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Ashes of the Singularity
Ashes of the Singularity is a Sci-Fi real-time strategy game built for the PC platform. The game includes a built-in benchmark tool and was one of the first available DirectX 12 benchmarks. We run the CPU-focused benchmark using DirectX 12, a 1080p resolution and the Extreme quality preset.
Gears of War 4
Gears of War 4 is a third-person shooter available on Xbox One and in the form of a well-optimised DX12-only PC port. We run the built-in benchmark using DirectX 12 (the only API supported), a 1080p resolution, the Ultra quality preset, and Async Compute enabled.
Note: The Core i7-2700K, i5-3570K, and i7-4790K are not shown in Gears of War 4 as the game download was too large to install on their system SSD and the clunky Windows Store platform gives errors when moving games installed on a secondary SSD between test systems.
Rise of The Tomb Raider
Rise of The Tomb Raider is a popular title which features both DX11 and DX12 modes. Heavy loading can be placed on the CPU, especially in the Syria and Geothermal Valley sections of the built-in benchmark.
We run the built-in benchmark using the DirectX 12 mode, a 1080p resolution, the Very High quality preset, and SMAA enabled.
Total War: Warhammer
Total War: Warhammer is another title which features both DX11 and DX12 modes. Heavy loading can be placed on the CPU using the built-in benchmark. The DX12 mode is poorly optimised and tries to force data through a low number of CPU threads rather than balance operations across multiple cores. As such, this gives a good look at pure gaming performance of each CPU in titles that aren't well multi-threaded.
We run the built-in benchmark using the DirectX 12 mode, a 1080p resolution, and the Ultra quality preset.
Despite AMD confirming that there is no issue with the Windows 10 Scheduler, DX12 gaming performance for Ryzen 7 1700 is lower than on competing Core i7 CPUs and even the Kaby Lake Core i5-7600K in some scenarios.
The same is still true, though; if you game at 60Hz, Ryzen 7 1700 performance will be similar to Intel's Kaby Lake Core i5 and Core i7 offerings, as well as other high-end Intel processors. However, switching focus to high refresh-rate gaming, Ryzen 7 1700 shows weaknesses when targetting 120+ FPS in Rise of The Tomb Raider and Gears of War 4, and cannot manage 100 FPS in Total War: Warhammer, even when overclocked.
For high refresh-rate gaming with DX12 titles, the Core i7-7700K is a better choice than Ryzen 7 1700 at £330. Of course, developers may better utilise the additional threads of Ryzen 7 in the future, and there is also a higher proportion of the CPU horsepower in reserve for multi-tasking whilst also gaming (compared to the 7700K). As it stands, though, Kaby Lake's i7-7700K is faster for gaming and that's visible at more than 60 FPS.
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