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AMD Ryzen 3 3100 review

Pros of AMD Ryzen 3 3100

  • Fantastic performance
  • Affordable
  • DIt does not consume much power

Cons of AMD Ryzen 3 3100

  • Slower than the 3300X
  • High-end GPUs may be constrained.

Features and Chipset

The AMD Ryzen 3 3100 is the first Ryzen 3 processor to utilize this architecture, built on the same Zen 2 design as the rest of the AMD Ryzen 3000 family. Before, customers seeking a Ryzen 3 CPU had to choose between models like the AMD Ryzen 3 2300X or the AMD Ryzen 3200G, all of which are built on the 12nm Zen+ architecture.

While keeping the same 65W thermal design power (TDP) as earlier Ryzen 3 CPUs, AMD was sufficient to facilitate SMT and increased clock rates due to the switch to the new 7nm structure. This results in a far more powerful CPU than the Ryzen 3 2300X due to the massive improvement in IPC (instructions per clock) performance.

Additionally, the amount of cache has more than quadrupled to 18MB, 16MB of which are L3. Comparatively speaking, the Intel Core i3-9100 has a 6MB cache, whereas the Ryzen 3 2300X has an L3 cache of 8MB. Any increase in CPU performance is beneficial when you’re at this level of the CPU market. This should aid in enhancing gaming performance.

However, PCIe 4.0 compatibility in such a low-cost CPU deserves praise. Yes, you’re likely not going to splurge for an expensive PCIe 4.0 SSD if all you have is $99 (about £79, AU$150) for your CPU right now, but at least the choice is there.

We fully anticipate PCIe 4.0 SSDs, along with the other available SSDs, will one day become more reasonably priced, not to mention upcoming graphics cards. AMD Ryzen 3000 and future Ryzen platforms are more future-proof than equivalent Intel CPUs since PCIe 4.0’s increased bandwidth will allow GPUs to begin exploiting the interface to enhance gaming performance further.

Just be sure you choose a motherboard with an X570 or B550 socket. To access features like dual GPU support, PCIe 4.0, and even overclocking, you won’t need to damage the piggy bank to buy a pricey X570 board; instead, the B550 chipset will be launched on June 16.

The Ryzen 3 3300X, the 3100’s larger twin, is also essential to discuss. Despite having identical numbers of cores and threads and just a very tiny variance in clock speed, both CPUs are built differently. Unlike the 3100, which had two distinct CCXs for its four cores, the 3300X has just one CCX for all four seats.

It implies reduced delay when the four CPU cores interact and that the 16MB cache is consolidated rather than broken into 2 8MB blocks on each CCX.

Alternatively, since everything is closer together, the 3300X is faster.

Performance

The AMD Ryzen 3 3100 is a great release, mainly because it offers performance that was previously only considered mid-range while retaining the cost at just $99 (about £79, AU$150).

In fact, after evaluating this CPU, we now have much higher expectations for the center of either AMD or Intel’s product stack because the 3100 was so close to the Intel Core i5-9600K, which costs $198 (£229, AU$439).

The Ryzen 3 3100 achieves multi-threaded performance benchmark scores of 4,910 in GeekBench 5 and roughly 2,315 in Cinebench R20. That only performs 8 and 16 % slower than the i5-9600K in the two tests, respectively. The Ryzen 3 3100 is just 15% slower in Handbrake after that.

Performance in video games, however, is another matter. Despite costing almost twice as much as the Ryzen 3 3100, the Intel Core i5-9600K is still a fantastic gaming value. Therefore, even if single-core performance is just about 10% slower in our testing, this is not seen in actual games.

While both systems were running the identical Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Ti, the Ryzen 3 3100 was only able to get 82 frames per second in Metro Exodus at 1080p, compared to the 9600K’s 102. Even if it only represents a 20% difference on a CPU that costs 50% less, it is still something to be aware of.

The 3300X and the variations between the two CPUs were already noted. The gap isn’t quite as significant as you might anticipate, even if spending $120 (about £100, AU$190) gets you a speedier CPU. In Cinebench and Metro Exodus, the 3100 is just 11% and 15% slower, respectively. Therefore, even if 20 dollars or pounds may not seem like a big issue at this price range, it is still a significant sum of money.

Even more impressive is power use. Desktop CPUs use much power and may become rather heated, which we don’t know if you’re aware. We must admit that we utilized a truly overkill 360mm AIO liquid cooler because we didn’t receive a cooler with these CPUs; however, you are not required to do this, so don’t worry before we go into our thermal testing findings. Since you won’t be overclocking, you can probably utilize the Wraith Stealth cooler with the system.

Compared to the 3300X’s maximum temperature of 77.6C, the Ryzen 3 3100’s maximum temperature was 61.3C. So, even though the 3300X is faster, it also runs hotter. In addition, the 3300X drained 77.65W of electricity at its peak as opposed to the 3100’s 63.88W. The 3100 is an excellent option for creating a compact living room computer because of its low power and heat output.

The Ryzen 3 3100 offers good gaming performance at a cost that novice builders and anyone on a budget may afford. Indeed, this CPU is not the fastest on the market, but it is just 20% slower than a processor that costs practically twice as much and is still rather astounding.

Price and Availability

The AMD Ryzen 3 3100 was released in April 2020. You can get it for $99 (about £79, AU$150).

As a result, the Ryzen 3 3100 is directly competing with items like the $136 (£116, AU$239) Intel Core i3-9100 in the cheap segment. The Ryzen 3 3100 manages to fit in the same number of cores but with Perfectly synchronized Multi-Threading (SMT) activated, providing four cores and eight threads in a budget processor for the first time. As you may have realized, the Core i3 is a hefty 36% more costly. However, what will make that difference even more astounding is that the Ryzen 3 3100 manages to pack in the same amount of cores.

Final Verdict

The Ryzen 3 3100 is an excellent option if you’re on a tight budget and need to construct a system that can handle your favorite games at 1080p and perhaps some light content creation on the side.

Regarding pure single-core performance, AMD still hasn’t beaten Intel, but it doesn’t matter at this price range. You won’t want to create a PC with this and, say, a high-end RTX 2080 Ti, but if you match it with a sound graphics card, you’ll get an incredible experience at a low cost.

We anticipate many individuals will rush to get this CPU for their initial build, and we like that thought. PC gaming has recently become significantly more accessible thanks to the Ryzen 3 3100. We also adore it.

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