When it comes to computer processors, 2019 and 2020 were the best years in a long time. AMD has amazed us with excellent CPUs that deliver top-notch performance, like the 12-core Ryzen 9 3900X, the 8-core Ryzen 7 3700X, or the 6-core Ryzen 5 3600X. These processors rocked the market for good reason. Now, AMD has launched another batch of exciting processors: AMD Ryzen 3 3300X and Ryzen 3 3100. These models promise excellent performance, at a price point that is more accessible than ever. See what you get from the AMD Ryzen 3 3300X, in this review:

AMD Ryzen 3 3300X: Who is it good for?

The AMD Ryzen 3 3300X is a great choice if you:

• Are interested in gaming on a budget
• Are building a PC that delivers good overall performance without breaking the bank
• Want PCIe 4 support for ultra-fast SSD drives, and other components

Pros and cons

AMD Ryzen 3 3300X shines in many ways. Here is what we like most about this processor:

• Impressive single-core performance
• The multicore performance is excellent for productivity tasks
• Overall performance is better than Intel's similarly priced processors
• The low price makes it ideal for budget-friendly gaming computers
• Its low TDP and modest power needs make it great for energy-efficient computers
• It is unlocked and overclocking is an option
• AMD bundles a Wraith Stealth cooler while Intel's similarly priced processors come without a cooler
• Support for PCI Express 4 and fast DDR4 memory

There are a few downsides as well:

• It tends to get quite hot
• The headroom left for overclocking is limited by the bundled cooler

Verdict

AMD Ryzen 3 3300X is the best budget-friendly computer processor for gaming, and productivity. It's sold at a very reasonable price, and the performance you get is fantastic. This is especially noticeable in apps that require and benefit from the single-core performance, like games. The Ryzen 3 3300X is defining a new baseline in budget performance that we recommend to anyone.

Hardware specifications

At launch, the Ryzen 3 3300X is available at a price of about $120. It is an affordable CPU that uses the Zen 2 architecture and comes with all the benefits of this architecture, including support for PCI Express 4 (PCIe 4). For a comparison between PCIe 4 and PCIe 3, read: PCI Express 4 vs PCIe 3: Is there a performance improvement?. Just like all the other processors from the Ryzen 3000 series, the 3300X is built using the 7-nanometer manufacturing process.

The AMD Ryzen 3 3300X has four cores and eight processing threads, clocked at a base frequency of 3.8 GHz. The maximum boost frequency, on a single-core, goes up to 4.3 GHz. This affordable processor has two fewer cores than the AMD Ryzen 5 3600 and 3600X, but their base and turbo clocks are similar. In fact, the 3300X has both a faster base clock (by 200 MHz) and a turbo boost clock (by 100 MHz) than a Ryzen 5 3600. Compared to the Ryzen 5 3600X, the boost clock offered by the 3300X is lower by 100 MHz, although their base clocks are the same. However, the AMD Ryzen 3 3300X also has a lesser amount of Level 3 cache memory: 16 MB vs 32 MB (3600X).

These observations make us think that the Ryzen 3 3300X looks like a Ryzen 5 3600X stripped of two cores. Either way, because it's able to sustain a high single-core boost frequency, the Ryzen 3 3300X looks like an excellent choice for those who want to build gaming computers on a budget.

The default TDP of the Ryzen 3 3300X is a mere 65W, and AMD also bundles a Wraith Stealth stock cooler with it. It is not a deluxe cooler, lacking RGB lighting, but it should do its job well. Anyway, it's better than nothing, which is what you get from Intel's similarly priced processors.

The AMD Ryzen 3 3300X supports fast DDR4 RAM running at 3200 MHz in dual-channel mode, although a sweet spot for the best price per performance ratio would be getting yourself some DDR4 DIMMs running at 3600 MHz.

The AMD Ryzen 3 3300X uses the AM4 socket and supports PCI Express 4. That means that, even if it is a budget processor, it provides plenty of headroom for those who, in the future, want to be able to use new PCIe 4 graphics cards, or SSDs for instance. Furthermore, AMD is also launching the new B550 motherboard chipset as we speak, which means that we should soon see mainstream motherboards on the market, with a more affordable price than existing X570 motherboards.

