AMD Processors Buyers Guide
What is an AMD CPU / Processor ?
Serving as the brain of any PC, the Central Processing Unit, or the CPU, is one of the most important components to consider when buying or building a new DESKTOP COMPUTER . Proving that Intel isn’t the only option for desktop users, AMD has brought stern competition to the marketplace with the launch of its award-winning Ryzen processors. Based on the cutting-edge Zen architecture and designed to usher in an era of many-core computing, Ryzen CPUs offer a tempting blend of multi-tasking capabilities at attractive price points. Another thing to consider when choosing the right CPU is making sure you choose a compatible MOTHERBOARD and we’ll indicate this for each processor family as we go through them. AMD is constantly updating their product range which could make it confusing to know if you’re buying the latest and greatest version.
The easiest way to tell is to look at what architecture the processor is, this essentially refers to the generation of that product which you’ll always find in the product description and in this buyers guide we’ll highlight which is the latest architecture for each processor family.
AMD Desktop Processors
To help consumers pick an AMD processor, their chips are split into unique families whose characteristics best represent.
AMD Threadripper Pro Processors
The latest workstation range of AMD processors is the new Threadripper PRO 7000 WX-series. Compared to the Threadripper with up to 64-cores / 128-threads, the new Threadripper PRO processors have up to 96-cores / 192-threads making them the ultimate professional workstation CPU for the most demanding workflows such as CFD, complex VFX and AI development. They feature 128 PCIe 5.0 lanes for multi-GPU acceleration, up to 384MB L3 cache capacity and an enterprise-class feature set including PRO security and manageability.
Gaming | 9 | |||||||||
Streaming | 9 | |||||||||
Content Creation | 11 | |||||||||
Multitasking | 11 | |||||||||
Latest generation Threadripper PRO 7000-series, Zen 4 architecture
Compatible motherboard chipsets AMD WRX90, TRX50
3XS recommends AMD Threadripper PRO 7995WX
AMD Ryzen Threadripper Processors
The latest edition to the Ryzen family is the return of Threadripper processors - perfect for the highest-spec desktop PCs. Compared to the Ryzen 9s with up to 16-cores / 32-threads, the new Threadripper 7000X-series processors have up to 64-cores / 128-threads, 48 PCIe 5.0 lanes and up to 320MB L3 cache. This combination makes them the ultimate in multitasking such as gaming and streaming at the same time and also ideally suited to content creation tasks such as 3D graphics and video.
Gaming | 9 | |||||||||
Streaming | 9 | |||||||||
Content Creation | 10 | |||||||||
Multitasking | 10 | |||||||||
Latest generation Threadripper 7000-series, Zen 4 architecture
Compatible motherboard chipsets AMD TRX50
3XS recommends AMD Threadripper 7980X
AMD Ryzen 9 Processors
The latest edition to the Ryzen family is a new range of Ryzen 9 processors. Compared to the 8-core/16-thread Ryzen 7s, the new Ryzen 9s have up to 16-cores/32-threads making them monstrously fast for gaming, content creation or simply multitasking lots of applications at once. Keep an eye out Ryzen CPUs with an X3D on the end of the product name, these models have extra Level 3 cache making them even faster for gaming than standard Ryzens.
Gaming | 10 | |||||||||
Streaming | 10 | |||||||||
Content Creation | 9 | |||||||||
Multitasking | 9 | |||||||||
Latest generation Ryzen 9000-series, Zen 5 architecture
Compatible motherboard chipsets AMD X870E, X870, B850, B840, X670E, X670, B650E, B650
3XS recommends AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
AMD Ryzen 7 Processors
Want to experience 4K video, virtual reality and the latest games without breaking a sweat? The eight-core Ryzen 7’s multitasking prowess makes it an ideal fit for content creators and PC enthusiasts seeking high-end performance without breaking the bank.
There are also two special types of Ryzen 7, those with an X3D or a G at the end of the product name. X3D models have extra Level 3 cache making them even faster for gaming than standard Ryzens. G models differ by having a more powerful Radeon 780M integrated GPU, enabling them to play games at 1080p at low to medium settings without having to invest in a discrete graphics card.
