If the consumer desktop central processor market was n’t already confusing enough , AMD ’s 3000 - serial publication Ryzen lineup just grew by another three fries , bringing the total telephone number to 13 . Did AMD need refreshed versions of theRyzen 9 3900X , Ryzen 7 3800X , and Ryzen 5 3600X processor it released last year ? Not really , especially moot the only difference between the go versions and XT versions are an supply 100 - 200 Mhz to the rise clock amphetamine . If you already have one of AMD ’s X - version central processor , the just news is that there ’s no dot in spending hundreds of dollars to upgrade to an XT for , at most , a 4 % gibbosity in performance . If you have n’t upgrade from a 2nd - gen Ryzen yet and need to stick with AMD , it might be easier on both your nous and bank accounting to stick with the X - versions .
I guess when you ’re competing with Intel’s17 - chip , tenth - gen screen background lineup , more variety can seem like a good thing . A huge reason why Intel has so many chip variety in a unmarried multiplication is because it makes unlocked , locked , and CPUs with integrated graphics , which are all further differentiate by base / boost clock f number and , of course , pricing . While AMD has some desktop CPUs with integrated artwork , its processors are all unlatched , so there ’s less incentive to create the same big pricing / performance scheme . I ’ve always wish AMD ’s no - fuss approach to its central processor lineup the same way I like In ‘ n Out ’s simple carte du jour . burger , fries , tremble , done . Ryzen 9 , 7 , 5 , done . But with AMD ’s increase of the XT versions , it ’s like sum the cloak-and-dagger menu to the genuine menu , when the actual menu is fine the agency it is . Here ’s how small the X chips take issue from the XT chips :
Ryzen 9 3900XT ( $ 500 MSRP ): 12 - cores/24 - train of thought , 3.8 gigacycle base/4.7 gigahertz rise
Photo: Joanna Nelius/Gizmodo
Ryzen 9 3900X ( ~$420 retail ): 12 - cores/24 - threads , 3.8 gigahertz base/4.6 GHz boost
Ryzen 7 3800XT ( $ 400 MSRP ): 8 - cores/16 - threads , 3.9 gigacycle base/4.7 GHz boost
Ryzen 7 3800X ( ~$320 retail ): 8 - cores/16 - thread , 3.9 GHz base/4.5 gigahertz boost
Graphic: Alex Cranz/Gizmodo (In-House Art)
Ryzen 7 3700X ( ~$305 retail ): 8 - cores/16 - threads , 3.6 GHz base/4.4 GHz boost ( mention : This CPU is the ‘ anomaly ’ compare to the rest , but it ’s include because Gizmodo antecedently tested and review it . )
Ryzen 5 3600XT ( $ 250 MSRP ): 6 - cores/12 - threads , 3.8 GHz base/4.5 GHz boost
Ryzen 5 3600X ( ~$220 retail ): 6 - cores/12 - threads , 3.8 GHz base/4.4 GHz boost
Graphic: Alex Cranz/Gizmodo (In-House Art)
AMD Ryzen 3000XT - serial central processing unit
What is it ?
AMD ’s refresh of its Ryzen 9 3900X , Ryzen 7 3800X , and Ryzen 5 3600X
Graphic: Alex Cranz/Gizmodo (In-House Art)
Price
$ 250-$500 MSRP
Like
Graphic: Alex Cranz/Gizmodo (In-House Art)
Equally as lovely as the X versions .
No Like
Nearly identical to the X rendering .
Graphic: Alex Cranz/Gizmodo (In-House Art)
If you desire that extra 100 - 200 Mhz to the boost clock , but do n’t require to pay an extra $ 30 or more , stick with the X versions . Most motherboards give you the choice to overclock easily , and it ’s such a tiny jump in performance that it does n’t really make sense to spend more for an XT buffalo chip unless you really do n’t want to tinker with the BIOS . I would even say that execution per dollar weigh slightly more with AMD CPUs than Intel ’s because all the cores come unlocked . And when you compare the price of AMD ’s current - gen processors to Intel ’s current - gen mainframe , you’re able to afford to go with AMD for the interest of saving money . Even though you ’ll lose some carrying out relatively , these processors are still fast .
Our testbed let in : RTX 2080 Ti , Asus ROG Crosshair VIII ( WiFi ) , G.Skill Trident Z Royal 16 GB ( 2 x 8 GB ) DDR4 3600 , Samsung 970 Evo NVMe M.2 SSD 500 Gbit , Seasonic Focus GX-1000 , and a Noctua NH - D15 for cooling . the right way out the gate , I want to point out the overall performance of the Ryzen 7 3800XT compare to the Ryzen 9 3900XT ; You will see much high multi - core scores with the 9 3900XT because it has four more nub over the 7 3800XT , but both chips are more or less equal when it come to exclusive core performance , especially in games .
