The R7 3800X comes with a 900mhz faster base core, over the 1700. That alone is a pretty hefty boost, before taking in to account the Instructions Per Clock (IPC) that the chip can perform. Similarly, it’s boost clock is 800mhz higher, maxing at 4.5ghz. Whilst for day-to-day tasks, it’s probably not going to make much of a difference, it will almost certainly make it’s advantages known when it comes to pure number crunching, and in various games.
The install itself was incredibly painless. Well, apart from from picking up the PC tower, to get it on to a surface where I could do the surgery. That thing is pretty heavy. Swapping the CPUs over was a doddle, if slightly nervy. The pins are on the CPU, and they are incredibly easy to bend if you’re not careful.
With the new CPU in place, the next step is to attach the provided Wraith Prism cooler. It’s a bit beefier than the Spire cooler, provided with the R7 1700, in order to cope with the 105 watt TDP of the R7 3800X. The R7 1700 is rated at 65 watts. Securing the heatsink took a bit pressure, on the latch, and I was slightly worried it could break off. But, once secured, it sat tightly on the CPU. Whole thing was done in under 30 minutes.
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