Relative performance of AMD Ryzen 7000 CPUs

Benchmark performance test results show that the AMD Ryzen 7 7700 (8-core CPU) is about 34% faster than AMD Ryzen 5 7600 (6-core CPU) at multi-core operations, and AMD Ryzen 9 7900 (12-core CPU) is about 99% faster than Ryzen 5 7600 (6-core CPU). In short, performance scales in direct proportion to the number of CPU cores, which demonstrates very efficient use of multiple CPU cores.

The chart below visualizes the performance leaps from Ryzen 5 to Ryzen 7 to Ryzen 9 CPUs, with the Ryzen 9 doubling the performance of Ryzen 5.

Cinebench R23 is the industry gold standard for measuring CPU performance. The Cinebench Multi-Core test measures total system performance with all CPU cores fully engaged, executing multi-threaded software. Most non-gaming software today is multi-threaded, which means that the software process can be executed in parallel across multiple CPU cores.

Single-core performance of the AMD Ryzen CPUs is all about the same, due to each CPU using the same AMD Zen 4 architecture per core.

AMD vs Intel CPU performance for Stratosphere Mini

Intel's latest 13th Gen Core i7 (midrange) and Core i9 (high end) CPUs run too hot in Turbo Boost mode to be cooled properly in Stratosphere Mini, consuming up to 219W power and generating very high heat. Meanwhile, the Intel CPU base power consumption is only 65W. By contrast, the AMD Ryzen 7000 CPUs share the same 65W base power rating, but consume only about 90W in boost mode. As a result of this exceptional power efficiency, AMD's midrange and high-end Ryzen 7000 CPUs can operate perfectly in Stratosphere Mini, while consuming much less peak power and generating much less heat than even Intel's entry-level Core i5 CPUs.

Since the heat from Turbo Boost mode excludes Intel Core i7 and Core i9 CPUs from Stratosphere Mini, AMD has the field to itself for high-performance configurations. AMD dominates Intel for best performance with the midrange AMD Ryzen 7700 and especially the high-end AMD Ryzen 7900, as shown in this chart below:

Test results show that AMD Ryzen 7 7700 (8-core CPU) is 23% faster than the better Intel CPU (Core i5-13400, a 10-core CPU) for multi-core performance. The top AMD CPU, Ryzen 9 7900 (12-core CPU), is 82% faster than Intel Core i5-13400 in the same multi-core test. For single-core performance, the AMD CPUs are 8 - 10% faster than the better Intel CPU.

Despite being faster, the AMD CPUs should operate more quietly than the Intel CPUs, consuming only about 90W peak power vs 154W for Intel Core i5-13400. The lower CPU heat thereby enables the AMD CPU cooler to operate more quietly, with the cooling fan spinning at low RPMs, effectively inaudible in typical offices.

Optimize Windows for Business Use, Privacy, Performance, Stability and Control

Digital Tigers now offers the option of a customized Windows experience, reflecting what we believe are the priorities of most business users. This optimization is far more important for Windows 10 than for prior Microsoft operating systems.

Optimize for Business Use: Remove Microsoft bloatware (games/consumer apps)

Windows 10 comes with dozens of consumer games and apps that do nothing for business users. We remove Candy Crush Saga, Xbox, Zune Music, Windows Phone, Bing News and much more, while providing a record of what's been uninstalled and how to reinstall any apps you want back. The removals streamline your desktop and Apps / Programs menus and promote a more professional desktop experience.

Privacy: Block Microsoft telemetry, disable Cortana, install ad-blockers, block Start menu ads

By default, Microsoft monitors your configuration and your activity on your computer and sends updates to its servers multiple times an hour, a practice known as telemetry, as part of its product feedback process. This monitoring includes your web browsing history using Microsoft browsers. We block most such monitoring. You can change this preference later if you prefer.

We also disable Cortana, the digital assistant component, reverting the search box to "Search Windows." This removes the conflation of desktop and web search inherent to Cortana, and stops the comprehensive tracking that Cortana conducts and sends to Microsoft (Cortana's Notebook). For Windows 10 Pro, disabling Cortana is handled via Group Policy. For Windows 10 Home, we add a Windows Registry key to disable it. You can reenable Cortana later if you prefer.

We install Chrome and Firefox web browsers, along with Adblock Plus and uBlock Origin ad blockers. The ad blockers improve your web browsing experience while speeding up page-load times and bolstering privacy and security. We set Chrome as the default browser, based on its popularity; you can change this preference.

We install VLC media player and make it the default media player, bypassing the tracking and ads inherent in Windows 10 Movies & TV. You can install any preferred media player and make it your default.

We also turn off Start menu ads ("suggestions," Windows Store apps you never downloaded, appearing as tiles in your Start menu) and targeted ads from third-party apps ("Let my apps use my advertising ID"). You can reverse these settings later if you prefer.

Performance: More system resources, faster browsing, fewer background processes

We change Windows Registry settings to allocate more system resources for graphical, user and desktop objects, doubling the number of application windows and financial trading indicators that can be displayed. These changes reduce the frequency of out-of-memory errors when there is available physical memory, and they reduce the probability that you will be prevented from opening new windows.

We install Chrome and Firefox web browsers, which have faster performance and also enable you to isolate demanding web applications in one browser while you use another browser for general use. Adblock Plus and uBlock Origin speed up web browsing by removing ads, which are often resource-intensive.