Gaming | 8 | |||||||||
Streaming | 8 | |||||||||
Content Creation | 7 | |||||||||
Multitasking | 7 | |||||||||
Latest generation Ryzen 9000-series, Zen 5 architecture
Compatible motherboard chipsets AMD X870E, X870, B850, B840, X670E, X670, B650E, B650
3XS recommends AMD Ryzen 7 9700X
AMD Ryzen 5 Processors
Ryzen is all about more cores, thus more performance, at minimal cost, and to that end Ryzen 5 opens the door to faster PCs. Armed with up to six cores Ryzen 5 is a stellar choice for gamers and content creators alike, Ryzen 5’s many-core approach is ideally suited to demanding multi-threaded workloads such as video editing, virtual reality and juggling multiple apps at any one time.
This is also a special type of Ryzen 5 with a G at the end of the product name. G models differ by having a more powerful Radeon 700M-series integrated GPU, enabling them to play games at 1080p at low to medium settings without having to invest in a discrete graphics card.
Gaming | 6 | |||||||||
Streaming | 6 | |||||||||
Content Creation | 5 | |||||||||
Multitasking | 5 | |||||||||
Latest generation Ryzen 9000-series, Zen 5 architecture
Compatible motherboard chipsets AMD X870E, X870, B850, B840, X670E, X670, B650E, B650
3XS recommends AMD Ryzen 5 9600X
AMD Ryzen 3 Processors
Ryzen 3 is AMD’s range of entry-level processors, and are a great choice for a cost-effective gaming PC and are also ideal for basic photo editing and everyday office applications.
Gaming | 4 | |||||||||
Streaming | 4 | |||||||||
Content Creation | 2 | |||||||||
Multitasking | 2 | |||||||||
Latest generation Ryzen 4000-series, Zen 2 architecture
Compatible motherboard chipsets AMD X570, AMD B550, B450, A520
3XS recommends AMD Ryzen 3 4100
Summary
Still not sure which AMD CPU is right for you? This table shows the key characteristics, rated out of10, of the main processor families.
Ryzen Threadripper PRO | Ryzen Threadripper | Ryzen 9 | Ryzen 7 | Ryzen 5 | Ryzen 3 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Gaming | 9 | 9 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 4 |
Streaming | 9 | 9 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 4 |
Content Creation | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 5 | 2 |
Multitasking | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 5 | 2 |
How to understand the names of AMD CPUs
In addition, to the named ranges of CPU, i.e. Ryzen 9, 7 etc, AMD uses a string of numbers and letters to differentiate individual CPUs. This illustration will help you to decipher this alphabet soup.
Family
Range
This one-digit number signifies the series, i.e. 9 for 9000-series and 7 for 7000-series
This three-digit number indicates the model number. A higher number typically indicates faster performance.
Some, but not all processors have a combination of letters on the end that signify special features. X is for processors with extra cache and G is for processors with more powerful graphics.
