The Best AM3 CPUs – How To Choose The Right One

Today we’ll talk about the Best AM3 CPU’s on the market. Let’s get started, we have some ground to cover!

A processor is one of the fundamental components of a computer, be it a desktop or a laptop. In laptops, it is rarely replaceable, almost never in the latest generations, but it is still possible to replace or customize as you see fit in desktop PC’s.

The fastest AM3 CPUs sold on the market can be known to be a little pricey, so it’s important to ensure you’re getting the correct AM3 cpu. The last thing you want to do is over pay for something that doesn’t fit your needs in the first place.

Why is a processor (also called a CPU) so important? For two reasons, mainly: The first, because without a processor, a system does not even pass the POST, that is the sequence of initial operations to verify that the PC hardware is working correctly; the second, because it is the component delegated to calculate all generic operations.

The processor is therefore crucial in choosing the components of a new PC.

Today we will show you the best AM3 CPUs you can buy today, starting from the models of a few dollars, up to the most powerful – top of the food chain cpus.

First, it is necessary to make some clarifications so that you can better understand some of the terminology that we will be mentioning in this article. In short, if you don’t know terms like TDP, IPC, Cache, or calculation frequency, don’t be afraid. We’ll explain everything below!

The Best Rated AM3 CPU’s

1. Ryzen 5 3600X 6-Core

Introducing the AMD Ryzen cpu. Wow, where to even begin. This thing is a monster of a processor. This Ryzen is one of the first processors with PCIe 4.0. Not sure what that means? I’m honored to tell you. It essentially means it delivers double the graphics and double the storage bandwidth. Arguably, easily one of the best bang for your buck options on the market in terms of processors.

Without a doubt, it has been the greatest success of AM3 of the last generation. It offers exceptional gaming performance, so you can reach your highest potential. This AM3 keeps cool and stays quiet. It also comes equipped with efficient 7-nanometer technology.

Let’s look under the hood and find out what makes this Ryzen so special. It has 6 cores, 12 threads, a base frequency of 3.6 GHz, and a turbo of 4.2 GHz. All are manufactured at 7 nanometers (one of the hallmarks of AMD in the last batches of CPUs) and a TDP 65 W.

This powerful processor will bring a whole new meaning to your pc gaming experience. Were you previously battling with a pc gaming addiction? Then you should probably close out of this article now, because this certainly will not help haha.

Do you run intensive programs? Excel, notepad, candy crush? If you only run in standard VGA mode (640 x 480, 16 colors) you should have no issues with running notepad, provided you don’t type too fast.

Highlighted Features:

  • Great Performance
  • 4.2GHz Max Boost
  • 6 cores and 12 threads
  • Quiet and cool

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2. AMD FX-8350 FX-Series 8-Core Processor

We have been lucky enough to try the AMD FX-8350 ourselves, and the sensations that it has left us with have been spectacular. Although, it’s true, it’s not the fastest AM3 CPU, but the solvency that it has proven to have, places it well above the X and XE processors from Intel. This CPU has also proven to keep pretty cool, even with single block over-the-air heatsinks.

Believe it or not, this is the industry’s one and only native 8-core desktop processor. There is no match when it comes to multitasking and pure core performance. Some refer to the FX as having a “bulldozer” design and architecture. Superb power available from virtually each core configuration. Also available in 6, and 4 core variations. Get all the core performance you require without increasing your power requirements.

AM3’s next generation architecture takes 8-core processing to the highest level achievable. Offering up to 24% higher quality frame rates in some of the most demanding pc games, and at immaculate resolutions. FX also adds the feature of faster audio encoding, so you can enjoy your music quicker. Reach up to 5.0 ghz with combative cooling solutions from AM3. This AM3 contains 8 cores with a frequency of 4.0/4.2ghz.

A very powerful processor, perfect for making the most of today’s games with high frame rates and for editing tasks. Its base frequency is 4.2 GHz, reaching up to 4 GHz in turbo mode.

Highlighted Features:

  • 8-Core Processor with 6, and 4 options
  • Excellent Performance
  • Power Wattage: 125w

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3. AMD Ryzen 7 3700X

This Ryzen is small and compact, but packs a punch! Expect an ultra fast 100+ FPS performance when playing your favorite pc games. This AM3 comes equipped with 8 cores and 16 processing threads. Bundled up with the AMD wraith prism cooler with enhanced color controlled LED support.