We disable the ability of most preinstalled apps to run in the background (Privacy > Background Apps setting), and we turn off non-essential items running at startup.

Blocking Microsoft telemetry and other tracking prevents occasional spikes in CPU, drive and network utilization, avoiding interference with your actual applications.

Stability and Control: Take control of Windows Update

We believe best practice for Windows Update calls for timely security updates and deferred feature updates. Timely security updates are important to protect the system from newly discovered vulnerabilities. Deferred feature updates are important because major new revisions to Windows 10 can cause system instability and application compatibility issues when first released.

Windows 10 Pro (highly recommended) enables us to set Windows feature updates to release on the slower Semi-Annual Channel, and then we use Group Policy to add an extra 180-day delay beyond this slower distribution channel. Without these configuration settings, Windows 10 Pro users would receive updates much closer to their first release. Unfortunately we can do none of these optimizations for Windows 10 Home, and so Windows 10 Home users get new feature updates immediately, with some risk of problems.

We also make changes to Windows to put you in control of when you install updates and when you restart your computer. With Windows 10, Microsoft has become very aggressive with updates, forcing computers to download updates and even forcing system reboots, disregarding alternative customer priorities. There is usually an opportunity to defer a number of hours, but after this modest concession, the system takes control and executes an update and reboot, which normally cannot be stopped. For Windows 10 Pro customers, we make changes to keep you in control of when updates are installed and when you reboot your computer. Certainly security updates are timely and important, but so is control of your time and your workspace, so we give that control back to you.

If you prefer to disable these controls or to get faster Windows feature updates, we can undo these preferences before or after purchase.

Start Menu Customization

Many people still prefer the Start menu from Windows 7 or even Windows XP over the tiled Start menu introduced with Windows 10. Desktop business users in particular may find the Windows 10 Start menu inefficient to navigate and visually noisy. From your first bootup, the standard Microsoft-imposed tiled interface acts as a set of billboards promoting games and entertainment, which seems out of place on a work computer running Windows 10 Pro. Going forward, Microsoft seeks to monetize your workspace by directing your attention to new tiles that appear on an ongoing basis, making the Windows desktop effectively an advertising vehicle.

Windows 10 is otherwise a great operating system, with many important improvements over Windows 7 and XP. However, you may miss the old Start menu and you may not appreciate Microsoft's monetizing your own workspace.

Now you can combine the superior performance of Windows 10 with a familiar and efficient Start menu that you prefer and control.

The standard Windows 10 tiled Start menu remains accessible if ever needed. Meanwhile, you can tailor your new and familiar Start menu to your unique preferences with highly configurable options and skins. You can also permanently revert to the standard Windows 10 Start menu at any time.

Learn more about NVIDIA AI apps

NVIDIA Broadcast

• AI-enhanced video streaming, video calls and video conference calls (Zoom meetings, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, etc.). Remove background noise; blur or replace webcam background; maintain eye contact with camera when looking at screen; center your face on camera even as you move or shift positions (face tracking).
• NVIDIA Broadcast supports OBS Studio, Streamlabs, XSplit Broadcaster, Twitch Studio, HuYa, DouYu, Bilibili, Discord, TeamSpeak, Skype, Zoom, Webex, Microsoft Teams, Slack, Google Meet, Bluejeans and more.
• Requires Windows 11 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 or higher graphics card, or NVIDIA RTX Ada or Ampere Generation. Consumes 1.5GB drive space.

NVIDIA ChatRTX

• Personal AI chatbot for private content (DOC/DOCX, PDF, XML, TXT files) and YouTube videos that you select. Analyze content and YouTube transcripts with the power of AI.
• Requires Windows 11 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 or higher graphics card, or NVIDIA RTX Ada or Ampere Generation with 8GB+ VRAM. Consumes ~62GB drive space.

NVIDIA Broadcast: Eye Contact Feature

Microsoft Office options

• Purchasing any perpetual license of Office (Office 2019/2016/2010) avoids the recurring annual subscription fees of Office 365.
• Office 2019 is a minor revision to Office 2016 and is the final perpetual-license version of Office that Microsoft expects to offer. Going forward, Microsoft favors subscriptions (Office 365) over perpetual licenses.
• Many people prefer the interface of Office 2010 to Office 2016/2019, so we offer all versions.
• Office 2010 remains popular and is recommended for existing users of Office 2007 and Office 2010. It does not require an online Microsoft Account.
• Office 2016/2019 requires the creation of an online Microsoft Account during the installation process, or access to an existing Microsoft Account. We leave the installer and product key on the Windows desktop for the user to run and set up or access the required Microsoft Account.
• Office Standard licenses are issued via Microsoft Open License Program.
• LibreOffice has overtaken OpenOffice as the most actively developed open-source office suite.

• USB hubs provide additional easy-access USB ports and the convenience of desktop USB ports when the computer is on the floor.
• USB charging ports charge mobile devices faster than standard USB ports, delivering up to 2.1 amps per port compared to 0.9 amps for standard USB ports.
• PowerIQ technology communicates with your devices and determines the fastest possible charge for any device.
• AC adapter is for 110V power with Type A USA-style plug.
• 18-month warranty by manufacturer.