AMD RYZEN 3 3300X
The ideal quad-core CPU for your next PC
$127 FOR A QUAD-CORE, eight-threaded processor, complete with a hefty 18MB of cache, a fairly typical Ryzen clock knocking in at 4.3 GHz at max, and of course access to all the juicy connectivity options bundled in with the X570 and B550 chipsets: There’s a lot to love when it comes to the Ryzen 3 3300X. For not a lot of cash, it offers a tempting solution for those looking to upgrade their ageing rigs, or set up a brand new one.
We always enjoy looking back at the past with processors, as it gives us a good idea as to what the future might hold, and just how far we’ve come in such a short time. And with the Ryzen 3 3300X, it’s absolutely no exception. Back in the days of Kaby Lake, a quad-core processor with multi-threading as standard would set you back close to $300, albeit with a slightly higher clock speed. Fast forward three years and that price has halved, and you’ve gained a bevy of connectivity solutions with it. There’s a lot to love here. But this is 12 months on from the initial 3rd-gen Ryzen launch, and we’ve seen Ryzen 3s before, so why is it so interesting? And why now?
Well in short, the Ryzen 5 3400G, Ryzen 3 3200G, and the Ryzen 3 3100G aren’t technically 3rd-generation Ryzen parts. They’re in the product stack, sure, launched at the same time as the original 3rd gen, but the reality is these iGPU cousins were meagre imitators, harboring that pesky 12nm+ Zen architecture we saw with the launch of AMD’s 2nd gen. These chips lacked PCIe 4.0 support, and perhaps worst of all only came with eight PCIe 3.0 graphics lanes direct to the CPU itself (the other eight being reserved for the onboard iGPU).
These were processors designed with the HTPC, esports and home-server markets in mind, where more often than not those PCIe lanes would be taken up with RAID cards or audio solutions instead of graphics. For AMD, the solution was simple for anyone serious about gaming on a budget—get a Ryzen 5 3600. But this left a gaping hole in the market, one Intel happily filled with its high-performing Core i5s and i3s, all of which featured the full-fat 16 PCIe 3.0 lanes and strong single-core performance. Fast forward a year and at last we see a competitor, in the form of this fruitful Ryzen 3 3300X, in all of its 7nm glory.
So then, is it any good? Well the long and the short of it is, yes, darn good in fact. In Cinebench R15, we saw this thing clock in an impressive 199 points in the single-core tests, and 1,123 points in multi-core. Throw it into gaming, and it pulls off some impressive performance at 1440p, clocking in 72fps in TotalWar: WarhammerII with an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080, and 53fps in GhostRecon: Wildlands. Not too shabby. It does lose some points compared to the likes of its older sibling, the Ryzen 5 3600X, but that’s only in heavier multi-threaded titles. Interestingly, we saw temps remain resiliently the same between the two chips, both floating around the 66 C mark under load regardless of core count. This is likely due to the fact the 3300X is still utilizing the same number of core complexes as the 3600X, albeit with two additional cores disabled within those CCXs.
AMD’s Ryzen 3300X is an interesting, perhaps somewhat late addition to its arsenal. It represents an intriguing proposition for those looking to upgrade their ageing quad-core platforms, with access to newer connection standards and more modern motherboards at an affordable price. But we have to question whether it’s just too little too late. AMD has confirmed its 4th-generation chips will be with us before the year is out. So investing in a processor that’s likely going to drop in price within the space of the next few months seems somewhat foolhardy. Nonetheless, right now it’s a fantastic processor, and ideal for those looking for something for either home office use, or to use in a slim, lightweight gaming machine.