For reference, here are the full specifications of all the latest AMD desktop CPUs.
Range |
---|
Model |
Architecture |
Socket |
Cores / Threads |
Base Frequency |
Turbo Frequency |
Level 3 Cache |
Memory
Controller |
Maximum
Memory |
Memory Type |
Memory Frequency |
PCIe 5.0 / 4.0 / 3.0 Lanes |
Integrated GPU |
TDP |
Ryzen Threadripper PRO | Ryzen Threadripper | Ryzen 9 | Ryzen 7 | Ryzen 5 | Ryzen 3 | ATHLON | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
7995WX | 5995WX | 7985WX | 5975WX | 7975WX | 5965WX | 7965WX | 7980X | 7970X | 7960X | 9950X | 9900X | 7950X3D | 7950X | 5950X | 5900XT | 7900X3D | 7900X | 5900X | 7900 | 9700X | 8700G | 7800X3D | 7700X | 7700 | 5800X3D | 5800XT | 5800X | 5700X | 5700G | 9600X | 8600G | 8500G | 7600X | 7600 | 5600X | 5600 | 5600G | 5500 | 4600G | 4500 | 4100 | 3000G |
Zen 4 | Zen 3 | Zen 4 | Zen 3 | Zen 4 | Zen 3 | Zen 4 | Zen 4 | Zen 4 | Zen 4 | Zen 5 | Zen 5 | Zen 4 | Zen 4 | Zen 3 | Zen 3 | Zen 4 | Zen 4 | Zen 3 | Zen 4 | Zen 5 | Zen 4 | Zen 4 | Zen 4 | Zen 4 | Zen 3 | Zen 3 | Zen 3 | Zen 3 | Zen 4 | Zen 5 | Zen 4 | Zen 4 | Zen 4 | Zen 4 | Zen 3 | Zen 3 | Zen 3 | Zen 3 | Zen 2 | Zen 2 | Zen 2 | Zen |
TR5 | sWRX8 | TR5 | sWRX8 | TR5 | sWRX8 | TR5 | TR5 | TR5 | TR5 | AM5 | AM5 | AM5 | AM5 | AM4 | AM4 | AM5 | AM5 | AM4 | AM5 | AM5 | AM5 | AM5 | AM5 | AM5 | AM4 | AM4 | AM4 | AM4 | AM4 | AM5 | AM5 | AM5 | AM5 | AM5 | AM4 | AM4 | AM4 | AM4 | AM4 | AM4 | AM4 | AM4 |
96 / 192 | 64 / 128 | 64 / 128 | 32 / 64 | 32 / 64 | 24 / 48 | 24 / 48 | 64 / 128 | 32 / 64 | 24 / 48 | 16 / 32 | 12 / 24 | 16 / 32 | 16 / 32 | 16 / 32 | 16 / 32 | 12 / 24 | 12 / 24 | 12 / 24 | 12 / 24 | 8 / 16 | 8 / 16 | 8 / 16 | 8 / 16 | 8 / 16 | 8 / 16 | 8 / 16 | 8 / 16 | 8 / 16 | 8 / 16 | 6 / 12 | 6 / 12 | 6 / 12 | 6 / 12 | 6 / 12 | 6 / 12 | 6 / 12 | 6 / 12 | 6 / 12 | 6 / 12 | 6 / 12 | 4 / 8 | 2 / 4 |
2.5GHz | 2.7GHz | 3.2GHz | 3.6GHz | 4.0GHz | 3.8GHz | 3.8GHz | 3.2GHz | 4.0GHz | 2.8GHz | 4.3GHz | 4.4GHz | 4.2GHz | 4.5GHz | 3.4GHz | 3.3GHz | 4.4GHz | 4.7GHz | 3.7GHz | 4.0GHz | 3.8GHz | 4.2GHz | 4.2GHz | 4.5GHz | 3.8GHz | 3.4GHz | 3.8GHz | 3.8GHz | 3.4GHz | 4.3GHz | 3.9GHz | 4.3GHz | 3.5GHz | 4.7GHz | 3.8GHz | 3.7GHz | 3.5GHz | 3.9GHz | 3.6GHz | 3.7GHz | 3.6GHz | 3.8GHz | 3.5GHz |
5.1GHz | 4.5GHz | 5.1GHz | 4.5GHz | 5.3GHz | 4.5GHz | 5.3GHz | 5.1GHz | 5.3GHz | 5.3GHz | 5.7GHz | 5.6GHz | 5.7GHz | 5.7GHz | 4.9GHz | 4.8GHz | 5.6GHz | 5.6GHz | 4.8GHz | 5.4GHz | 5.5GHz | 5.1GHz | 5.0GHz | 5.4GHz | 5.3GHz | 4.5GHz | 4.8GHz | 4.7GHz | 4.6GHz | 4.6GHz | 5.4GHz | 5.0GHz | 5.0GHz | 5.3GHz | 5.1GHz | 4.6GHz | 4.4GHz | 4.4GHz | 4.4GHz | 4.2GHz | 4.1GHz | 4.0GH | ✖ |
384MB | 288MB | 256MB | 144MB | 128MB | 72MB | 128MB | 320MB | 160MB | 152MB | 64MB | 64MB | 128MB | 64MB | 64MB | 64MB | 128MB | 64MB | 64MB | 64MB | 32MB | 16MB | 96MB | 32MB | 32MB | 96MB | 32MB | 32MB | 32MB | 20MB | 32MB | 16MB | 16MB | 32MB | 32MB | 32MB | 32MB | 32MB | 19MB | 11MB | 11MB | 6MB | 4MB |
