As much as end-user consumers like us might enjoy the benefits of certain benchmarks, the big boy hardware developers do too. That's why now and again we can get a glimpse of new hardware on the horizon as they make use of those tests to see how the new chips or modules are shaping up. That's exactly what's happened with AMD's Ryzen 2 processors, which have now made their earliest appearance on the Sisoft database.
Sisoft's Sandra software is a full suite of different tests and benchmarks which let you put your system through the paces with memory checks, display benchmarks and indeed, CPU tests in various configurations. The results are published on a public database and that's where the new Ryzen 5 2600 has shown up.
We also have some information about the chip, which is a second-generation variant of the Ryzen 5 1600 that was released to much fanfare and solid-reviews last year. This chip has a 200 MHz clock speed boost, which will equate to a couple of percentage points of improved real-world performance. It brings the chip to 3.4GHz at rest and 3.8GHz when boosted (as per HardwareLuxx).
Other improvements will come from the die shrink to 12nm, though they weren't represented in the Sisoft test results. Other factors of the chip remain the same as the first generation: six-cores, 12-12 threads and a total of 16MB of l3 cache.
What's interesting to note however, is that the TDP remains the same. That could mean that there's more overclocking headroom with this chip than its predecessor, as typically die shrinks lead to greater energy efficiency.
We'll learn more as we approach the Ryzen 2 launch in April, no doubt as more chips are publicly tested.
Are you guys excited for Ryzen 2?
