AMD Ryzen 9 3900 vs AMD Ryzen 7 3800XT vs AMD Ryzen 3 3100

AMD Ryzen 9 3900

The Ryzen 9 3900 is a fast desktop CPU with 12 cores and 24 threads based on the Matisse series. It is the fastest 65 Watt CPU at launch in late 2019 and clocks the cores between 3.1 (base) to 4.3 (boost) clock (including Precision Boost). It uses 4 CCX-clusters where 3 of the 4 cores are activated. The CPU is manufactured in the modern 7nm process at TSMC. The I/O die on the package is separate and manufactured in 12 nm at Globalfoundries.

Due to the reduced Turbo speed, the Ryzen 9 3900 is aimed at content creators and other professionals that can make use of the 12 cores. For games, a fast 8-core CPU with higher boost clocks is the better choice.

AMD Ryzen 7 3800XT

The AMD Ryzen 7 3800XT is a fast desktop processor with 8 cores (octa core) based on the Zen 2 architecture. At launch it is the fastest 8-core-CPU of the Matisse series. The 3800XT clocks from 3.9 GHz (base) up to 4.7 GHz (Turbo). All eight cores can reach up to 4.2 GHz.

Performance

The average 3800XT in our database is in the same league as the Core i5-12500H, Core i5-13500H, Core i9-10910, Ryzen 7 5700G, Ryzen 7 7735HS, Ryzen 9 6900HS, Ryzen 9 6900HX, as far as multi-thread performance is concerned.

Power consumption

This Ryzen 7 series processor has a default TDP, also known as the long-term power limit, of 105 W. Needless to say, if one was to overclock it, the chip's power consumption would go up by a huge margin.

The R7 3800XT is built with TSMC's 7 nm process making for average, as of mid 2023, energy efficiency.

AMD Ryzen 3 3100

The Ryzen 3 3100 is a cheap entry level desktop processor of the Matisse series with 4 cores and 8 threads. It clocks from 3.6 (base) - 3.9 GHz (boost) and uses the Zen 2 microarchitecture. It uses two CCX clusters with two cores each. Therefore, there are some disadvantages compared to the faster Ryzen 3 3300X that uses all four cores of a single CCX-cluster. The CPU is manufactured on the modern 7 nm process at TSMC. The I/O die that is not part of the main die is manufactured on 12 nm at Globalfoundries. The TDP is 65 Watts and therefore the CPU won't need a big beefy cooler.

In multi-threaded applications the performance of the Ryzen 3 3100 can reach the old Core i7-7700K (a former high end CPU). In games and single threaded applications, the performance is slightly lower as the higher clocked Ryzen 3 3300X is on par with the 7700K. Still, the 3100 can be a good pick for an entry level gaming system.