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- Posted in
- CPUs
- AMD
- AM4
- Ryzen 3
- Zen 2
- Matisse
- Ryzen 3 3300X
- Ryzen 3 3100
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.
Related Reading
- AMD’s Mobile Revival: Redefining the Notebook Business with the Ryzen 9 4900HS (A Review)
- AMD Drop's Ryzen 3000 Pricing By Up to $50: Official Price Drop Until 31st March
- Updated AMD Ryzen and EPYC CPU Roadmaps March 2020: Milan, Genoa, and Vermeer
- All Ryzen: Q&A with AMD CEO Dr. Lisa Su
- AMD Zen 2 Microarchitecture Analysis: Ryzen 3000 and EPYC Rome
- The AMD Ryzen 5 2500X and Ryzen 3 2300X CPU Review
- AMD Ryzen 5 2400G and Ryzen 3 2200G Integrated Graphics Frequency Scaling
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Valantar - Tuesday, April 21, 2020 - link
So the 7700K level of performance is now officially reached by ~$100 entry level CPUs. Nice. After a near decade of boring-ass CPUs, the world is moving forward again.Ratman6161 - Tuesday, April 21, 2020 - link
The real story is that for the vast majority of users (keeping in mind that the people reading this site are not the typical user) that 7700K level of performance is more than good enough. Combine a more than good enough CPU with a more than good enough B550 motherboard and you get a cheapish system that is as much as most people will need. This idea might be boring to enthusiasts but we aren't the target audience for it.Fulljack - Tuesday, April 21, 2020 - link
for office, 4c/8t with sata3 ssd are very fast for their intended workload, but office tend to use igpu, which this line doesn't had. to be honest, other than budget, I don't know other purpose this cpu is.defaultluser - Tuesday, April 21, 2020 - link
These are placeholders in anticipation of the upcoming Ryzen 2 APUs on desktop. Which will have an integrated GPU.They just like to satisfy the notebook launch before they are committed to desktop. Whenb Intel is launching their latest in a month, you have to cover your obvious detriments. And the 3400G is not going to compete with the performance of these new Core i3 processors.
Deicidium369 - Wednesday, April 22, 2020 - link
and a ton of useless cores to boot...rocky12345 - Tuesday, April 21, 2020 - link
4/8 cpu's are fine for gaming still in 2020 I know because I am on one be it an Intel 4/8 setup but in every game I play on this setup runs smoothly and pumps out high frame rates. Is it as good as a true 8 core of coarse not but trust me a 4/8 setup can do more than just office work. Mine is at 5.1Ghz mind you I am gonna say even these AMD R3 4/8 CPU's should be able to game just fine since Zen 2 has very good IPC actually slightly higher than Intel has on current CPU's & just enough clock speed to churn out decent FPS.Would I buy one no since I am ready for bigger & better CPU's with more cores and that is what my own next build will have is more cores probably a 8/16 CPU setup next time around. Probably at the end of 2020 or early 2021. I'm thinking 4/8 CPU's have a bit more life left in them for gaming probably until end of 2021. The next gen consoles being 8/16 CPU setups will push the gaming industry towards more robust CPU setups and most likely 6/12 CPU's will be min spec required for most games post next gen console releases and any lower than 6/12 will be way to under powered to give a decent gaming experience.
Deicidium369 - Wednesday, April 22, 2020 - link
Lack of iGPU is what is killing them in the OEM market - even a basic rudimentary iGPUAlistair - Tuesday, April 21, 2020 - link
average joes want to play borderlands 3 over 60 fps all the time, they'll want a 6 core, the market has moved onlmcd - Tuesday, April 21, 2020 - link
Hate to break it to you but BL3 plays 60 FPS on a 2400G just fine? Pretty sure I'm GPU bound on Ultra at 1440p.lmcd - Tuesday, April 21, 2020 - link
(With a discrete GPU, since that would be needed for this CPU anyway.)