Amd gaming processor - best models to play in 2019

Surely you have read both actively and passively that buying an AMD gaming processor is, today, the best possible option with the new AMD Ryzen 3000 launched in the middle of the year. Is it really a much better option than the previous generation? Has AMD surpassed Intel in this type of processors?

We will see all this in this article, so stay tuned to see all the details about the new AMD architecture, as we warn you, everything is not perfect, but its power has been revealed.

AMD Ryzen 3000: designed for multitasking and gaming

Surely the words that appear the most in the hardware media in these months is "AMD Ryzen 3000". And it is that not only is it a generation just out of the oven, it has also meant a huge step ahead of Advanced Micro Devices in the struggle that it has maintained for more than 30 years with its eternal rival Intel Corporation.

Until not too long ago, every user who considered updating their gaming equipment set their sights on Intel processors. Above all, if you had a solid budget, the Intel Core i5, i7 and i9 was by far the best option. Not only in processing power, but also in compatibility with graphics cards, peripherals, programs and, in general, 3D games. But now the tables have turned, and with the arrival of this new generation of processors the pure performance for multitasking and rendering is far superior to the best Intel CPUs for desktop computers.

Architecture: news on almost all fronts

First, we will see the main innovations we have in this new AMD architecture with a 7nm manufacturing process signed by TSMC. AMD has not only reduced the size of the transistors that make up the processor, but has also improved instruction and operations handling in virtually every respect.

The reduction in size means that many more transistors can fit in a single silicon, in addition, AMD has not used 7 nm for all components, which has led the manufacturer to opt for a chiplet-based mounting system. Chiplets or CCX complexes as they are now called, are modules with a fixed number of cores installed inside, in fact, we have 8 cores and 16 threads for each CCX unit. Being divided into blocks of 4 physical and 8 logical, since in all cases the AMD SMT multicore technology is used. Within these CCX we also have the L1, L2 and L3 cache. We have a configuration of 32 MB of L3 cache for each CCX, 16 MB for each 4 cores. L2 has remained the same, with 512 KB for each core, while the L1 cache consists of 32 KB in L1I and L1D.

But there are still elements built at 12 nm such as the PCH (Platform Controller Hub). Although this memory controller has been completely redesigned under the name of Infinity Fabric, capable of working at 5100 MHz. These support DDR4-3200 MHz speeds and a capacity of up to 128 GB.

Something that interests us a lot about this generation is that AMD has endowed its cores with much more power, with an increase of between 13 and 15% of the IPC (instructions per cycle). Performance in integer calculations has also been significantly improved, as the load bandwidth is now 256 bits instead of 128 bits supporting AVX-25 instructions, and a TAGE predictor and a third AGU have been added to improve the search for instructions and exchange of information between the nuclei.

Finally, AMD has also improved its hardware security layer, equipping its Ryzen with immunity against Meltdown, Specter V3a, Foreshadow, Lazy FPU, MDWS and Spoiler. Something Intel can't say even with its 9th-gen CPUs, which need to plug these holes with BIOS and software patches.

There are still things to polish

Everything can not be good, and the truth is that these CPUs also have some problems that sometimes become real headaches. AMD can not deny that it is a somewhat green architecture, and that it has gone out to force marches to give a blow to Intel.

Numerous and recurring problems with voltage and clock frequency management have been detected for all processors of this generation. In fact, one of the most widespread problems is the inability of these CPUs to reach their maximum working frequency.

The BIOS were born quite green, and the updates did not take long. One of these BIOS updates was AGESA 1.0.0.3ABB, which was not a very effective solution. On September 10, the microcode AGESA 1.0.0.3ABBA was released, which in some cases has seen improvements in this maximum frequency, but it is increased almost randomly in free nuclei, leaving those occupied at a lower frequency.

There have also been recurring problems with some motherboards when it comes to installing the Ryzen 3900X in particular, which we ourselves have suffered, especially with the MSI X570 Godlike. Another of the known problems and it seems that it has already been corrected has been with the Destiny 2 game, not allowing the game to be entered, and its Ryzen Master software, which did not correctly detect CPU activity.

Little by little these problems will be solved, and we hope that one day we can even overclock this CPU, since its multiplier is unlocked.

Motherboards and chipsets Do we need PCIe 4.0?

Along with these new CPUs, a whole range of motherboards has also appeared with the new AMD X570 chipset that aims to offer maximum performance to this new platform.

