### Trust in Nova Play
At Nova Play, we invest substantial time evaluating every product or service we review, empowering you to make informed purchasing decisions. Learn about our rigorous testing process.
—
This review was initially featured in issue 340 of [PC Pro](https://subscribe.pcpro.co.uk/).
We are witnessing an exciting evolution in PC processors, particularly for those creating content. In our workstation labs, while Intel has made strides with mid-range options, AMD’s Ryzen 7000 series has emerged as a formidable player designed specifically for content creation. I had the opportunity to test it in the Armari Magnetar M16R7-1300G3.
Armari has integrated the robust Ryzen 9 7950X into this setup. Compared to the Intel Core i9-12900K, which has been a focus in our labs, the Ryzen 9 features 16 high-performance cores, supplemented by eight energy-efficient cores. The 7950X operates with an impressive base clock speed of 4.5GHz across all cores, capable of turbo speeds reaching up to 5.7GHz, making it a powerhouse for multithreaded tasks.
This series marks AMD’s first foray into DDR5 support, and the Armari system boasts a solid 64GB of 5,600MHz Corsair Vengeance Black DDR5 memory, configured as two 32GB DIMMs. While the system runs at 4,800MHz, it supports dual-channel memory functionality. The Asus X670E ProArt-Creator WiFi motherboard also comes with two additional DIMM slots, allowing for a possible upgrade to 128GB—but this would downclock speeds to 3,600MHz.
While AMD has historically faced challenges in the graphics sector, Armari has incorporated the AMD Radeon Pro W6800 for this system. It features an impressive 3,840 Stream processors and 32GB of GDDR6 memory, achieving a bandwidth of 512GB/sec. Although it slightly lags behind Nvidia’s top models, it offers excellent connectivity options with six mini DisplayPort 1.4 connectors, supporting either two 8K displays or up to six 5K monitors.
Armari has chosen a more conservative approach to storage compared to the £16,000 Scan 3XS GWP-ME A1128T, utilizing a single, yet powerful, drive. The 2TB WD SN850 Gen4 M.2 SSD recorded remarkable performance in CrystalDiskMark 8, with sustained read speeds of 7,050MB/sec and write speeds of 5,248MB/sec, making it the fastest single NVMe drive we’ve tested.
For users needing extra storage for large media files, the chassis includes four easy-swap backplanes designed for 3.5in/2.5in drives, which can be quickly exchanged when powered off. Armari hasn’t disclosed detailed information about the chassis since each is custom-built. The Magnetar M60 Gen3 chassis features excellent cooling, including space for a CPU liquid cooling system equipped with three 120mm fans.
Surprisingly, despite its capabilities, the Magnetar is quite energy-efficient. It consumes approximately 90W at idle and can ramp up to 370W during heavy rendering tasks in Blender that utilize both the CPU and GPU. Under maximum load, it peaks at 530W. Given its substantial processing power, this power consumption is notable. Additionally, the included robust 1,300W power supply ensures stable performance even during intense usage.
This workstation is undeniably a powerhouse. It demonstrated outstanding performance across all CPU benchmarks, achieving a remarkable score of 773 in our PC Pro evaluations, surpassing all other systems, including the high-caliber Scan 3XS GWP-ME A1128T, which is equipped with a 64-core Threadripper processor.
The CPU shines with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 37,170, outperforming two 24-core Intel Xeon Gold processors and even the 32-core AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2990WX. Its single-core score of 2,093 competes closely with the Intel Core i9-13900K featured in the Scan Vengeance 3XS, showcasing the prowess of the Ryzen 9 7950X, which offers 16 cores compared to Intel’s eight. The Blender Gooseberry render was completed in an impressive 293 seconds using the CPU alone.
The only slight drawback is the graphics acceleration. In 3D modeling and animation tests using SPECviewperf 2020, the AMD Radeon Pro W6800 garnered scores of 174 in 3dsmax-07 and 456 in maya-06, which, while commendable, are eclipsed by Nvidia’s Quadro A4500 in various benchmarks. For CAD/CAM applications, it scored 99 in catia-06, 133 in creo-03, 431 in snx-04, and 259 in solidworks-05. While these numbers are solid, the A4500 still maintains an advantage.
In conclusion, the Magnetar M16R7-1300G3 emerges as a powerful contender for any content creation task, be it modeling, design, or rendering. Armari has once again delivered an efficient and powerful system based on AMD architecture. While the price point is on the higher side, the performance delivered by this 16-core processor workstation is nothing short of extraordinary.
For those interested, we have compiled a selection of the best monitors for video editing.
