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AMD Ryzen 3 3300X and Ryzen 3 3100: New Low Cost Quad-Core Zen 2 Processors From $99

 by Dr. Ian Cutress on April 21, 2020 9:00 AM EST
98 Comments | Add A Comment
98 Comments

If one were critiquing AMD’s current line of Zen 2 processors, one of the things to note is that the cheapest option is $199, for the six-core Ryzen 5 3600. This puts the latest hardware from AMD out of reach for anyone building a gaming $900 system or below. In order to redress this balance, AMD is set to launch two new quad core designs in May, starting at $99. The new Ryzen 3 hardware will each feature one Zen 2 core chiplet, run at up to 4.3 GHz, and offer PCIe 4.0 connectivity.

A few years ago, the quad core processor was at the top of the market, and you would need $500 for one. When AMD started launching its quad core parts for as little as $99, the market became interested in what would become the new normal. These new Ryzen 3 parts from AMD, the new low-end quad cores, are helping define that normal, especially with high frequencies and taking advantage of the latest features such as high-speed DDR4, Zen 2 levels of IPC at high frequencies, and PCIe 4.0.

AMD 'Matisse' Ryzen 3000 Series CPUs
AnandTech Cores
Threads		 Base
Freq		 Boost
Freq		 L2
Cache		 L3
Cache		 PCIe
4.0		 Chiplets
IO+CPU		 TDP Price
(SEP)
Ryzen 9 3950X 16C 32T 3.5 4.7 8 MB 64 MB 16+4+4 1+2 105W $749
Ryzen 9 3900X 12C 24T 3.8 4.6 6 MB 64 MB 16+4+4 1+2 105W $499
Ryzen 9 3900 12C 24T 3.1 4.3 6 MB 64 MB 16+4+4 1+2 65W OEM
Ryzen 7 3800X 8C 16T 3.9 4.5 4 MB 32 MB 16+4+4 1+1 105W $399
Ryzen 7 3700X 8C 16T 3.6 4.4 4 MB 32 MB 16+4+4 1+1 65W $329
Ryzen 5 3600X 6C 12T 3.8 4.4 3 MB 32 MB 16+4+4 1+1 95W $249
Ryzen 5 3600 6C 12T 3.6 4.2 3 MB 32 MB 16+4+4 1+1 65W $199
Ryzen 5 3500X 6C 6T 3.6 4.1 3 MB 32 MB 16+4+4 1+1 65W OEM
Ryzen 3 3300X 4C 8T 3.8 4.3 2 MB 16 MB 16+4+4 1+1 65W $120
Ryzen 3 3100 4C 8T 3.6 3.9 2 MB 16 MB 16+4+4 1+1 65W $99

This is all well and good, and AMD has plenty of options at these price points to compete against Intel, however AMD’s biggest competition is going to be with itself. At these prices, $105 and $120, there are a number of AMD processors from the previous generations on offer that might be more appealing. For example, the 12nm+ version of the Ryzen 5 1600, called the ‘AF’ because the processor descriptor ends in AF, has slightly lower frequencies and IPC but has six cores and is only $85. Users will have to decide between more cores for throughput with the 1600AF, or more frequency/IPC with the 3100 for $15.

Not only this, but we are also awaiting the launch of AMD’s new APUs, called Renoir, for the desktop space. The performance of these parts at 15 W, a quad-core Zen 2 up to 4.3 GHz with Vega8 graphics (and no extra latency due to the chiplet) is going to be a compelling option when it moves to 65 W on the desktop. As a result, we might see the Renoir processors priced above the Ryzen 3, in that $125-$190 area that AMD currently doesn’t have any Zen 2 processors in.

For the rest of the year it seems there’s going to be some interesting competition in this low cost space. Intel also has Comet Lake-S on the horizon we believe, taking another crack at 14nm, and these new Ryzen 3 products might result in some interesting line-ups due to price.

We're expecting to get these CPUs in for testing sometime soon. They are set to be launched in May.

