▷ Ryzen processor: is it the best alternative to mount a pc? ??

It is normal that many doubt whether to buy an Intel or a Ryzen at the time of mounting your PC. We say this because AMD's value for money is very attractive, which means that we have spectacular performances for a price that is practically laughable. Below, we tell you if it is the best alternative to mount a PC or not.

Index of contents

Budget and priorities

Before going fully to the data sheet or comparing Ryzen with another processor, you should take a look at two fundamental ideas: your budget and the priority or the use that you are going to give to your computer.

Budget

The budget makes the difference when we go to one range of processors or another. The reduced budgets are accompanied by the choice of a Ryzen because they are cheaper CPUs than those of its competitors.

A Ryzen 5 3600 has a price of around € 200, while the 3600X exceeds € 250. We'll talk about them later, but their main rivals are the Intel Core i7-8700K, 7700K, and i5-9600K. Keep that in mind when comparing them to Intel.

But be careful, Ryzen has 3 main ranges: Ryzen 3, Ryzen 5 and Ryzen 7. We also found Ryzen 9 or Ryzen Threadripper, but they are more professional solutions. Ryzen 3s range from € 100, but new Ryzen 7s skyrocket above € 300.

If our idea is to build an enthusiastic PC, we will need a good budget; on the contrary, if we want a good 1080p performance it is not necessary to have 1000 €.

Priorities

This is the eternal debate. Multi-task or just to play? At Profesionalreview, we always advise buying the components that offer the most versatility in terms of performance. We say this because nobody knows what can happen tomorrow, so prevention is better than cure.

With this, we refer to the fact that a multi-task is much more complete than a processor created only for gaming, which has been one of the main strengths of Intel in recent years.

So, we are putting some assumption for you to get an idea:

Multitasking and low budget: Ryzen. Gaming and low budget: Ryzen. Gaming and good budget: Ryzen or Intel. Multitasking and big budget: Ryzen or Intel.

When we say multitasking we refer to video editing, photography, music, compressions; workloads that require many threads.

Ryzen processor: technical sheet

Let's say we open a fan between Ryzen 3 and Ryzen Threadripper. We are talking about an oscillation between € 100 and € 1000, so be clear about the priorities, such as the budget you plan to spend.

I always say that the truth is found by comparing, so we recommend you compare before buying. But, calm @ s because here we are going to compare a lot.

AMD Ryzen 3

This is the low-end Ryzen, which we find in the 3200G, 2200G or 1200 of the first generation. Say that the last one does not have integrated graphics, something that you should take into account.

In the Ryzen 3 1200 we find a processor made in 14 nm, with 4 cores and 4 threads. Its frequency starts from 3.4 GHz and the clock speed supported by the processor is 2666 MHz (DDR4, of course). Finally, we are facing a TDP of 65 W. However, this is the first generation, which is why people opt for the newer processors, logically.

Therefore, we focus on the Ryzen 3200G, which does have integrated graphics and is the successor to the 2200G. Likewise, we find 4 cores and 4 threads that operate at 3.6 GHz. To say that it is made in 12 nm, it has a TDP of 65W and that it supports 2933 MHz.

This processor faces the Intel i3 range. In 2017, we made a comparison between the two ranges that made it clear that Intel i3 had better single-core performance, but Ryzen 3 was much better when more than 2 cores were used. In that comparison we gave the winner trophy to Ryzen 3 for better performance, in addition to being overclockable.

However, it has rained since then and Intel has hustled in the low ranges, making Intel i3 very interesting. Processors like the i3-8350K or i3-9350KF are over € 150, but give better performance than Ryzen 3.

If we go to the market, we see the following prices:

Ryzen 3 3200G: € 100.99. Ryzen 3 1200: € 48.99. Intel i3-8350K: € 165.90. Intel i3-9350KF: € 174.90.

Let's say the performance of the recent i3s is much better, but they cost significantly more money. But these new APUs have a great integrated graphics card, far from a decent dedicated one, but interesting for compact teams.

AMD Ryzen 5

In Ryzen's mid-range things get very interesting because we see very well equipped processors that are capable of standing up to even high-end Intel processors, such as the Intel Core i 7. That said, the natural comparison would be with the Core i5.

Currently, we have two Ryzen 5 processors:

Ryzen 3600. It is the third generation of Ryzen and it has 6 cores with 12 threads. Its frequency starts from 3.6 GHz, which can be raised to 4.2 GHz as indicated by AMD. Finally, it is manufactured in 7 nm, it supports 3200 MHz speed and its TDP is 65 W. Ryzen 3600X. It is also the 3rd generation and equips the same cores and threads. Here we see a base frequency of 3.8 GHz and turbocharged at 4.4 GHz. Rather, it has 95 W of TDP.

The main difference we find between the two is in the base frequency and in the turbo, being higher in the 3600X. It is true that the TDP also changes, but if we require more than 4 GHz, the TDP will give us a bit the same, right?

That said, we also find the difference in price, which is usually between 40 or 30 euros above. On the other hand, we are going to compare them with the i5, which, after all, are the main target.