Eight-channel | Eight-channel | Eight-channel | Eight-channel | Eight-channel | Eight-channel | Eight-channel | Four-channel | Four-channel | Four-channel | Dual-channel | Dual-channel | Dual-channel | Dual-channel | Dual-channel | Dual-channel | Dual-channel | Dual-channel | Dual-channel | Dual-channel | Dual-channel | Dual-channel | Dual-channel | Dual-channel | Dual-channel | Dual-channel | Dual-channel | Dual-channel | Dual-channel | Dual-channel | Dual-channel | Dual-channel | Dual-channel | Dual-channel | Dual-channel | Dual-channel | Dual-channel | Dual-channel | Dual-channel | Dual-channel | Dual-channel | Dual-channel | Dual-channel |
2TB ECC Registered | ECC Registered | 2TB ECC Registered | ECC Registered | 2TB ECC Registered | ECC Registered | 2TB ECC Registered | 1TB ECC Reg | 1TB ECC Reg | 1TB ECC Reg | 192GB | 192GB | 128GB | 128GB | 128GB | 128GB | 128GB | 128GB | 128GB | 128GB | 192GB | 128GB | 128GB | 128GB | 128GB | 128GB | 128GB | 128GB | 128GB | 128GB | 192GB | 128GB | 128GB | 128GB | 128GB | 128GB | 128GB | 128GB | 128GB | 128GB | 128GB | 128GB | 128GB |
DDR5 | DDR4 | DDR5 | DDR4 | DDR5 | DDR4 | DDR5 | DDR5 | DDR5 | DDR5 | DDR5 | DDR5 | DDR5 | DDR5 | DDR4 | DDR4 | DDR5 | DDR5 | DDR4 | DDR5 | DDR5 | DDR5 | DDR5 | DDR5 | DDR5 | DDR4 | DDR4 | DDR4 | DDR4 | DDR4 | DDR5 | DDR5 | DDR5 | DDR5 | DDR5 | DDR4 | DDR4 | DDR4 | DDR4 | DDR4 | DDR4 | DDR4 | DDR4 |
5,200MHz | 3,200MHz | 5,200MHz | 3,200MHz | 5,200MHz | 3,200MHz | 5,200MHz | 5,200MHz | 5,200MHz | 5,200MHz | 5,600MHz | 5,600MHz | 5,200MHz | 5,200MHz | 3,200MHz | 3,200MHz | 5,200MHz | 5,200MHz | 3,200MHz | 5,200MHz | 5,600MHz | 6,000MHz | 5,200MHz | 5,200MHz | 5,200MHz | 3,200MHz | 3,200MHz | 3,200MHz | 3,200MHz | 3,200MHz | 5,600MHz | 6,000MHz | 6,000MHz | 5,200MHz | 5,200MHz | 3,200MHz | 3,200MHz | 3,200MHz | 3,200MHz | 2,666MHz | 2,666MHz | 2,666MHz | 2,666MHz |
128 / 0 / 8 | 0 / 128 / 0 | 128 / 0 / 8 | 0 / 128 / 0 | 128 / 0 / 8 | 0 / 128 / 0 | 128 / 0 / 8 | 48 / 32 / 8 | 48 / 32 / 8 | 48 / 32 / 8 | 24 / 0 / 0 | 24 / 0 / 0 | 24 / 0 / 0 | 24 / 0 / 0 | 0 / 20 / 0 | 20 / 20 / 0 | 24 / 0 / 0 | 24 / 0 / 0 | 0 / 20 / 0 | 24 / 0 / 0 | 24 / 0 / 0 | 0 / 16 / 0 | 24 / 0 / 0 | 24 / 0 / 0 | 24 / 0 / 0 | 0 / 20 / 0 | 20 / 20 / 0 | 0 / 20 / 0 | 0 / 20 / 0 | 0 / 0 / 20 | 24 / 0 / 0 | 0 / 16 / 0 | 0 / 10 / 0 | 24 / 0 / 0 | 24 / 0 / 0 | 0 / 20 / 0 | 0 / 20 / 0 | 0 / 0 / 20 | 0 / 0 / 20 | 0 / 0 / 16 | 0 / 0 / 16 | 0 / 0 / 16 | 0 / 0 / 16 |
✖ | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✖ | ✖ | ✓ | ✓ | ✖ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✖ | ✖ | ✓ | ✖ | ✓ | ✖ | ✖ | ✓ |
350W | 280W | 350W | 280W | 350W | 280W | 350W | 120W | 350W | 350W | 170W | 120W | 170W | 105W | 120W | 105W | 170W | 105W | 65W | 65W | 65W | 120W | 105W | 65W | 105W | 105W | 105W | 65W | 65W | 65W | 65W | 65W | 105W | 65W | 65W | 65W | 65W | 65W | 65W | 65W | 65W | 35W |
We hope you've found this buyers guide helpful. Don't hesitate to speak to one of our friendly advisors for more advice if you still have questions on how to select the perfect CPU for your needs.