New budget Ryzen CPU's and AMD's game plan

[Dos_Box]

For those of you who haven't noticed yet, AMD launched two new low end CPU's last week (available from the 21st May). The $100 Ryzen 3 3100 and $120 Ryzen 3 3300X. Both are 4c/8t pieces and are basically last gen higher end Ryzen 5 pieces built on 7nm Zen 2 cores.

The reviews have been overwhelmingly positive and one thing seemed to stand out. Apparently AMD had mentioned in one of their launch pieces that the 3300X was comparable with the i7 7700k and less than a third of that chips orginal launch price three years ago. If you watch the review, you will see it comes in just under the i7 in many benchmarks, but only by a (very) small percentage.

 

 

As you can imagine this puts Intel in a bit of a bind as curently (taking a quick look at eBay) the used price for a 7700k is close to £300 and a new one I can see is £576. For this, if you were looking to upgrade your old Intel based system, you could buy a 3300x + decent motherboard and still have lots of change left over from £300 if you were to recycle your case, RAM and drives etc. You can even have change left over from £200 if you went for a lower end motherboard too.

What AMD have done is to basically undercut Intels used market at the same time. After all, why would you pay out for a used Intel piece when you can get a whole new system that you can grow easily?

All I can say is that this is very good for the consumer and with Intel about to announce their new line up very shortly it will be quite interesting to see their offerings and prices.

 

**I'm kind of kicking myself as I have just built a new Ryzen 3 3200G system for my sons birthday. All done with new components for just over £200! I was due to put a 1600AF in there, but the price of these is way beyond RRP atm, so managed to get a low end board and CPU for the same price (£120). As I built this to be a 'base' system I can upgrade it slowly over time for him.

[synaesthesia]

Aye, Intel are falling behind the times - their comparable new chips are slower, using old tech and have far higher TDP. Really isn't looking good for them, reminiscent of the old P4 Prescotts. looking at a 3300x system myself currently.

[Steve21]

Very interesting, been looking around for a while to replace mine, as still running a very aging i7 4770 (3.4ghz) that's had a good but hard life (Graphics card melted a while back so just got some cheap and nasty one in currently which struggles to even play a basic game)

 

Seems even the base 3100 is beating those specs now if I'm reading that right! Must be time for a new system!

 

Take it they're still gonna be pretty poor GPU wise? They don't include any decent vega etc (or whatever the latest AMD version is), but guessing with the way graphics card gone recently even a cheapy will beat my current

 

Steve

[Dos_Box]

I know Intel work on a 5 year game plan and suspect that when AMD launched Ryzen a few years back they did it in the knowlege that Intel would be stuck by that plan. Also helped that AMD made their AM4 socket be compatable all the way through their range (BIOS updates not withstanding).

Interestingly I also found out why the new B550 boards will only support the 3000 series of Ryzen's cpu range in regards to backwards compatability. Apparently this is due to the ROM size on BIOS's not being able to store all the microcode for the various Ryzen processors, so they effectively had to start again.

Given that anyone buying one of these boards would most likely be either building a new system or upgrading their 3000 series CPU anyway I don't think this is much of an issue.

[Dos_Box]

Very interesting, been looking around for a while to replace mine, as still running a very aging i7 4770 (3.4ghz) that's had a good but hard life (Graphics card melted a while back so just got some cheap and nasty one in currently which struggles to even play a basic game)

 

Seems even the base 3100 is beating those specs now if I'm reading that right! Must be time for a new system!

 

Take it they're still gonna be pretty poor GPU wise? They don't include any decent vega etc (or whatever the latest AMD version is), but guessing with the way graphics card gone recently even a cheapy will beat my current

 

Steve

 

We use the 4770k too. They have had a long hard life and have met all the challenges we have put before them. We were going to upgrade a bit back, but due to Intel having all their security issues decided to wait. Then Ryzen arrived so had been waiting to see how it all pans out. As it stands AMD is currently our choice of upgrade route, but given the price rises due to the current crisis, we shall have to wait a little longer I think. Our GPU's are also several gens behind now and 9xx series Nvidia cards are beginning to struggle.

Even a mid range Ryzen, nvme drive and DDR4 ram will leave our systems standing.