Name	Cores (threads)	Base frequency	Turbo frequency	Socket	TDP	Memory	Price
Ryzen 3600X	6 (12)	3.8 GHZ	4.4 GHz	AM4	95 W	3200	250 € approx
Ryzen 3600	3.6 GHz	4.2 GHz	AM4	65 W	3200	210 € approx

Name	Cores (threads)	Base frequency	Turbo frequency	Socket	TDP	Memory	Price
i5-9600K	6 (6)	3.7 GHz	4.6 GHz	1151	95 W	2666	€ 220 approx
i5-9500	3.0 GHz	4.4 GHz	1151	65 W	2666	200 € approx
i5-9400	2.9 GHz	4.1 GHz	1151	65 W	2666	€ 195 approx

With the data in hand, the Ryzen seem to win the Intel i5 by a landslide. One thing to keep in mind is the speed of the RAM they support. In the case of Ryzen, it is higher, but we must remember that Ryzen requires higher RAM speeds to give good performance, which Intel does not.

The best way to compare both processors is using benchmarks, which help us to know the performance of each one.

As you can see, the Ryzen 5 can rub shoulders with the eighth generation Intel Core i7 without any problem. In video games, things can change in favor of the Intel i5 or i7 because their single- core efficiency is really good.

Considering that most video games take advantage of only 4 processor cores, the Intel can win the battle in this regard. On the other hand, when we start rendering with Sony Vegas or start unzipping.zip or .rar files , the difference between Ryzen 5 and i5 is clairvoyant.

It must also be said that, depending on the game, we can see the Ryzen 5 above the i5 - 9600k or i7-9700K. Anyway, it should be clarified that both processors offer similar performances in video games.

Therefore, we do not see the overpricing of the Intel regarding AMD justifiable because there are no notable differences. In fact, on many occasions, Ryzen give better performance than Intel.

AMD Ryzen 7

We moved to the high-end Ryzen processor, looking to find the answer as to whether it is the best alternative or not. Pay attention to the enthusiasts because you will be interested in the information that you will see below.

In Ryzen 7 we find two processors: 3700X and 3800X. Both have 8 cores and 16 threads, as they are manufactured in 7nm. The differences are found in the frequencies and in the TDP.

Name	Cores (threads)	Base frequency	Turbo frequency	Socket	TDP	Memory	Price
Ryzen 3800X	8 (16)	3.9 GHZ	4.5 GHz	AM4	105 W	3200	€ 400 approx
Ryzen 3700X	3.6 GHz	4.4 GHz	AM4	65 W	3200	350 € approx

Mention that they come with a RGB Wraith Spire heatsink in the pretty nice package, but that we understand that it can fall short having solutions like those of Noctua or Cooler Master.

The Ryzen 7's rivals are the Intel i9 and i7. We show it to you in the table below.

Name	Cores (threads)	Base frequency	Turbo frequency	Socket	TDP	Memory	Price
i7-9700K	8 (8)	3.6 GHZ	4.9 GHz	1151	95 W	2666	360 € approx
i9-9900K	8 (16)	3.6 GHz	5.0 GHz	1151	95 W	2666	500 € approx

Here the battle is more disputed than in Ryzen 5, which is a huge merit for AMD. We say this because this company has been well below Intel in the high ranges for the past few years. It must be said that the i9 are processors designed for servers, not for video games. Similarly, the Ryzen 3800X are processors that could be used for this purpose.

In this sense, we could debate in relation to facing the Threadripper range with i9 and Ryzen 7 with i7. For this reason, we have put both processors in the table.

Let's go with the benchmarks to get closer to the truth.

Perhaps, when it comes to video games, we find the 3800X as the clear winner against the i9-9900K, but in multitasking we find a huge processor from Intel. Regardless, the i9 is worth nearly € 100 more than the Ryzen 3800X processor . Regarding the i7-9700K, it is a processor that competes from you to you, but only in video games.

In this case, there is more difference in prices between one chip and another, which makes us think more about the decision.

Conclusions about the Ryzen processor

Our first conclusion is that price makes a difference in battles like this. It had been a long time since we saw such an even battle between the two manufacturers, so from here, we congratulate both of them.

Starting with the Ryzen 3 range, it seems to us a good range although it can be improved because Intel has managed to surpass it with little else. We know that the fight that AMD is concerned with is that of the mid and high range, but this range requires a small update to be compared to the i3 in monocore, although these are more expensive. So I would say it stays at:

Less than € 150 -> Ryzen 3.

On the other hand, and in our opinion, the Ryzen 5 range seems much more complete and versatile than the Core i5. We say this because we have a processor that is practically the same, its performance is superior in multitasking and even in video games, but its price is less than the i5. Therefore, we opted for Ryzen in this range.

Ending up the high end, it gets really interesting because there are price and performance struggles. It is the most even range right now, so we complicate the conclusion. Therefore, we will conclude this fight with the different points:

In video games we do not see great differences that make us pay more for one than for the other, either in 2K or 1080p. Depending on the video game, Ryzen or Intel will win. In multitasking we see the even thing. The 3700X are slightly inferior to the i7, but the 3800X smash the latter. Similarly, Ryzen achieves superior (or similar) performance with less GHz, no overclocking, and no extra heatsinks. Ryzen has vastly improved on tasks like h.264 video encoding or HEVC. The efficiency of the 3700X is much better compared to its rivals. AMD processors are cheaper than Intel, instead there is to equip high-speed DDR4 memories, and can make the set a little more expensive than Intel equipment. Intel processors are limited 2666 MHz of RAM, while Ryzen can reach 3600 MHz. At Intel, it is possible to reach 5.0 GHz by overclocking.

In short, if you don't care about the price and you want to play, buy Intel if you want to have a little more performance due to its high frequencies. But for the price difference, we think an AMD Ryzen 5 3600 / 3600X or Ryzen 9 is worth more for 95% of mortals.

Has this guide helped you? Do you think the Ryzen processor? Which one will you keep?