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 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.
| Gaming | 10 | |||||||||
| Streaming | 10 | |||||||||
| Content Creation | 9 | |||||||||
| Multitasking | 9 | |||||||||
Latest generationRyzen 5000-series, Zen 3 architecture
Compatible motherboard chipsetsAMD X570, AMD B550, B450, A520
3XS recommendsAMD Ryzen 9 5900X
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.
Look out for Ryzen 7’s with a G on the end of the name as these have integrated graphics, which means for a casual gaming PC you don’t need to invest in a separate graphics card, saving you money.
| Gaming | 8 | |||||||||
| Streaming | 8 | |||||||||
| Content Creation | 7 | |||||||||
| Multitasking | 7 | |||||||||
Latest generationRyzen 5000-series, Zen 3 architecture
Compatible motherboard chipsetsAMD X570, AMD B550, B450, A520
3XS recommendsAMD Ryzen 7 5800X
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.
Look out for Ryzen 5’s with a G on the end of the name as these have integrated graphics, which means for a casual gaming PC you don’t need to invest in a separate graphics card, saving you money.
| Gaming | 6 | |||||||||
| Streaming | 6 | |||||||||
| Content Creation | 5 | |||||||||
| Multitasking | 5 | |||||||||
Latest generationRyzen 5000-series, Zen 3 architecture
Compatible motherboard chipsetsAMD X570, AMD B550, B450, A520
3XS recommendsAMD Ryzen 5 5600X
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 generationRyzen 4000-series, Zen 2 architecture
Compatible motherboard chipsetsAMD X570, AMD B550, B450, A520
3XS recommendsAMD Ryzen 3 4100
AMD Athlon Processors
AMD Athlon processors are entry-level dual-core CPUs with integrated graphics. They are ideally suited for basic home and office applications, but have insufficient horsepower for more demanding tasks such as high-resolution gaming and content creation applications.
| Gaming | 2 | |||||||||
| Streaming | 1 | |||||||||
| Content Creation | 1 | |||||||||
| Multitasking | 1 | |||||||||
Latest generationAthlon 3000-series, Zen architecture
Compatible motherboard chipsetsAMD X570, AMD B550, B450, A520
3XS recommendsAMD Athlon 3000G
AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO Processors
Want the very best that AMD has to offer? Then look no further than Ryzen Threadripper PRO. Designed as a showcase of today’s many-core computing experience, Threadripper offers up to 64 physical cores from a single chip.
Threadripper Pro supports more PCIe lanes, more memory and ECC Registered RAM, making it the ultimate workstation for creative professionals.
| Gaming | 8 | |||||||||
| Streaming | 8 | |||||||||
| Content Creation | 10 | |||||||||
| Multitasking | 10 | |||||||||
Latest generationRyzen Threadripper PRO 3000-series, Zen 2 architecture
Compatible motherboard chipsetsAMD WRX80
3XS recommendsAMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3975WX
AMD Ryzen Threadripper Processors
Ryzen Threadripper offers even more cores than Ryzen 9, up to 64, providing outstanding performance in more demanding content creation applications.
Want to render, compile, stream, encode and play? Ryzen 9 is perfectly capable. Want to render, compile, stream, encode and play at the same time? Then Ryzen Threadripper is where it’s at.
| Gaming | 8 | |||||||||
| Streaming | 8 | |||||||||
| Content Creation | 10 | |||||||||
| Multitasking | 10 | |||||||||
Latest generationRyzen Threadripper 3000-series, Zen 2 architecture
Compatible motherboard chipsetsAMD TRX40
3XS recommendsAMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X
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 | ATHLON | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gaming | 8 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 2 |
| Streaming | 8 | 8 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 1 |
| Content Creation | 10 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 |
| Multitasking | 10 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 |
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.
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.
For reference, here are the full specifications of all the latest AMD desktop CPUs.
| Series |
|---|
| Model |
| Architecture |
| Socket |
| Cores / Threads |
| Base Frequency |
| Turbo Frequency |
| Cache |
| Memory Controller |
| Maximum Memory |
| Memory Frequency |
| PCIe 4.0 / 3.0 Lanes |
| Integrated GPU |
| TDP |
| Ryzen Threadripper PRO | Ryzen 9 | Ryzen 7 | Ryzen 5 | Ryzen 3 | ATHLON | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3995WX | 3975WX | 3975WX | 5950X | 5900X | 5800X3D | 5800X | 5700X | 5700G | 5600X | 5600 | 5600G | 5500 | 4600G | 4500 | 4100 | 3000G |
| Zen 2 | Zen 2 | Zen 2 | Zen 3 | Zen 3 | Zen 3 | Zen 3 | Zen 3 | Zen 3 | Zen 3 | Zen 3 | Zen 3 | Zen 3 | Zen 2 | Zen 2 | Zen 2 | Zen |
| sWRX8 | sWRX8 | sWRX8 | AM4 | AM4 | AM4 | AM4 | AM4 | AM4 | AM4 | AM4 | AM4 | AM4 | AM4 | AM4 | AM4 | AM4 |
| 64 / 128 | 32 / 64 | 16 / 32 | 16 / 32 | 12 / 24 | 8 / 16 | 8 / 16 | 8 / 16 | 8 / 16 | 6 / 12 | 6 / 12 | 6 / 12 | 6 / 12 | 6 / 12 | 6 / 12 | 4 / 8 | 2 / 4 |
| 2.7GHz | 3.5GHz | 3.9GHz | 3.4GHz | 3.7GHz | 3.4GHz | 3.8GHz | 3.4GHz | 3.8GHz | 3.9GHz | 3.5GHz | 3.9GHz | 3.6GHz | 3.7GHz | 3.6GHz | 3.8GHz | 3.5GHz |
| 4.2GHz | 4.2GHz | 4.3GHz | 4.9GHz | 4.8GHz | 4.5GHz | 4.7GHz | 4.6GHz | 4.6GHz | 4.7GHz | 4.4GHz | 4.4GHz | 4.4GHz | 4.2GHz | 4.1GHz | 4.0GHz | ✖ |
| 288MB | 144MB | 72MB | 72MB | 70MB | 96MB | 36MB | 36MB | 20MB | 35MB | 35MB | 20MB | 19MB | 11MB | 11MB | 6MB | 4MB |
| Eight-channel ECC Registered |
Eight-channel ECC Registered |
Eight-channel ECC Registered |
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 | 2TB | 2TB | 128GB | 128GB | 128GB | 128GB | 128GB | 128GB | 128GB | 128GB | 128GB | 128GB | 64GB | 64GB | 64GB | 64GB |
| 3200MHz | 3200MHz | 3200MHz | 3200MHz | 3200MHz | 3200MHz | 3200MHz | 3200MHz | 3200MHz | 3200MHz | 3200MHz | 3200MHz | 3200MHz | 2666MHz | 2666MHz | 2666MHz | 2666MHz |
| 128 / 0 | 128 / 0 | 128 / 0 | 20 / 0 | 20 / 0 | 20 / 0 | 20 / 0 | 20 / 0 | 0 / 20 | 20 / 0 | 20 / 0 | 0 / 20 | 20 / 0 | 0 / 16 | 0 / 16 | 0 / 16 | 0 / 16 |
| ✖ | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ | ✓ | ✖ | ✖ | ✓ | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ | ✓ |
| 280W | 280W | 280W | 105W | 105W | 105W | 105W | 65W | 65W | 65W | 65W | 65W | 65W | 65W | 65W | 65W | 35W |