A great bang for your buck. It will blow everything else out of the water for the price point. This Ryzen 7 3700X is on par with the intel 9700k in gaming, but for $70 less, and better than the $489 i9 9900k in productivity and multitasking.

Comes equipped with a really good, stable processor for all around workloads, especially gaming. Has a good stock stable boost clock of about 4.2GHz with a strong, durable cooler. It’s relatively the same as the 3800x without the extra cost.

Although due to the small price difference that exists between the Ryzen 5 3600 and the Ryzen 7 3700X ($279), the latter is perhaps a better option in terms of value for money. This is basically because the Ryzen 7 has 8 cores and 12 threads, making it a great investment for the future. When games demand more power in this regard, processors like this can continue to out perform. Ryzen AM3 incorporates a base and turbo frequencies of 3.6 GHz and 4.4 GHz and is one of AMD’s best sellers of the last generation.

It has one of the fastest caches on the market, with 3200 MHz of speed and 64Mb of Cache. At the same time, it consumes 65W of power, which makes it a low-power processor that will not experience large temperature increases. The efficiency of this unit is unmatched compared to few processors.

Highlighted Features:

  • A high number of cores and threads
  • Excellent performance in games and programs
  • Great quality-price-performance

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4. AMD Ryzen 5 2600 Processor with Wraith Stealth Cooler

The AMD Ryzen 5 2600, the fastest AM3 CPU, is the preferred choice for users who want to join the Ryzen family on a budget. AM3 storemi technology is installed to enhance load times, boot times, file management and system responsiveness.

This Ryzen offers 6 CPU cores and 12 unlocked threads. Additionally, it is clocked at 4.2 GHz Max Boost and 35 megabytes (MB) of DDR4 cache. On the other hand, it includes Wraith Stealth Cooler and is compatible with the Windows 10 operating system. Without a doubt, a very functional and versatile product.

If you care about the way your pc runs, sounds and looks, this AM3 processor will make you feel right at home. Near silent operating fans, equipped with capable thermal hardware at no additional price when these coolers are packaged with existing processors, providing great value.

Enjoy multiprocessing performance when gaming or creating. Join the worlds elite esports gamers that rely on the high standard processors and graphic cards that power their set ups. AM3 cpu’s play a big part in providing the tools and confidence that these top tier players need to perform at their best.

Ryzen 2600 is an incredible cpu for the midrange. VR works extremely well on it. The processor overclocks easily, and comes with a very good cooler with decent thermal paste so you save $50 or so from that alone right. Capability to fly through normal workloads which include web browsing, virtual machines, VR, gaming and file serving.

Highlighted Features:

  • It has a frequency of 4.2 GHz
  • Cache memory is 35 Mb
  • Power consumption: 65w
  • Excellent Performance

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5. AMD – Ryzen 3 3200G Quad Core Unlocked Desktop Processor

With the AMD 3200G Ryzen 3 we find one of the best AM3 CPUs with a performance similar to the 9th generation i5. Built with the efficient Zen + architecture predecessor of the new Zen2. It is one of the fastest AM3 CPU’s out there.

It has 4 cores to 4 threads with a turbo frequency of 4 GHz and with a great Overclocking capacity, giving a much more solid experience in heavy data pc games. The Ryzen 3 3200G comes with a premium cooling unit, which is one of the best advantages of buying a CPU from this series from AMD. For this particular unit, the standard fan is the AMD Wraith Stealth.

Enjoy a smooth delivery of the highest performance in your favorite pc games. Cutting edge, true quad core architecture provides the correct responsiveness and performance you’d expect from a much pricier pc. Experience the power of AM3 Ryzen combined with advanced Radeon graphics, for the best gaming and productivity solution. No need for expensive graphics. 4.0 GHz max boost, unlocked for overclocking, 6 MB cache, DDR 2933 support.

It has a low profile design, which is elegant. You can expect excellent performance, including a stagnant temperature that doesn’t exceed 167ºF, even in demanding working conditions. An excellent processor if you are starting in the gaming world, if you play titles with little graphic demand, or have a modest budget and want to spend most of it on the purchase of a graphics card.

