Should I buy an AMD Ryzen 3 3100?
Due to its simultaneous debut with the 3300X, the AMD Ryzen 3 3100(opens in new tab) has been mostly overshadowed. Simply put, this is a tremendous small chip for the price, providing enough performance for $99. The 3300X had many more features, and it only cost $20 more, but that was an issue. No, that's not the chip you were looking for.
However, there is a catch: the Ryzen 3 3300X(opens in new tab) is so in demand that acquiring one is next to impossible at the moment. For its part, the AMD Ryzen 3 3100 is still readily available and can be purchased via AMD's Amazon storefront. Should you, then, decide to take it home? If so, how much would it cost?
Not long until Black Friday springs on your pocketbook, and there's a potential that the price of this chip will change then. Whether or not that makes it a must-have is up to you, but if you're thinking about a second gaming rig or something cheap for the kids, it could be worth looking into.
What is the AMD Ryzen 3 3100?
Though it had recently raised costs for its Zen 3 CPUs, when Zen 2 was all the rage, AMD took a different tack and introduced two chips priced to appeal to budget gamers. Even though it was the least expensive option, the Ryzen 3 3100 nevertheless managed to show off its chops as a quad-core, 8-thread processor with a base frequency of 3.6GHz and a boost clock of 3.9GHz. Even though it's not as fast as the 3300X, it's compatible with fast RAM and supports PCIe 4.0.
Even if you try overclocking, the Wraith Stealth cooler with this inexpensive CPU will keep it running cool.
What are the alternatives to the Ryzen 3 3100?
The Ryzen 3 3300X is the primary alternative to the Ryzen 3 3100, although it is currently unavailable elsewhere except Intel. Intel's continued support for PCIe 3.0, significant in storage, is the most glaring fact here.
The Core i3 10100 is the least expensive of Intel's offerings and is directly equivalent to AMD's low-end Zen 2 CPUs. It's also a quad-core, 8-thread CPU, running at 3.6GHz on a base frequency, but Intel's CPU has a far faster turbo of 4.3GHz. Furthermore, Intel's CPU has built-in graphics, giving it a distinct advantage in many uses.
Should I buy the AMD Ryzen 3 3100, and at what price?
No discussion of the Ryzen 3 3100 would be complete without mentioning its more powerful sibling, the 3300X, which is more cost-effective and robust than the 3100. However, because it is now unavailable, you are down to picking between this and the Intel Core i3 10100. So, you're deciding between AMD's PCIe 4.0 compatibility and Intel's integrated GPU.
A notable aspect of the Ryzen 3 3100 is that it is sold at a premium above its original retail price. This chip is sold for $120 on Amazon even though even AMD charges $99 for it. You might want to grab it now before the price lowers again on Black Friday. Compared to the Core i3 10100, which sells for $114, the Ryzen 3 3100 is too expensive at $120. Not touching it till the price drops to $99 is the best plan.
Check the comment section for additional information, or share what you know or ask a question about this article, by clicking the 'View or Write Comment' button below.
Note: Some of the information in samples on this website may have been impersonated or spoofed.