Exploring the Hype Behind AMD’s 3000-Series CPUs

Last month, AMD announced the launch of its third generation of Ryzen CPUs. The Ryzen 3000s (a lineup consisting of five different CPU models across various price-points) were announced with a massive amount of hype, and gamers around the world were waiting anxiously with anticipation for their eventual release.

The time came arrived and AMD did not disappoint: The Ryzen 3000 CPUs might be their biggest success yet.

Boasting improvements in nearly every performance category compared to the massively successful Ryzen 2000 CPUs, The Ryzen 3000 is here to usher in the future of PC gaming.

The AMD Ryzen 3000 series consists of five CPU models: the 3600, 3600x, 3700x, 3800x, and the 3900x. All of the CPUs operate on AMD’s Zen-2 architecture, the successor to the Zen and Zen Plus architectures from previous generations of Ryzen CPUs. We’ll discuss the Zen-2 architecture later on, but for now let’s focus on the different CPU models.

The Ryzen 5 3600 is the cheapest model (retailing for around $200). It offers 6 cores and 12 threads, with a base clock of 3.6 GHz, and a boost clock of 4.2 GHz. The upgraded version of the 3600, the Ryzen 5 3600x, has the same number of cores/threads but a slightly higher base and boost clock speeds, clocking in around 3.8 GHz and 4.4 GHz respectively. This model retails for ~$250.

The Ryzen 7 3700x retails for ~$330, and has a slightly lower base clock (3.5 GHz) but its boost clock reaches 4.4 GHz. The main difference is in the cores/threads. The 3700x has 8 cores and 16 threads compared to the 6/12 configuration for the 3600 and 3600x. This gives the 3700x a significant boost in processing power, speeding up the execution of applications.

Next we have the Ryzen 9 3800x. These CPUs retail for ~$400, and will offer performance upgrades over the 3700x, with a base clock of 3.6 GHz and a boost clock of 4.5 GHz. The 3800x also has a significantly higher TDP than the 3700x, pulling 105w compared to the 65w for the 3700x.

Lastly, we have the CPU to rule them all – the Ryzen 9 3900x. The impressive 3900x is the first mainstream consumer CPU to have 12 cores and 24 threads. It boasts a base clock of 3.8 GHz and a boost clock of 4.6 GHz. The 3900x is being hailed as the “best mainstream CPU on the market” and rightfully so. The CPU can be purchased for $500, and is a direct competitor with Intel’s new i9-9900k.

As mentioned previously, the next Ryzen 3000 CPUs are manufactured with AMD’s new Zen-2 architecture. Built upon 7nm and 12nm process nodes, the Zen-2 processors increase instructions per clock (IPC) by a significant margin over previous versions of the Zen architecture. The chipset for the new 3000 CPUs is the x570, and they are based on the same AM4 socket utilized in the last two generations of Zen.

A massively significant improvement with the Ryzen 3000 CPU architecture is the inclusion of PCIe 4.0. With the capability to nearly double the bandwidth of PCIExpress 3.0, PCIe 4.0 will allow for ridiculous speed and amazing graphics. SSD performance will reach nearly 30% better performance with PCIe 4.0.

It’s been rumored that AMD already has plans for Zen-3 in the works, but for now Zen-2 stands as an incredibly impressive CPU architecture.

Having researched many of the new CPUs hitting the market in the last few months, the AMD Ryzen 9 3900x is head and shoulders above the rest of the field. Offering ridiculous processing capabilities with its multi-thread cores, PCIe 4.0, and increased IPC, the AMD Ryzen 9 3900x is sure to give you unprecedented PC gaming performance.

The 3000 CPUs are already extremely popular, and initial stock sold out very quickly. People all over the world lined up for a chance to get their hands on the new CPUs, and many went home empty handed. Availability is currently very limited with no real updates from AMD. If you want to get your hands on one, you’ll have to get lucky finding one!