How to choose AMD CPU

In the past few years, AMD has released some great CPUs. Names like Ryzen 3 and Ryzen 5 suggest the idea that they might be equivalent to Intel i3 and Intel i5.

And it's true. If you're wondering if you should choose AMD or Intel, please refer to the article 'Which CPUs should we choose: Intel or AMD?' Today's article will be a guide on how to buy the best AMD CPU to use.

Just like buying a supercar just to buy groceries, it makes no sense to buy an 16-core AMD Ryzen Threadripper just for regular web browsing or office work. Contrary to what some people think, AMD CPUs are often not the best option for gaming, and you will see why in this article.

Learn the names of AMD CPUs

The first part in the name of AMD CPUs is quite easy to understand. You can see it as a different way of speaking of low, intermediate, advanced, etc.

1. Ryzen 3 is a CPU group with low performance, specifications and features. At the time of writing, these models come with 4 cores.
2. Ryzen 5 is a mid-level CPU group. They have 4 or 6 cores and up to 12 threads.
3. Ryzen 7 signals entry into the high-performance segment. The CPU comes with 8 cores and 16 threads.
4. Ryzen 9 is the leading product of the high-end line, higher than the Ryzen CPU 7. Ryzen 9 CPU has 12 or 16 cores and up to 32 threads.
5. Ryzen Threadripper may be considered a superior product line over Ryzen 9, but it is not reasonable to compare Ryzen 9 and Ryzen Threadripper (you'll know why in the following section). These CPUs come with 8, 12, 16, 24 and 32 cores. The number of streams is twice the number of cores this model has.

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How to interpret AMD CPU model numbers

Consider the following model: AMD Ryzen 7 3800X . What does '3800X' mean?

1. The first digit, '3', tells you which model the 3rd generation belongs to. Therefore, '3800X' is a third-generation CPU, an improved version of the first and second generation.
2. The second digit, '8', tells you the performance level. This means the 3800 works better than 3700. Typically, models with the second digit have a value between 6 and 9 found in the desktop CPU and a value below 6 found in the laptop. hands, because they consume less energy, but also perform poorer.
3. The next two digits may signal minor differences, such as a slight increase in their frequency.
4. The last suffix, 'X' in this case, is optional.
   1. X signaled great performance, clock speed is higher than equivalent model without X suffix.
   2. G signals desktop with low power, with integrated GPU.
   3. H signals mobile devices with greater capacity, for example, laptops. (Large capacity may yield high performance, but still slower than standard desktop CPU).
   4. The lower standard power signal U is locked pulse (clock), for mobile devices.
   5. M signals very small power consumption, synonymous with very low efficiency.

Which AMD CPU is best for you?

To answer this question, you must first decide the type of work you do on your computer most often.

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To browse the web, watch YouTube, Netflix, etc. . Ryzen 3 is more than enough. However, if you own a laptop, try Ryzen 5, because the processor saves energy much slower than the desktop.

How to choose the best AMD CPU for gaming

If you play the game, the high clock rate for the CPU is far more important than the number of cores. You should target at least 6 cores and then find the highest GHz CPU you can find, as well as affordability. You can also focus on models with 'X' suffixes, as they have higher clock speeds than base models.

The Threadripper line seems to be the best choice for playing games, but in fact it is not, because most models have lower clock speeds when compared to the best Ryzen 7 or 9 series CPUs. .

You can read more about why CPU clock speed is important for gaming in the last part of this article or refer to the article: Mistakes to avoid when purchasing PC hardware components gaming. An easy way to find gaming CPUs is to consult the list of available processors, based on the best benchmark results for single-threaded performance here.

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As you can see in the image above, one of the best options for CPU gaming is now Ryzen 5 3600X, because it is the cheapest in the list and possesses very similar performance to other options in the list. . AMD Ryzen 7 3800X is much more expensive because it has more cores. But the two CPUs have a frame rate similar to that in a game like GTA V.

The best AMD CPU for content creators

So when is the Threadripper a good choice? The answer is when you need to do a lot of things in parallel. Typical cases include editing videos, manipulating photos / graphics, editing, producing and mixing music, etc. You should also buy a Threadripper if you often use virtual machines. Also, Threadripper will be great if you intend to use a computer as a server.

Usually, you will find 2 or 3 models at the same price and not sure which model to choose. In that case, just search Google for something like ' amd ryzen 3800x benchmark ' and refer to the results from 'cpubenchmark.net', as it will show you the total score (all core cores). how to divide a large task into small tasks) and a single-threaded performance point (how fast is a single core).

If you have a tight budget, you can also buy a CPU for less than a generation, because you won't lose much performance and still save a lot of money. Refer to the following article before deciding to buy AMD CPU: Top 5 best AMD CPUs.

Wish you could find a CPU!