Edited May 11, 2020 by Dos_Box

[ICTDirect_Dave]

That's a cracking price

 

AMD Ryzen 3 3300X vs Intel Core i7-4790K

 

It compares well against my 4790K too!

 

Not enough to swap but it's clear AMD have the lead right now.

[Dos_Box]

Now, if only Dell and HP would expand their AMD offerings beyond the paltry few they offer.

Dell only offer Ryzen on Alienware and I can't find any on HP's site at all in the business machines catagory (I'm willing to be corrected if any of you can find them).

[Steve21]

Now, if only Dell and HP would expand their AMD offerings beyond the paltry few they offer.

Dell only offer Ryzen on Alienware and I can't find any on HP's site at all in the business machines catagory (I'm willing to be corrected if any of you can find them).

 

Dell removed most of them late 2019 (5055 was the last I think), apparently you "can" still bug them for them, but pricing wise it's stupidly off due to Intel rebates

 

HP seem semi-decent when I was flicking through their Pro/Elitedesk line the other day, but again guessing it depends what you want (Tower wise etc)

 

Steve

[ICTDirect_Dave]

Suddenly, an upgrade just became VERY tempting.

 

Ryzen 5-3600X smashes my 4790K and is £178 on amazon.

 

I could swap my cpu and have a little change going by the current ebay rates for the i7.

Then it's just £200 for motherboard & RAM. So very tempted right now...

[Dos_Box]

Suddenly, an upgrade just became VERY tempting.

 

Ryzen 5-3600X smashes my 4790K and is £178 on amazon.

 

I could swap my cpu and have a little change going by the current ebay rates for the i7.

Then it's just £200 for motherboard & RAM. So very tempted right now...

 

I would wait for the new B550 motherboards due in mid-June before splashing out though.

[bald_pig]

Very interesting, been looking around for a while to replace mine, as still running a very aging i7 4770 (3.4ghz) that's had a good but hard life (Graphics card melted a while back so just got some cheap and nasty one in currently which struggles to even play a basic game)

 

Seems even the base 3100 is beating those specs now if I'm reading that right! Must be time for a new system!

 

Take it they're still gonna be pretty poor GPU wise? They don't include any decent vega etc (or whatever the latest AMD version is), but guessing with the way graphics card gone recently even a cheapy will beat my current

 

Steve

 

Jumping in because nobody else has mentioned it, but only the models with a g at the end have graphics. If it were me, I'd buy a cheap "refurb" graphics card off ebay, there are plenty of low end quadro's with displayport outputs for £10-20

[flyinghaggis]

My PC died on me a few weeks ago (annoying timing given the current situation!) and it looks like it's either the CPU or motherboard which are dead. It's 5 years old so I'm gonna wait for the new AMD B550 Motherboards to be released next month, order a 3300 or 3600 to go along with it and see what I can salvage from my current PC.

 

I think I'll maybe downsize to an ITX case as well.

[synaesthesia]

Jumping in because nobody else has mentioned it, but only the models with a g at the end have graphics. If it were me, I'd buy a cheap "refurb" graphics card off ebay, there are plenty of low end quadro's with displayport outputs for £10-20

 

Don't think many are going to be looking at these for school though, and those at home will certainly be wanting discrete GPU's anyway.

[bald_pig]

Don't think many are going to be looking at these for school though, and those at home will certainly be wanting discrete GPU's anyway.

 

Steve21 spoke about integrated GPU's in the post I quoted, hence the reply.

[Steve21]

Jumping in because nobody else has mentioned it, but only the models with a g at the end have graphics. If it were me, I'd buy a cheap "refurb" graphics card off ebay, there are plenty of low end quadro's with displayport outputs for £10-20

 

Ah appreciated, never realised that! (Honestly never really been an AMD person to even look at them )

 

Aye, certainly seems better to just get a separate card if those CPUs are gonna be that cheap/good spec wise

 

Steve

[Dos_Box]

I would take a look at CEX for used graphics cards, RAM and CPU's. Often much cheaper than eBay and if like many of us it's a bit of a fork out to jump to a current gen system as you will need at least DDR4 RAM, cpu and possibly new graphics card.