B550 motherboards are going to support Ryzen processors built on the Zen 2 architecture, as well as the ones using the next Zen 3 architecture. However, for now, if you don't need PCI Express 4, you can also use the Ryzen 3 3300X on older motherboards with chipsets such as X470, X370, or B450, albeit only with PCI Express 3.

The AMD Ryzen 3 3300X looks like an excellent computer processor. Its fast base frequency and the single-core boost clock should make it capable of handling even the newest games, without it becoming a bottleneck for your graphics card. Let's see what the benchmarks tell us:

Performance in benchmarks and games

We tested the AMD Ryzen 3 3300X processor on a PC with the following hardware and software:

• Motherboard: ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Hero (Wi-Fi)
• Memory: HyperX Predator DDR4 RGB Memory (2 x 8GB, 3200MHz)
• Graphics Card: ASUS ROG STRIX GTX 1660 Ti GAMING OC
• Storage: ADATA XPG Gammix S11 Pro SSD
• Monitor: ASUS ROG Strix XG32VQ Curved Gaming Monitor (32-inch WQHD 2560 x 1440, 144Hz)
• Power Supply Unit: ASUS ROG Thor 850W Platinum
• Operating System: Windows 10 Pro x64 with November 2019 Update

To get a better idea about the performance offered by the AMD Ryzen 3 3300X, we compared its benchmarks results with other AMD Ryzen processors, including the 6-core Ryzen 5 3600X, the Ryzen 5 3600, and the recently launched Ryzen 3 3100.

First, we benchmarked the Ryzen 3 3300X using CPU-Z. In the Single Thread, this processor got a score of 490 points. It's an outstanding result that shows excellent single-core performance, which is especially important in gaming. The Ryzen 3 3300X is 2.4% slower than the Ryzen 5 3600X, 4.1% faster than Ryzen 5 3600, and 6.5% faster than the Ryzen 3 3100. Furthermore, according to CPU-Z, the Ryzen 3 3300X offers the same performance you would get from an Intel Core i7-7700K CPU.

In CPU-Z's Multi-Thread test, we got a score of 2699. The Ryzen 3 3300X has only four cores, so we expected it to get a lower result than its 6-core Ryzen 5 brothers. The Ryzen 3 3300X got a score that was 26.2% lower than the Ryzen 5 3600 and 32.8% lower than that of the Ryzen 5 3600X. However, compared to the Ryzen 3 3100, the 3300X is 6.1% faster in multithreaded operations. Also, according to CPU-Z, the Ryzen 3 3300X is a bit faster (1.9%) than the Intel Core i7-7700K processor in the Multi-Thread benchmark. That's quite impressive!

Next, we moved on to the rendering benchmarks, and we started with Cinebench R20. In the multi-thread test, which uses all the processor cores, the AMD Ryzen 3 3300X managed a score of 2355 points. It's 26.9% lower than that of the Ryzen 5 3600X, and almost 33.1% lower than the Ryzen 5 3600X. That's normal, as this test uses all the processor cores and, while the 3600 and 3600X have six cores each, the 3300X has only four. On the other hand, the 3300X was 7.9% faster than the cheaper Ryzen 3 3100, which also has four cores.

In Blender Benchmark, we rendered two different scenes (bmw27 and classroom). This benchmark measures the time needed by the computer to complete the rendering of the scenes. If a processor needs less time than others, it means that it is faster. Because it has fewer cores than the other CPUs in the list, the AMD Ryzen 3 3300X needed 23.8 minutes to finish. In percentages, it was 4% slower than the Ryzen 5 3600, and 6.85% slower than the Ryzen 5 3600X. However, it was also 9.9% faster than the Ryzen 3 3100 processor.

7-Zip is an app for compressing files, and also a good way of measuring the multi-thread performance of processors. Using the AMD Ryzen 3 3300X, we measured a compression speed of 29 MB/s, which is 27.5% less than what you get from a Ryzen 5 3600 or Ryzen 5 3600X. It is an excellent result considering that the 3300X has only four cores, while the other two have six cores. Compared to the Ryzen 3 3100, the 3300X was 10.35% faster.

The decompression speed in 7-Zip was 497 MB/s, less than what you get from Ryzen 5 processors, which have two cores more (30.2% slower than the 3600, and 34.6% slower than the 3600X). The 3300X is also 6.64% faster than an AMD Ryzen 3 3100 processor.

