When the AMD Ryzen 5000 series came into the market, it made a huge noise. These CPUs immediately became hot cake due to their top-end offerings.
That said, the Ryzen 3000 series had a stronghold on the market in 2019. Still, it can somewhat give the Ryzen 5000 CPUs a run for their money.
But the question is, are they better than the Ryzen 5000 CPUs?
Don’t worry. We would get this answer very soon as in this comparison guide; we would dive deep into the insights about these two lines of CPUs.
Therefore, let’s assess which one is better between the Ryzen 5000 and 3000 series.
Is the Ryzen 5000 better than Ryzen 3000 CPUs?
When you’re building a gaming desktop, the CPU is by far the most important thing to take into account.
It’s that component, which dictates the whole functionality of your build.
Everything starting from the swiftness in loading to the high frame rates during the gameplay depends highly on the processor around which you are building your rig. That is why, if you emphasize gaming, you should pick up the best possible CPU.
Now, AMD is well revered for the Ryzen series of processors. These are some CPUs that are highly dedicated to gaming and are proven, performers. Starting from best for the buck to something extremely high-end, they got everything under their belt.
In the case of the Ryzen 5000 series and 3000 series, there are CPUs of every type like from entry-level to mainstream to enthusiast level. Therefore, if you want to opt for a certain series of CPUs then it can get a bit tricky.
No issues, as I have listed some criteria that make your job easy.
Here are the main differences between Ryzen 5000 and Ryzen 3000 Series CPU:
1. Clock Speed
The clock speed of the CPU matters regardless of the type of processor you buy. For both the Ryzen 5000 and 3000 series processors, this is one of the most important aspects to look into.
The clock speeds of the processors are usually measured in GHz. To run the applications in your system, your CPU needs to do continuous calculations completely.
That said, if the processor comes with a higher clock speed, the computation of those calculations will be a lot smoother and faster. As a result, all the apps in your system will run smoothly.
Now, between the Ryzen 5000 and 3000 processors, the base clock speed is higher in the 3000 series than the 5000 series. Eventually, this might baffle you in the first instance.
But to let you know, the Instruction Per Clock, also known as the IPC, matters in this scenario. For the Ryzen 5000 series processors, this IPC is greater than the ones of the 3000 series.
And this is where the 5000 series has a clear edge over the latter one.
2. CPU Architecture
The CPU architecture is crucial as its one of the determinants about how well a CPU would perform. Now, the AMD Ryzen processors that we are talking about belongs to two specific categories of architecture.
These architectures can be classified as Zen 2 and Zen 3. Here, Zen 2 processors are the ones that are under the Ryzen 3000 series. Mainstream processors like Ryzen 5 3600X or even enthusiast-class processors like Ryzen 9 3900 fall under this category.
That said, the Ryzen Zen 3 processors are the models that are under the Ryzen 5000 series. You’ll find CPUs like Ryzen 7 5800X or the Ryzen 9 5950X under this category.
Now, both these Zen 2 and Zen 3 processors come with some similarities. They both have 7nm architecture. It is one of the latest iterations you would find in the CPUs today. It offers a great shrink to the transistors, eventually providing enhanced silicon area utilization. It provides reduced power consumption as well as enhanced multitasking ability.
Enough praise for this version. Isn’t it?
Let us now talk about some business. The Zen 2 architecture has the L3 cache in the middle, and you’ll have 32 MB in it. That said, on each side of the cache, you’ll get four cores, which are again
divided into 8 CPU cores.
In terms of gaming output, it gets slower as a single group of CPUs wants to reach out to each other by leaving the CCD in the hands of I/O die. And the entire communication process between them has a back and forth mechanism.
Now, for the Zen 3 architecture, the layout is different. The L3 cache is underneath the cores and what makes it different is that all eight cores can quickly contact each other directly. No back and forth mechanism exists here.
Eventually, this trait gives Zen 3 a boost over Zen 2. Cores can access the large cache twice faster than they could’ve for CPUs with Zen 2 layout. This eventually means Zen 3 is more potent than Zen 2 in single thread and gaming.
3. Performance
If I have to talk specifically about the performance, I would say that the Ryzen 5000 processors provide greater overclocking headroom. Also, not to mention their top-notch single-thread performance.
All the Ryzen 5000 CPUs like the Ryzen 5 5600X or even the Ryzen 7 5800X are way ahead of their Ryzen 3000 counterparts.
What Ryzen 9 5950X did was completely beat down a Ryzen 3000 opponent. It has a 25% increase in performance over the Ryzen 9 3950X under heavy workloads. The thing that impressed me most is the 6.5% increment in the video editing performance.
4. Pricing
When it comes to the price of both processors, the Ryzen 3000 series is the desirable one. All of the Ryzen 5000 series models are priced within the range of 15-25% higher than that of the Ryzen 3000 series.
Therefore, if you seek something affordable or want the value for the bucks you would be spending, Ryzen 3000 is a slightly better option.
That said, the Ryzen 5000 processors will provide much better performance. But to unlock its full potential, you should know what components are the most compatible with the 5000 series processors.
Here you’ll find the lists of best Ryzen 5600x motherboards & CPU coolers.
FAQs
Question: What is the main difference between the Ryzen 5000 and 3000 series?
Answer: The enthusiast-class CPUs from the Ryzen 5000 series will possess two 32 MB layouts having eight cores each, whereas the Ryzen 3000 comes with 4x 16 MB caches having four cores.
Question: Is 7nm architecture better than 10nm?
Answer: Yes, to some extent, the 7nm architecture provides better results than the 10nm one.
Final Thoughts
So, it comes to an end. To be honest, there isn’t any definitive answer as to which is better between Ryzen 5000 and 3000.
It is subjective as the needs vary among users. I hope this comparison guide managed to give you a good view of the things between Ryzen Zen 2 and Zen 3 CPUs.
Still, it’s your decision to make. I wish you luck in getting the suitable processor for your build, and if there’s anything that you don’t understand from this guide, do let me know.