The great novelty of this chipset is that it supports the new PCI Express 4.0 bus, which doubles in speed to the previous one, with transfers of up to 2000 MB / s up and down. And you will say is this update really useful? Well that depends on what we want to install on the board.

It will be an important update if we want to buy the new M.2 NVMe Gen4 storage units, since the speed we obtain is about 5000 MB / s in reading compared to 3200 MB / s of the previous generation. If we are only going to install a dedicated graphics card, then it will not be useful at least today, since with the bandwidth in PCIe 3.0 we have more than enough for the current generation and the resolutions that are handled.

In short, we are hardly going to need this standard, since in the end the Gen4 SSDs have quite high prices, although of course, the loading of games and programs will be faster.

Is a Ryzen 3000 supported on an X470 board and vice versa?

Well this is the best news, and yes, hardware systems are perfectly compatible with each other. Most X470 chipset motherboards BIOS have been updated to support these processors, although not all are capable of dealing with Ryzen 9 3900X and 3950X due to their power. The lucky thing we have with AMD is that it continues to use the PGA AM4 socket on all of its Ryzen and Athlon processors.

We strongly recommend looking before the support section of the motherboard in question, to know its compatibility and the BIOS version it has. Currently there are problems with the AGESA 1.0.0.3ABA microcode for X400 boards, with numerous bugs and black screens appearing, so it has been temporarily withdrawn.

On the opposite side we also have good news, as the X570 chipset is perfectly compatible with Ryzen 2000 and 1st and 2nd generation APUs. We must bear in mind that they are more expensive boards, and perhaps it is not worth the trouble to update this and maintain the CPU, in addition, the Ryzen 2000 will limit the bus to PCIe 3.0.

Performance Ryzen 3000 vs Ryzen 2000 vs Intel Core

At this point it is very worth seeing how the performance of the processors is in different generations. So we can see if an AMD gaming processor exceeds the rest of the competition or not.

If we take hold of the latest results that we have obtained during the Reviews of these processors, we see that in pure performance there is a notable improvement over the previous generation. For example, comparing the Ryzen 3600X to the 2600X, 3700X to 2700X, and so on, they are all far above.

Let's now take the Intel Core i9-9900K as a reference, which is the manufacturer's most powerful LGA 1151 socket processor. We will see that in almost all cases this CPU is surpassed by the Ryzen 3700X and 3900X, ignoring the 3950X to which we have not yet had access. It is true that still in performance to a core the Intel is maintained with high statistics, but the multicore, rendering speed, and benchmark scores is overcome with relative ease.

And what will happen in games? Well here we have enough oscillations in the graphs. In all the cases we see , the same test bench, same board, hard drives, and of course my graphics card have been used, with a reference Nvidia RTX 2060.

In general we see very even results in all resolutions, both with 6-core processors and with 8 and up to 12 cores. The 9900K stays very fit, matching or outperforming the Ryzen on some specific titles. But the general tone is that AMDs sweep their competition in almost all cases.

The most important thing we learn with these graphics is that in gaming a Ryzen will give almost the same results as a Ryzen 9 or 9900K, and the price difference of the 3000 series is not very great. This is confirmed by seeing the great sales success that is being the AMD Ryzen 3600 processor and 3600X.

Integrated graphics Radeon Vega Are they for Gaming?

While most Intel processors have integrated graphics except for the F variants, AMD Ryzen does not have IGP in its normal versions. At least not the main desktop line, and only the so-called AMD Ryzen 3000G and 2000G APUs have them. There are two variants that we find today, the Ryzen 5 3400G / 2400G and the Ryzen 3 3200G / 2200G.

• The Ryzen 5 is the most powerful processor, with 4C / 8T and Radeon XR Vega 11 integrated graphics. It is a set with 11 cores and 704 shading units that generate 44 TMUs and 8 ROPs. The Ryzen 3 for its part, has 4C / 4T with Radeon Vega 8 graphics. The core count drops to 8 and the shading units to 512, thus generating 32 TMUs and 8 ROPs.