Next, we moved on to measure the performance of the processor in daily activities, using PCMark 10. This benchmark evaluates the computer's speed in areas such as web browsing, video conferencing, apps start-up times, productivity, and digital content creation. The Ryzen 3 3300X impressed us. Although it has two cores less than the Ryzen 5 3600, it got a score that is 4.45% better, probably because of its slightly higher boost clocks. Compared to the 3600X, 3300X's score was 4.52% lower, and, compared to the Ryzen 3 3100, the 3300X was 5.8% better. All in all, this shows that the AMD Ryzen 3 3300X is an excellent choice for productivity also, not just for gaming.

Next, we checked how good the AMD Ryzen 3 3300X is when surfing on the internet. To measure its performance, we used the JetStream 2 benchmark in Google Chrome. The higher score, the faster the processor. We were in for a surprise when we saw that the Ryzen 3 3300X is just as fast as the Ryzen 5 3600X. It's actually faster than all the others on our list. The most evident discrepancy is against the Ryzen 3 3100, which is 10.8% slower than the 3300X. This result is a consequence of the excellent single-core performance offered by the AMD Ryzen 3 3300X.

When it comes to computer processors, for many, gaming performance is an essential aspect. The next benchmarks that we ran are addressed to gamers. To avoid any possible bottlenecks, we configured the games to use 1080p resolutions and the lowest graphics quality settings.

In Shadow of the Tomb Raider, the AMD Ryzen 3 3300X got a CPU Render score of 191 frames per second. It's 15.19% more than what the Ryzen 3 3100 can deliver. Although it's less than what a Ryzen 5 3600 or a 3600X can do, this result is impressive. Probably thanks to its single-core performance, you can use the 3300X to run any game, including those launched in 2020, at high-quality settings and FHD resolutions, if your graphics card doesn't bottleneck your computer's performance.

In Metro Exodus, which is one of the most demanding games we've played, both in terms of video and processor performance, AMD Ryzen 3 3300X delivered an average frame rate of 109. That is only 4.39% less than what we got from the AMD Ryzen 5 3600X, and it is the same fps we measured with the AMD Ryzen 3600. Looking at Ryzen 3 3100's frame rate, the 3300X was able to render 3.77% more fps.

In World War Z, which is a game optimized for multi-threading, we measured 175 fps. That's less than what the six-core Ryzen 5 3600X and 3600 processors can do (16.27% and 10.26% fewer fps, respectively), but 11.43% more than what the more affordable Ryzen 3 3100 CPU offers. Ryzen 3 3300X manages to offer excellent performance in this game too, confirming that it is a great buy for any budget gaming computer.

To test the temperatures reached by the AMD Ryzen 3 3300X, we ran Prime95 to stress it, and we monitored it with Open Hardware Monitor. Unfortunately we received this processor without its stock cooler. That's why we had to use a different cooler: an ASUS ROG Ryuo 120. It is a more powerful and efficient cooler than the stock Wraith Stealth that you get with the Ryzen 3 3300X. Note that we measured the temperatures of the other processors in the chart using their stock coolers, so look at the following results with some reservations.

The AMD Ryzen 3 3300X processor reached some rather high temperatures, getting as hot as 93 degrees Celsius (199 degrees Fahrenheit). It's quite a lot and, with the stock Wraith Stealth cooler, the 3300X is probably going to throttle from time to time, in demanding games or apps.

Then, we measured the power consumption of the AMD Ryzen 3 3300X. The maximum we've seen was of 78 watts, which is not a lot considering its 4.3GHz boost clock. Note that this value applies to demanding use cases. In regular office work and most games, the amount of electricity consumed should be lower.

The performance offered by the AMD Ryzen 3 3300X is excellent, considering how affordable this processor is. Right now, we believe this is the best budget computer processor on the market, especially for gaming, but also for productivity.

What is your opinion about the AMD Ryzen 3 3300X?

The AMD Ryzen 3 3300X proved to be an impressive little fellow! 🙂 It is the best affordable desktop processor in years, and everyone building a computer on a budget should consider it. Before closing this review, tell us your opinion about this CPU. Do you like the results you've seen in our benchmarks? Comment below and let's discuss.