The 7 3800XT outperforms the 9 3900XT by 130 points in Geekbench 4 because it has that 100 MHz base clock advantage , and it also comes within 22 seconds transcoding a 4 K video to 1080p at 30 frames per second in Handbrake . But the 9 3900XT ruin it in Geekbench multi - core and render a 3D prototype in Blender . All this is to say that , for most people , the 7 3800XT is the good choice .
Graphic: Alex Cranz/Gizmodo (In-House Art)
And strangely , give the near - identical glasses between the X and XT versions , it does not make sense why the Ryzen 9 3900X would out - execute the Ryzen 9 3900XT in Handbrake , Blender , but not in Geekbench multi - core . to boot , the Ryzen 9 3900XT outperforms the 3900X in Civilization VI . The Ryzen 9 3900X was try by Gizmodo antecedently , so I am incertain why that anomaly exist . It could be anything from using a otherwise specced testbed to a glitch with the chipset driver or BIOS interlingual rendition . The 9 3900X and 7 3700X were both tested with a GTX 1080 Ti , which report for the large gap in the Civilization VI GPU trial , but the other trial routine could be the effect of using more RAM .
The same weirdness pass to the Ryzen 7 3700X and 7 3800XT , too . The 3700X is quicker in both Handbrake and Blender , but not in Civilization VI . Both X and XT versions are still incredibly fast , it ’s just weird that the technically quick XTs would get smoked by the Xs .
If you ’re not going to be video redaction or cause 3D videogames , and your sole purpose for upgrading your CPU is for gambling , Intel ’s tenth - gen chips are the full choice for like prices .
Graphic: Alex Cranz/Gizmodo (In-House Art)
At 4 kB , every processor has close - very performance ( when paired with the same GPU ) because the CPU has much less of a performance impact when running games at that senior high school of a closure . For that reason , it ’s much better to equate CPU for gaming at a 1080p resolution . Intel 10th - gen desktop CPUs outdo AMD latest Ryzens by 15 to 30 soma per second on average in the games test in the chart above . But looking at just the Ryzen crosstalk , the difference between the three is just 1 to 4 Federal Protective Service on median — and the difference between just the Intel central processor is 3 to 15 Federal Protective Service on average .
There are a few thing we can harvest from this all this . One , Intel is better at differentiating base / cost increase clock speeds on the same generation of processor , making spending more for the better - performing microprocessor chip more fairish . Two , AMD is near at generational difference in performance , make believe the move from a 2nd - gen Ryzen to a 3rd - gen Ryzen , whether a X or XT , make more sense than upgrading within the same generation . Three , AMD seems to make its higher - end cow chip pricier because of the good multi - core performance , even though it always suffer out to Intel on exclusive core ; The Intel Core i9 - 10900 K ( if you may get it ) is around $ 530 retail . The Ryzen 9 3900XT MSRP is $ 500 , but it will likely retail for higher and putting it nearer in price to the Core i9 - 10900K.
The Core i5 - 10600 K is still the most impressive of the bunch when you take core enumeration , base / rise filaria , and price into report . I ’d in person choose that one over any of these AMD CPUs if it was n’t for the fact that I ’d have to buy a unexampled Intel motherboard . ( I presently have an AMD CPU in my personal equipage . ) Any of these Ryzen XT chips will crop up right into your current AMD motherboard becauseAMD is still using same socket . rather of spending $ 200 on a raw motherboard with your Intel processor , that cash can go toward a higher - end Ryzen rather , but that would only make sense if you are already on Ryzen chopine .
Graphic: Alex Cranz/Gizmodo (In-House Art)
The newfangled Ryzen XTs exist just as extra selection for consumer . They do n’t bring anything juicy to the current AMD lineup , and they make things messier than they involve to be when it occur to choosing an upgrade path . As prices for the X edition carry on to fall , it will be even gruelling to justify spending $ 30 or more for an extra 100 - 200 MHz . This feels like a bit of a girl for AMD , but at least they are still just as adorable as their X reading counterparts . The time to get mad will be when the troupe ’s 4th - gen CPUs arrive .
README
Ca n’t outperform Intel tenth - gen screen background processors in anything other than multi - center .
The add-on of XT processor to the exist AMD batting order creates an unclear acclivity way .
Why AMD got ta have a bagillion CPUs like Intel ?
Graphic: Alex Cranz/Gizmodo (In-House Art)
Wo n’t need to purchase a new motherboard , unless you ’re still shake a 300 - series AMD mobo .
Processorsreview
Daily Newsletter
Get the best tech , skill , and civilization news in your inbox daily .
News from the future , delivered to your present .
You May Also Like
Graphic: Alex Cranz/Gizmodo (In-House Art)
Graphic: Alex Cranz/Gizmodo (In-House Art)
Graphic: Alex Cranz/Gizmodo (In-House Art)