If we take for example a Radeon RX 5700 XT as a dedicated graphics card, its figures rise to 2560 shading cores, 160 TMUs and 64 ROPs. Figures much higher and that, in summary, make these APUs not measure up to be an AMD Gaming processor. Let's see the tests of the Ryzen 5 3400G at resolutions 1280x720p and 1920x1080p with the graphics at low level:

We see that the logs are far from those shown on a dedicated GPU, and playing low on 720p is currently not a desired option. Of course, these APUs will be a great option for multimedia equipment and for puzzle-type games or games from previous generations, where we will not have any performance problems.

Stock sink with more than remarkable performance

The next aspect worth mentioning about an AMD gaming processor is its cooling capacity. And far from Intel's heatsinks, AMD does offer us blocks of sufficient quality to give us fairly good temperatures even under continuous stress processes. The heatsinks that mount these CPUs are:

• Wraith Stealth: It's the smallest of the three, an all-aluminum block with an 85mm fan. This heatsink is available for the Ryzen 5 3600/2600 6-core. Wraith Spire: This is a higher version than the previous one, so the aluminum block allows for greater heat dissipation. It is the one with the Ryzen 5 3600X / 2600X and Ryzen 7 2700 with 6 and 8 cores. Wraith Prism - the top performance heatsink. It is a copper-based tower block through which 4 heatpipes pass directly and distribute the heat upwards. Its fan is 90 mm and has RGB lighting. It is mounted by the rest of the CPU, Ryzen 3700X / 2700X, 3800X, 3900X and 3950X.

These are the temperatures recorded in our reviews with the stock sinks in each case:

CPU	Average at rest	Mean in stress
AMD Ryzen 5 3400G	3. 4	62
AMD Ryzen 5 3600	Four. Five	78
AMD Ryzen 5 3600X	49	70
AMD Ryzen 5 3700X	37	Four. Five
AMD Ryzen 5 3900X	41	58

As we see, they are far from the TjMAX of the processor, their maximum temperature at the junction of the transistors, so that, even with strong stress they will behave well. Also, the fan is considerably quieter than the Intel fan, which is almost always spinning at 3200 RPM to compensate for the low heatsink capacity.

Overclocking capability

At this point we do have Intel as a clear winner. Both the Ryzen processors with Zen architecture, as well as the Zen + and also the Zen 2 have a lower overclocking capacity than the Intel. In fact, all Ryzen processors have their multiplier unlocked, as well as the chipsets on their boards, while Intel only allows overclocking on their CPUs with the K badge.

The figures that the CPUs of the blue giant handle are about 200 to 300 MHz in a stable way according to the processor and the "silicon lottery". While the Ryzen can barely exceed their maximum turbo speed. And let's not talk about the Ryzen 3000 anymore, which are currently still having trouble reaching their maximum allowable speed with the AMD Boost Precision Overdrive system. So, not to mention overclocking yet.

Price: AMD's ally

Price has always been one of the big claims for choosing an AMD gaming processor. If we compare for example the Intel Core i5 9400F with the AMD Ryzen 5 3600, which are two 6-core processors, we have a price of € 150 for the first and € 213 for the second, there is a jump. But of course, the AMD 3600 has SMT multithreading technology so we talk about 6C / 12T, while the 9400 stays with 6C / 6T. What's more, the purchase will be justified because the Intel CPU is up to 62% lower in performance in some Cinebench tests carried out in our review.

It must be recognized that AMD has raised its prices in this new generation, but now we have a Ryzen 5 2600X for around 160 euros, and its performance will be even slightly better than the 9400F that we have discussed, and with its 12 threads working perfectly. And if we talk about the two flagships i9-9900K and Ryzen 9 3900X, we have a difference of 60 euros in favor of the 9900K, and the pure performance long wins the 3900X, although in gaming they are quite equal.

Pros and cons of AMD gaming processor

In view of all that we have exposed, it seems that the points for and against AMD processors for gaming and other applications are clear.

In favor:

• From the user's point of view, the price will be the most differentiating factor of these processors. It is true that not as much as it happened before, since Intel has lowered prices and AMD has raised them for its new generation. But if we look with perspective, in the processors that have similar prices, AMD always gets an extra performance, either for more cores and threads or more IPC in the case of Zen 2.And speaking of IPC, this was a point in the that AMD faltered with Zen and Zen +, but that has been practically solved in the new generation Zen 2. This gives us individually more powerful cores and a much faster new architecture. Another point in favor is the use of the AM4 socket in all Ryzen, so you can install a 3600X on an X470 board without major problems. This makes us save good money if we intend to just upgrade our CPU. The heatsinks are also much better than those of Intel in stock, so, at the price of an Intel, we must surely add that of a custom heatsink.And a final advantage is not only the CPU, but the good equipment that would do with the new RX 5700 graphics, which is being a bestseller for standing up to the Super themselves. Finally, an advantage is also in having motherboards that support PCIe 4.0, more than these days, so it can wait for us in the future. We already have Gen 4 SSD, so it will be the only option available for users who plan to buy these SSDs.

