The AMD Ryzen 3 3300X and 3100 CPU Review: A Budget Gaming Bonanza
by Dr. Ian Cutress on May 7, 2020 9:00 AM ESTTest Bed and Setup
As per our processor testing policy, we take a premium category motherboard suitable for the socket, and equip the system with a suitable amount of memory running at the manufacturer's maximum supported frequency. This is also typically run at JEDEC subtimings where possible. It is noted that some users are not keen on this policy, stating that sometimes the maximum supported frequency is quite low, or faster memory is available at a similar price, or that the JEDEC speeds can be prohibitive for performance. While these comments make sense, ultimately very few users apply memory profiles (either XMP or other) as they require interaction with the BIOS, and most users will fall back on JEDEC supported speeds - this includes home users as well as industry who might want to shave off a cent or two from the cost or stay within the margins set by the manufacturer. Where possible, we will extend out testing to include faster memory modules either at the same time as the review or a later date.
| Test Setup | |
| AMD Ryzen 3000 | AMD Ryzen 3 3300X AMD Ryzen 3 3100 |
| Motherboard | GIGABYTE X570 I Aorus Pro (1.12e) |
| CPU Cooler | AMD Wraith |
| DRAM | G.Skill FlareX 2x8 GB DDR4-3200 C14 |
| GPU | Sapphire RX 460 2GB (CPU Tests) MSI GTX 1080 Gaming 8G (Gaming Tests) |
| PSU | Corsair AX860i |
| SSD | Crucial MX500 2TB |
| OS | Windows 10 1909 |
Many thanks to...
We must thank the following companies for kindly providing hardware for our multiple test beds. Some of this hardware is not in this test bed specifically, but is used in other testing.
| Hardware Providers | |||
| Sapphire RX 460 Nitro | MSI GTX 1080 Gaming X OC | Crucial MX200 + MX500 SSDs |
Corsair AX860i + AX1200i PSUs |
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| G.Skill RipjawsV, SniperX, FlareX |
Crucial Ballistix DDR4 |
Silverstone Coolers |
Silverstone Fans |
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ksec - Thursday, May 7, 2020 - link
It was only yday I asked on forum what is happening to Intel 7nm CPU. We know Tiger Lake is coming, then there is Alderlake. And that is it.Again, despite all these, AMD needs to "sell" better. The results from their quarterly report are no way near good enough.
outsideloop - Thursday, May 7, 2020 - link
Hardware Unboxed includes the 9th Gen i3 and i5 parts against these new Ryzens, in their testing.CrystalCowboy - Thursday, May 7, 2020 - link
About the test setup: No PCIe 4.0 graphics cards. No PCIe 4.0 NVME SSD. You are handicapping these CPUs by not letting them take full advantage of their features. If an older or lesser CPU cannot support these features, well then it deserves to score lower for it. You did use DDR4-3200 RAM, thanks for that.Ian Cutress - Thursday, May 7, 2020 - link
Users with a $99 CPU are going to use a PCIe 4.0 SSD? really?How do I keep the storage element consistent between tests then, to make sure I'm actually testing the CPU? How do I keep that storage constant for CPUs 10 years ago?
Makaveli - Thursday, May 7, 2020 - link
Yup Ian,That complaint is ridiculous, almost no one is going PCIe 4 storage in a budget build.
MDD1963 - Thursday, May 7, 2020 - link
can't wait for a water block equipped X570 for $800 and the R3-3100 to get the best OC's possible with muh PCI-e 4.0 storage......!!!! :) (Who cares if PCI-e 4.0 drives sometimes fare 1-3% worse than the 970 EVO in some real world comparisons!)eastcoast_pete - Friday, May 8, 2020 - link
Maybe it's because after buying a PCIe 4 capable MB and a PCIe 4 SSD, I wouldn't have any money left to buy a CPU for more than $ 100? Kidding, of course, this challenge makes no sense.That aside, it would be interesting to see what kind of CPU can actually make good use of PCIe 4 capable MBs and fast storage.
Deicidium369 - Friday, May 8, 2020 - link
$500 Car w/ $10,000 rimsMDD1963 - Thursday, May 7, 2020 - link
Yes, PCI-e 4.0 SSDs would have help *so much* on ... gaming frame rates.... <exaggerated overtly obvious eye roll> :)eastcoast_pete - Thursday, May 7, 2020 - link
Thanks Ian! If possible, please add some performance numbers for the current i3 and i5 in. Right now, AMD owns the below $200 space for desktop CPUs. Also, data from other websites that had some i5-9100 on hand show that the 3100 A.K.A AMD's leftover dies, are outperforming Intel's offerings here.Really hope Intel steps up, and soon. I'm hoping to buy something later this year, so whoever gives me the most bang for my buck gets my money.