Conclusion
If you are looking for a relatively cheap but quite capable gaming processor, then the new Ryzen 3 3300X is a very attractive option. Overall, I was pleasantly suprised by this model, which manages to offer competitive performance in gaming and is being generally faster in applications against twice as expensive Intel model (Core i5-9600KF) while maintaining lower power consumption. It even manages to somewhat compete in multithreaded applications with the 6-core Ryzen 5 2600, while being notably faster in anything else. Generally speaking, as all other Zen 2 models, it is a well-rounded processor for its price range. The only weak point being its relatively high operating temperature, to which I offer you to use aftermarket cooler, instead of the boxed one.
Against this background, Ryzen 3 3100 remains a bit in the shadow. The problem with it is that its strengths are not so strong compared to the Ryzen 5 1600 AF / 2600, and it’s notably lower performance in multi-threaded applications is quite significant. The gaming performance is also not notably better, achieving practically same average. Even overclocking is not much of an advantage, as both older models can also be subjected to similar levels of overclocking. And while many may be tempted by the idea of a $ 99 model, I think it’s definitely worth to add the $20 up to 3300X, especially if it’s part of an entire system. Even more so against the background of the fact that 3300X practically makes the entire Core i5 series meaningless, up to 9600K/KF.
