Review AMD Ryzen 9 3900X

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Brand AMD

Processor Speed 3.8 / 4.6

Processor cores 12

Threads 24

Cache memory 70 MB

Processor Socket Socket AM4

TDP 105W

A great, multi-core processor that will be appreciated primarily by people working with demanding applications. Players should rather look towards the slightly cheaper models from the Ryzen 7 series, and spend the money saved on a more powerful GPU. Nevertheless, the new AMD processor is certainly a unit that deserves considerable recognition.

The stability of the AMD Ryzen 9 3900X at the maximum OC value, the processor starts without any problems at 4.5 GHz, but after a dozen or so seconds of load, a reset occurs. Manipulating voltages will not bring the desired effect, and temperatures may be the culprit. All we managed to do was 4.4 GHz at 1.49V which was quite a good result. If you want to overclock the CPU, it is recommended to invest in better cooling, the load on the factory settings (3.8 GHz) is not the best (74C).

And, when it comes to gaming, the general rule of thumb for about as long as we could remember is that single-core performance rules supreme. However, in a lot of modern games – likely due to the prominence AMD Ryzen processors have gained – multi-core performance is becoming more and more utilized. For instance, in Total War: Warhammer II, we were experiencing higher frame rates at 1080p with the 3900X than with the Intel Core i9-9900K coupled with the same Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Ti GPU – up to 17%, in fact.

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The big downside here, though, is the chip’s power consumption and thermal performance. Now, we should be abundantly clear here: we tested using the included Wraith Spire cooler, rather than employing an AIO liquid cooling solution. Still, we saw temperatures hit 83 degrees Celsius, and power consumption reach all the way up to 145W. So, while the included thermal solution will do in a pinch, we recommend picking up an aftermarket cooler – something potential customers for a chip of this caliber will probably do anyways.

The Ryzen 9 3900X is an excellent CPU in which AMD has shown that it is no longer just a "cheaper option". It is an equally efficient, sometimes even faster option. It all depends on the uses. Already previous generations of Ryzen were really good units, but now the AMD has finally managed to increase single-threaded performance enough to bring it closer to Intel. We can recommend the new series model with a clear conscience to all those who build a computer with professional use in mind. The performance in games is of course high, but we will not use the "redundant" threads, and the quite expensive Ryzen 9 3900X can be successfully replaced by the cheaper Ryzen 7 3700X model, anyway Ryzen 9 3900X is the best processor under 500 dollars and it's worth it.

At the same time, it should be noted that oveclocking in this CPU has no real sense. We can overclock all the cores at once, but it doesn't always mean higher performance. PBO works pretty well and it's really better to leave frequency management to the CPU alone.

PROS

-powerful multi-threaded performance

-good performance of each single thread

-well-functioning PBO

-compatible with previous AM4 motherboards

CONS

-expensive

-low overclocking potential

See this product here: https://amzn.to/3a6hZ2X