B550 Launch Coming Soon

One of the often talked topics, since January, is when AMD is going to launch its more mid-range B550 motherboards for the Ryzen 3000 processors. Today AMD is announcing that B550 is coming on June 16th this year, with all the main motherboard manufacturers coming out with a variety of models, up to 60 for launch. AMD is also confirming that B550 will offer PCIe 4.0 connectivity. More details to come at a later date.

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  • PeterCollier - Tuesday, April 21, 2020 - link

    Wake me up when AMD solves it's TLB cold bug. Until then, these AMD chips are useless. I enjoy overclocking. A stock Intel i3 will smash these chips, much less an OC'd i3.

  • rrinker - Tuesday, April 21, 2020 - link

    Yes, because the budget level CPUs are OBVIOUSLY aimed a extreme overclockers.....

    I love this place sometimes.

  • close - Tuesday, April 21, 2020 - link

    You can be sure that they actually meant "I enable the Extreme profile in the BIOS". The comment can be translated to "wake me up when AMD chips are Intel". You can ignore everything else, might as well come from a random text generator. Endless drivel from an endless supply of sock puppet accounts.

  • rrinker - Tuesday, April 21, 2020 - link

    I'm sure they also have far more RGB lights than I do. I tried so hard to avoid them, but damn if my new system's video card has an RGB light up logo (which is hidden behind the solid panel case). Ones without RGB were considerably more expensive so for now I am stuck.

  • eddieobscurant - Tuesday, April 21, 2020 - link

    hahaha.

  • Sharma_Ji - Tuesday, April 21, 2020 - link

    Gondalf with different username:-O

  • Intel999 - Tuesday, April 21, 2020 - link

    I really think he was being sarcastic.

    Or, at least, I hope to he was for his mental well being.

  • schujj07 - Tuesday, April 21, 2020 - link

    Wow there is a lot of bad information there. First the only i3s that you can overclock are the 9350k & 9350kf. Both have a 4.0GHz base & 4.6GHz boost clock. Since those are the top bin i3s, they will be compared against the 3300X. Stock vs stock the i3s have a 5% base clock advantage and 7% boost clock advantage. At base clocks the i3s will typically be slower than the Ryzens due to the Ryzen having a 7-10% IPC advantage. At boost clocks they will have near equal performance. Let us not forget that the TDP of the i3s are 91W vs 65W for the Ryzen. That will help the i3s stay at higher boost speeds, but not an apples to apples comparison. When you look at the non-overclockable i3s they have clock speeds almost identical to the Ryzens so they will perform WORSE. Secondly the i3s that you can overclock are also 50% more expensive than the 3300X. From a price perspective those i3s will be competing against the Ryzen 5 3600. Thirdly the i3s lack HT so anything that uses more than 4c/4t, which is quite common now, will have a large performance advantage on the Ryzens with 4c/8t. Finally what are you talking about with a TLB bug? That was a thing 12 years ago with the first Phenom CPUs and was fixed with the Phenom II. Stop spreading that FUD.

  • Ratman6161 - Tuesday, April 21, 2020 - link

    Personal opinion: The differences in performance between the I3 and the Ryzen 3 are going to be pretty small. Particularly when you consider the target audience for either of them won't know anything about them other than 7 >5 and 5>3 and Intel 3 must = AMD3. They probably won't be overclocking either. I suspect in this territory, total system price will trump any performance differences. Looking at it that way, the Ryzen 3's lake of integrated graphics means you have to purchase a separate video card. So even if the CPU's and Motherboards are cheaper on the AMD side and even if the AMD performs better, the added cost of a video card probably decides the issue in cases where price is king.

  • eek2121 - Tuesday, April 21, 2020 - link

    We don’t know how much the Ryzen 3 will overclock. Comparing either chip’s overclocking capabilities is pointless currently. The poster above stated that the i3 has an IPC advantage. This is incorrect.
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