With the controvacy about the new B550 boards and backwards compatability it will be worth jumping in with thrid gen Ryzen, although you can make a stonking system with current gen boards and older mid-top range cpu's.

It really isn't worth looking at Intel for used parts at the moment as the prices compared to AMD's new offerings are just not worth it for the forseeable future.

[flyinghaggis]

It really isn't worth looking at Intel for used parts at the moment as the prices compared to AMD's new offerings are just not worth it for the forseeable future.

 

That's certainly what I'm finding. I was having a look through ebay at the weekend to see if I could find a suitable motherboard to replace my failed X99/i7-5930K/mATX one but they're all priced at over £100 from what I've seen so far. I also looked at buying a motherboard/CPU bundle second hand (I have 16Gb DDR4 memory I want to reuse so need something made in the last 5 years) but, as you say, second hand PC components seem stupidly expensive just now?

 

I think it would probably make more sense to cut my losses and just buy a new Ryzen 3300 and a B550 motherboard (when they're out next month) to go with it as I figure I can get that for under £200 rather than spending £100 plus on second hand stuff. Especially as I can't be 100% certain my CPU is still working given I have no way to test it.

Edited May 19, 2020 by flyinghaggis

[ICTDirect_Dave]

The Ebay market is pretty silly now.

 

I've just swapped my 4790K for a Ryzen 3600X.

 

Ryzen cost me £178, I sold my i7 yesterday for £180!

 

Nuts!

[flyinghaggis]

The Ebay market is pretty silly now.

 

I've just swapped my 4790K for a Ryzen 3600X.

 

Ryzen cost me £178, I sold my i7 yesterday for £180!

 

Nuts!

 

It's madness that 5 year old processors still go for hundreds of pounds second hand!

 

How are you finding the Ryzen 3600X by the way? What motherboard did you go for with it? I'm pretty keen on the idea of getting a 3300/3600 and I want an ITX motherboard but right now my choices seem to be either a B450 or X570. Stock seems kind of limited (presumably with the B550 being out next month).

 

Was going to go for the B450 as it's the cheaper of the current boards but I've read that not all B450 motherboards can support 3000-series Ryzen chips out of the box and some require a firmware update (which I don't think can be done without a working CPU!). That, and the lack of supply, was what put me off getting the B450 and waiting for the B550.

Edited May 19, 2020 by flyinghaggis

[Arthur]

I've just swapped my 4790K for a Ryzen 3600X.

 

Ryzen cost me £178, I sold my i7 yesterday for £180!

I did something similar. Sold my old five year old i7-6700K for £200 and bought a Ryzen 9 3900X.

 

I also sold a webcam I hadn't used yet for £200 that I originally purchased during an Amazon Prime Day sale for £25. I wish I had bought more now!

 

I therefore only needed to pay about £80 extra for my 3900X. Bargain!

[ICTDirect_Dave]

I was going to wait for a B550, but went for an X570 as it was only £60 more than I imagine the B550 will be. I didn't want to wait 2 months for a new board and then find that my i7 had diminished in resale value.

 

My 16GB set of Corsair Vengeance Pro 2400MHz DDR3 memory just sold for £70 too! It's only £80 brand new!

 

This is nuts!

[Ditto]

I also sold a webcam I hadn't used yet for £200 that I originally purchased during an Amazon Prime Day sale for £25. I wish I had bought more now!

Which webcam was that? I bought three cams on a prime day, they're still boxed up so need to check the model. I just need to wait until the £1 ebay deal shows up again, but it sounds as though now is a good time to cash in.

[Dos_Box]

Don't forget folks, the embargo on the 10th Gen Intel chips performance is lifted tomorrow, so expect lots of YouTube reviews comparing these to current Ryzen CPU's which will make for interesting viewing.

[Arthur]

Which webcam was that?

I have sent you a PM to avoid going too off-topic in this thread. It probably is worth cashing in though.

[flyinghaggis]

... the embargo on the 10th Gen Intel chips performance is lifted tomorrow, so expect lots of YouTube reviews comparing these to current Ryzen CPU's which will make for interesting viewing.

 

So what's everyone's thoughts about the new Intel CPU's? From reading a few reviews it doesn't look like AMD has anything to worry about?