sample is retail ready and not an “ES” chip. Our review is based purely on facts and precision testing.
We also updated our test rig for the AMD AM4 platform review which is listed in the table below:
ASRock X370 Killer SLI and Ryzen 5 1600X Test Setup:
| Processor: | AMD Ryzen 5 1600X Intel Core i7-6900K Intel Core i7-6850K Intel Core i7-6800K Intel Core i7-7700K Intel Core i5-7600K AMD FX-8350 |
|---|---|
| Motherboard: | ASRock X370 Killer SLI AC w/Ryzen 5 1600X Gigabyte GA-990FX-UD7 w/FX-8350 Gigabyte AORUS Z270X-Gaming 8 w/Core i7-7700K Gigabyte AORUS Z270X-Gaming 8 w/Core i5-7600K Gigabyte GA-X99-UD7 w/Core i7-6800K Gigabyte GA-X99-UD7 w/Core i7-6850K Gigabyte GA-X99-UD7 w/Core i7-6900K |
| Power Supply: | Corsair RM 750X Gold Plus |
| Solid State Drive: | Samsung SSD 960 EVO M.2 (500 GB) |
| Hard Disk: | Seagate Barracuda 3 TB 7200.12 |
| Memory: | G.SKILL Trident Z RGB Series 32GB (4 X 8GB) CL16 3600 MHz |
| Case: | Corsair Graphite Series 780T Full Tower |
| Video Cards: | ASUS ROG STRIX GeForce GTX 1080 Ti OC |
| Cooling Solutions: | Cryorig R1 Ultimate |
| OS: | Windows 10 64-bit Anniversary Edition |
I would personally like to thank G.Skill for arranging a stunning DDR4 memory kit for this review. They shipped us TridentZ RGB series memory. The memory kit comprises of 4 DIMMs that operate in dual channel mode, ideal for our X370 board tests. The memory is clocked at 3600 MHz but we maxed out at 2933 MHz since this is the highest clock rate supported on the X370 Killer SLI AC. Clock timing is set at 16 and the capacity is 32 GB for this specific kit.
AMD Ryzen 5 1600X 4.1 GHz Overclock on ASRock X370 Killer SLI AC
AMD's Ryzen chips are generally not great for overclocking purposes as the chips max out with just a 200-300 MHz increase on the default clocks. Here, we overclocked the chip to 4.1 GHz (bus speed = 100 MHz x 41.0 multiplier) using a voltage of 1.388V. The results were stable after testing in Prime95 as a stability run.
Contents
You can find additional information about our hardware review process and ethics policy here.
AMD has built a disruptive platform with Ryzen and AM4 with the new Ryzen 5 1600X plus ASRock X370 Killer SLI AC showcasing a powerful bond in multi-tasking applications and competitive gaming potential.
- Very Competitive Pricing (Both CPU and Board)
- Very Good Multi-tasking Performance (CPU)
- 14nm Process Allows For Cool and Efficient Operation (CPU)
- Platform Cost Low Compared To Intel's Offerings
- 6 Core, 12 Threads In The Price Bracket of Non-Threaded Intel Quad Cores (CPU)
- ASRock Packs Lots of great features on the board
- Wireless (AC) connectivity under $150 US
- X370 Chipset With Nice VRM Design For Overclocking Ryzen CPUs
- Dual M.2 Slots For Multiple NVMe SSD Support
- Up To 64 GB DDR4 Memory Support
- CrossFire and SLI Capable Motherboard
Pros
- Gaming Performance Not On Par With Competition
- Limited Overclocking Potential on Ryzen Processors
- AM4 Motherboards Not Compatible With High Speed DDR4 DIMMs (yet)
- Not many applications optimized for Ryzen Processors
- No integrated graphics across all Ryzen Processors
Cons
About the author: A Software Engineer by training and a PC enthusiast by passion, Hassan Mujtaba serves as Wccftech's Senior Editor for hardware section. With years of experience in the industry, he specializes in deep-dive technical analysis of next-generation CPU and GPU architectures, motherboards, and cooling solutions. His work involves not only breaking news on upcoming technologies but also extensive hands-on reviews and benchmarking.
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