AMD Ryzen 3 3300X & 3100 CPU Review

1. Ryzen 3 3100 & 3300X: Budget Zen 2 Quad Cores2. Testing Methodology3. CPU Tests: Cinebench & Blender4. CPU Tests: 7-Zip & Handbrake x2645. Memory Tests: Memory Bandwidth and Latency6. Gaming 1: 3DMark, F1 2019, GTA V7. Gaming 2: RDR 2, SotTR, The Division 28. 1440p Gaming: F1 2019, SotTR, The Division 29. Technical: Power Draw, Efficiency, Temperatures10. Overclocking11. Closing Thoughts12. View All Pages

AMD’s four-core, eight-thread Ryzen 3 3100 and 3300X are clearly the final pieces to AMD’s Zen 2-based Ryzen 3000 puzzle. This sub-£120 area of the market is one in which Intel’s current generation line-up competed against AMD’s older architecture prior to today’s launch. Zen 2 is now affordable to budget system builders who simply want a basic yet proficient processor with modern architecture, reasonable frequencies, and the inherent benefits that the 7nm process node provides. Ryzen 3 3000 delivers on those fronts.

Strong gaming performance and productivity numbers that clearly punch above their weight are the overriding takeaways from the Ryzen 3 parts. The 3300X in particular looks to be a strong gaming option in this market segment thanks to its Zen 2 architecture, high out-of-the-box frequencies, and single CCX design.

Couple in the superb AM4 platform with cost effective motherboards, high-speed memory support, and unlocked multipliers across the board and the Ryzen 3 3100 and 3300X are clearly superior to Intel’s 9^th Gen price competitors.

However, it is clear that the Zen+ Ryzen 5 1600 AF with its twelve processing threads is a value champion that remains impossible to beat at around £90-100. Even the newer, budget friendly Ryzen 3 chips with their £95-115 price tags and Zen 2 architecture cannot match the multi-threadedness of the 1600 AF. Of course, frequency advantages brought about by TSMC’s 7nm technology help the Ryzen 3 3300X and 3100 comfortably outperform the 1600 AF in lightly threaded tasks. Plus, the Zen 2 architecture is more efficient in other areas such as AVX2 performance.

And competing against the 1600 AF in gaming is a tough task for the new Zen 2 offerings. Ryzen 3 3300X is able to comfortably outperform the 1600 AF most of the time, thanks in large to its high out-of-the-box frequency coupled with the excellent Zen 2 architecture. The equally priced Ryzen 3 3100, however, has a far tougher time fighting against the sub-£100 Zen+ six-core in games.

Add the approaching launch of Intel’s rumoured four-core, eight-thread Comet Lake-S Core i3 processors and the budget CPU segment of the market is getting highly competitive all of a sudden. According to Intel's 1KU pricing, those Intel chips should price roughly around the Ryzen 3 3300X level. It will be interesting to see Zen 2 versus Comet Lake-S fight it out on a basis with core, price, and frequency parity. Of course, the AM4 platform and upcoming B550 chipset motherboards could well be the deal-sealer in that battle, but we will have to wait and see.

For now, AMD’s Zen 2-based Ryzen 3 chips are welcomed additions to the budget segment of the market. They are clearly superior options to Intel’s current 9^th Gen line-up at the sub-£150 mark, but the upcoming Comet Lake-S CPUs will likely bring an interesting fight to the table. AMD’s own Zen+ Ryzen 5 1600 AF also remains a particularly tough competitor, but I would personally be happy to pay the extra £15-20 for the Ryzen 3 3300X’s improved gaming performance and newer Zen 2 architecture.

The Ryzen 3 3100 will sell for £94.99 MSRP. The Ryzen 3 3300X is £114.99 MSRP. Availability will be during May on e-tailers such as Overclockers UK.

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Pros:

• Good gaming performance, especially from the 3300X.
• Strong compute performance compared to 9th Gen Intel competitors.
• Decent out of the box frequencies for the market segment.
• Solid overclocking headroom and very few cooling concerns.
• Bundled Wraith Stealth cooler does well on the 3100.
• Excellent capabilities from the AM4 platform – PCIe Gen 4, high-speed DDR4 support, affordable motherboards.
• Strong and clear upgrade paths thanks to the AM4 platform.

Cons:

• Ryzen 5 1600 AF is a tough option to compete against at £100 (if you can find availability).
• Ryzen 3 3100 sees a gaming performance drop-off due to its CCX topology.
• Wraith Stealth cooler not great for the highly clocked 3300X.

KitGuru says: AMD's Ryzen 3 3100 and 3300X bring strong performance Zen 2 quad-cores to the sub-£120 market segment. Gaming frame rates are strong, especially on the 3300X, and compute performance punches well above the levels set by Intel competitors.

AMD Ryzen 3 3100:

AMD Ryzen 3 3300X:

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