Introduction

Here's the cheapest AMD processor based on its fastest 7 nm "Zen 2" architecture, the Ryzen 3 3100. This is a chip of many firsts. It is the first to bring 4-cores and 8-threads under the $100-mark, the first with PCI-Express gen 4.0 in this segment, and one of the first with an unlocked multiplier (a distinction held by its compatriot, the Athlon 3000G). What's more surprising is that AMD did not disable any of its I/O features. You get the same I/O goodies as the $750 Ryzen 9 3950X! At its price of just $99, the Ryzen 3 3100 in this review goes right up against several Intel 9th Gen Core i3 and 10th Gen Pentium SKUs.

The Ryzen 3 3100 and Ryzen 3 3300X launching today are based on the same single-chiplet "Matisse" MCM as the rest of the 3rd generation Ryzen desktop processor series. This 4-core/8-thread processor ticks at 3.60 GHz with 3.90 GHz boost frequency, and supports the same high-frequency DDR4 memory modules as the rest of the series. You also get future-proofing in the form of PCI-Express gen 4.0, which you can use with motherboards based on the new B550 chipset or the premium X570 chipset. With a BIOS update, the processor is also compatible with older motherboards based on AMD 400-series chipsets.



AMD carved out the Ryzen 3 3100 by taking a single-chiplet "Matisse" processor, similar to a Ryzen 7 3800X, disabling two cores per CCX, and halving the L3 cache on both. It hence ends up as a quad-core part with a 2+2 CCX configuration. Each of the two cores per CCX has access to up to 8 MB of L3 cache. With 512 KB L2 cache per core and 16 MB of L3 cache, the caches add up to 18 MB "total cache." The Ryzen 3 3300X takes a slightly different approach, which you can read about in its review.

With prices of just $99 for the 3100 and $120 for the 3300X, AMD is hoping to woo the mainstream gaming crowd by letting them allocate more of their PC building budget to the graphics card. You'll need one, as unlike the Ryzen 3 3200G "Picasso," the Ryzen 3100 and 3300X lack integrated graphics. The processor's TDP is rated at 65 W.

We review the Ryzen 3 3100 in this article, comparing it with a broad spectrum of processors across our refreshed CPU bench.