To consider:

• We are talking about gaming processors, so not including integrated graphics is not a disadvantage in itself, although it effectively forces us to buy a dedicated graphics card. The positive aspect is that we have several very remarkable performance models with Radeon Vega integrated. They are the most powerful APUs currently, waiting to see the final performance of the Intel Iris Plus graphics 655.The Ryzen are not only good for gaming, but their large number of cores and increased IPC makes them ideal for rendering and design tasks and high workload.

Against:

• Well, we also have shadows, and one of them is the problems that the new Ryzen 3000 have to reach their maximum frequency in turbo mode. It is undeniable that the platform is still green, which makes many users think about it or even opt for the previous generation that is at sensational prices. We need more BIOS updates, and some that really work and that do not make the situation worse. The last disadvantage is that, despite having the multiplier unlocked, the Ryzen admit very little overclocking, and needless to say, the Zen 2. Pay the extra cost of the new X570 boards is not too attractive if we do not plan to take advantage of the PCIe 4.0 bus.

Recommended AMD Processor Models

Without further ado, we leave you with the AMD gaming processor models that we recommend the most

AMD Ryzen 7 3700X, Wraith Prism Heat Sink Processor (32MB, 8 Core, 4.4GHz Speed, 65W)

• System memory specification: 3200MHz; system memory type: DDR4; memory channels: 2 Max Boost Clock: 4.4GHzCMOS: TSMC 7nm FinFET

317.08 EUR Buy on Amazon

We recommend this 3700X for its good performance / price ratio, and we also don't need a much more expensive 3900X for gaming. 8 cores and 16 threads are more than enough.

AMD Ryzen 5 3600X - Wraith Spire Fan Processor

• DT RYZEN 5 3600X 95W AM4 BOX WW PIB SR2a It is from the AMDEs brand of great quality

213.67 EUR Buy on Amazon

AMD Ryzen 5 3600 - Wraith Stealth Heatsink Processor (35MB, 6 cores, 4.2GHz speed, 65W)

• Default tdp / tdp: 65 w Number of cpu cores: 6 Max boost clock: 42 ghz Thermal solution: wraith stealth pci express version: pcie 40 x16

168, 13 EUR Buy on Amazon

The 3600X and 3600 are the two most desired and best-selling new-generation CPUs as they have outstanding gaming performance. there are the results to demonstrate it.

AMD Ryzen 5 2600X - Wraith Spire Heatsink Processor (19MB, 6 cores, 4.25GhZ speed, 95W)

• Power: 95 W8 cores Frequency: 4250 MhZ

129.00 EUR Buy on Amazon

And if we have a tight budget, we can still choose another 6C / 12T at scandalous prices that will be perfect for gaming.

AMD Ryzen 5 3400G, Wraith Spire Heat Sink Processor (4MB, 4 Core, 4.2GHz Speed, 65W)

• Default tdp / tdp: 65 w Number of cpu cores: 4 Max boost clock: 42 ghz Thermal solution: wraith spire Express pci version: pcie 30 x8

199.99 EUR Buy on Amazon

Finally we place this new generation APU for those who are looking for a multipurpose multimedia equipment and with enough power for the day to day. Its Vega 11 graphics will perform with dignity at 720p and especially in platform games and puzzles.

Conclusion on AMD gaming processors

We hope that this little article has served to review the current status of AMD processors and see what their main advantages are for using them for gaming.

And it's not just about gaming, these SMT processors in all units make them ideal for multitasking, assembling design teams and especially rendering. What's more, the Ryzen 9 3900X itself is already more powerful than the AMD Threadripper 2950X that we have recently analyzed to round off this platform.

Now we leave you with some articles related to the topic of processors:

If there is an AMD processor that you consider a better option than those listed here, do not hesitate to write to us in the comment box telling us why it is better. What processor do you currently have on your PC? Would you exchange it for an AMD?