With the AMD Ryzen 3200G, you can expect to have a processor with sufficient performance for office automation tasks and certain programs such as Photoshop, Illustrator, or Premiere. It’s important to always keep in mind not to overload them with a large number of files.

Highlighted Features:

  • 4 Possessing core
  • 4.0 GHz max boost
  • 3.6 GHz base clock

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How To Choose a CPU

Many of us want to always have at hand an adequate computer. A piece of hardware that is of good quality and powerful power, especially at an affordable price. However, despite our wishes, not all processors (I would even say, a few) are able to contain all of the main criteria’s we wish for in a computer component.

Knowing the detailed specifications of a processor and reading reviews is a good way to get an idea of ​​what to buy. We completely understand that not everyone has the time to do such extensive research on AM3 cpu’s, so in this guide we suggest which processors to buy based on the use case and the relationship between price and performance.

To give you an example: To navigate a modern quad-core processor, you don’t need to spend astronomical amounts, but if you want to play at your best, you will probably need a CPU with at least six cores and quite high frequencies. As games perform best with a higher average number of cores, but above all, the high frequencies are what play the most important role.

You also need a CPU with enough power so that it won’t be too much of a burden to the video card.

Multithreading and The Like

Many people often confuse concepts such as multithreading and multi-core, but these are completely different things.

Multithreading is the ability of a platform (OS, program, application) to run in multiple threads running in parallel.

To unleash the full potential of multi-core processors, they need to work with multithreaded applications. These applications include archivers, video encoders, defragmenters, browsers, flash, etc.

Power Consumption and Cooling

Of course, the development of the production capacities of processors could not but affect their energy consumption, which has increased significantly.

To estimate the heat dissipation, the TDP value was introduced, which shows how much heat the cooling system should be designed for when using it with a certain CPU model.

At the moment, in the era of development of portable devices (tablets, netbooks, etc.), the power consumption parameter, due to the technical process, etc., has been significantly reduced. For example, the TDP processors Mobility computers are only 40 watts.

Caches and Other Tails

In addition to RAM, there is an ultra-fast cache memory, with which the processor crystal works because it cannot wait for the RAM to “swing” and perform the required operations.
Cache memory is an area of ​​the processor die that processes and stores intermediate data between processor cores, RAM, and other buses.

In other words, it is an ultra-fast volatile buffer that allows you to access frequently used data quickly.

Number of Processor Cores

It wasn’t long ago, maybe just a number of years ago, such a thing as multi-core did not even exist at all. Now, “wherever you spit,” completely multi-core processors exist. When choosing the number of cores, one should first have an idea of what the use will be. The higher number of cores, the more active you can be.

It is clear that the more cores, the better, but if you use a computer to solve office tasks for working with documents, surfing the internet, and light multimedia tasks, then most likely a processor with more than two cores is essentially just a waste of money.

Processor Size

Processor size is one of the most important characteristics of processor performance. It shows the number of bits processed by the processor per clock cycle.
Currently, the highest CPU bit capacity is 128, but in the consumer market, such models are extremely rare, but 32 and 64 bits are the most popular.

CPU Clock Speed

The most famous parameter for evaluating processor performance is the number of operations/calculations performed per unit of time (measured in Hz). For example, if a processor is said to have a clock speed of 3.4 GHz, it processes 3 billion 400 million cycles in one second (the operation interval).

Final Words

You have come to the end of this buying guide of the best AM3 CPUs, and we hope we have been able to satisfy all of your curiosities regarding AM3 CPU’s.

As we have just seen, choosing one of the best processors on the market will not be an easy task since there is currently a wide range of options to choose from. The choice of processor is one of the most important decisions to make when setting up a new computer. We reviewed with you the highest performing processors offered by AM3, but stay alert as a buying guide on Intel processors will also be coming very soon.

We have seen the best models on the market, and we have described in general terms, their characteristics. Since the world of processors is extremely vast we hope we were able to shed light on the best AM3 processors.

Please share with us your experiences with processors and which you enjoyed the most. Thanks for reading!

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