Tuesday, June 22, 2021
AMD's Ryzen 3000 series was a major hit for the company. The original Ryzen series of processors didn't have the desired impact, but the second and third generation of CPUs really changed the game. What's more, the third-gen Ryzen processors introduced PCIe 4.0 support years ahead of Intel. The Ryzen 7 3700X is one of the best processors from the generation, and it's on sale right now for Prime Day.
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X | $280 at Amazon
The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X is a brilliant processor at this discounted price. Sporting eight physical cores and 16 processing threads, it's more than a match for even the latest and most demanding PC games. The best part? AMD bundles a perfect CPU cooler with the 3700X, so you're ready to go from the get-go, and it supports PCIe 4.0.
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X: Great value for PC gaming
You may be questioning why we're recommending an older AMD processor when the 5000 series is well and truly out in the wild. Here's the thing: Ryzen 5000 processors are excellent. Just see our AMD Ryzen 9 5950X review for an insight into how powerful this family of chips is. But not everyone needs this additional performance.
You also need to pay full price for the latest and greatest from AMD. The Ryzen 7 3700X isn't far behind the newer Ryzen 7 5800X in terms of raw performance. Let's compare the two below:
| Category | AMD Ryzen 7 3700X | AMD Ryzen 7 5800X |
|---|---|---|
| Cores | 8 | 8 |
| Threads | 16 | 16 |
| Base Clock | 3.9GHz | 3.8GHz |
| Boost Clock | 4.5GHz | 4.7GHz |
| Socket | AM4 | AM4 |
| Cache | L1: 512KB L2: 4MB L3: 32MB |
L1: 512KB L2: 4MB L3: 32MB |
| CMOS | TSMC 7nm FinFET | TSMC 7nm FinFET |
| Cooler | AMD Wraith PRISM | - |
| PCIe 4.0 | ✓ | ✓ |
| TDP | 105W | 105W |
There's not much to separate the two when looking at specifications alone. The clock speeds are a little better for the Ryzen 7 5800X since it can boost higher, but that's about it. Where AMD has made considerable changes is under the hood, implementing various improvements to the processor core that provides the 5000 series a considerable edge.
But when you compare figures in games and applications, it's not a beating for the older processor by any stretch. You can still enjoy all the latest games on the Ryzen 7 3800X without issue. It shouldn't cause a bottleneck for the latest and best graphics card either unless you plan to go with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 or higher, but you should then consider a better processor.
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X: Upgrade with AM4
Where AMD beats Intel outright is chipset socket and lifespan support for processors. You can buy an X570 motherboard today, and it'll work with Ryzen 200 and 3000 series processors, as well as 5000 series CPUs. It's remarkable how you can still be using an AMD Ryzen 5 2600 and be able to upgrade the motherboard without anything but a BIOS update.
This is why the Ryzen 7 3700X is a better deal here since if you do end up surpassing the eight cores available, there's always a more recent AMD Ryzen 7 5800X or AMD Ryzen 9 5950X. This is a more affordable path for upgrading. If you go with a 9th Gen Intel processor, you'll need a newer motherboard to use a 10th or 11th Gen upgrade.
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X | $280 at Amazon
The Ryzen 7 3800X is a great CPU, rocking eight cores with multi-thread support. Not only does it work with the latest motherboards, but you can also enjoy full PCIe 4.0 support for rapid NVMe SSDs. So if you're looking for a brilliant deal to get into PC gaming with the potential for upgrading the CPU at a later date, this is a great option.
It's always good to go with the latest and greatest, but older generations can offer substantially better value. That's the case with our favorite processor deal in the AMD Ryzen 7 3700X, but if you need some other components to finish your PC build, check out our collection of best PC part deals.
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